US History Lecture Notes

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts, events, and figures from U.S. history, focusing on the origins of the Civil War and significant developments in American society.

What was the Colombian Exchange?

A trade system between Europe, America, and Africa that involved the exchange of slaves, crops, and animals.

What crops were provided by America during the Colombian Exchange?

Crops such as corn, beans, tomatoes, tobacco, and potatoes.

What animals did Europe provide in the Colombian Exchange?

Horses, cattle, pigs, and sugar cane plants.

What germs did Europeans unknowingly bring to the Americas?

Small pox, yellow fever, and malaria.

Who were the early dominant powers in the Americas?

Portugal and Spain were the early dominant powers.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

A treaty that divided land in the New World between Spain and Portugal.

What did Bartolomé de las Casas call encomienda?

He called it 'a moral pestilence invented by Satan'.

What was Juan de Sepúlveda's view on natives?

He believed that natives were barbarians who deserved to be treated as such.

What was encomienda?

A technique used by Spanish colonizers to grant land and Native American labor for conversion to Christianity.

What was the impact of the conquistadors?

They killed off the Aztec and Incan nations, pushed Spanish culture, and gained wealth.

What were mestizos?

People of mixed Native American and Spanish descent.

What is the Black Legend?

The idea that the Spanish only killed and stole from natives, ignoring their cultural fusion.

Why did de las Casas and Sepúlveda have differing views on conquest?

Their views reflected perceptions of native inferiority and justifications for exploitation.

Who was Queen Elizabeth I?

The ‘Virgin Queen’ who ruled England and put down Catholic uprisings.

What is the significance of Laws of Primogeniture?

It established that only the eldest son could inherit land.

What was the purpose of joint-stock companies?

To pool resources for colonization and profit.

What was the Virginia Company?

A joint-stock company that helped establish Jamestown.

What was the ‘starving time’ in Jamestown?

A period of starvation that occurred from 1601-1610 due to food shortages and disease.

What was the Iroquois Confederacy?

An alliance of five tribes in New York that was historically powerful.

What initiated the first Anglo-Powhatan War?

Initiated by Lord De La Warr and ended through negotiations involving John Rolfe and Pocahontas.

What happened to the Powhatan Confederacy by 1685?

They were extinct due to conflict and disease.

Who was John Rolfe?

The English husband of Pocahontas and a key figure in Virginia's tobacco economy.

What was the House of Burgesses?

The first legislative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia.

What was the Act of Toleration?

A Maryland law that granted freedom of worship to Catholics and Protestants.

What did the Barbados Slave Code do?

It established strict laws to govern the treatment of enslaved individuals.

What was Bacon's Rebellion?

A 1676 revolt by Virginia settlers against the ruling class, initiated by poor farmers.

What was the Middle Passage?

The transatlantic crossing of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

What were slave codes?

Laws that defined the status of slaves and their owners.

What was the Jeremiad?

A style of preaching that emphasized the need for a return to piety.

What was the Halfway Covenant?

A Puritan church policy that allowed partial membership for the unconverted.

What was the Great Awakening?

A religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s that emphasized personal faith.

Who were the Old Lights and New Lights?

Old Lights were traditionalists that opposed revivalist movements; New Lights embraced them.

What was the Zenger Trial?

A landmark case in 1735 that established freedom of the press in America.

What characterized New England's economy?

Fishing, trade, and small-scale farming due to rocky soil.

What were the Middle Colonies known for?

They had fertile soil and were diverse in terms of ethnicity and religion.

What was the significance of the Fundamental Orders?

Considered the first modern constitution that established a democratic government.

What was the NE Confederation?

An alliance of New England colonies formed to defend against Native American attacks.

What was the Dominion of New England?

A consolidation of Northern colonies under British rule to tighten control.

What was Salutary Neglect?

A British policy relaxed enforcement of regulations in colonial America.

What was the Holy Experiment?

William Penn's attempt to create a community of religious freedom in Pennsylvania.

Why were the Middle Colonies referred to as the ‘Bread Colonies’?

For their fertile soil and production of grain.

What was the significance of Benjamin Franklin?

He was a key figure in the colonies for diplomacy, science, and literature.

What characterized indentured servitude?

Laborers who worked for a set number of years in exchange for passage to America.

What was the Headright System?

A system that granted land for paying indentured servants to come to America.

What was the outcome of the Stono Rebellion?

A slave revolt in South Carolina that led to stricter slave codes.

What did the Triangle Trade involve?

A trade network between America, Africa, and Europe for slaves, goods, and rum.

What were the leading causes of the Civil War in the U.S.?

Slavery, states' rights, and tensions over westward expansion.

What did the Dred Scott decision determine?

That African Americans were not citizens and could not sue in federal courts.

What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act lead to?

Increased tensions over slavery and violent conflicts known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

What was the Wilmot Proviso?

Proposed legislation to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico.

What was the result of the Election of 1860?

Abraham Lincoln's election, leading to southern states secession.

What were the Articles of Confederation?

The first constitution of the United States, which created a weak federal government.

What was the purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785?

To organize the Northwest Territory for sale and settlement.

What was Shays' Rebellion?

An uprising of farmers protesting high taxes and debt in post-Revolutionary America.

What was the 3/5 Compromise?

Determined that slaves would count as three-fifths of a person for representation.

What did the Federalist Papers advocate?

Support for the new Constitution and promoting federalism.

What was the significance of the Whiskey Rebellion?

A test of federal power and the government's ability to enforce law.

What did George Washington's Farewell Address warn against?

Entangling alliances and political parties.

What was the Alien and Sedition Acts?

Laws aimed at restricting criticism of the government and deporting foreigners.

What were the main issues leading to the War of 1812?

Impressment of American sailors and trade restrictions.

What was the Missouri Compromise?

An agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

What did the Monroe Doctrine declare?

That the Americas were off-limits for European colonization.

What was the impact of the Second Great Awakening?

It sparked reform movements and increased religious fervor.

What did the Abolitionist Movement fight for?

The end of slavery in the United States.

What was the significance of the Seneca Falls Convention?

The first women's rights convention that demanded suffrage.

What did the cotton gin do?

Revolutionized cotton production and increased the demand for slave labor.

Who was Harriet Tubman?

An escaped slave who helped others on the Underground Railroad.

Who was Frederick Douglass?

An escaped slave who became a prominent abolitionist and orator.

What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation?

It declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate states.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg?

A turning point that ended Lee's invasion of the North.

What did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo accomplish?

It ended the Mexican-American War and ceded vast territory to the U.S.

What was the impact of the Compromise of 1850?

It aimed to balance free and slave states but increased tensions.

What did Andrew Jackson's presidency represent?

The rise of the common man and increased democracy for white males.

Who were the Transcendentalists?

A group of writers and philosophers who emphasized individuality and nature.

What was significant about the Election of 1800?

It was a peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans.

What was the significance of the Mexican-American War?

It intensified the debate over slavery and westward expansion.

What was the impact of the transportation revolution?

It enabled faster travel and communication, facilitating westward expansion.

Who were the Know-Nothings?

A nativist political party that opposed immigration and supported anti-Catholic measures.

What was the significance of the end of the Federalist Party?

It marked the decline of a major political party after the War of 1812.

What was the effect of the Panic of 1837?

A financial crisis that led to economic depression and unemployment.

What did the Crittenden Compromise propose?

To extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific, protecting slavery.

What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act nullify?

It nullified the Missouri Compromise by allowing popular sovereignty.

What was John Brown's raid?

An attempted slave uprising at Harper's Ferry that intensified sectional tensions.

What was the impact of the Dred Scott decision?

It determined that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in territories.

What was the significance of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?

They raised Lincoln's national profile and highlighted the issue of slavery.

What did the 1860 presidential election lead to?

It led to the secession of southern states and the onset of the Civil War.

What was the significance of the Battle of Antietam?

It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history and led to the Emancipation Proclamation.

What was Abraham Lincoln's primary goal at the start of the Civil War?

To preserve the Union.

What was the significance of the Battle of Vicksburg?

It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.

Who was Ulysses S. Grant?

The general of the Union Army who later became the 18th President.

What was the outcome of Sherman's March to the Sea?

It devastated the South and weakened Confederate morale.

What was the main goal of the Freedmen's Bureau?

To assist freed slaves in their transition to freedom and citizenship.

What was the Congressional Reconstruction?

A period in which Congress took control of Reconstruction efforts and enforced civil rights.

What amendments were passed during Reconstruction?

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which abolished slavery and granted equal rights.

What was the Compromise of 1877?

It ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South.

What did Plessy v. Ferguson establish?

The 'separate but equal' doctrine, legitimizing segregation.