SS final 2026

Treaty of Tordesillas

Treaty between Spain and Portugal over boundaries. Made a line of demarcation stating where Spain could sail and where Portugal could sail.

Amerigo Vespucci

Italian explorer who set out to find a sea route to Asia. America was named after him.

Conquistadors

“Conquerors.” Spanish explorers who took over land by conquering those that lived there

Hernan Cortes:

Conquistador for Spain. Took over the capital of Tenochtitlan, conquering the Aztecs.

Balboa

Spanish explorer that reached the Pacific Ocean

Ferdinand Magellan:

his crew was the first to circumnavigate the world. He was killed in a battle while sailing.

Circumnavigate

Completely sail around the world.

Ponce de Leon

Searched for a “fountain of youth.” 

Christopher Columbus

Sailed the ocean blue in 1492. He discovered America. He was funded by Queen Isabella of Spain. He used the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria ships for exploration.

3 G’s

Gold, Glory, and G-d.

Hierarchy of social classes:

See chart

Peninsulares: owned land, role in government, members of the Church

Missions

religious areas often used to convert people.

New Laws:

these laws made it forbidden to enslave Native Americans.

*Columbian Exchange:

Henry Hudson:

Dutch explorer who discovered the Hudson River and Hudson Bay.

Renaissance

Time of creativity. Artists emerged such as the “Ninja Turtles.” Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael.

Caravel

Was a more advanced exploration ship.

Jamestown

One of the first settlements in Virginia.

John Rolfe

Married Pocahontas and as a result there was more peace between the Native Americans and white settlers.

Chief Powhatan-

The father of Pocahontas and chief of a Native American tribe.

Mayflower

Ship that brought the Pilgrims to America.

Puritans

Wanted to reform the Anglican Church

Separatists

Wanted to break away from the Church of England

Pilgrims

Came to Plymouth, Massachusetts for religious freedom and settled there. Befriended the Wampanoag tribe.

Massachusetts Bay:

Puritans went there and invested in the Massachusetts Bay Company. John Winthrope was the governor.

William Penn:

Founder of Pennsylvania

Duke of York: In charge of New York, which was originally New Amsterdam.

Duke of York

In charge of New York, which was originally New Amsterdam.

New England Colonies:

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island

Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware

Southern Colonies

Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia

Subsistence farming:

Producing “just enough” for the needs of a family.

*Triangular Trade Route:

*Middle Passage:

Worst part of Triangular Trade Route where slaves were transported 

Smuggling

Bringing in goods illegally.

Cash crop

Crop that makes money.

Indigo

Cash crop of the Carolinas and it’s a blue dye. “Blue gold”

Plantation

Large farm in the South.

Slavery

Slaves worked on the plantations in the South for no pay and harsh conditions.

King George III:

King of England

Olive Branch Petition:

Colonists submitted to King George III to express their desire for peace. He refused

Quartering Act

Colonists had to house British soldiers.

Patrick Henry

“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”

Boycott

Refusal to buy goods.

Sons of Liberty

Group of angry colonists that protested Britain’s taxes.

*Boston Tea Party

Colonists dressed up like Mohawks and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the tax on tea.

*Boston Massacre

5 colonists were killed, including an African American dockworker, Crispus Attucks over a snowball fight that escalated.

Writs of Assistance

Need a search warrant to search a house.

Samuel Adams:

Leader of the Sons of Liberty.

Intolerable Acts aka Coercive Acts:

Britain created after the Tea Party to punish colonists further. Harbor would be closed until colonists paid back money for tea, soldiers in homes, and banned town meetings. 

Declaratory Act:

Gave Britain the right to tax colonists in “all cases whatsoever.”

Lexington and Concord:

“Shot heard around the world.” Ultimately the starting point for the Revolutionary War.

Battle of Bunker Hill

First official Battle of the Revolutionary War. Even though the Redcoats won, they realized the war wouldn’t be easy against the colonists

Declaration of Independence

Gave colonists their independence. There are 4 parts. Thomas Jefferson wrote it.

George Washington

Led an army for American Rev. Later became the 1st president of the U.S. set a precedent (example) that presidents will only serve two terms. *Made his famous farewell address stating, “Steer clear of permanent alliances with foreign nations.” This means not to get involved in countries affairs because they will always expect you to help financially and physically.

Marquis de Lafayette:

French advisor that became one of Washington’s most trusted aides.

Valley Forge

Where the colonists endured a terrible winter.

Battle of Yorktown

Last battle of the American Revolution. Colonists win!!!!

*Treaty of Paris:

Ended the Revolutionary War..

• U.S. was recognized as an independent nation

• Boundaries would be the Mississippi River on the west, Canada in the North, and Spanish Florida in the South.

• The U.S. would receive the rights to fish off the coast of Canada.

• Each side would repay debts

• States should return any property seized from the loyalists.

Loyalists

Colonists who fought for the British

Patriots

Colonists who fought against the British

*Advantages of the Patriots during the war:

• Determination

• Washington as a leader

• Fighting on home turf

Redcoats/Tories:

British soldiers

Articles of Confederation

First type of “Constitution” but it was too weak. State government would have the most important powers over the federal gov’t.

Shay’s Rebellion

Daniel Shay led a group of angry farmers on a rebellion because the courts wanted to seize their land for lack of payment.

Constitutional Convention

Group of people that got together to discuss creating a Constitution in place of the Articles of Confederation.

*Virginia Plan:

Gov’t would have 3 branches of gov’t. The legislative branch would have two houses. *Most like gov’t we have today

*NJ Plan:

one house legislature, each state would have one vote in the legislature. Weak executive branch.

*Great Compromise

The Senate would give each state equal representation and the House of Representatives would be based on the population of a state.

Three-fifths compromise

How slaves would be represented. Every 5 slaves would count as 3 free people.

**Three branches of government

so one branch doesn’t become more powerful.

Executive: president and vice president. Carries out the nation’s laws, conducts foreign policy, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Legislative: Congress (Senate and House of Reps). Makes laws, treaties, declare war

Judicial: Supreme Court and lower courts. Make sure laws are constitutional. 

**Checks and Balances:

so one branch of government doesn’t become too powerful. Each branch can veto one another.

*Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists (Democratic Republicans):

**Bill of Rights:

1791 added to the Constitution. Amendments 1-10 to protect individual rights.

1- RAPPS: Freedom of Religion, assembly, press, petition, and speech.

2- Right to bear arms

3- Housing of soldiers

4- Search and seizure (search warrants)

5- “Miranda Rights” Protects against self-incrimination. “I plead the fifth.” Double Jeopardy

6- Speedy criminal trial with a lawyer and a jury of your peers.

7- Civil case trial: anything over $20 with a jury of peers.

8- No cruel and unusual punishments or excessive bail. 

9- Any rights not stated in the Constitution are to be given to the people. 

10- Any rights not given to the federal government are given to the states.

Constitution- 1787 instead of Articles of Confederation.

Cabinet

Group of advisors to the president

XYZ Affair

Incident where French officials demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats. Three agents referred to as X, Y, and Z.

Jay’s Treaty

British agreed to pay damages from the ships they seized, withdrawal from American soil, and allowed some American ships to trade with British colonies.

Thomas Jefferson

3rd president of the U.S.

Laissez-faire

Hands-off” approach to businesses. The government shouldn’t interfere with them.

*Marbury vs. Madison:

Adams last night in office he tried to deliver commissions to judges he wanted on the Supreme Court even though Jefferson was taking over. This became known as the “midnight judges” but the commissions didn’t reach some people. Jefferson said they were invalid because he was now president. This case established judicial review.

*Louisiana Purchase-

U.S. bought from Napoleon in 1803 for $15 million. It doubled the size of the U.S. The United States benefited because of trade and more land. Jefferson struggled with the idea of whether to buy or not because it was not mentioned in the Constitution as to whether a president could expand or not.

*Lewis and Clark-

Led an expedition to see the Louisiana territory and report back their findings.

Sacagawea

Native American that helped Lewis and Clark.

Napoleon

Leader of France

Impressment

Policy of British seizing and capturing American ships and forcing American sailors to fight for them.

Embargo Act

Banned imports and exports to all foreign countries.

Non-intercourse Act

Repealed the Embargo Act. Banned trade only with Britain and France.

War Hawks

Favored War (Henry Clay)

War of 1812

Between Britain and the U.S. over trade and impressment. The U.S. wins.

Francis Scott Key

Wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

Treaty of Ghent

Ended the War of 1812

Battle of New Orleans-

Battle that took place when the war was technically over. Jackson became a hero. Bloodiest battle.

Capitalism

An economic system where the government does not control businesses. People are supposed to make a profit and make decisions about their business. The U.S. is a capitalist country.

James Monroe-

President during the “Era of Good Feelings.”

Sectionalism

Loyalty to a particular region.

Henry Clay

 “Great compromiser” and a War Hawk.

*Missouri Compromise

1820. Didn’t want to upset the balance of free and slave states. Missouri wanted to be a slave state and luckily Maine entered wanting to be a free state or else the numbers would be off. In the future anything above the 36-30 line would be free and anything below it would be slave.

 *Monroe Doctrine

1823 foreign policy. The U.S. would not colonize or interfere with existing European colonies in America and vice versa. However, no new colonizations.