US History 1301

TJC Keith Eppich

Geographic America

North and South America and Central America with English mostly spoken in the North and Spanish mostly spoken in the South; these languages are largely a result of the colonial empires of Britain, Spain, and apparently Portugal.

Cultural America

A combination of ancestries, ethnicities, regions with their own languages/dialects, cuisines, sports, religion, practices, among others; located in regions that are historically situated

Political America

The USA, a coalition of 50 states, roughly 500 sovereign indian nations, and a number of overseas dependencies and territories; these are bound together in a legal agreement, the US constitution (mostly written by James Madison)

Collective Memory

Collection of myths, stories, tall tales, half-remembered histories and knowledge informally shared and imperfectly passed down through generations

History

A serious academic pursuit that attempts to build better and more accurate models of events in the past through the study of the historical record; history is NOT objective

Primary History

firsthand account; written by someone who was there

Archaeology

the scientific study of the human past using the archaeological record, which is surviving material culture (material that is in the ground)

7 Stages of American History

Pre-Columbian

Early English Colonies

Georgian Colonies

Federalist Era

Jefferson’s Republic

Age of Jackson

Civil War and Reconstruction

Secondary History

Accounts by individuals studying primary history; creates a wider perspective

Historical Record

Anything written down in the past, usually with distinct subjective biases

4 Functions of History

1. Explain why things are the way they are

2. The study of history helps build the nation and encourage a shared national identity

3. The study of the past improves our collective memory and tests the veracity of these myths and stories

4. History Definition

Age of Discovery

The period in history where European sailors and navigators sailed across the world, looking for routes to the Land of the Indes. Along the way, they discovered America (and Australia).

Historiography

The study of how historians actually write history. Includes examining WHY people are writing their version of history and an examination of their MOTIVES in doing so. In terms of Columbus, this gets very important. Historians write in firm biases.

The Caddo

A native American people who lived in large, sprawling towns along the Red and Sabine rivers, farming the Three Sisters. They called their land Taysha (place of friends/allies)- called Tejas by the Spanish, Texas by Stephen Austin.

Native America

The enormous variety of cultures and civilizations that existed thousands of years before Columbus. It included the hunter gatherers of California, the hunters of Texas, the corn farmers of the South, and even the advanced civilizations of Central and South America (Aztec, Maya, Inca).

The Middle Passage

The forced movement of enslaved Africans from West Africa to the Americas. ~12-13 million people transported, 14% mortality rate.

American Exceptionalism

The idea that America is stronger, higher, more prosperous, more free, more liberty-loving, and just better than other places. The idea that America is exceptional.

Indenture

An indebter worker working off their debt in return for passage to the New World (sometimes). Indentures were about 4-7 years in length, but some were neither voluntary nor temporary.

Slave Codes

A set of laws and regulations defining American slavery, specifically defining it as hereditary and racial.

Race

A social construct, constructed on the foundation of human biological variation. It is culturally-based and flexible over time. The “races” we recognize today did not exist a century or two age and the same “races” will not exist in a century or two.

The Party System

A struggle between two rival parties, each attempting to implement their vision. Each party represents a coalition of ideologies, ethnicities, regions, classes, and other interests.

The Cotton Gin

A machine that separated seeds from cotton, much easier to use, making it easy to teach and this supercharging the slave industry. Invented by Eli Whitney.