U.S. History and Government Regents Review Flashcards

Comprehensive review of US History and Government including geographic influences, constitutional foundations, major court cases, and key historical eras from the colonial period to the modern day.

Mississippi River

Served as a vital trade highway for transporting agricultural goods and connected the interior of North America directly to the port of New Orleans.

New England Economy

Colonial region focused on shipbuilding, fishing, whaling, and maritime commerce.

Southern Colonial Economy

Large-scale commercial plantation agriculture focusing entirely on cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher who argued all people possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property; inspired the idea that governments require the consent of the governed.

Baron De Montesquieu

Advocated for the separation of government powers into distinct legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny.

Jean Jaques Rousseau

Popularized the social contract theory where government authority relies on the general will of the people (popular sovereignty).

Mayflower Compact

Established the first framework for self-government and direct democracy based on majority rule in the colonies.

Virginia House of Burgesses

Created the first representative legislative assembly in America, establishing the precedent of elected lawmaking bodies.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A British-mandated boundary along the Appalachian Mountains prohibiting colonists from settling further west into newly acquired territory.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies existed to make the mother country rich; colonies sold raw materials cheap and bought back finished goods at high prices.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. government (1781-1789) that lacked the power to tax, lacked an executive branch, and required all 13 states to amend.

Northwest Ordinance

A strength of the Articles of Confederation that set up how new territories could become states, banned slavery in the northwest territory, and required public education.

Great Compromise

Created a bicameral legislature where the Senate gives each state equal representation (2 senators) and the House of Representatives is based on population.

3/5 Compromise

Agreement that enslaved people would count as 3/5 of a person for both representation and taxation purposes.

Federalism

System of government where power is divided between a national (federal) government and state governments.

Delegated Powers

Powers specifically given to the federal government by the Constitution, such as coining money and declaring war.

Reserved Powers

Powers kept by the states, including regulating intrastate trade and establishing schools.

Federalist Papers

Series of 85 essays written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton to convince people to ratify the Constitution.

Elastic Clause

Gives Congress the power to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its duties, allowing the government to stretch its powers.

Judicial Review

The power of the Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of laws, established in the Marbury v. Madison (1803) decision.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Supreme Court case in which John Marshall declared the Judiciary Act unconstitutional and established the right of Judicial Review.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Ruled that "the power to tax is the power to destroy" and prohibited state taxation of a federal institution (National Bank).

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Established that Congress has the exclusive authority to regulate Interstate Commerce and federal law takes precedent over State law.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Ruled that slaves were property, had no rights as citizens, and could not sue in federal court; also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Established the principle of "separate but equal," ruling that segregation was constitutional.

Korematsu v. U.S. (1944)

Ruled that the President had the right to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps based on powers as Commander-in-Chief during wartime.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Decided that the state must provide a lawyer to defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford one themselves.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Directed police to give the Miranda Warning/Rights (including the right to remain silent) immediately after a person is arrested.

New York Times v. U.S. (1971)

Ruled that newspapers had the right to publish the "Pentagon Papers" as they did not violate national security.

U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

Ruled that executive privilege could not be used to withhold evidence in a criminal activity, proving the president is not above the law.

Census

Counts the population every 10 years to determine how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives.

Electoral College Criticism

The main argument is that a candidate can win the popular vote but still lose the election, as seen in the 2000 election.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

Policy stating Europe cannot colonize new territory in the Western Hemisphere and any interference is a threat to U.S. security.

Sectionalism

Extreme loyalty to one's own region of the country over the nation as a whole.

Spoils System

Policy associated with Andrew Jackson of firing government workers and replacing them with political supporters.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that it was the god-given destiny for America to expand from coast to coast.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Book by Harriet Beecher Stowe that showed northerners the brutal reality of slavery and turned many against it.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

The first women's rights convention in the U.S. where they formally demanded equal rights via the Declaration of Sentiments.

Emancipation Proclamation

FDR’s strategic order that freed enslaved people in confederate states, weakening the south's workforce and preventing British support for the Confederacy.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery completely throughout the United States.

15th Amendment

Gave black men the right to vote.

Social Darwinism

The application of "survival of the fittest" to business, used by the wealthy to justify ruthlessness and the existence of poverty.

Laissez Faire

Economic policy where the government stays out of business completely, resulting in no regulations or worker protections.

Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie's philosophy that rich people have a responsibility to use their wealth to benefit society.

Knights of Labor (KOL)

Early labor union that included everyone: skilled, unskilled, women, and black workers.

Dawes Act

Divided Indian Reservations into 160 acre family plots to discourage tribal community and encourage Americanization.

Homestead Act

Encouraged western settlement by offering 160 acres of free land in exchange for farming it for 5 years.

Muckraker

A journalist or writer who exposed corruption, injustice, and social problems to push for reform.

Upton Sinclair

Muckraker whose book "The Jungle" exposed disgusting and unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy of sinking any ship near Britain, including American ones, leading the U.S. into World War I.

Zimmerman Telegram

A secret offer from Germany to Mexico of U.S. territory if they joined World War I against America.

Schenck v. US

Established the "clear and present danger" rule, stating that free speech can be limited if it endangers the public.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities for economic opportunities in the early 1900s.

Harlem Renaissance

Center of cultural life and artistic expression in NYC for African Americans where jazz and literature were absorbed into mainstream culture.

Scopes Trial (1925)

The "Monkey Trial" that exposed tensions in society between religion (creationism) and science (evolution).

Trickle Down Economics

Economic theory advocated by Herbert Hoover and later Ronald Reagan that tax breaks for the rich and businesses will benefit everyone.

The New Deal

FDR’s program consisting of Relief (direct aid), Recovery (jobs), and Reform (new laws) to address the Great Depression.

Social Security Act (SSA)

New Deal program that set up a system of pensions for the elderly, unemployed, and handicapped.

Arsenal of Democracy

FDR's description of the U.S. as the primary supplier of weapons and war materials to the Allies during WWII.

Containment

U.S. foreign policy goal during the Cold War to stop the spread of communism without starting a direct war with the Soviet Union.

Brown v. Board (1954)

Supreme Court case that declared school segregation unconstitutional and overturned "separate but equal."

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Law that banned discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or national origin in public places and employment.

Great Society

Lyndon Johnson's domestic programs intended to reduce poverty and improve education and healthcare.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Congressional act that expanded presidential war powers during the Vietnam War.

Détente

The easing of tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

NAFTA

Trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that reduced trade barriers.

Patriot Act

Law passed after the 9/11 attacks that expanded government power to monitor and investigate suspected terrorism.