Required Factual Content- APUSH

Great Basin / Great Plains:

Arid and semi-arid regions where Native peoples developed nomadic lifestyles, especially reliant on buffalo hunting and portable shelters like tipis.

Mississippi River Valley:

Region home to large, complex Native societies such as the Cahokia, which practiced intensive agriculture and built mound structures.

Atlantic Seaboard:

Eastern coastal area of North America where Native tribes like the Powhatan developed permanent agricultural settlements.

New World:

Term used by Europeans to describe the Americas following Columbus’s 1492 voyage; it became the focus of colonization and conquest.

Christianity

Dominant European religion that motivated explorers and colonizers to spread their faith through missions and forced conversions of Native peoples.

Columbian Exchange:

Widespread transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds after 1492, leading to demographic and ecological changes.

Feudalism

Medieval European social system based on landholding and reciprocal obligations; began to decline with the rise of exploration and commerce.

Capitalism

Economic system that emerged with colonization, based on private property, free markets, and profit-driven enterprises like joint-stock companies.

Joint-Stock Companies:

Groups of investors who pooled capital to fund colonial ventures, reducing risk and enabling large-scale overseas expansion (e.g., Jamestown).

Encomienda System:

Spanish labor system that granted colonists the right to extract tribute and forced labor from Native populations in return for supposed protection and Christianization.

Native Americans

Indigenous peoples of North America who maintained diverse cultures and political systems before and during European colonization.

West African Slave Trade:

Pre-existing trade networks in West Africa were tapped and expanded by Europeans to supply labor for colonies, especially in the Americas.

Africans

People forcibly transported across the Atlantic via the Middle Passage; their labor became foundational to colonial plantation economies and replaced indentured servants.

Spanish Expansion:

Spain extended its colonial empire into the American Southwest and Florida, using missions and presidios to control Native populations and spread Catholicism.

Christianity pt.2:

Continued to be a central motive for colonization, particularly through Catholic missionary efforts by the Spanish and French and Protestant efforts in English colonies.

Enslaved / Free Africans (Atlantic Slave Trade)

Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas to work on plantations, especially in the South and Caribbean; a small number gained freedom through manumission or escape.

French and Dutch Expansion:

Focused on trade, particularly fur, and built alliances with Native Americans. The French settled in Canada and the Mississippi River Valley; the Dutch founded New Amsterdam.

American Indians pt.2:

Indigenous peoples whose land and sovereignty were increasingly challenged by European settlement; responses ranged from warfare to accommodation and alliance.

British / European Migrants:

Diverse groups seeking economic opportunities, religious freedom, or escape from political unrest settled across the colonies, shaping regional cultures.

Chesapeake

Region including Virginia and Maryland; economy based on tobacco cultivation using indentured servants and later enslaved Africans.

North Carolina

Southern colony known for small-scale farming, less reliance on slavery compared to South Carolina, and economic ties to the Chesapeake.

New England Colonies:

Colonies like Massachusetts and Connecticut, founded primarily for religious reasons, with economies based on small farms, trade, and shipbuilding.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England; established a theocratic society in New England based on strict religious principles.

Middle Colonies:

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; known for religious and ethnic diversity, mixed economies, and grain production.

South Atlantic Colonies:

Included the Carolinas and Georgia; relied heavily on enslaved labor to grow cash crops like rice and indigo.

British West Indies

Caribbean colonies (e.g., Barbados) that became centers for sugar production using enslaved African labor; played a key role in the Atlantic economy.

Metacom’s War / King Philip’s War

1675–1676 conflict in New England where Native leader Metacom (King Philip) led resistance against colonial expansion; ended major Native presence in the region.

Pueblo Revolt:

1680 uprising of Pueblo Indians in present-day New Mexico against Spanish rule and religious suppression; temporarily expelled the Spanish.

Southwest

Region with long-established Native cultures like the Pueblo; site of Spanish colonization and missionary activity

First Great Awakening:

Religious revival in the 1730s–40s that emphasized personal faith, emotional experience, and challenged established church authority.

European Enlightenment:

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individual rights, and government by consent; inspired colonial elites and revolutionary thinkers.

Anglicization

Process by which colonial society became more British in culture, politics, and economics, often through education, trade, and legal practices.

Trans-Atlantic Print:

Books, pamphlets, and newspapers circulated between Europe and the colonies, spreading Enlightenment ideas and Protestant teachings.

Protestant Evangelicalism:

A style of Protestantism marked by enthusiastic preaching and focus on personal salvation; grew during the First Great Awakening.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies existed to enrich the mother country by providing raw materials and serving as markets for goods; enforced through Navigation Acts.

French Indian Trade Networks:

Economic relationships between French colonists and Native American tribes (especially for fur), which created alliances and competition with British settlers.

Seven Years’ War (French Indian War):

A global conflict (1754–1763) between Britain and France over North American territory; Britain’s victory led to increased colonial taxes and tensions.

Enlightenment

European intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, and the social contract; heavily influenced revolutionary leaders and the founding documents of the U.S.

American Independence / Revolution:

The colonies’ successful struggle (1775–1783) to break away from British rule, leading to the creation of the United States.

Benjamin Franklin

Enlightenment thinker and diplomat who secured French support during the American Revolution; helped draft the Declaration of Independence.

Patriot Movement

Colonial movement favoring independence from Britain; inspired by Enlightenment ideas and fueled by grievances over British policies.

Great Britain:

The colonial ruling power that imposed taxes and restrictions on the American colonies, leading to growing resentment and revolution.

Continental Army:

Military force formed by the Second Continental Congress and led by George Washington to fight against Britain in the Revolutionary War.

George Washington:

Commander of the Continental Army and the first U.S. president; set key precedents and warned against political parties and foreign entanglements.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense:

Influential 1776 pamphlet arguing for American independence and criticizing monarchy; widely read and persuasive among colonists.

Declaration of Independence:

1776 document declaring the colonies’ break from Britain, written by Thomas Jefferson and influenced by Enlightenment principles.

Republican Motherhood:

Belief that women should instill republican values and civic virtue in their children, giving them a key role in shaping the nation.

Independent Movements (France, Haiti, Latin Am):

Inspired by the American Revolution, these regions experienced their own uprisings against monarchies and colonial powers.

Articles of Confederation:

The first U.S. constitution; created a weak central government with limited power to tax or regulate trade.

Constitutional Convention:

1787 meeting in Philadelphia to revise the Articles; resulted in the creation of the current U.S. Constitution with stronger federal authority.

Federalists / Anti-Federalists:

Federalists supported the Constitution and strong central government; Anti-Federalists feared tyranny and demanded a Bill of Rights.

Federalist Papers (Hamilton & Madison)

A series of essays defending the Constitution and promoting ratification, emphasizing checks and balances and separation of powers.

Bill of Rights:

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing individual liberties like freedom of speech and due process.

John Adams:

Federalist, second president of the U.S., and advocate of strong government and rule of law; deeply involved in the founding era.

Democratic-Republican Party:

Political party led by Thomas Jefferson; favored states’ rights, a limited federal government, and an agrarian economy.

Thomas Jefferson:

Author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president; emphasized individual liberty and limited government.

Northwest Ordinance / Territory:

1787 law establishing a process for territories to become states; banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

French Revolution:

A radical uprising in France inspired by Enlightenment and American ideas; caused divisions in U.S. politics over support and ideology.

George Washington’s Farewell Address:

His 1796 statement advising Americans to avoid political factions and permanent foreign alliances.

Democratic Party:

Political party formed in the 1820s, led by Andrew Jackson; championed the “common man,” states’ rights, and westward expansion.

Andrew Jackson:

7th U.S. president known for his populist appeal, Indian Removal Act, opposition to the national bank, and expansion of executive power.

Whigs

Political party formed in opposition to Jacksonian Democrats; supported federal funding for internal improvements, a national bank, and moral reform.

Henry Clay:

Leading Whig politician; promoted the American System and helped broker major compromises like the Missouri Compromise.

Market Revolution:

Transformation of the U.S. economy through industrialization, improved transportation, commercialization of agriculture, and rise of wage labor.

Second Great Awakening:

Religious revival movement emphasizing personal salvation, emotional preaching, and social reforms; inspired abolitionism and temperance.

Protestants

Dominant religious group in early 19th-century America; many supported reform movements and revivals during the Second Great Awakening.

Utopian Movements:

Attempts to create ideal communities (e.g., Brook Farm, Oneida) that reflected reformist and religious ideals of the era.

South / North / Midwest

Developing regional identities: the South focused on plantation slavery; the North on industry and reform; the Midwest on agriculture and infrastructure.

Enslaved Blacks / Free African Americans pt2

Enslaved people in the South formed a labor backbone; free Black communities emerged in the North with limited rights and rising activism.

Abolitionists / Antislavery Movements:

Reformers (e.g., William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass) who sought to end slavery through moral, political, and grassroots efforts.

Seneca Falls Convention:

1848 women’s rights gathering led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton; issued the Declaration of Sentiments demanding gender equality and suffrage.

Transportation Revolution:

Period of major infrastructure growth—roads, canals (like the Erie Canal), and railroads—that linked regions and stimulated economic growth.

Public / Private Sphere:

Gendered division of roles—men in politics/economics (public), women in home/family life (private); challenged by reformers and feminists.

Appalachian Mountains / Ohio and Mississippi Rivers

Key geographical features shaping migration, trade, and Native American resistance during westward expansion.

American System

Henry Clay’s plan for economic growth via protective tariffs, a national bank, and federally funded internal improvements.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 land deal where Jefferson doubled U.S. territory by buying land from France, creating irony since his strict interpretation of the constitution made his decision not Democratic-Republican (Federalist stance on being able to make laws if they were proven just)

American Indian Removal:

culminating in the Indian Removal Act (1830), forcing tribes like the Cherokee off their lands; led to the Trail of Tears.

Monroe Doctrine:

1823 U.S. policy warning Europe not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere, asserting growing American influence.

Missouri Compromise:

1820 agreement to maintain the balance between free and slave states; admitted Missouri as slave, Maine as free, and banned slavery north of 36°30′.

The West:

Region of expansion, opportunity, and conflict; U.S. settlers moved westward, often displacing Native peoples and Mexican landowners.

Manifest Destiny:

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America, used to justify westward territorial gains and conflicts

Mexican-American War:

1846–1848 conflict resulting from Manifest Destiny; U.S. victory led to the acquisition of vast territories in the Southwest (Mexican Cession).

Slavery:

Central political issue of the era; debates over its expansion into western territories intensified sectional divisions.

Civil War:

1861–1865 conflict between the Union and Confederacy over slavery, states’ rights, and secession; ended in Union victory and abolition of slavery

Asia

U.S. increased trade with Asian nations like China and Japan, especially after opening Japan with Commodore Perry in 1854.

Immigrants from Ireland / Germany:

Arrived in large numbers in the 1840s–50s due to famine and revolution; faced discrimination but contributed to labor and urban growth.

Anti-Catholic Nativist Movements:

Anti-immigrant movements (e.g., Know-Nothings) opposed Catholics, especially Irish, fearing they undermined Protestant values and democracy.

Mexican Americans / American Indians

Faced displacement, discrimination, and violence as U.S. expanded west; often lost land and legal rights.

Free Soil Movement

Political movement opposing the expansion of slavery into western territories, arguing it threatened free white labor

Abolitionists

Activists demanding the end of slavery on moral grounds (e.g., Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison); some advocated immediate emancipation.

Mexican Cession Territory

Land acquired from Mexico in 1848 (e.g., California, Arizona); intensified debates over slavery’s expansion.

Compromise of 1850:

Series of laws admitting California as free, strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act, and allowing popular sovereignty in some western territories.

Kansas-Nebraska Act:

1854 law allowing popular sovereignty to decide slavery in these territories; led to violent conflict (“Bleeding Kansas”) and party realignment.

Dred Scott Decision:

1857 Supreme Court ruling that enslaved people were not citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in territories; inflamed tensions.

Second Party System:

Political system dominated by Democrats and Whigs; collapsed in the 1850s due to sectional tensions over slavery.

Republican Party:

Founded in the 1850s on an anti-slavery expansion platform; quickly gained northern support and won the presidency in 1860.

Abraham Lincoln:

16th president; led the Union during the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and preserved the U.S.

Election of 1860:

Lincoln’s victory led southern states to secede, fearing he would restrict slavery; triggered the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation:

1863 order freeing enslaved people in Confederate territory; shifted the war’s focus to slavery and gained Union moral support.

The Confederacy:

Government formed by 11 seceded southern states; fought to preserve slavery and states’ rights, ultimately defeated in 1865. President Jefferson Davis