US History First Semester Exam - Driskill

What role did tobacco play in the success of English colonies?

Tobacco was a cash crop that formed the basis of the colony's economy and particularly allowed Jamestown to become successful.

The Enlightenment is to ______ as the Reformation is to Religion/God

Reason/Man

What was the Triangular Trade?

A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Africa sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent Guns and Rum to Africa

What colony was the first BRITISH settlement in America?

Jamestown

Who settled the colony of Maryland? Who was it a safe-haven for?

Lord Baltimore/George Calvert; haven for Catholics

Why was Georgia founded?

As a haven for those imprisoned for debts

Why was the colony of Jamestown significant?

it was the first permanent British colony

What was the Mayflower Compact?

document signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, they agreed to work together and obey a set of common rules; led to self-government in the colonies

What was Bacon's Rebellion and what caused it?

Bacon's Rebellion happened because the Royal Governor, Governor Berkeley, would not defend frontier settlements. Bacon and his followers marched to Jamestown, took over the house of Burgesses, and burned Jamestown to the ground.

What was the Middle Passage?

The transatlantic journey that brought slaves to the Americas

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The exchange of plants, animals, ideas, slaves, and diseases between the Old World and New World (Old = Europe, New = the Americas)

Why was the colony of Pennsylvania founded?

Founded by William Penn as a "holy experiment" where religious and political freedom and tolerance was available to all. Also was a haven for Quakers

Who were the Quakers?

dissenters who broke from the Church of England. Believed in inner divinity and social equity, had no rituals, formal minister; dressed plainly; pacifists

What was the first EUROPEAN settlement in the US?

St. Augustine, Florida - Spanish

Who were the Puritans?

The Puritans believed that they could purify the Anglican Church of England. They wanted to rid the church of any of the rituals of Catholicism

What was the headright system?

gave anyone who paid their way to north america or paid for someone else's way 50 acres of land to farm

What was the encomienda system?

a system in which the Spanish exploited labor from Native Americans

What was the Enlightenment? How did it influence exploration?

An 18th century intellectual movement that emphasized reason and science. Led to technological advancements in sailing and map making and encouraged exploration.

How did the Great Awakening lead o the American Revolution?

Helped prepare the way for the American Revolution because it questioned religious authority and taught that all were equal before God

What political cartoon is credited to Benjamin Franlkin? What did it mean?

"Join or Die"; a warning to the British colonies to join together to fight against the French and their Native American allies

What battle served as the end of the French and Indian war?

Battle of Quebec

What was the Treaty of Paris of 1763 and what did it say?

Ended the French & Indian War, and gave England control of most of North America.

Who was Sir Edmund Andros? Why was he significant?

An English colonial administrator in North America; governor of the Dominion of New England

What was the Albany Plan of Union?

Plan for the colonies to unite under a strong central government—Proposed by Ben Franklin

What was the Dominion of New England?

the consolidated New England colony James II created

What were the Navigation Acts?

They restricted colonial trade; goods must be carried in English colonial ships, must be operated by 3/4 English or colonial crew, export certain goods only to England, goods first had to pass through English ports

What was Bacon's Rebellion and what caused it?

Nathaniel Bacon led a group of former Indentured Servants against Governor Berkeley of Virginia because he refused to help them attain and settle lands in the back country.

Why was Bacon's Rebellion significant?

showed the rising power of former indentured servants in the colonies

What was mercantilism?

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

What was the policy of salutary neglect?

England relaxed its enforcement of most colonial regulations in return for continued economic loyalty in the colonies.

Who fought in the French and Indian war?

British/colonists vs French/Natives

What was Pontiac's Rebellion?

an uprising of Native American tribes against British forts in the Ohio Country and Great Lakes region. It was initially successful and American Indians captured most of the British forts in the area.

Led to the issuing of the Proclamation of 1763 to avoid further conflicts with natives in western territories

What was the Proclamation of 1763?

Prohibited colonists from moving west of the Appalachians

Why was the Proclamation of 1763 issued?

To maintain peace between the colonists and the Native Americans in the Ohio River Valley.

How did the colonists feel about the Proclamation of 1763?

this law angered American colonists; they felt it was unjust and unnecessary; they did not think Parliament had the right to restrict settlements nor did they have any regard for the Indian rights to the land

What was the Stamp Act?

A tax on legal documents, newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, and dice

Why was the Stamp Act significant?

It was a direct tax on the colonies that hit the pockets of every single colonists--rich or poor. It led to the first attempt at colonial unity against the British.

What was the First Continental Congress?

Met in 1774, and they were representatives of American colonies who got together in Philadelphia.

Why did the First Continental Congress meet?

To discuss the Intolerable Acts. This congress was a way for colonies to meet, create lasting relationships, and discuss actions to take against British policies

What was the Quartering Act?

The act required colonists to quarter, or house, British troops and provide them with food and other supplies

What was the Boston Tea Party?

In response to the Tea Act, (which said colonists could only buy tea from one company) colonists dressed like Indians, raided 3 British ships in the Boston harbor and destroyed/dumped the tea.

What was the Boston Massacre?

The killing of 5 civilians by British troops which helped spark the American Revolutionary War.

What were the Intolerable or Coercive Acts?

laws designed to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party

Who was Samuel Adams?

Community organizer, leader of Sons of Liberty, his words signaled the start of the Boston Tea Party

Who were the Sons of Liberty?

Patriot resistance group that organized against the British before the Revolutionary War

What did the Sons of Liberty do?

Burned stamped paper and attacked British tax officers.

Who were the Patriots?

colonists who chose to fight for independence from Great Britain

What is a loyalist?

someone who remained loyal to the king during the American Revolution

What was the Sugar Act?

halved the tax on foreign-made molasses

What was the Second Continental Congress?

A convention of delegates from the colonies; drafted the Declaration of Independence and was the first attempt at colonies acting like their own country

What did they do at the Second Continental Congress?

recognized minutemen as continental army appointed George Washington as Commander, and approved the printing of colonial currency

What battle was considered the turning point of the Revolutionary war? Why?

Battle of Saratoga; it convinced the French to ally with them

Why are the battles of Lexington and Concord significant?

Signaled the beginning of war between the colonies and Great Britain; know as "shot heard 'round the world"

What happened at the Valley Forge?

Difficult, harsh winter; Baron Von Steuben helps to drill soldiers

What was Common Sense? Who wrote it?

A pamphlet that argued for independence from Britain and creation of a new democratic government; Thomas Paine

Why were the battles of Princeton and Trenton so important?

The victories restored American morale and renewed confidence in Washington.

What battle marked the turning point of the Revolutionary War?

the Battle of Yorktown

Where did the Battle of Bunker Hill ACTUALLY take place?

Breed's hill

What were minutemen?

Citizen soldiers who could be ready to fight in a minutes notice

Americans would not have won the Battle of ________ without the help of the French

Yorktown

What was the first system of government in the US?

Articles of Confederation

What is the electoral college? What do they do?

a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

What is a republic?

A government in which citizens rule through elected representatives

What is republicanism?

the idea that governments should be based on the consent of the people

Who was John Dickinson?

believed government could only succeed, if people placed the good of the nation above their personal interests.

Under the Articles of Confederation, what powers given to the federal government?

the right to declare war, declare peace, sign treaties, borrow money, enact postal services, and deal with natives,

Under the Articles of Confederation, the states had what power?

the right to tax, raise an army, and regulate trade

What was the Land Ordinance Act?

established a plan for surveying the land west of the Appalachians and north of the Ohio River

What was the Northwest Ordinance?

Created under the Articles of Confederation. Created a process for admitting new states, promoted public education, protected private property, and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

What is federalism?

A sharing of power between states and national government

What was the single greatest reason that the Articles of Confederation failed?

They couldn't tax the states

What was Shay's Rebellion?

an uprising by farmers in western Massachusetts protesting mortgage foreclosures

What did Shay's Rebellion show?

The weakness of the articles of confederation government

What was the Virginia Plan?

Each state had their delegates based on population

Who proposed the Virginia Plan?

James Madison

What does the Article 6 of the Constitution say? What does it mean?

Federal government is supreme to state governments); In a conflict between state and Federal laws, what the Federal government decides will trump what the individual state/states say

Why was the Constitution finally ratified?

Federalists agreed to include the bill of rights so the anti-federalists would ratify it

Why was the whiskey rebellion important?

It allowed the federal government to show its strength

Hamilton moved the capital to D.C. to appease who?

Southern States

What was the US response to the French Revolution?

Neutrality

XYZ Affair

A 1797 incident in which French officials demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats

Alien Act

Alien Act allowed the President to deport citizens of other countries

Sedition Act

Made it a crime to criticize the government or government officials without absolute proof.

James Madison believed the creation of the national bank was unconstitutional

True

Why was it so difficult to devise a system of government for the United States?

Many feared that a strong national government would take away the rights of the states

Shays's Rebellion revealed what?

There was a need for a strong central government

What was nullification?

If federal government passes something unconstitutional, the states can nullify it or make it invalid

Lewis and Clark

Lewis and Clark led a Corps of Discovery expedition commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. The primary objectives of the expedition were to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territory.

Sacajewea

the Native American women who was the personal guide and translator for Lewis and Clark and thier expedition in northern Lousiana Territory

Tecumseh

A famous chief of the Shawnee who tried to unite Indian tribes against the increasing white settlement (1768-1813)

Why is the Election of 1800 often referred to as the "Revolution of 1800"?

First peaceful transition of political parties

Battle of New Orleans

It was the last battle of the war of 1812.

Eli Whitney

Invented the cotton gin

Eerie Canal

Its construction began in 1817 and ended in 1825 providing a route through the Great Lakes, giving direct access to the West.

"Big Ditch"

another name for the Eerie Canal

American System

Economic program advanced by Henry Clay that included support for a national bank, high tariffs, and internal improvements; emphasized strong role for federal government in the economy.

The American system advocated for what improvements in the United States?

Canals & Roads

What 2 events helped change America's economy from one based on trade, to one based on Agriculture?

Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807 & War of 1812

Mass Production

Process of making large quantities of a product quickly and cheaply