APUSH Exam Review

Pueblo

Native American group that farmed maize and lived in Arizona and New Mexico.

Cahokia

The people who created the largest settlement in the Mississippi River Valley.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of goods, crops, and diseases between the New World and the Old World.

Encomienda System

A labor system instituted by the Spanish crown in the colonies.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances.

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia governor Berkeley's administration.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement made by the Pilgrims to govern themselves in America.

Triangular Trade

A three-way trade route that involved the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the American colonies.

Puritanism

A religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England.

Proclamation of 1763

An order by the British crown that prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Quartering Act

A law requiring colonists to house British soldiers.

Stamp Act

A 1765 law that taxed printed goods.

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

Continental Congress

The governing body of the colonies that coordinated resistance against Britain.

Emancipation Proclamation

A presidential proclamation and executive order by Abraham Lincoln to free slaves in the Confederate states.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States that created a weak central government.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in 1787 where the Constitution was created.

Virginia Plan

Proposal to create a bicameral legislature with representation based on population.

3/5 Compromise

Agreement that counted three-fifths of a state's slave population for representation.

Republican Motherhood

The idea that women should raise virtuous citizens for the republic.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident between French and American diplomats that led to an undeclared war.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Compromise of 1850

A set of laws passed to settle disputes between free and slave states.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to ban slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether to allow slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling that declared slaves were not U.S. citizens.

Civil War

Conflict fought from 1861 to 1865 over issues including states' rights and slavery.

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the United States.

Black Codes

Laws passed in the South to restrict the rights of free blacks.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Industrialization

The development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.

Social Darwinism

The belief that individuals or groups achieve success based on their inherent capabilities and competencies.

Unions

Organizations formed by workers to advocate for their rights and interests.

Populist Party

Political party formed to advocate for the interests of farmers and laborers.

Open Door Policy

A US policy that aimed to allow multiple imperial powers access to China.

Pendleton Act

Law that reformed the civil service by introducing exams for government jobs.

Cult of Domesticity

A belief system that regarded women's roles as being centered in the home.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws passed that allowed deportation of immigrants and restricted speech against the government.

Mechanical Reaper

A machine that significantly increased the efficiency of harvesting crops, leading to agricultural surpluses.

National Grange Movement

An organization of farmers that sought to promote their interests and pushed for state laws regulating railroad rates.

Homestead Act

A 1862 law providing 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, aimed at encouraging westward expansion.

Dawes Act

A law passed in 1887 aimed at assimilating Native Americans by allotting them individual plots of land.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A landmark 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal'.

Transcontinental Railroad

A train route that connected the eastern U.S. with the Pacific Coast, facilitating westward expansion and commerce.

Indian Appropriation Act

A law passed in 1871 that ended the recognition of Indian sovereignty and aimed to assimilate Native Americans.

Gilded Age

A period in U.S. history (circa 1870-1900) marked by rapid economic growth, industrialization, and social issues such as inequality.

Social Darwinism

A belief that applied Charles Darwin's ideas of natural selection to human societies, often used to justify class stratification.

Labor Unions

Organizations formed by workers to advocate for better working conditions, wages, and rights.

Pullman Strike

A nationwide railroad strike in 1894 that culminated in violent clashes and federal intervention.

Populist Party

A political party formed in the 1890s that sought to represent the interests of farmers and laborers against the elite.

Nativism

A political policy favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants.

Jane Addams

A social reformer and activist who opened Hull House to help immigrants assimilate into American

Mechanical Reaper

A machine that allowed for faster harvesting of crops, leading to crop surpluses and increased farming efficiency.

National Grange Movement

A movement aimed at uniting farmers to combat economic challenges and advocate for better regulations against corporate practices.

Interstate Commerce Commission

A federal agency created to enforce laws regulating the railroad industry and ensuring fair freight charges.

Dawes Act (1887)

Legislation aimed at assimilating Native Americans by allotting them individual plots of land and granting them American citizenship.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws enacted to enforce racial segregation in the Southern United States after the Reconstruction period.

Social Darwinism

The theory that individuals or groups achieve success based on inherent superiority, often used to justify social inequality.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A nationwide strike that began in response to wage cuts, resulting in violence and the intervention of federal troops.

Knights of Labor

A labor organization that aimed to unite all workers and advocated for the regulation of monopolies and child labor elimination.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

A law prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States.

Populist Party

A political party formed to advocate for the rights of farmers and laborers, focusing on issues such as currency reform and direct election of senators.

Pendleton Act (1881)

Legislation that established a merit-based system for federal employment, reducing the influence

Middle Class

A social class between the upper class and working class, characterized by moderate income, education, and professional jobs.

Economic Growth

The increase in the production of goods and services in an economy, leading to more job opportunities and higher incomes for the middle class.

Urbanization

The process of people moving from rural areas to cities, resulting in the growth of urban centers and the rise of middle class lifestyles.

Leisure Activities

Recreational pursuits that became more available to the middle class, such as amusement parks, sporting events, and cultural events.

Professional Jobs

Occupations that require specialized education or training, contributing to the rise of the middle class, including teachers, doctors, and office workers.

Consumer Culture

The societal trend where the consumption of goods and services became a significant part of everyday life, aided by the growth of the middle class.

Women's Roles

The contribution of women to the middle class through jobs such as teaching and clerical work, paired with traditional roles at home.

Typewriters and Technology

Innovations that increased the availability of jobs for the middle class, enabling roles in offices and administrative

Unit 7: The Great Depression

The economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted through most of the 1930s, marked by widespread unemployment, deflation, and bank closures.

New Deal

A series of programs and policies implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt aimed at relieving the economic suffering caused by the Great Depression.

Unit 8: Cold War

The geopolitical tension following World War II between the Soviet Union and the United States, characterized by proxy wars, nuclear arms race, and ideological conflicts.

Containment

U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism abroad.

Reaganomics

Economic policies promoted by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s that focused on tax cuts, deregulation, and reducing the size of government to stimulate the economy.

Iran-Contra Affair

A political scandal during the Reagan administration involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua, violating Congress's Boland Amendment.

Social Security Amendments of 1983

Legislation that amended the Social Security Act to address the financial crisis of the Social Security system by increasing the retirement age and taxing Social Security benefits.

Détente

A period of eased tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s.

Gorbachev's reforms (Perestroika and Glasnost)

Policies initiated by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev which aimed at restructuring the Soviet economy (Perestroika) and promoting openness in government and society (Glasnost).

1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall

Symbolic end of the Cold War where the Berlin Wall fell, leading to the reunification of Germany and the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern