American History: Key Periods and Terms Flashcards

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering major people, events, and concepts from the provided notes to help review for exams.

Jamestown (Chesapeake)

1607 - First permanent English settlement in North America; site of early representative government (House of Burgesses) and early slave labor.

13 original colonies

virginia

new hampshire

massachusetts

maryland

connecticut

rhode island

delaware

n. carolina

new york

new jersey

carolina

pennsylvania

georgia

Bacon's Rebellion

(1676) - Rebellion in Virginia challenging colonial leadership and frontier policies, highlighting class and frontier tensions.

Mayflower Compact

(1620) - Plymouth colonists’ self-government agreement based on majority rule and consent of the governed.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)

(1639) - Early colonial constitution detailing the framework of government in Connecticut.

Navigation Acts

British mercantilist trade laws restricting colonial shipping to England and English ships.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that a country should accumulate wealth through trade surpluses and colonial control.

Diversity of the Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware characterized by ethnic, religious, and economic variety.

Salutary neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of trade laws prior to 1763 that aided colonial self-government.

Colonial assemblies

Elected bodies in colonies that governed local affairs and sometimes challenged royal authority.

French and Indian War

(1754-1763) - Conflict over North American territory that heightened imperial debt and colonial resistance.

Sugar Act

(1764) - Tax on sugar and molasses to raise revenue for Britain after the war.

Stamp Act

(1765) - Tax on printed materials sparking wide colonial protest and unity.

Townshend Acts

(1767) - Taxes on imported goods; established revenue collection and increased colonial resistance.

Sons of Liberty

Colonial organization opposing British policies and coordinating protests.

No taxation without representation

Principle that taxes require colonial representation in Parliament.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial networks for coordinating resistance and sharing information.

Lexington and Concord

(1775) - First battles of the American Revolution signaling the start of war.

Second Continental Congress

Delegates who managed the colonial war effort and adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence

(1776) - Formal assertion of the colonies’ independence from Britain.

Saratoga

(1777) - Turning point battle that secured French support for the American cause.

Yorktown

(1781) - Last major land battle of the Revolution; British surrender effectively ends the war.

Treaty of Paris

(1783) - Ended the Revolutionary War; recognized U.S. independence and borders.

Articles of Confederation

(ratified 1781) - First constitutional framework with a weak central government.

Critical Period

(1781-1789) - Era of weak central authority and debate over ratification of a new constitution.

Land Ordinance

(1785) - Procedure for surveying and selling western lands.

Northwest Ordinance

(1787) - Established governance and set path to statehood; prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Constitution Ratified

(1789) - U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles and created a stronger federal system.

Proclamation of Neutrality

(1793) - Washington’s policy to keep the United States out of European conflicts.

Marbury v. Madison

(1803) - Established judicial review, giving courts power to strike down laws deemed unconstitutional.

Louisiana Purchase

(1803) - U.S. acquisition from France that doubled the nation’s size.

War of 1812

(1812-1815)- Conflict with Britain over maritime rights and western expansion; fostered nationalism.

Era of Good Feelings

(1816-1824) - Period of political unity and national growth under one-party influence.

Missouri Compromise

(1820) - Legislation resolving sectional tensions by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as free.

Market Revolution

(1816-1845) - Rapid expansion of capitalism, industry, transportation, and regional specialization.

Clay’s American System

Policy promoting tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements to foster growth.

Tariff of 1816

Protective tariff to encourage American manufacturing.

Second Bank of the United States

National bank created to stabilize and standardize the evolving economy.

Erie Canal

Water route connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, spurring commerce and westward expansion.

Deep South cotton growth; Northern textiles; Western farming

Three-region economic pattern: cotton in the South, industry in the North, agriculture in the West.

Age of Jackson / Jacksonian Democracy

Era expanding white male suffrage and strengthening executive power while pursuing Indian removal.

Universal white manhood suffrage

Expansion of voting rights to all white men, regardless of property ownership.

Corrupt Bargain

(1824) - Alleged deal between Adams and Clay influencing the presidential outcome.

Andrew Jackson elected

(1828) - Rise of Jacksonian Democracy and populist political style.

Bank War; Specie Circular

Jackson’s fight against the national bank and a policy requiring specie (gold/silver) for land purchases.

Nullification Crisis

Conflict over states’ rights and tariff laws, highlighting sectional tensions.

Indian removal

Policy relocating Native Americans west of the Mississippi, including the Trail of Tears.

Second Great Awakening and reform movements

Religious revival fueling abolition, temperance, women’s rights, and social reform.

Manifest Destiny

(1840s) - Belief in U.S. divine right to expand across the continent.

Mexican War

(1846-1848) - Conflict resulting in substantial territorial gains for the United States.

Compromise of 1850

Package of measures resolving some territorial disputes over slavery’s expansion.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

(1854) - Legislation allowing new territories to decide on slavery via popular sovereignty.

Formation of the Republican Party

Political party formed on anti-slavery principles in the 1850s.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

(1857) - Supreme Court ruling denying freed African Americans’ rights and declaring Congress’ power to regulate slavery invalid.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

(1858) Debates on slavery’s expansion in new territories between Lincoln and Douglas.

John Brown at Harpers Ferry

(1859) - Radical abolitionist raid signaling escalating tensions over slavery.

Election of Lincoln

(1860) - Catalyst for secession and the onset of the Civil War.

Civil War

(1861-1865) - Conflict between Union and Confederacy over slavery and secession.

Fort Sumter

Site of the first Civil War battles in 1861.

Emancipation Proclamation

(1863) - President Lincoln’s order declaring freedom for enslaved people in Confederate-held areas.

Union victory and Confederate Surrender

(1865) - End of the Civil War with the Confederacy’s defeat.

Lincoln assassinated

(1865) - Assassination of Abraham Lincoln during Reconstruction’s early phase.

Reconstruction

(1865-1877) - Era of rebuilding the South and integrating formerly enslaved people into society.

Reconstruction Amendments (13th-15th)

Abolition of slavery (13th), citizenship and rights (14th), and voting rights (15th).

Weak presidents; Johnson, Grant, Hayes

A period noted for political weakness and corruption concerns during Reconstruction.

Jim Crow laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation in the South after Reconstruction.

Gilded Age

(1865-1900) - Era of rapid industrialization, political corruption, and social inequality.

Industrial Revolution (ROSE)

Rise of industry: railroads, oil, steel, electricity transforming the economy.

New forms of marketing and business organization; holding companies & trusts

Expansion of corporate structures and consolidated power in business.

The Jim Crow South; sharecropping

Systems of racial oppression and labor arrangements after the Civil War.

Depression of 1893

Severe economic downturn with bank failures and unemployment.

New Immigrants (late 19th century)

Large influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe influencing urban growth and labor.

U.S. Imperialism

(1890-1914) - Expansionist policies including Hawaii, Open Door, and overseas colonies.

Spanish-American War

(1898) - Short war resulting in U.S. acquisition of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

Philippine War

Conflict following the Spanish-American War over Philippine independence.

Panama Canal

Strategic canal project facilitating global maritime trade.

Big Stick, Dollar, Moral Diplomacies

Roosevelt’s, Taft’s, and Wilson’s approaches to foreign policy and interventions.

Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Policy asserting U.S. right to intervene in the Western Hemisphere to stabilize neighbors.

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary figure involved in cross-border conflicts with the U.S.

Progressive Era

(1900-1914)- Reform movement addressing corruption, social justice, and workers’ rights.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed social ills and corporate corruption (e.g., Tarbell, Riis, Steffens, Sinclair).

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Federal law aimed at curbing monopolies and restraining trade abuses.

Northern Securities Co.

Antitrust case leading to the dissolution of a railroad monopoly.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic program emphasizing fairness and regulation.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Laws strengthening antitrust enforcement and protecting labor unions from court actions.

Federal Reserve

Central bank created to regulate the economy and monetary policy.

Underwood-Simmons Tariff

Tariff reform reducing duties and introducing a federal income tax.

Initiative, Referendum, Recall

Direct democratic reforms expanding citizens’ ability to influence lawmaking.

16th-19th Amendments

Constitutional amendments expanding federal taxation and voting rights (income tax, direct election of senators, prohibition, women's suffrage).

World War I

(1914-1918) - Global conflict involving the U.S. entering in 1917; ended with the Versailles Treaty.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German policy targeting Allied shipping, contributing to U.S. entry into WWI.

Zimmerman Note

Ciphered message proposing alliance between Germany and Mexico against the U.S.; helped sway American entry into WWI.

WIB & CPI

War Industries Board oversaw production; Committee on Public Information managed wartime propaganda.

Selective Service Act

Law authorizing conscription for military service in WWI.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the rural South to Northern cities in search of jobs.

14 Points; Treaty of Versailles; League of Nations

Woodrow Wilson’s postwar framework (14 Points); Versailles settlement; proposed international organization.

Irreconcilables vs. Reservationists

Opponents and conditionally cooperative groups regarding U.S. participation in the League of Nations.

Roaring Twenties; Harlem Renaissance; Prohibition

Era of urban growth, cultural flourishing, and a nationwide ban on alcohol.

Stock Market Crash of 1929; Rugged Individualism

Economic collapse leading to the Great Depression; Hoover’s philosophy of personal resilience.

New Deal (First and Second)

FDR’s programs aimed at relief, recovery, and reforms during the Great Depression.