American History Key Concepts

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering important concepts and events in American history.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in America, founded in 1607.

Joint-Stock Company

A company owned by shareholders that was used for colonization.

Headright System

A system that granted land to colonists in Virginia.

Bacon's Rebellion

An uprising in 1676 led by Nathaniel Bacon against the Virginia government.

Triangular Trade

The transatlantic system of trade involving Africa, America, and Europe.

Ohio River Valley Fighting

Conflict over land claims between English settlers and Native Americans.

Mercantilism

An economic policy that promotes exporting more than importing.

Navigation Laws

Laws that restricted colonial trade to England.

No Taxation without Representation

A slogan expressing the colonists' grievances against British taxation.

Olive Branch Petition

A final attempt to avoid war with Britain by the American colonists.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to the British crown.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws intended to resolve the territorial and slavery controversies.

John Brown

An abolitionist who believed in armed insurrection to overthrow slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 legislation that allowed territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.

Fred Scott Decision

A Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not citizens.

Ferdinand and Isabella

The Catholic monarchs of Spain who funded Columbus's voyages.

Christopher Columbus

The Italian explorer credited with discovering America in 1492.

Elizabeth I

Queen of England whose reign saw the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

MA Bay Colony

A Puritan colony established in 1630, known for its religious focus.

John Smith

An English soldier and explorer who played a pivotal role in the establishment of Jamestown.

Martin Luther

A German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781.

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia that resulted in the U.S. Constitution.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea voyage that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Puritans

A religious group that sought to purify the Church of England.

Quakers

A religious group known for their pacifism and opposition to slavery.

Alexander Hamilton

The first Secretary of the Treasury, a founding father of the United States.

Marbury v. Madison

A landmark Supreme Court case that established judicial review.

LA Purchase

The 1803 land deal in which the U.S. acquired territory from France.

Embargo Act

An 1807 law that prohibited American ships from trading with foreign nations.

Battle of New Orleans

The final battle of the War of 1812, won by American forces.

Era of Good Feelings

A period of political unity in the U.S. during James Monroe's presidency.

Missouri Compromise

An agreement in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. foreign policy statement opposing European colonialism in the Americas.

Corrupt Bargain

A disputed election of 1824 where John Quincy Adams was elected president.

Spoils System

The practice of giving government jobs to political supporters.

Tariff of 1828

A protective tariff that angered southern states.

Irish-German Immigration

A wave of immigrants in the mid-19th century that changed American demographics.

Nativism

The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the settlers of a territory should determine its slavery laws.

Baptists

A religious denomination known for adult baptism and congregational governance.

John Calvin

A theologian whose teachings influenced the Protestant Reformation.

Founding of: NC, SC, VA, MD, GA

Colonies founded for various reasons including religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Half-way Covenant

A form of partial church membership created by the New England Puritans.

George Whitfield

A prominent evangelist during the First Great Awakening.

George Washington

The first president of the United States and a central figure in the founding of the nation.

Benjamin Franklin

A Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat known for his contributions to American society.

Seven Years War

A global conflict fought between 1756 and 1763, known in America as the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

A British declaration that forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

New Orleans

A pivotal city in the U.S. known for its strategic port and cultural diversity.

Stamp Act

An act imposed by Britain that taxed printed materials in the colonies.

Intolerable Acts

A series of punitive laws passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party.

Quartering Act

A British law that required colonial assemblies to house and supply British troops.

Boston Tea Party

A protest by American colonists against British taxation by throwing tea into Boston Harbor.

Thomas Paine

An Enlightenment thinker who wrote 'Common Sense,' advocating for American independence.