HIST 1301 Midterm Flashcards

Mound Builders

Native American societies (Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian) in Ohio and Mississippi valleys; built ceremonial and burial mounds; participated in trade networks for copper, shells, and stone tools.

Northwest Coast (Diversity of Native American Life)

Fishing-based economy; cedar houses; totem poles; complex social hierarchy.

Plains (Diversity of Native American Life)

Nomadic buffalo hunters; used teepees; relied on horses; practiced seasonal migration.

Northeast / Great Lakes (Diversity of Native American Life)

Mixed farming and hunting; lived in longhouses; Iroquois Confederacy (Great League of Peace).

Southeast (Diversity of Native American Life)

Settled agricultural societies; mound-building; chiefdoms; cultivated corn, beans, squash.

Southwest (Diversity of Native American Life)

Irrigation-based farming; adobe homes/cliff dwellings; Pueblo and Hopi communities.

Great League of Peace (Iroquois Confederacy)

Alliance of five Iroquois nations; maintained peace, coordinated defense, influenced colonial diplomacy.

Trade networks

Exchanged food, furs, tools, pottery, and ceremonial goods across North America.

Buffalo

Provided meat, hides for clothing and shelter, bones for tools; had cultural/religious significance for Plains Native Americans.

Native definitions of freedom

Emphasized community well-being, kinship responsibilities, and balance with nature; contrasted European individualistic notions.

Caravel

Small, maneuverable Portuguese/Spanish ship with triangular sails; enabled long-distance exploration.

Motivations for exploration

“God, glory, gold”: spread Christianity, acquire wealth, gain political power, satisfy curiosity.

Europe to Americas (Columbian Exchange)

Horses, cattle, wheat, sugar; transformed agriculture and labor practices.

Americas to Europe/Africa (Columbian Exchange)

Maize, potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco; boosted population and trade.

Diseases (Columbian Exchange)

Smallpox, measles, influenza; decimated Native populations.

Spanish Empire – The Black Legend

Narrative emphasizing Spanish cruelty to Indigenous peoples; fueled anti-Spanish propaganda.

French Empire

Focused on fur trade; allied with Native Americans; settlements in Canada and Louisiana.

Dutch Empire / New Netherland

Trade-focused colony; New Amsterdam (NYC) hub; ethnically and religiously diverse.

Northwest Passage

Hypothetical northern route to Asia motivating exploration but not navigable at the time.

Great Migration

1630s migration of ~20,000 Puritans to Massachusetts Bay; strengthened Puritan society.

Indentured servants

Laborers contracted 4–7 years in exchange for passage; common before widespread slavery.

Changes to Indian Life

Disease, displacement, forced labor, trade disruption, adoption of European tools/livestock.

Jamestown

First permanent English colony (1607); survived via tobacco cultivation and leadership like John Smith.

John Smith

Jamestown leader; enforced discipline; negotiated temporary peace with Powhatan.

Headright system

50-acre land grants per settler or sponsored laborer; encouraged immigration and expansion.

House of Burgesses

First elected assembly in English colonies; model for colonial self-government.

Powhatan

Algonquian leader near Jamestown; father of Pocahontas; initial ally then adversary of settlers.

Origins of slavery

Transition from indentured servitude to lifelong, race-based slavery; codified by Virginia laws (1662).

Maryland

Founded as Catholic haven; Act of Toleration (1649) granted religious freedom to Christians.

Puritans

English reformers seeking to purify Church of England; emphasized literacy, moral discipline, communal conformity.

Pilgrims

Separatists fleeing England; settled Plymouth Colony (1620); signed Mayflower Compact.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement establishing self-government and majority rule.

John Winthrop

Governor of Massachusetts Bay; promoted “city upon a hill” ideal.

Role of wealthy merchants

Funded settlements, controlled trade, influenced colonial politics.

Half-Way Covenant (1662)

Puritan policy allowing children of non-converted members to be baptized; reflected declining religious participation.

Rhode Island and Connecticut

Rhode Island: Roger Williams; religious freedom. Connecticut: Thomas Hooker; democratic self-government.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)

First written constitution; established elected legislature and limits on governor power.

Mercantilism

Economic policy: colonies exist to benefit mother country via exports, raw materials, and controlled trade.

Navigation Acts (1651–1673)

Required colonies to trade on English ships; restricted non-English commerce; enforced mercantilism.

New York (1664)

Former Dutch colony; major trade hub; diverse population.

Carolinas

North Carolina: small farms; South Carolina: plantations (rice/indigo) with heavy African slave labor.

Pennsylvania (1681)

Founded by William Penn; Quaker principles; religious freedom; fair Native relations; self-government.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Virginia uprising; small farmers and servants protested elite favoritism and lack of frontier protection; pushed toward racialized slavery.

Salem Witch Trials (1692)

Mass hysteria; 20 executed; reflected social, religious, and gender tensions.

German Migration

18th-century immigrants to Middle Colonies; brought farming skills, crafts, cultural traditions.

Consumer Revolution

18th-century rise in colonial demand for British goods; integrated colonies into global trade.

Colonial Social Classes

Wealthy landowners/merchants, artisans/farmers, laborers/indentured servants, enslaved Africans; shaped politics and economy.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

Network transporting millions of Africans; fueled plantation economies; triangular trade.

Middle Passage

Brutal Atlantic voyage; overcrowding, disease, high mortality; foundation of plantation labor.

Political and Social Implications of Slavery

Created racial hierarchy; enforced by law; structured Southern society and economy.

Slave Cultures

Blended African, European, and Native traditions; language, religion, music, family structures preserved.

Resistance to Slavery

Work slowdowns, escape, revolts (Stono Rebellion 1739), cultural preservation, sabotage.

Republicanism

Civic virtue, citizen participation; government accountable to people.

Liberalism

Natural rights, personal freedom; protection from arbitrary authority; influenced Revolutionary ideology.

Suffrage

Right to vote; typically restricted to property-owning white men; shaped state constitutions.

Salutary Neglect

Loose British enforcement; colonies had economic freedom; ended after 7 Years War, causing resentment.

Zenger Trial (1735)

John Peter Zenger acquitted of libel; early precedent for freedom of the press.

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and natural rights; influenced colonial thinkers.

Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

Religious revival; emotional preaching; challenged established churches; fostered social reform.

Aftermath of the 7 Years War (1763)

Britain gained territory, incurred debt, taxed colonies; sparked revolutionary sentiment.

Proclamation Line of 1763

Forbade settlement west of Appalachians; intended to limit Native conflict; angered colonists.

Colonial resistance

Protests, petitions, boycotts, smuggling, armed rebellion against British policies.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers killed 5 colonists; used as propaganda to fuel revolutionary sentiment.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest against Tea Act; dumped British tea into harbor.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Punitive laws after Boston Tea Party; closed Boston Harbor; restricted self-government.

1st Continental Congress (1774)

Coordinated colonial response; implemented boycotts; petitioned king for rights.

Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775)

First armed conflict of Revolutionary War; “shot heard ’round the world.”

2nd Continental Congress (1775)

Managed war effort; created Continental Army; appointed George Washington; moved toward independence.

Common Sense (1776)

Thomas Paine pamphlet advocating independence and republican government.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Jefferson; natural rights, grievances against Britain, formal separation.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Turning point; American victory convinced France to ally with colonies.

Native Americans’ role in Revolution

Some allied with British, others with Americans; war disrupted Native lands and communities.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Decisive American-French victory; British surrender effectively ended war.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended Revolutionary War; recognized U.S. independence; set boundaries.

Republics and New State Constitutions

Separation of powers; voting rights; popular sovereignty; inspired by Enlightenment.

Religious Toleration

Freedom of worship post-Revolution; state churches declined.

Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (1776)

Advocated free markets, competition, and limited government intervention.

Free Black Communities

Established schools, churches, businesses; survived despite discrimination.

Republican Motherhood

Women’s role in educating children in civic virtue; strengthened republic’s moral foundation.

Articles of Confederation (1781–1789)

Weak central government; strong state sovereignty; no taxing power; set precedent for Constitution.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Procedure for admitting new states; prohibited slavery; guaranteed basic rights.

Shays’ Rebellion (1786–1787)

Massachusetts farmers protested taxes and debt; highlighted weaknesses of Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

Drafted U.S. Constitution; debated representation, powers, structure.

New Jersey Plan

Representation equal for all states; favored small states.

Virginia Plan

Representation based on population; favored large states.

Great Compromise

Bicameral legislature: House (population-based) and Senate (equal for all states).

3/5th Clause

Slaves counted as 3/5 person for representation and taxation purposes.

Federalists

Supported Constitution; strong central government; industrial economy.

Anti-Federalists

Opposed Constitution without Bill of Rights; feared centralized power.

Bill of Rights (1791)

First 10 amendments protecting individual liberties.

Ratification

Formal approval of Constitution; required 9 of 13 states.

Treaty of Greenville (1795)

Ended conflict in Ohio; Native Americans ceded land after U.S. victory.

Jefferson’s Notes of the State of Virginia (1785)

Jefferson’s observations on Virginia society, economy, and slavery.

Hamilton’s Financial Plan (1790s)

Federal assumption of state debts, national bank, tariffs, excise taxes.

Democratic-Republican Party

Jefferson and Madison; favored agrarian economy, strict Constitution, states’ rights.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Pennsylvania farmers protested excise tax; suppressed by federal troops; tested federal authority.

Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

Warned against political factions, permanent foreign alliances, sectionalism.

Role of Women

Supported revolutions via boycotts, homespun production, and educating future citizens.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Restricted immigration; limited speech critical of government; opposed by Jefferson/Madison.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798–1799)

Asserted states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.