Social Studies - Grade 8 Exploration and Early American History

A collection of vocabulary flashcards focusing on key concepts related to exploration, colonization, American governance, and the early republic.

Reasons for exploration

Wealth, religion, expansion of empires, claiming territory, and finding new trade routes to Asia through the Northwest Passage.

Spanish Colonization

Claimed Florida, Texas, and California; built missions in pursuit of wealth and land.

French Colonization

Claimed land in the New World primarily for profit from fur trading.

New England Colonies

Characterized by rocky soil, cold climate; founded for religious freedom and focused on fishing, lumber, and shipbuilding.

Roger Williams

Left Massachusetts and founded Rhode Island to escape religious persecution.

Quakers

The first anti-slavery group who lived in Pennsylvania.

Southern Colonies

Had fertile soil and a warm climate, primarily founded for economic reasons and grew cash crops.

Mercantilism

Economic system where Britain controlled colonial trade, which angered colonists.

American Revolution

The conflict in which the American colonies fought for independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

A document authored by Thomas Jefferson listing grievances against King George III and asserting the right to create a new government.

Unalienable rights

Rights that all people have from birth: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Judicial Review

Established by Marbury v. Madison; gives the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Supreme Court case that established federal rule over interstate trade.

Louisiana Purchase

Acquisition of territory in 1803 that doubled the size of the U.S. and provided fertile farmland.

Monroe Doctrine

Policy that prevented European colonization in the Western Hemisphere.

Great Compromise

Determined how many representatives large and small states would send to Congress.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement on how slaves would count for representation and taxation.

Checks and balances

System that ensures each government branch has some power over the others to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.

Jacksonian Democracy

Term describing the expanding voting rights and political power towards the common man during Andrew Jackson's presidency.

Nullification Crisis

Dispute over whether South Carolina could nullify a federal law, highlighting states' rights versus federal authority.

Worcester v. Georgia

Supreme Court case that favored the rights of Native Americans against forced removal; ignored by President Jackson.

Industrial Revolution

Period of significant industrial growth and technological advancement that transformed production and labor.

Cotton gin

Invented to accelerate cotton production, increasing the demand for agricultural labor.

Interchangeable parts

Manufacturing process that made production more efficient and goods cheaper.

Free enterprise

Economic system with minimal government regulation; driven by supply and demand.