8th Grade SS Review

Jamestown

1607; first successful colony in North America

Declaration of Independence

1776; document stating that the 13 colonies were a free and independent nation

Constitutional Convention (Philidelphia Convention)

1787; gathering of state representatives to revise the Articles of Confederation

Northwest Ordinance

1787; article that set up a government for the Northwest Territory, guaranteed basic rights to settlers, and outlawed slavery there

Treaty of Paris

1763; agreement between England and France that ended the French and Indian War

Articles of Confederation

1777; first American constitution that created a loose alliance of 13 independent states

Battle of Lexington and Concord

1775; conflicts between Massachusetts colonists and British soldiers that started the Revolutionary War "shot heard 'round the world"

Battle of Saratoga

1777; the first major American victory in the Revolution

Battle of Yorktown

1781; final battle in the Revolution

Washington's Farewell Address

1796; announced he would not seek a third term and gave his views on the best policies for the United States

War of 1812

1812; war between the U.S. and England

Missouri Compromise

1819; agreement proposed by Henry Clay to keep the number of slave and free states equal; allows slavery in some western territories

Indian Removal Act

1830; forced removal of Native Americans to land west of the Mississippi

Louisiana Purchase

1803; vast territory between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains, purchased from France in 1803

Civil War

1861-1865; war between the North and South

French and Indian War

1754-1763; a war that took place between England and France, both aided by Native American Allies, that led to the end of French power in North America

Nullification Crisis

1832; caused by act passed by South Carolina that declared the 1832 tariff illegal

Trail of Tears

1838; forced journey of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia to a region west of the Mississippi

Mexican War

1846; war over disputed territory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River

Mexican Cession

1848; Mexican territory of California and New Mexico given to the U.S. under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Compromise of 1850

1850; agreement on slavery by which California joined the Union as a free state and a strict fugitive slave law was passed

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854; law that established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, giving popular sovereignty to decide on the issue of slavery

Lincoln's first inaugural address

1861; Lincoln expresses ideas about union and government

Fort Sumter

1861; first shots of the Civil War fired there

Battle of Gettysburg

1863; major Civil War battle; the Confederates never invaded the North again

Gettysburg Address

1863; speech written and delivered by Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle Of Vicksburg

1863; Union victory which geographically split the Confederacy in two

Emancipation Proclamation

1863; President Lincoln's declaration freeing slaves in the Confederacy

Lincoln's second inaugural address

1865; Lincoln expresses ideas about liberty, equality, union, and government

Appomattox Court House

1865; Virginia town that was the site of the Confederate surrender

Assassination of Lincoln

1865; Lincoln shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth five days after Confederate surrender

John Smith

Leader of Jamestown colony

Samuel Adams

Bostonian who led the Boston Tea Party

Benjamin Franklin

Colonial inventor, printer, writer, statesman; contributed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

King George III

King of England during the American Revolution

Thomas Jefferson

Third President of the United States; wrote Declaration of Independence; supported minimal government and spoils system

Marquis de Lafayette

French officer who assisted the Americans during the Revolution

Thomas Paine

Political philosopher and author of "Common Sense" which urged colonists to declare their immediate independence from Great Britain

George Washington

First President of the United States, commander of Continental Army during Revolution, president of the Philidelphia or Constitutional Convention; wanted United States to maintain neutral foreign policy

Alexander Hamilton

Co-author of Federalist Papers with James Madison and John Jay, developed economic policies to help strengthen American economy, including establishment of the Bank of the United States

Patrick Henry

Member of Virginia state convention who opposed ratification of the Constitution; instrumental in causing adoption of first 10 amendments to the Constitution

John Adams

Second President of the United States, in office during the XYZ Affair; wanted to keep United States neutral; supported the Alien and Sedition Acts

Sacagawea

Shoshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark's expedition as a translator

James Madison

Fourth President of the United States, co-author of the Virginia Plan, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights; asked Congress to declare war on Britain in 1812

George Mason

A strong supporter of the Bill of Rights, refused to sign the Constitution in 1787

Andrew Jackson

Seventh President of the United States; his election reflected a growing spirit of democracy and the spread of political power to the "common" people; the modern Democratic party traces its roots to this time

Frederick Douglass

Escaped slave, abolitionist, speaker, and writer; author, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"

John Paul Jones

American Navy captain who fought and defeated the British in 1779, the greatest sea victory for the Americans during the Revolution

James Monroe

Fifth President of the United States; issued the Monroe Doctrine

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

American woman suffrage leader and co-organizer of the first woman's rights convention at Seneca Falls, NY

John C. Calhoun

Vice President under Jackson and later Senator from South Carolina, supporter of states' rights, argued in favor of nullification

Henry Clay

Senator who suggested Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850

Daniel Webster

Senator who opposed nullification but supported the Compromise of 1850

Jefferson Davis

Elected President of the Confederate States of America in 1861

Ulysses S. Grant

Commander of the Union forces during the Civil War who ordered his generals to fight a total war

Robert E. Lee

Confederate General who surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending the Civil War

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States; President during the Civil War; gave Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Adress; assassinated five days after Lee's surrender

Mercantilism

Theory that a nation's economic strength came from protecting and increasing its home economy by keeping strict control over its colonial trade

Protective tariff

A tax on imported goods to protect a country's industry from foreign competition by making the foreign goods more expensive

Plantation System

Agricultural system in the South which relied on slave labor to work the large farms and estates

Slave trade

The first African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619; by 1700 the Southern colonies had begun to rely on slave labor and the transatlantic slave trade developed and grew

19th Century Industrialization

Rapid growth was a result of the Industrial Revolution- the process by which machines replaced hand tools and steam and other new sources of power replaced human and animal power

19th Century Urbanization

Process of a population's shifting from farms to cities, especially as a result of the Industrial Revolution during the 19th century

Free Enterprise

System in which the government plays a limited role in the economy

Abolitionist movement

Movement to end slavery in the United States and its territories

Reform movements

Public education- schools and educational systems supported by public taxes

Temperance movements- campaign against alcohol consumptions

Women's rights movements- organized campaign to win property, education, and other rights for women

Prison reform- movement to improve conditions for people being held in prisons

Care of the disabled- in 1817 Thomas Gallaudet set up a school for the deaf and Samuel Gridley Howe founded the first American school for the blind in 1832

Steamboat

Robert Fulton and John Fitch used the steam engine to power boats; revolutionized travel in the West; carried passengers and gave farmers and merchants an inexpensive way to transport goods

Cotton Gin

Invented by Eli Whitney to speed the process of cleaning cotton seeds from the fiber; a single worker using the gin could do the work of 50 doing it by hand

Bessemer Process

Method developed in the 1850s for making stronger steel at a lower cost

Transportation systems

It was thought a better transportation system with roads, bridges, and canals, would make it easier and cheaper for farmers in the West and the South to ship goods to city markets; Henry Clay's American System

Magna Carta

1215; A British document that contains two basic ideas: monarchs themselves have to obey laws, and citizens have basic rights

Virginia House of Burgesses

1619; Representative assembly in colonial Virginia

Mayflower Compact

1620; Agreement for governing the Plymouth colony, signed by the Pilgrims before they landed at Plymouth

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1639; A plan of government in the Puritan colony in Conneticut; expanded the idea of representative government in the English colonies

English Bill of Rights

1689; Signed by monarchs William and Mary of England; document guaranteeing the rights of English citizens

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