US History I Key Terms

Requerimiento

The Requerimiento was declared by the Spanish monarchy in 1510 of Spain's divine right to possess and, if necessary, fight the native residents for the territories in the New World. The Requerimiento was used to justify the enslavement of Native Americans if they didn't comply with Spanish rule.

Encomienda System (38)

The Encomienda System was a socioeconomic system in New Spain during the sixteenth century that gave soldiers and officials control over the land and people who lived on it. As long as the Spanish Christianized the Indians, they got a share of their products. When the Indian population started to decline, the Spanish had to find another source of labor.

Columbian Exchange (39)

The Columbian Exchange was a worldwide transfer of plants, animals, and diseases after the first European contact with the Western Hemisphere in the 15th century. It was the first major trade between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Although it benefited both sides in some ways by introducing them to new crops and livestock, the exchange of diseases killed 80 to 90 percent of the Indian population.

Cahokia (17)

The largest chiefdom was Cahokia in southwest Illinois. It existed from 600-1300 C.E. and had many earthen mounds. At its peak, it was the largest city north of Mexico, with a population of 15,000 people. When Cahokia mysteriously collapsed, its former residents spread their ways of life to other areas.

Popés Rebellion/Pueblo Revolt (45)

As the Spanish stripped the Indians of their old way of life, resentment grew. In 1680, an Indian leader named Popé organized a rebellion that destroyed Catholic churches and attacked priests and settlers. The Pueblo Revolt was the greatest European defeat during their attempts to conquer the New World.

Mercantilism (162)

In 1651, Oliver Cromwell enforced a political and economic policy called mercantilism, which was adopted by most European nations at the time. With this policy, the government controlled all economic activities. Mercantilists believed that the world's wealth was finite, so everybody had to fight for their slice of the pie.

Joint-Stock Company (59)

Most of England's North American colonies were founded in the seventeenth century. Because colonies were so expensive, European investors would buy shares in joint-stock companies, so people would collaborate to raise enough money to run a colony. Even if it failed, nobody would lose all the money. This was favorable because it was less risky than investing all your money into a potential failure.

Headright system (68)

In 1618, Sir Edwin Sandys became head of the Virginia Company and created the headright system to attract more colonists. This system granted 50 acres of land to anyone who could pay for passage to Virginia upon arrival, with 50 extra for every servant he brought. The system was effective and increased the population in the British colonies.

Indentured Servant (66)

Indentured servants were colonists who signed an indenture to exchange years of labor for passage to America after the settlement of Jamestown by the Virginia Company. This increased the flow of immigrants into the colony and became the primary source of labor during that time period. Most of the English immigrants going to America were indentured servants. This also offset the gender ratio.

"City Upon a Hill" (77)

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was meant to be a haven for Puritans when the new colony was founded. John Winthrop called it a "City upon a Hill," from one of Jesus's Sermons. This meant Massachusetts was supposed to shine as an example to the rest of the world. This also meant that if the colonists sinned against God, everybody else would know and take it as an example.

Religious Dissenters (56)

In England during the 17th century, everyone who criticized the Anglican Church were called religious dissenters. This included Puritans, who believed the Anglican Church had to be purified. They were encouraged to migrate to America to reduce tensions, which is how many of the colonies were populated.

Act of Toleration (72)

The Toleration Act was passed by Calvert in 1649 that acknowledges Puritan victory in Maryland. It welcomed Christians of all denominations. Calvert did this to try to avoid losing the colony to the Puritans, but Puritans were still given positions of control and rescinded the Toleration Act.

Colonial Regions

The colonial regions were the areas within the British colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries. These included the New England colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut; the Middle colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; and the Southern colonies of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The colonies were important because they made money for England.

Bacon's Rebellion (69)

As tensions among landless colonists in Virginia grew, so did the potential for rebellion. Everything exploded when there was a disagreement between a colonist and the Native Americans that led to death on both sides. Bacon formed a rebel group when the government refused to act, starting Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. It became a battle of landless servants, small farmers, and slaves against the wealthy. This eventually led to the burning of Jamestown and an increase in slavery.

Staple Crops (123)

Staple crops were grown in the southern colonies during the 17th and 18th century because they were consistently in high demand. One of the primary staple crops was tobacco. Staple crops, also known as cash crops, became a key part of their economy because they made so much money.

Stono Rebellion (137)

The Stono Rebellion was the largest slave uprising in the colonial period. It started when about 20 slaves attacking a store in Stono, South Carolina in 1739. It expanded to burning plantations and killing white for many days. Their army grew as they moved south freeing more slaves. Most of the rebels were eventually caught and killed, but white planters were so frightened that they banned the importation of slaves for 10 years.

Slave Codes (134)

When colonial legislatures formalized race-based slavery by the 1660s, slaves' lives were regulated by slave codes. These codes varied by colony, but there were some general policies. Many colonies declared that children born of enslaved mothers became lifelong slaves and severely limited their rights.

Triangular Trade (128)

The triangular trade established during the early 18th century and was a trade route between America, Europe, and Africa. Manufactured goods traveled from Europe to Africa, enslaved people went from Africa to America, and raw materials were shipped from America to Europe. This created a huge cycle of trade between the three continents.

First Great Awakening (147)

The First Great Awakening occured in the early 1730s when people were worried about the reduction of religious fervor. The First Great Awakening was a series of emotional revivals that spread along the Atlantic coast. It divided congregations and produced new denominations. The Awakening had a huge effect on social life.

Enlightenment (144)

The Enlightenment focused on rationality, scientific research, and individual freedom instead of believing traditional ideas that were passed down. Enlightenment ideas started in Europe, and eventually spread to the colonies in the mid-18th century. New Enlightenment ideas set the stage for the American Revolution.

John Locke (164)

John Locke's writings had a huge impact on political thought, especially his Two Treatises on Government in 1690. He rejected the divine right of monarchs and insisted on people's natural rights. He argued that people had the right to overthrow the government if it fails. Locke's writings about natural rights directly influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Montesquieu

Montesquieu was a Frenchman who studied the influence of social factors on the government. He wrote that democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy all had faults, so the best form of government combined them. He thought of the tripartite with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches in the 18th century. This became the foundation for many constitutions around the world.

David Hume

David Hume was a Scottish antirevolutionarist right before the Revolutionary War who claimed that the average citizen cannot alter the government. He said that none of the laws are natural; they're only there for usefulness. A monarchy is needed because people would only follow laws that are useful to themselves without someone to look out for the common good.

Navigation Acts (162)

The Navigation Acts were adopted by Oliver Cromwell to control the colonial economies. The Navigation Act of 1651 required that all imported and exported goods must be carried by English ships with English crews. The Navigation Act of 1660 stated that enumerated products could only be shipped to England and other colonies. The Navigation Act of 1663, also called the Staples Act, required all shipments to America to stop in Britain first. However, the colonists were not happy about this control, so they constantly defied the acts by smuggling things.

Zenger Controversy

The Zenger Controversy occured in 1735 when John Peter Zenger was arrested for libel when he printed newspapers calling out the corruption of William Cosby, the governor of New York. The best lawyer in the area represented him because he knew that he was representing a much larger cause. Instead of denying printing the papers, he defended Zenger by arguing that what he wrote was true, therefore it couldn't be libel. The jury agreed with Zenger and his lawyer, so Zenger was found not guilty.

Albany Plan of Union (169)

The Albany Plan of Union was approved by the Albany Congress in 1754 that called for eleven colonies to band together, led by a president appointed by the king. They wanted legislative powers and to have jurisdiction over Indian affairs. However, it was too radical for the time. British officials and colonial legislatures rejected the plan.

Salutary Neglect (165)

Britain followed a policy of salutary neglect when it came to the Navigation Acts. It was expensive to enforce, so the British gave the colonies greater freedom. However, this gave the colonies a taste of freedom and they were not very happy when this freedom was taken away at the end of salutary neglect. This was one of the causes of the revolution.

Proclamation of 1763 (176)

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was meant to keep the peace with the Indians. The line was along the Appalachian Mountains and the colonists weren't allowed to go west to not bother the Indians. The colonists were not happy about this, which was just another reason they rebelled.

Virtual & Direct Representation (180)

Virtual representation is where elected officials represent an entire country while direct representation is where elected officials represent groups of people, usually by geography. This was a problem in 1764 and 1765 because the colonies were given virtual representation, but the colonists didn't view that as true representation.

Stamp Act (179)

The Stamp Act, adopted in 1765, taxed all paper products in the colonies. It required an official stamp to prove they paid the tax. This was the turning point from the acts affecting only merchants to affecting everybody. This started more resistence because everybody was upset instead of only merchants.

Sons & Daughters of Liberty (180)

The Sons of Liberty were a group of colonial protestors that started Boston, but eventually spread to every colony. They formed as a result of the resent caused by the Stamp Act in 1765. They would attack government officials by taring and feathering them, sometimes leading to death. From one side, they were seen as freedom fighters, but to the other, they were terrorists. The Daughters of Liberty resisted by not buying British clothes and stopped drinking British tea.

Stamp Act Congress (183)

In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in New York City to discuss oppositions to the Stamp Act. They made a Declaration of the Rights and Grievances of the Colonies. This is where the famous phrase "no taxation without representation" came from. They denied Parliament the right to tax the colonies because they have no seat in Parliament. This led to the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766.

Townshend Acts (183)

The Townshend Acts in 1767 were a way Parliament tried to get more revenue from the colonies. One of these was the Revenue Act of 1767, which taxed imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. These were the most popular imported goods because the colonies weren't allowed to manufacture their own goods. The revenue from the Townshend Acts were meant to be used to pay royal governor salaries, which the colonies did not support.

Winter of 1770

The winter of 1770 refers to the months surrounding the Boston Massacre, a pivotal event in the American colonies' struggle against British rule. British soldiers stationed in Boston faced growing tension with colonists, leading to the violent clash on March 5, 1770, where five colonists were killed. This event occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, and heightened colonial resentment towards British authority, galvanizing public opinion against British policies. Its significance lies in its role as a catalyst for revolutionary sentiment, which would later contribute to the American Revolution, a key focus in understanding the path to independence in American history.

Committees of Correspondence (187)

The Committee of Correspondence was organized by Samuel Adams in response to the Gaspée incident in 1772. It issued a statement of rights and grievances and encouraged others to do the same. This formed unified resistance in the colonies.

Boston Tea Party (188)

When the Tea Act of 1773 was passed, the colonists viewed it as a trick to accept taxation on tea. Patriots dressed as Indians dumped a lot of East India Company tea overboard in the Boston Tea Party. This pushed the British to the breaking point because they lost so much money from the lost tea.

Coercive Acts (188)

In 1774, the Coercive Acts were Britain's attempt to take control of the situation and make and example out of Boston after the Boston Tea Party. The Port Act closed the harbor, so many people lost their jobs. The Quartering Act forced colonial legislatures to provide room and board for the soldiers that were sent to Boston. They also suspended the Massachusetts Charter. This caused many other colonies to protest in support of Massachusetts.

First Continental Congress (190)

The First Continental Congress assembled in Philadephia in 1774 to decide what to do about the Coercive Acts; all the colonies except Georgia were present. They planned to force the repeal of the Coercive Acts through economic means instead of violence. They made a written plan for nonimportation, nonconsumption, and nonexportation. They also extended the Olive Branch Petition, hoping King George would do something about Parliament, but he rejected it. The Congress agreed to meet again in May 1775 for next steps.

Second Continental Congress (196)

Colonial leaders met at the Second Continental Congress in 1775 and selected George Washington to lead the Continental Army. Most deleagates still wanted to be loyal British colonists as long as Parliament restored their rights. However, war seemed inevitable at this point.

Common Sense (199)

Thomas Paine of Pennsylvania published the pamphlet Common Sense in 1776. He fought for independence and not only did it attract public support, it also pressured the rebellion's leaders to declare independence instead of waiting longer.

Declaration of Independence (201)

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1776. While some delegates refused to sign and others signed with regret, most signed wholeheartedly while knowing the consequences. This document officially declared separation from Great Britain.

Battle of Saratoga (229)

In 1777, the Battle of Saratoga was a pivotal battle in the revolutionary war. The battle lasted three weeks before the British surrendered. The American victory in this battle convinced France to aid them in the war, which was vital.