APUSH - Key Vocabulary

Columbian Exchange

Global exchange of living things (people, animals, plants, diseases) between the Old World, and New World.

Encomienda System

System established by the Spanish crown that rewarded prominent men with land and native slaves.

Caste System

Defines the status of people in New Spain based on race and ethnicity.

Indentured Servants

Workers who agreed to work (without wages) for a specific period of time in exchange for passage to the New World.

Puritans

Dissenters from the church of England who wanted a full reform rather than the partial reform sought by Henry VIII. Emphasized the importance of a relationship with god through bible study, & prayer.

Holy Experiment

The founding and establishment of the Pennsylvania colony in the late 17th century. Often used to describe Penn's vision of a colony with religious tolerance and freedom.

Mayflower Compact

First written frame of government in what would be the United States.

Mercantilism

Economic theory stating that wealth, or gold and silver had a direct correlation with the amount of power you have. In order to gain gold, countries were required to export more than they import.

Triangular Trade

Trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas exchanging goods such as raw materials, finished goods, and slaves.

Salutary Neglect

Term used to describe British policy during the reigns of George I & II. Relaxed supervision of colonial affairs, the policy inadvertently assisted in the rise of self-govt in North America.

Navigation Acts

English laws passed beginning in the 1650s requiring that certain English colonial goods be shipped through English ports on English ships manned by Englishmen, to benefit English people.

Pueblo Revolt

In 1680, Native American Pueblos rebelled against mistreatment from Spaniards. The Pueblos won, and Spaniards were driven out of Mexico until 1690.

Bacon's Rebellion

Rebellion in Virginia from 1675-1676 when vigilante colonists began to fight natives in the area. When the Virgina Govt. refused to support them, they stormed, and burned the capital, Jamestown

Middle Passage

The brutal sea voyage that carried about 12.5 million Africans to the Americas to be enslaved. Around 1.8 million died during the voyage, before even reaching the Americas.

Enlightenment

18th-century movement that emphasized the use of reason to reevaluate previously accepted doctrines, traditions, and the power of reason to understand and shape the world.

Natural Rights

The rights to life, liberty, and property. John Locke argued that political authority was not given by God to monarchs but instead derived from social compacts that preserved citizen's natural rights.

Proclamation of 1763

Royal decree issued by King George II to prevent colonists from expanding westward and starting conflicts with Native Americans. Sparked anger in the colonists, and they often broke the rule.

Boston Tea Party

Protest organized by the Sons of Liberty where colonists disguised as Native Americans threw 342 crates of tea from the British East India Company in the Boston Harbor

Daughters of Liberty

Group of women who supported the cause of independence and worked to further the goals of the Sons of Liberty. Organized boycotts such as by spinning cloth to replace imported fabrics.

Common Sense

Pamphlet created by Thomas Paine in 1776. It used everyday, persuasive language to convince citizens of the need for independence from Britain.

Social Contract

Unwritten agreement within a society where people agree to follow rules and laws in exchange for protection and benefits from the government or authority.

Declaration of Independence

A document containing philosophical principles and a list of grievances that declared separation from Britain. Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Boston Massacre

Deadly confrontation between British soldiers and a group of American colonists in Boston in 1770. Colonists who threw snowballs at British soldiers were attacked, and 5 were killed.

Republican Motherhood

Emphasized the role of mothers in educating their children to be responsible citizens. Suggested that women had a civic duty to instill values of liberty, virtue, and patriotism in their children.

Articles of Confederation

Written document that defined the structure of the government from 1781 to 1788, gave the central government little power and did not have an executive branch.

Shay's Rebellion

A 1786-1787 uprising led by farmers in western MA, many of them revolutionary war veterans, protesting the taxation policies of the eastern elites who controlled the state's government.

Virginia Plan

The legislative branch would be bicameral, with both houses apportioned according to population. It was proposed to give more power to the more populous states in Congress.

New Jersey Plan

It called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state. It was proposed to give more power to the smaller states, as it wanted one vote for each state regardless of population.

The Great Compromise

It established the current bicameral legislature with a different method of representation in each house.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Determined how enslaved people would be counted for representation and taxation purposes. Said that each slave would be considered as 3/5 of a person for these statistics.

Federalists

Supporters of the constitution of 1787, which created a strong central government.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of ratification of the constitution. Feared that a powerful government would be out of touch with the people's needs. Also complained that it failed to guarantee individual liberties.

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution. Safeguarded fundamental person rights, including freedom of speech and religion, and mandated legal procedures such as trial by jury.

Alien & Sedition Acts

Authorized the deportation of foreigners and prohibited the publication of insults or malicious attacks on the president or members of Congress.

Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions

Resolutions by the Virginia and Kentucky state legislatures in 1798 condemning the Alien and Sedition Acts. Tested the idea that state legislatures could judge the legitimacy of federal laws.

Strict Construction

Following exactly what the Constitution says. Gave less power to the government and was supported by Anti-Federalists.

Loose Construction

Using the Constitution as a guide and creating other policies. Gave the federal government more power and was supported by Federalists.

Sectionalism

The excessive loyalty to a specific region of a country, rather than the country as a whole.

Marbury v. Madison

A Supreme court case that established the principle of judicial review. Marked the first time that the supreme court assumed legal authority to overrule acts of other government branches.

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 purchase of French territory that nearly doubled the size of the United States. The purchase required Jefferson to use powers not explicitly granted to him in the constitution.

Embargo Act (1807)

Prohibited American ships from sailing to foreign ports in an effort to protect American interests and to avoid getting drawn into the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France.

Missouri Compromise

Maine entered the union as a free state while Missouri entered as a slave state preserving the balance in the Senate between the North and South.

American System

The mercantilist system of national economic development introduced by Henry Clay with a national bank, protective tariffs, and a nationally funded system of railroads and canals.

Impressment

The practice of forcibly recruiting sailors into a navy, particularly associated with British ships taking American sailors during the early 19th century.

Treaty of Ghent

The treaty signed on Christmas Eve 1814 that ended the War of 1812. It retained the prewar borders of the United States.

Monroe Doctrine

The 1823 declaration by President James Monroe that the Western Hemisphere was closed to any further colonization or interference by European powers.

Erie Canal

A 364-mile waterway connecting the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Brought prosperity to the entire Great Lakes region, and prompted others to create more canals.

Market Revolution

The dramatic increase between 1820 and 1850 in the exchange of goods and services in the market transaction. Reflected increased outputs of farms and called for an advanced transportation network.

Social Mobility

The ability of individuals to move up or down the social and economic ladder.

Nativism

The policy of protecting the interests of native-born citizens against those of immigrants.

Cult of Domesticity

System of cultural beliefs that encouraged women to prioritize their roles in the household over working outside of it.

Nullification

The constitutional argument advanced by John C. Calhoun that a state legislature could void a congressional law.

Bank Battle

President Andrew Jackson vetoed a bill to recharter the bank and began a campaign to destroy it. The war ended with the bank's shutdown and replacement by state banks.

Indian Removal Act (1830)

A U.S. law signed by President Andrew Jackson that authorized the removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans, particularly the Cherokee Nation, from their southeastern homelands to lands west of the Mississippi River in the late 1830s.

Worcester v. Georgia

A Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the state of Georgia could not regulate the Cherokee Nation's territory, recognizing Native American sovereignty.

Transcendentalism

The belief that spirituality cannot be achieved through reason and rationalism, but instead through self-reflection and intuition.

Second Great Awakening

Series of evangelical Protestant revivals extending from the 1790s to 1830s that prompted thousands of conversions and widespread optimism about Americans' capacity for progress and reform.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention in the United States. It was held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19-20, 1848.

Abolitionism

The social reform movement to end slavery immediately and without compensation that began in the United States in the 1830s.

Positive Good

In 1837, South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun argued that slavery was not a necessary evil, but a positive good.

Manifest Destiny

Term coined by John L. O'Sullivan in 1845 to express the idea that Euro-Americans were fated by God to settle to North American continent from the Atlantic to Pacific.

Compromise of 1850

Laws passed in 1850 that were meant to resolve the status of slavery in newly acquired territories. Included the Fugitive Slave Act and the admission of California as a free state.

Popular Sovereignty

A plan created by Stephen Douglas that would allow citizens of newly acquired American territories from the Mexican-American war to vote if slavery should be allowed in their territory.

Know-Nothing Party

An anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic political party formed in 1851 that arose in response to mass immigration from Ireland and Germany. The party gained control of the state government in MA and PA.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Controversial 1854 law that divided Indian Territory into Kansas and Nebraska. Left the new territories to decide on slavery based on popular sovereignty. Led to Bleeding Kansas.

Dred Scott Decision

1857 SCOTUS decision that ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. Denied the federal govt. the right to exclude slavery from territories and declared Af-Americans were not citizens.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent confrontations in Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1861 over whether or not Kansas would enter the Union as a slave state or free state.

Anaconda Plan

Military strategy proposed by Union General Winfield Scott that aimed to blockade the Southern ports and take control of the Mississippi River, effectively squeezing Confederate resources.

Emancipation Proclamation

President Lincoln's proclamation issued on Jan 1, 1863; legally abolished slavery in all states that were out of the Union. While it didn't free a single slave immediately, it signaled an end to slavery.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the US, including former slaves, and guaranteed all citizens "equal protection of the laws."

15th Amendment

Prohibited governments from denying US citizens the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War, with the intent to restrict African American's freedom and compel them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt.

Compromise of 1877

Unwritten deal that resulted in Rutherford B. Hayes being elected in exchange for the removal of federal troops from Southern states. Known as the end of Reconstruction.

Gilded Age

A time period in US history marked by rapid economic growth, particularly in the North and West. It was also characterized by severe social problems, such as inequality and corruption.

Transcontinental Railroad

A 1912-mile continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern US rail network to the Pacific coast.

Wounded Knee Massacre

Killing of around 300 Indians by the US Army after an Indian accidentally fired a shot. Considered one of the most tragic incidents in the history of US treatment towards Native Americans.

Dawes Act

Law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society by dividing tribal lands into individual plots.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 SCOTUS case that ruled racial segregation laws did not violate the Constitution. Set the stage for decades of legislation that focused on segregation.

Robber Barons

A derogatory term used to describe wealthy industrialists who were viewed as having amassed their wealth through unethical or unscrupulous means.

Vertical Integration

When a company controls more than one stage of the supply chain for a product, from the raw materials to manufacturing and distribution.

Horizontal Integration

When a company acquires, merges with, or takes over another company of the same industry at the same stage of production to reduce competition.

Laissez-Faire

Economic theory that opposes governmental intervention in commerce beyond basic functions like protecting property rights and promotes free-market capitalism.

Gospel of Wealth

Article by Andrew Carnegie in 1889 which argues that wealth individuals have a moral obligation to distribute their wealth in ways the promote the welfare and happiness of others.

Knights of Labor

First major labor organization in the US, founded in 1869. Aimed to unite all laborers into a single body to push for better working conditions.

American Federation of Labor

Played a crucial role in the rise of labor unions. It focused on organizing skilled workers and negotiating with employers for better wages, working hours, and conditions.

Haymarket Riot

Violent confrontation between police and labor protestors on May 4th, 1886. Resulted in several deaths and injuries after someone threw a bomb at the police.

Tenement House Act

Law passed in 1867 in NYC that aimed to improve the living conditions of people residing in tenements, which were overcrowded and unsanitary multi-family apartments.

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Federal law that suspended immigration from China for ten years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization.

Progressive Movement

Period of widespread social activism and political reform that spanned from the 1890s to 1920s. It focused on eliminating problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

Sherman Antitrust Act

Law passed in 1890; prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in business, aiming to prevent the creation of monopolies.

Populist Party

Political party that emerged in the late 19th century. Advocated for government control of railroads and currency reform.

Political Machines

Organizations led by a single boss or small group that commands enough votes to maintain political control of a city, county, or state.

Imperialism

Policy or ideology by which a nation extends its power by acquiring territories, often through colonization and the use of force.

Open-Door Policy

Proposed that all countries should maintain free and equal access of China's coastal ports of trade. Only the Chinese government would be able to collect taxes related to trade.

Spanish-American War

Conflict between the United States and Spain in 1898, resulting in the US gaining territories in the Western Pacific and Latin America.

18th Amendment

Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote, nationally establishing women's suffrage.

Square Deal

Domestic policy proposed by Theodore Roosevelt. It focused on conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection.