Untitled

A set of flashcards covering essential vocabulary terms important for understanding key concepts in AP US History, based on the midterm study guide.

Astrolabe

An instrument used by navigators to measure the altitude of stars and planets, aiding in navigation.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.

Encomienda

A labor system instituted by the Spanish in the Americas that granted colonists the right to demand tribute and forced labor from indigenous people.

Mayflower Compact

The first governing document of Plymouth Colony, signed by the Pilgrims in 1620.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that trade generates wealth and that a government should protect the country's commerce.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781, which created a weak central government.

Democratic Republicans

A political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in opposition to the Federalists, advocating for agrarian interests and states' rights.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws passed to ease tensions between northern and southern states regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War.

Jim Crow

Laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States, enacted following the Reconstruction period.

Ghost Dance

A religious movement among Native Americans in the late 19th century that foretold the restoration of their lands and the return of the buffalo.

24th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections.

Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the American colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries that emphasized individual piety and a personal relationship with God.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws passed in 1798 that allowed the government to imprison or deport non-citizens and criminalized making false statements against the government.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation from their homelands to designated Indian Territory, resulting in the deaths of thousands.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848 to discuss the social, civil, and religious rights of women.

Transcontinental Railroad

A train route across the United States, completed in 1869, that connected the eastern US with the Pacific coast.

Wounded Knee Massacre

The 1890 killing of a band of Lakota Sioux by US Army troops in South Dakota, marking the end of the Indian Wars.