US HISTORY UPDATED VERSION

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies exist to benefit the mother country.

Salutary neglect

Britain loosely enforced colonial rules before tightening control.

Triangular trade

Trade system between Americas, Africa, and Europe involving enslaved people and goods.

Middle Passage

Forced transport of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of goods, people, and diseases between hemispheres.

Joint-stock companies

Investors fund colonial ventures for profit.

Indentured servants

Laborers who worked for passage to America.

Mayflower Compact

Early self-government agreement in Plymouth.

Town hall meetings

Local democratic participation in colonies.

Stamp Act / Sugar Act / Tea Act

British taxes on colonies.

No taxation without representation

Colonial protest against British taxation.

John Locke

Philosopher known for ideas on natural rights and government by consent.

Montesquieu

Philosopher known for advocating separation of powers.

Voltaire

Philosopher who promoted freedom of speech and religion.

Social contract

Theory that government exists by agreement of the people.

English Bill of Rights

Document that limits monarchy and protects rights.

Declaration of Independence

Document declaring the colonies free from Britain, justifying independence using Enlightenment ideas.

Articles of Confederation

America’s first national government system that created a weak central government.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting held to fix problems in the Articles of Confederation.

Great Compromise

Created a bicameral legislature balancing representation based on population and equal state representation.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

Federalists supported a strong national government, while Anti-Federalists feared it would become too powerful.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the Constitution protecting individual freedoms.

Federalism

Division of power between national and state governments.

Elastic clause

Allows Congress to make laws necessary to carry out its powers.

Electoral College

System selecting the president through electors rather than direct popular vote.

Judicial review

Power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional established in Marbury v. Madison.

Hamilton vs Jefferson

Hamilton supported a strong central government; Jefferson favored states’ rights.

Washington’s cabinet / Farewell Address

Washington created a cabinet for advice and warned against political parties and foreign alliances.

Separation of powers / checks and balances

Government power divided into three branches, each limiting the others to prevent tyranny.

Louisiana Purchase

U.S. bought territory from France in 1803, doubling its size.

War of 1812

War between the U.S. and Britain that reinforced American independence.

Monroe Doctrine

Policy warning European nations not to interfere in the Americas.

Erie Canal

Canal connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Indian Removal Act / Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Native Americans leading to thousands of deaths.

Andrew Jackson

Expanded presidential power and promoted populist policies.

Spoils system

Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.

Texas Annexation

U.S. added Texas as a state in 1845.

Mexican-American War

War resulting from U.S. expansion into Mexican territory, leading to land gains.

Mexican Cession

Land ceded to the U.S. by Mexico after the Mexican-American War.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America.

Homestead Act

Law giving settlers land in the West if they improved it.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the East and West coasts.

California Gold Rush

Movement of thousands of settlers to California in search of gold.

Sectionalism

Growing division between Northern and Southern states over slavery and economics.

Missouri Compromise

Maintained balance between slave and free states, banning slavery north of certain line.

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws aiming to ease tensions over slavery expansion.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed settlers to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.

Fugitive Slave Act

Required escaped enslaved people to be returned to enslavers.

Dred Scott case

Supreme Court ruling that African Americans were not citizens.

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln's victory led Southern states to secede.

Secession / Confederacy

Southern states' departure from the Union.

Abraham Lincoln

Led the U.S. during the Civil War, preserved the Union, ended slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation

Declared enslaved people in Confederate states free.

Reconstruction

Period of rebuilding the South after the Civil War.

Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th)

These abolished slavery, defined citizenship, and protected voting rights.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Agency assisting formerly enslaved people with food, education, and jobs.

Laissez-faire capitalism

Belief that government should not intervene in the economy.

Social Darwinism

Application of “survival of the fittest” to society and economics.

Corporations / trusts / monopolies

Large business organizations controlling major industry parts.

Robber barons / captains of industry

Terms describing wealthy industrialists, either negatively or positively.

Andrew Carnegie → steel
John D. Rockefeller → oil
J.P. Morgan → finanace/banking

They revolutionized the nation's infrastructure but were heavily criticized for exploiting workers and operating ruthless monopolies.

Interstate Commerce Act

Law regulating railroad prices and practices.

Sherman Antitrust Act

Law aimed at breaking up monopolies.

Labor strikes

Major protests against poor working conditions and low wages.

Urbanization

Rapid growth of cities due to industrial jobs.

Old vs New immigrants

Differences in immigration patterns and experiences.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law banning Chinese immigration.

Nativism

Belief in superiority of native-born Americans over immigrants.

Muckrakers

Journalists exposing corruption in business and government.

Teddy Roosevelt

Progressive president supporting big business regulation.

Trust-busting

Government action to break up monopolies.

Child labor / minimum wage / consumer protection

Key Progressive reforms aimed at improving working conditions.

Meat Inspection Act / Pure Food and Drug Act

Laws ensuring food safety and labeling.

Settlement houses

Community centers assisting immigrants with education and services.

Suffrage / temperance

Major Progressive Era reform movements for women's rights and alcohol control.

17th Amendment

Established direct election of U.S. senators.

Monroe Doctrine / Roosevelt Corollary

Policies justifying American dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

Spanish-American War

War resulting in U.S. victory and overseas expansion.

Panama Canal

Canal improving global trade and military movement.

Yellow journalism

Sensationalized reporting influencing public opinion.

Open Door Policy

Ensured equal trading rights in China.

Dollar diplomacy

Use of economic influence instead of military force.

WWI entry causes

Events prompting U.S. entry into World War I.

Espionage & Sedition Acts

Laws limiting criticism of government during WWI.

Schenck v. U.S.

Supreme Court ruling limiting free speech in wartime.

League of Nations

International organization to prevent future wars not joined by the U.S.

Jazz Age / Harlem Renaissance

Cultural period of African American creativity.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.

Red Scare

Fear of communism and immigrants in the U.S.

Prohibition (18th & 21st Amendments)

Banning and later legalizing alcohol production and sale.

Great Depression

Severe economic collapse causing widespread unemployment.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns during the Great Depression.

New Deal (FDR)

Series of programs to relieve poverty and reform the economy.

FDIC / Social Security

Reforms ensuring bank deposit insurance and retirement benefits.

Court packing plan

FDR's proposal to expand the Supreme Court.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack that caused U.S. entry into WWII.

Lend-Lease / Cash and Carry

Policies providing aid to Allies before WWII.

Rosie the Riveter

Symbol of women working in factories during WWII.

Internment camps / Korematsu v. U.S.

Relocation of Japanese Americans upheld by the Supreme Court.