apush events and places

American Nations

A framework for examining American history as a federation of eleven nations, each with a shared culture established by its founding population.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established in 1607.

Virginia Company

The English stock company chartered by King James to establish a colony in Virginia.

Headright system

A land grant system in which settlers received land based on the number of people they brought to the colony.

Indentured servitude

A labor system where a person works to pay off a debt.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A 1676 colonial uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against the government due to perceived inaction against Native Americans.

First Great Awakening

A religious revival in the mid-18th century that transformed Protestantism in the British colonies.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, functioning from 1777 to 1789 with a weak central government.

Northwest Ordinance

A law that provided a method for admitting new states and established a charter government for the Northwest Territory.

Checks and balances

A system that ensures no one branch of government becomes too powerful by providing each branch with individual powers to check the others.

3/5th Compromise

An agreement stating that three out of every five slaves would be counted in determining a state's population for legislative representation and taxation.

Great Compromise

The agreement that created a bicameral legislature, with the Senate having equal representation and the House based on population.

Ratification Debates

Discussions between Federalists and Anti-Federalists regarding the Constitution, which resulted in the addition of the Bill of Rights.

Federalist Papers

A series of 85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay that argued for a strong central government and the need for checks and balances.

Federalists vs Democratic-Republicans

The first political party system in the US, with Federalists supporting a strong central government and Democratic-Republicans advocating for states' rights.

Washington’s Farewell Address

A statement in which Washington warned against political parties and foreign alliances, influencing US foreign policy.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Statements that argued states had the right to declare unconstitutional acts of Congress, advocating for states' rights.

Louisiana Purchase

The acquisition of land from France that doubled the size of the US and opened up land for farming.

Judicial Review

The power of courts to review laws and executive actions to determine their constitutionality.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark case that established the principle of judicial review.

Hartford Convention

Meetings held by New England Federalists to discuss grievances and propose secession, leading to the party's decline.

Era of Good Feelings

A period during Monroe’s presidency marked by political unity and the lack of significant strife.

American System

Henry Clay’s economic plan that aimed at promoting a market economy through tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements.

Corrupt Bargain

The alleged deal where Adams was chosen over Jackson, leading to accusations of a political favor.

Tariff of Abominations

The high tariff imposed in 1828 that angered the South by protecting northern industries at their expense.

Nullification Crisis

The conflict between South Carolina and the federal government over states' rights to nullify federal tariffs.

Worcester v. Georgia

The ruling that established the principle of tribal sovereignty, recognizing Native American tribes as distinct political entities.

Indian Removal Act

Legislation that authorized the forced removal of Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi.

Trail of Tears

The forced removal and suffering of the Cherokee people from their ancestral lands.

Panic of 1837

A financial crisis that resulted in a major depression, triggered by Jackson's policies.

Texas Revolution

The conflict between Texas and Mexico that led to Texas's independence and the formation of the Republic of Texas.

Annexation of Texas

The 1845 incorporation of Texas into the US, escalating tensions with Mexico.

Mexican War

The military conflict between the US and Mexico over territory in present-day Texas, New Mexico, and California.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and ceded a large portion of territory to the US.

Mexican Cession

The land acquired by the US from Mexico, fulfilling the idea of manifest destiny.

Whigs

A political party formed in opposition to Jackson, advocating for Congress's power over the presidency.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that it was the destiny of the US to expand across the continent.

Wilmot Proviso

A failed proposal to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that residents of a territory should determine whether slavery would be allowed.

Compromise of 1850

A package of five laws aimed at easing tensions over slavery, including the admission of California as a free state.

Fugitive Slave Law

Law requiring escaped slaves to be returned to their owners, imposing penalties on those who aided their escape.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

An influential anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that highlighted the brutal realities of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The law that created territories and allowed settlers to decide on the slavery issue, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Bleeding Kansas

The violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

The court ruling that Dred Scott was not a citizen, ruling that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

A series of debates in 1858 where Lincoln argued against the expansion of slavery, which helped him secure the Republican nomination.

Harper’s Ferry

John Brown's failed raid intended to incite an armed slave rebellion that turned him into a martyr for the abolitionist cause.

Election of 1860

The presidential election in which Lincoln won without carrying any southern states, contributing to the secession crisis.

Transcontinental Railroad

The railroad completed in the 1860s that linked the east and west coasts of the US, facilitating expansion.

FJT Frontier Hypothesis

The idea that American democracy was shaped by the settlement and colonization of the frontier.

Homestead Act

The 1862 law that granted 160 acres of land to settlers who improved it and lived on it for five years.

Populism

A political movement emphasizing the rights and power of the common people over the elite.

Grange

An organization for farmers aimed at promoting their economic and political well-being.

Chinese Exclusion Act

The 1882 law that prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the US, reflecting anti-Asian sentiment.

Dawes Severalty Act

Law that divided Native American tribal lands into individual plots, promoting assimilation and reducing tribal culture.

Spanish-American War

The brief conflict in 1898 in which the US defeated Spain and gained territories like the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

USS Maine

The battleship whose explosion in Havana Harbor sparked the Spanish-American War.

US Acquisitions - Philippines, Hawaii, PR, Guam

Territories gained by the US after the Spanish-American War for strategic and commercial purposes.

Suburbia

Residential areas on the outskirts of cities, promoting car culture and increasing highway expansions.

Levittowns

Planned suburban communities that epitomized post-war suburbanization in the US.

GI Bill

Legislation that provided World War II veterans with benefits for education, housing, and unemployment.

Interstate Highway Act

The 1956 law that established a national system of interstate highways for defense and transportation.