ULTIMATE APUSH STUDY GUIDE

includes all units

Colombian Exchange

The exchange of animals, foods, plants, ideas, and diseases between Europe and the Americas.

Encomienda System

A system offered by the Spanish crown in which colonists were able to use the slave labor of a certain number of Native Americans and in turn the colonists would have to take care of and convert the Natives to Catholicism.

the Racial Caste System

A hierarchical social structure that placed Europeans at the top, followed by **Mezitos** (European+Native American), Native Americans, **Zambos** (African+Native Americans), and finally Africans. This system was based on the belief that certain races were superior to others and justified the exploitation and enslavement of non-Europeans.

The Spanish Armada

A fleet of Navy ships owned by Spain which stopped other countries from settling in the New World until 1588 when the English Navy defeated it.

The Three G’s

The motivation for many countries to begin colonization in the Americas. __**GOD**__ - The spread of Christianity - __**GOLD**__ - Money and new resources - __**GLORY**__ - Fame and notoriety/gaining new territory and expanding their regime.

Joint-Stock Companies

Corporate businesses with shareholders whose mission was to settle land in the Americas. Famous examples: British East India Company, Dutch East India Company, and the Virginia Company (who later settled Jamestown).

Bartolome De Las Casas

A Spanish historian, social reformer, and Dominican friar who became famous for his defense of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. He was born in 1484 and died in 1566.

The Spanish Mission System

A colonial institution whose main purpose was to convert and assimilate indigenous populations to Christianity and Spanish culture. The system involved the establishment of missions, or religious communities, where indigenous people were taught Christianity, agriculture, and other skills. The missions were often run by Catholic priests and were supported by the Spanish government. However, the system was also criticized for its harsh treatment of indigenous people and for contributing to the destruction of their cultures.

Roanoke/The Lost Colony

An English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in North America. The colony was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh, but it ultimately failed and became known as the "Lost Colony" due to the mysterious disappearance of its inhabitants.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established in 1607 in Virginia. It was named after Queen Elizabeth 1 who was known as the Virgin Queen and was founded by the Virginia Company of London. - The settlement was a mess at first as the men who settled it did not know what they were doing. It improved when Captain John Smith took over and decreed “he who will not work shall not eat.”

The Starving Time

A period of famine and disease that occurred in the winter of 1609-1610 in the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The Powhatan Confederacy stopped supplying the colonists with food and the colonists were unable to grow enough food to sustain themselves and resorted to eating horses, dogs, rats, and even each other to survive. It is estimated that over 80% of the colonists died during this time.

John Rolfe

John Rolfe was an English settler in Jamestown, Virginia, and is credited with introducing tobacco as a cash crop to the colony in the early 17th century. He also married Pocahontas, the daughter of the Powhatan Indian chief, which helped establish a period of peace between the Powhatan Indians and the English settlers.

Indetured Servant

Indentured servants were individuals who agreed to work for a set number of years(typically 7) in exchange for passage to the American colonies and other benefits such as food, clothing, and shelter. They were typically poor Europeans who could not afford to pay for their own passage to the colonies and were looking for a better life. Servitude was a very hard practice and many of these people - most of whom were healthy young men - did not survive their term.

the Headright System

The Headright System was a land distribution system used in colonial Virginia and Maryland in the 17th century. Under this system, land was granted to individuals who paid for their own or others' passage to the colonies. Each person who paid for their own passage received 50 acres of land, while those who paid for others' passage received 50 acres for each person they brought over. It was created by the Virginia Company to solve a labor shortage created by tobacco farming which needed a large number of workers.

The House Of Burgesses

The House of Burgesses was the first democratically elected legislative body in the British American colonies. It was established in Virginia in 1619 and was composed of representatives elected by white land-owning males in the colony's various counties. The House of Burgesses played a significant role in the development of representative government in America. All decisions made by the House of Burgesses had to be approved by the Virginia Company.

Puritanism

Puritanism was a religious movement that emerged in the 16th century within the Church of England. Puritans believed in the importance of personal religious experience, strict adherence to biblical law, and the rejection of Catholicism's perceived excesses and corruption. They sought to purify the Church of England of what they saw as remnants of Catholicism and to create a more "pure" form of Protestantism. Puritanism had a significant impact on the development of American society and culture, particularly in New England.

Separatists

A Puritan group who thought the Church of England was so incapable of being reformed they had to abandon it. They first attempted to go to the Netherlands but ultimately decided to start fresh in the New World, where they founded the settlement Plymouth.

The Mayflower Compact

The Mayflower Compact was a document signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower ship in 1620. It established a self-governing agreement among the settlers, creating a framework for laws and order in the new colony.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony

A colony led by John Winthrop who urged the colonists to be “a city upon a hill” (a model for others to look up to). The colony consisted of Calvinists who believed they had a covenant with God. Their Calvinist principles, such as a strong work ethic, influenced every aspect of their daily life.

Roger Williams

A controversial Salem Bay minister who taught the ideal of the separation of church and state. Williams was banished and moved to present day Rhode Island where he founded a colony based upon these principles.

Anne Hutchinson

An intelligent, well-educated, and powerful woman who challenged Puritanism through antinomianism. This was the belief that faith and God’s grace, as opposed to the observance of moral law and performance of good deeds, should earn one a place among the elect. She was banished.

The Act of Toleration

A law passed in 1648 to protect the religious freedom of most Christians.

Powhatan Wars

The Powhatan Wars were a series of conflicts fought between English settlers of the Virginia Colony and various Indian tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy in the early 17th century. The wars resulted in the subjugation of the Powhatan tribes and the expansion of English control over the region. The conflicts were marked by brutal violence on both sides, including massacres of Indian villages and the use of biological warfare by the English. The wars also had a profound impact on the culture and society of the Powhatan tribes, leading to the loss of their lands, traditions, and way of life.

The Middle Passage

The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of Africans were forcibly transported to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade. It was a brutal and inhumane journey across the Atlantic Ocean, lasting several weeks or even months, during which slaves were packed tightly into ships and subjected to disease, starvation, and abuse. It is estimated that between 10 and 12 million Africans were forcibly transported during the Middle Passage, with approximately 1.5 million dying en route.

French and Indian War/Seven Years’ War

The French and Indian War was a conflict between Great Britain and France, fought in North America from 1754 to 1763. It was part of the larger Seven Years' War, which involved many European powers. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris, in which France ceded its North American territories to Great Britain. The war had a significant impact on the future of North America, as it led to increased tensions between the British colonies and the British government, and ultimately contributed to the American Revolution.

Salutary Neglect

An unofficial British policy of non-enforcement of trade regulations on their American colonies. The purpose was to maximize economic output amongst the colonists while maintain some form of control.

Mercantilism

Mercantilism is the economic idea that a country's wealth is measured by the amount of gold it owns. The goal of mercantilist economic policy is to export more goods than you import, so that you bring more money into the country than you send out to other nations. policies often included instituting high tariffs on imported manufactured goods, preventing colonies from trading with foreign nations or shipping goods on foreign ships, and establishing monopolies over domestic and colonial markets.

Protective Tariffs

Tariff that increases the price of any imported goods that compete with American made products and thus protects American manufacturers from foreign competition in the markets.

Navigation Acts

Acts of Parliament intended to promote the self-sufficiency of the British Empire by restricting colonial trade to England and decreasing dependence on foreign imported goods.

Bacon’s Rebellion

As most of the land along the coast was already taken, farmers and previous indentured servants started moving further inland, clashing with Native American tribes. These settlers asked the governor of Jamestown to get rid of the natives but the governor refused, not wanting to cause a war. However, farmers rallied behind Nathaniel Bacon and fought the Native tribes, and wreaked havoc in Jamestown.

The First Great Awakening

A revival that swept Protestantism in the British colonies and changed the fabric of religion in early America. The revival took place in the mid-18th century and was a reaction to the logic and reasoning of the Enlightenment.

The Chesapeake Colonies (Maryland & Virginia)

The Chesapeake area was characterized by a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. The economy of the Chesapeake region was primarily based on tobacco cultivation, which was labor-intensive and relied heavily on the use of enslaved Africans.

The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut)

Life in the New England Colonies centered around trade as Boston was a major port city. Nearly all farming was for sustenance and most were rigid Puritans. The region was known for regular rainfall during spring and summer and several feet of snowfall during the winter.

The Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware)

These colonies had much more fertile soil and focused primarily on farming. They were often called the “bread colonies” because of their large exports of grain. New York and Philadelphia were their major trade centers.

The Albany Plan of Union

A proposal by the Albany Congress, under the guidance of Benjamin Franklin, during the French and Indian War. It called for a confederation of colonies to defend against attack by European and native foes. The plan was rejected because colonies did not want to relinquish their right to tax themselves.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Pontiac was an Ottawa leader who led a loose confederation of Native Americans from numerous tribes to fight for their land against the presence of British troops at the conclusion of the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

A British-produced boundary marked in the Appalachian Mountains at the Eastern Continental Divide. Decreed on October 7, 1763, the Proclamation Line prohibited colonists from settling on lands West of the Appalachians.

Sugar Act of 1764

Lowered the duty on foreign-produced molasses as an attempt to discourage colonial smuggling. The act further stipulated that Americans could export many commodities - including lumber, iron, skins, and whalebone - to foreign countries only if the goods passed through British ports first.

Stamp Act of 1765

imposed a tax on all printed materials, including newspapers, legal documents, and even playing card

Sons of Liberty

an organization formed by American colonists in the early years of the American Revolution. The group used acts of civil disobedience and violence to protest British taxation and to push for independence.

Declaratory Act

Stated that Parliament had the right to make laws for the colonies in all matters.

Townshend Acts

The Townshend Acts were a series of measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. But American colonists, who had no representation in Parliament, saw the Acts as an abuse of power. The British sent troops to America to enforce the unpopular new laws, further heightening tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies in the run-up to the American Revolutionary War.

The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre was a bloody confrontation between the angry colonists and the British troops stationed there. The Bostonians threw snowballs, stones, and sticks at the redcoats, whom did not find it amusing. The British soldiers shot into the mob and killed around 10 people. This was a significant diplomatic event because the American hatred for Britain grew even stronger.

The Boston Tea Party

During the Tea Act, the British continued to try to sneak tea in to maintain their act. However, a group of artisans and laborers sneaked onto the Dartmouth ship dressed as Mohawk Indians. The angry colonists poured about $800,000 worth of tea into the harbor.

Intolerable Acts

the American Patriots' name for a series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea party. They were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in throwing a large tea shipment into Boston harbor.

First Continental Congress

A meeting of delegates from twelve colonies in Philadelphia in 1774, the Congress denied Parliament's authority to legislate for the colonies, condemned British actions toward the colonies, created the Continental Association, and endorsed a call to take up arms

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The battles of Lexington and Concord initiated the Revolutionary War between the American colonists and the British. British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord to stop the colonists who were loading arms. The next day, on April 19, 1775, the first shots were fired in Lexington, starting the war.

Olive Branch Petition

The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, and signed on July 8 in a final attempt to avoid war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in America.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

Common Sense is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies.

Declaration of Independence

Battle of Saratoga

The Battles of Saratoga marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War

Battle of Yorktown

the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, and led to the surrender of Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. The Continental Army's victory at Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and overall state of conflict between the two countries.

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 states of the United States, formerly the Thirteen Colonies, that served as the nation's first frame of government.

Shays’s Rebellion

an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. The fight took place mostly in and around Springfield during 1786 and 1787.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

he Northwest Ordinance established a government for the Northwest Territory, outlined the process for admitting a new state to the Union, and guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen states.

Great Compromise

an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 between delegates of the states with large and small populations that defined the structure of Congress and the number of representatives each state would have in Congress according to the United States Constitution

3/5 Compromise

It determined that three out of every five slaves was counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation.

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791 and guaranteeing such rights as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship.

Federalist Papers

a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States.

Whiskey Rebellion

a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government.

Neutrality Proclimation

a formal announcement issued by U.S. President George Washington on April 22, 1793, that declared the nation neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. It threatened legal proceedings against any American providing assistance to any country at war.

Pickney’s Treaty

It defined the border between the United States and Spanish Florida, and guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River.

Farewell Address

a letter written by American President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it near the end of the second term of his presidency before retiring to his home at Mount Vernon in Virginia.

XYZ Affairs

**A diplomatic incident between the United States and France in 1797 outraged Americans and led to an undeclared war**.

Alien and Sedition Acts

The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of four laws passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798 during the administration of President John Adams amid widespread fear that a foreign war against France was imminent. The laws—which remain controversial to this day—restricted the activities of foreign residents in the country and limited freedom of speech and of the press, particularly when it was critical of the president or the government. Most, but not all, of the laws have expired or been repealed over the years.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional.

Midnight Appointments

On his last day in office, President Adams appointed a large number of Federalist judges to the federal courts in an effort to maintain Federalist control of the government.

Marbury V. Madison

established the principle of judicial review—the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional. The unanimous opinion was written by Chief Justice John Marshall.

Louisiana Purchase

a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.

Lewis And Clark

They explored the vast territory west of the Mississippi River by the US, when they where commissioned by Jefferson. They cataloged plants and animals, and established relations with Native inhabitants.

War of 1812

A war between the U.S. and Great Britain caused by American outrage over the impressment of American sailors by the British, the British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Natives attacking the Americans on the western frontier.

Embargo Act of 1807

This law was passed in December 1807 over Federalist opposition, and prohibited United States vessels from trading with European nations during the Napoleonic War

War Hawks

a community of about twenty Democratic Republicans who persuaded Congress into supporting a declaration of war against Britain.

Tecumseh

A Shawnee leader, who fought against the United States expansion into the Midwest. He opposed any surrender of Native American land to whites, and tried with his brother, Tenskwatawa the "Prophet," in uniting the tribes from American customs, especially liquor.

American System

the system that was supposed to protect the American economy. It did this through a tariff that would make American produced goods cheaper, a national bank to foster commerce, and federal subsidies for roads, canals, and other infrastructure.

McCulloch V. Maryland

This court case resulted in the decision that established the supremacy of the Constitution, the expansion of Congress' powers beyond those enumerated, and the inferior status of state laws in relation to federal laws.

Panic of 1819

the start of a two-year depression caused by extensive speculation, the loose lending practices of state banks, a decline in European demand for American staple goods, and mismanagement within the second Bank of the United States.

Monroe Doctrine

Monroe suggested that any attempts to colonize in the Americas would be viewed as a threat directly aimed at the United States, and that the United States would defend against those threats accordingly.

Missouri Compromise

an agreement between Northern and Southern states about which western territories could be admitted into the Union as slave states. The Missouri Compromise consisted of three large parts:  Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, Maine entered as a free state, and the 36’30” line was established as the dividing line regarding slavery for the remainder of the Louisiana Territory. Any states carved out of land north of this line would be free and any states south of the 36’30”could either choose slavery or no slavery.

Election of 1824

none of the candidates were able to secure a majority of the electoral vote, thereby putting the outcome in the hands of the House of Representatives, which elected John Quincy Adams over rival Andrew Jackson.

Corrupt Bargain

After Adams won the presidency, he appointed Clay as secretary of state. Jackson's supporters called the action a "corrupt bargain" because they thought that Jackson was cheated of the presidency.

Spoils System

officials rewarded political friends and supporters with government positions

Jacksonian Democracy

The idea of spreading political power to the people and ensuring majority rule as well as supporting the "common man"

Universal White Manhood Suffrage

The idea of enfranchisement of all white men in the United States regardless of property and class in the United States

Indian Removal Act

authorizing the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. A few tribes went peacefully, but many resisted the relocation policy.

Trail of Tears

During the fall and winter of 1838 and 1839, the Cherokees were forcibly moved west by the United States government. Approximately 4,000 Cherokees died on this forced march

Tariff of Abominations

a protective tariff passed by the Congress of the United States on May 19, 1828, designed to protect industry in the northern United States. It was labeled the Tariff of Abominations by its southern detractors because of the effects it had on the antebellum Southern economy.

John C. Calhoun

Calhoun was one of the War Hawks in the War of 1812. He also supported Henry Clay's American System, which called for an increase in tariffs to support the American economy. John C. Calhoun was important because he was a champion of states' rights. He led the idea of nullification.

Tariff of 1832

a reduced tariff to remedy the conflict created by the tariff of 1828, but it was still deemed unsatisfactory by southerners and other groups hurt by high tariff rates.

Force Bill

an act passed by Congress in 1833 that gave President Andrew Jackson the authority to use the military to collect customs duties in South Carolina.

Pet Banks

State banks into which Jackson deposited federal funds after he withdrew them from the Bank. They were given this name because people thought the banks were chosen on political grounds.

Panic of 1837

Prices began to fall in May 1837 and bank after bank refused specie payments. The Bank of the United States also failed. The origins of the depression included Jackson's Specie Circular.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

Nat Turner, an enslaved Baptist preacher who believed he had been chosen by God to lead his people to freedom, launched the deadliest slave revolt in 1831. Turner and a small group of followers launched the rebellion on August 21, 1831, by killing the family of his owner.

Slave Codes

Laws passed by southern slave owners to keep slaves from either running away or rebelling. these laws forbade slaves to gather in groups of three of more. they couldn't leave their owner's land without a written pass.

Whigs

An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements.

Boom-And-Bust Cycle

accelerating growth followed by a crash and then depression. Led to much panic and anxiety to people, partly leading to religious revivals.

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin

A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793

Interchangeable Parts

uniform pieces that can be made in large quantities to replace other identical pieces

Assembly Line Production

allowed workers to remain in one place and master one repetitive action, maximizing output. It was created by Henry Ford.