American Experience Exam 1

Agricultural Revolution

the shift from hunting and gathering to settled farming and domesticated animals. It allowed populations to grow and created permanent communities, eventually leading to more complex societies.

Encomienda

Spanish colonial labor system that gave Spanish colonists control over Native American labor and tribute. It was used to help the Spanish conquer and economically exploit the New World.

Treaty of Tordesillas

an agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided newly discovered lands outside Europe between the two countries. It helped establish their competing colonial empires.

“Middle Ground”

a region around the Great Lakes where French colonists and Native Americans interacted through trade and negotiation. Neither side completely dominated, so both had to compromise and cooperate.

Mercantilism

an economic philosophy that emphasized accumulating wealth, especially gold and silver, through trade. European countries wanted to export more than they imported and used colonies as sources of resources and markets.

“20 and odd Negroes”

the Africans brought to Jamestown in 1619 aboard an English ship. Their arrival is often associated with the beginning of the development of slavery as a major labor system in English North America.

“City upon a hill”

John Winthrop's 1630 sermon describing the Puritan colony as an example for the world to watch. It reflected the Puritans' belief that their community had a special religious purpose.

Republicanism

the belief that government should be based on the people and their elected representatives rather than a king. It emphasized liberty, civic participation, and putting the common good above personal interests.

“Second Middle Passage”

the forced movement of enslaved people from the Upper South to the Deep South during the 1800s. Slaves were moved to areas with expanding cotton production, separating families and communities.

Manifest Destiny

the belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent. It was used to justify westward expansion during the 1800s.

Revolution of 1800

the presidential election in which Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams. It marked the peaceful transfer of political power from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

an antislavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852. It exposed the cruelty of slavery and helped increase antislavery sentiment in the North.

“Tyranny of the majority”

the idea that a democratic majority can use its power to unfairly limit the rights and freedoms of a minority. Alexis de Tocqueville discussed this concern in Democracy in America.

Agrarian Republic

the vision, especially associated with Thomas Jefferson, of a nation based primarily on independent farmers, land ownership, and self-sufficiency rather than large cities, industry, and concentrated wealth.

Shays’ Rebellion

an uprising of Massachusetts farmers who protested debt, taxes, and economic problems. It showed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and helped encourage support for a stronger national government.

“Fire bell in the night”

Thomas Jefferson’s description of the Missouri Crisis in 1820. He feared the debate over slavery’s expansion would threaten the survival of the Union.

“Awful arithmetic”

the Union’s willingness during the Civil War to accept enormous casualties because it had greater population and resources than the Confederacy. Grant used the Union’s numerical advantage to wear down Confederate forces.

“What hath God wrought”

the first message sent by Samuel Morse over the first practical telegraph line in 1844. It demonstrated the revolutionary ability to communicate quickly over long distances.

“One supreme power…the legislative”

comes from John Locke’s political theory, which argued that the legislative branch holds supreme political authority because it makes the laws that govern society.

Common Sense

a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine and published in 1776. It argued that the American colonies should break away from Britain and helped build support for independence.