APUSH 2nd Semester Benchmark #2 Study Guide

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the APUSH 2nd Semester Benchmark #2 exam, including important historical events, policies, and amendments.

Aztec, Incas, and Mayan civilizations

Advanced societies developed independently in Central and South America prior to European arrival.

Encomienda system

A system created by Spain to enslave native people under the guise of converting them to Christianity.

Pueblo revolt (Pope’s rebellion)

A resistance against Spanish rule due to poor treatment that led to decline of the encomienda system.

Mayflower Compact

The first social contract in colonial America.

Federalists

Political group that favored a strong central government and loose interpretation of the Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Political group that desired a weak government and strict interpretation of the Constitution to protect states' rights.

Common Sense

A pamphlet by Thomas Paine encouraging colonists to support independence from Britain.

Whiskey Rebellion

An uprising that demonstrated the strength of the government under the Constitution when Washington sent troops to suppress it.

Shay’s Rebellion

An uprising that revealed the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Court ruling stating that slaves did not gain freedom upon entering free states and deemed the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.

15th Amendment

Prohibited the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Court ruling that established the doctrine of 'separate but equal'.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Court ruling that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and declared that separate is not equal.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that it was the divine right of Americans to expand westward across the continent.

Market Revolution

A period of change from a self-sufficient household economy to a market-oriented economy.

Populist Party

A political movement that emerged to represent the interests of farmers and laborers, advocating for government regulation of the railroad industry.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad that connected the East to the West, facilitating faster travel and better communication.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the South to the North in search of industrial work.

Political machine

A political organization that controls government power and uses bribes to influence votes.

Laissez-faire

Economic policy of minimal governmental interference in the economy.

Progressivism

A movement aimed at reforming society and addressing issues from the Gilded Age.

Expansionism

The policy of territorial or economic expansion.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Legislation that barred Chinese immigrants from entering the United States starting in 1882.