Apush terms

Puritans

These people left England to escape religious persecution, lived by the "New England way", and believed in predestination

Salem Witch Trials

The 1692 event that launched a Puritan inquisition that took over 20 lives, filled prison with innocent people, and frayed the souls of a Massachusetts community

Mayflower Compact

The document signed by settlers of Plymouth that established a self-governing colony 1620

Toleration Act of 1649

Maryland assembly passed this law that granted a degree of religious freedom to different groups, especially Catholics

House of Burgesses

Virginia legislature formed in 1619. First example of self-government in the American colonies.

Middle Passage

The horrible voyage that brought most enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies.

Holy Experiment

The name for William Penn's idea that people of different nationalities and religious beliefs could live peacefully together in his Pennsylvania colony

First Great Awakening

series of religious revivals that spread through the United States beginning in the early 18th century as a reaction to enlightenment ideals; attracted women, African Americans, and Native Americans

Royal Colony

A colony ruled by governors appointed by a king

Proprietary Colony

Colony where the settlers have full governing rights

New England Way

Cooperation between church and state that was the basis for the Puritan commonwealth, all colonists expect to live by "this way"

Bacon's Rebellion

a colonial revolt in 1676 led by Virginians upset over high taxes, low prices of tobacco, and resentment towards the colonial elite. This led to a more rigid form of slavery being implemented in the colonies.

Mercantilism

Economic system in which a nation's power is tied to its stock of precious metals; the regulation of economic activities in the colonies controlled by the colonies

Navigation Acts

A series of English laws that required European goods destined for the colonies to be routed through England and colonial products to be carried on English ships only

Balance of Trade

The best way for a nation to obtain wealth is to export more than it imports and by doing so, retain a favorable what?

Glorious Revolution

A bloodless revolt in England against Catholic King James II that led to his overthrow and the appointment of Protestant daughter Mary to the throne. These events in England allowed many colonists in America to get rid of hated officials and reestablish representative assemblies

Salutary Neglect

the undocumented, but long standing policy of Great Britain interfering very little with her colonies prior to 1763 and not strictly enforcing the commerce laws against the colonies

French and Indian War

a war in North America between France and Britain (both aided by indian tribes)

Albany Plan of Union

proposed in 1754, a plan to unite the colonies under a centralized government for defense and self-governance

Proclamation of 1763

British decree that said colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian valley, passed after the French and Indian War

Stamp Act

an act passed by the British parliament in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents

Sugar Act

although this act actually lowered the tax duty on molasses, it angered the colonists because smuggling cases would now be heard without a jury of their peers

Sons of Liberty

A group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution

Declaratory Act

Law passed that said that Great Britain had "full power and authority" to rule colonies in any way she saw fit

Tea Act

Law passed by parliament allowing the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies - undermining colonial tea merchants; led to the Boston Tea Party

Boston Massacre

1770 clash between unruly Bostonian protesters and locally stationed British redcoats who fired on a jeering crowd killing or wounding 11 colonists.

Committee of Correspondence

A 21 member committee responsible for keeping the colonies and the rest of the world informed about the injustices Great Britain was making on her colonies

Olive Branch Petition

A final attempt to avoid war with Great Britian, this document was drafted by the 2nd Continental Congress

Loyalists

Colonists who supported the British government during the American Revolution

Continental Congress

representatives from 12 states met in Philadelphia to discuss acceptable forms of protest and reactions to Britain's Coercive and Quebec Acts implemented after the Boston Tea Party

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

Constitution

This founding document delineates the national framer of our government

Treaty of Paris

The treaty that formally ended the American Revolution

Articles of Confederation

The first form of unified government that created an association of states while guaranteeing each state its "sovereignty, freedom, and independence"

Virginia Plan

"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.

New Jersey Plan

Plan at the Philadelphia Convention that proposed a unicameral house with an equal number of representatives per state

Great Compromise

also known as the Connecticut Compromise. it was made by the Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house

3/5 Compromise

the decision at the Constitutional convention to count slaves as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of deciding the population and determining how many seats each state would have in Congress

Checks and Balances

used to keep the government from getting too powerful in one branch

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution

Cabinet

The first Congress set up this, whereby three executive departments were created and the President appointed people to head each

Strict Construction

way of interpreting the Constitution that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can take

Loose Construction

the belief that the government can do anything that the constitution does not prohibit
the philosophy of judicial interpretation supported by Alexander Hamiltion

Whiskey Rebellion

Protest by farmers in Pennsylvania against new taxes on certain domestically produced items, in which President Washington assembled forces to put down this challenge to federal authority

Treaty of Greenville

Agreement made by George Washington and the United States with the Native Americans that gave the US most of present day Ohio and Indiana; helped pave the way for westward expansion

French Revolution

a rebellion of French people against their king in 1789

Impressment

The British practice of taking American sailors from American ships and forcing them into the British navy; a factor in the War of 1812.

XYZ Affair

Incident in which French agents demanded a bribe and loan from the U.S. diplomats in exchange for discussing an agreement that French privateers would no longer attack American ships

Alien and Sedition Acts

series of laws passed by Federalists to silence the Democratic-Republican opposition; preventing immigration and allowed the government to prosecute those who spoke against the government; limited freedom of speech

Marbury v. Madison

This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review

Louisiana Purchase

territory in western United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million

Lewis and Clark Expedition

an expedition sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the northwestern territories of the United States

Tecumseh

a famous chief of the Shawnee who tried to unite Indian tribes against the increasing white settlement (1768-1813)

War of 1812

A war (1812-1814) between the United States and England which was trying to interfere with American trade with France.

Treaty of Ghent

Treaty that ended the War of 1812 and maintained prewar conditions

Monroe Doctrine

statement made by the United States asserting that any new attempt to colonize in the Western Hemisphere would be considered an act of hostility against the United States

Missouri Compromise

an agreement in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States concerning the extension of slavery into new territories

Manifest Destiny

1800s belief that Americans had the right to spread across the continent.

Corrupt Bargain

Jackson and his followers accused John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay of wrongdoing in the Election of 1824 and nicknamed the election this

Spoils System

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.

Trail of Tears

The Cherokee Indians were forced to leave their lands. They traveled from North Carolina and Georgia through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas-more than 800 miles (1,287 km)-to the Indian Territory. More than 4, 00 Cherokees died of cold, disease, and lack of food during the 116-day journey.

Industrial Revolution

the change agricultural to an industrial society and from home manufacturing to factory production, especially the one that took place in England from about 1750 to about 1850
period in history where societies changed how they produced goods; from a mainly agricultural society to a more manufactured-based society

National road

The construction of the Cumberland Road, the first federal roadway was completed in 1815, and it was also know by this name

Erie canal

considered a modern marvel of the time, this allowed western farmers to ship surplus crops to sell in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West. Connected Great Lakes to Hudson River

Market Revolution

the creation of profitable national markets brought about by new transportation systems and inventions in the 1800s

Factory System

System that cuts cost and increases outputs by relying on machines to help to keep everything under one roof; Samuel Slater and Francis Cabot Lowell were both known for this

Lowell Girls

Female workers who came to work for a particular textile corporation in Massachusetts during the Industrial Revolution in the United States

Nativists

a person who favors those born in his country and is opposed to immigrants

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival that swept through the country between 1790 and 1840 called for an effort to restore a simpler version of Christianity. Responsible for creating the benevolent empire and beginning the reform impulse of the early 1800s

Transcendentalism

any system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical and material
popular movement among New England writers that people could rise above material things in life to reach a higher level of understanding

Prohibition

initially started by the temperance movement, this late 19th century/early 20th century movement would advocate for a nationwide ban on the sale, production and transportation of alcoholic beverages

Seneca Falls Convention

held in New York in 1848, the first formal meeting to women's rights exclusively and strengthened the women's rights movement in the United States.

Donner Party

Group of travelers to California who were stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and had to result to cannibalism

Temperance Movement

A social reform movement that began in the mid-1800s that sought to outlaw nationally the consumption, distribution, and sale of alcohol

Mormons

founded by Joesph Smith, a new religious movement known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and migrated west to Utah

Cotton Gin

invented in 1793, this invention resulted in more efficient production and more reliance on the slave population

Underground Railroad

a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century slaves of African descent in the United States to escape to free states and Canada

The Liberator

The first anti-slavery newspaper; an abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831

Abolitionism

the movement to end slavery

The Alamo

battle between Mexican Santa Anna and Texan rebels; Mexicans won; played a pivotal role in the Texas Revolution

Mexican War

(1846-1848) The war between the United States and Mexico in which the United States acquired one half of the Mexican territory.

Bear Flag Revolt

name used for the California revolt against Mexico in 1846

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Treaty that ended the Mexican American War in 1848

California Gold Rush

Mass migration to California following the discovery of gold in 1848

Forty Niners

nickname for those American settlers who flooded California in search of gold

Popular Sovereignty

practice of allowing states and territories to decide for their own whether or not to permit slavery in those areas (this was expressed in the Kansas-Nebraksa Act)

Wilmot Proviso

proposed law that stated that there would be no expansion of slavery in any of the land acquired by the Mexican cession

Free Soil Party

Formed by Whigs and Democrats in 1848, this political party had the goal of limiting the expansion of slavery into new territories

Compromise of 1850

Agreement proposed by Henry Clay that allowed California to enter the union as a free state and stated that the issue of slavery in the rest of the Mexican cession would be determined by the people; also imposed a new Fugitive Slave law

Fire eaters

pro-slavery supporters who wanted to secede from the union

Fugitive Slave Act

law that made it a federal crime to help runaway slaves and allowed for the arrest of escaped slaves even in areas where slavery was illegal

Uncle Tom's Cabin

written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, this abolitionist novel depicted the horrors of slavery to those in the North and was banned in the South; she wrote this in reaction to the stricter Fugitive Slave laws passed in the Compromise of 1850

Kansas Nebraska Act

Repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new states (Kansas and Nebraska)
Slavery would be decided based on popular sovereignty
Proposed Stephen Douglas (he wanted southern support for the transcontinental railroad)
Divided and destroyed the Whig Party and marked the beginning of the Republican Party.

Bleeding Kansas

period of repeated outbreaks of violence between pro and anti-slavery forces following the creation of a new western territory in 1854

John Brown's Raid

failed attack at the Federal Arenal at Harpers Ferry, VA

Dred Scott Decision

Missouri slave taken by their slave master to a free state, as a result, he sued for his freedom.
Case was brought to the Supreme Court and ruled that slaves could not sue because slaves were not citizens, they were property, and that the 5th amendment prohibited congress from taking away property
Significance \= violated the Kansas Nebraska Act and the Missouri Compromise because they stated that any slave taken across state borders were supposed to be free

Civil War

1861-1865, fought between North (Union) and South (Confederacy) over the issue of slavery
Union was victorious

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States led the Union to victory during the Civil War
Was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth before Reconstitution could happen
known a the great emancipator

Secession

the action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state
Southern states leaving the Union and forming the Confederacy

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate government and was also the Confederacy military commander during the Civil War. In the end, an unsuccessful president because he would rarely provide genuine national leadership