SCHOLASTIC BOWL HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY

Benedict Arnold

American General who was labeled a traitor when he assisted the British in a failed attempt to take the American fort at West Point.

John Burgoyne

British general in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga but lost the battle of Saratoga in 1777 (1722-1792)

Charles Cornwallis

Commanding general of the British forces that were defeated at Yorktown in 1781, ending the American Revolution. Became the governor-general of India after the Revolutionary war.

Horatio Gates

Wounded in the disastrous French and Indian War attack on Fort Duquesne, it was there he first met George Washington. Recommended by Washington to be adjutant general of the army.

Francis Marion

South Carolina militia leader nicknamed the "Swamp Fox" for his hit-and-run attacks on the British during the American Revolution.

John Paul Jones

American naval commander in the American Revolution (1747-1792) + A Scotsman who had fled Britain after killing two people.

Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

Formerly part of Frederick the Great's staff, the Prussian Steuben was recommended by Ben Franklin to George Washington. Accepted by the Continental Congress, Steuben joined Washington at Valley Forge, and began training the army. Appointed major general and inspector general in May 1777, he aided in the Battle of Monmouth, then spent two years writing the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, an army training manual. Sent to Virginia in 1780 to oppose Benedict Arnold's actions, illness caused him to turn over his troops to Lafayette, but Steuben recovered in time to aid in the siege of Yorktown.

George Washington

Selected by the continental congress to serve as general-in-chief, his first actions were to blockade Boston. Key to the success in Boston was the capture of Dorchester Heights, allowing cannon fire against the British and forcing them to withdrawal of Howe.

Fort Sumter

Federal fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina; the confederate attack on it marked the start of the Civil War

First Bull Run / First Manassas

(July 21, 1861). Fought at a creek near Manassas, Virginia (30 miles west of Washington D.C.), this was the first major showdown of the war. Beauregard led an army against Union commander Irwin McDowell and received reinforcements from Joseph Johnston's troops (whom Union General Robert Patterson failed to detain). The Confederacy routed the Union when Thomas Jackson's brigade held the left line at Henry House Hill; this effort earned him the nickname "Stonewall." Congressmen and reporters, who had expected to watch a Union victory, fled in panic back to D.C.

Hampton Roads

(March 9, 1862) First fight between "ironclads" (first metal-made ships).

Shiloh / Pittsburg Landing

(April 6-7, 1862). This was named after a church in Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee (100 miles southwest of Nashville). Confederate commander Albert Sidney Johnston led a force north from Corinth, Mississippi. Ulysses S. Grant, who had just captured Fort Donelson, brought five Union divisions to face him. At first, the South led the attack, but Union troops held the "Hornets' Nest" for hours, killing Johnston in the process. Beauregard took over, but by the second day Northern Generals Don Carlos Buell and Lew Wallace (who wrote Ben-Hur) brought reinforcements, causing the Confederates to retreat. More than 13,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate soldiers lost their lives.

Peninsular campaign(1862)-

A Union offensive operation led by George McClellan against the Confederate capital of Richmond.

Second Bull Run / Second Manassas

(August 29-30, 1862). This resounding victory by Lee and Jackson pushed Union forces back to Washington, D.C. President Lincoln had replaced McClellan with John Pope, who would supposedly be united with the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Henry Halleck. Lee maneuvered Jackson's troops behind those of Pope; Jackson detained Pope's men at Manassas while Lee sent James Longstreet to crush Pope's left flank. Halleck's army was supposed to land at Aquia, but instead retreated to defend Washington, ceding all of Virginia to the Confederacy and marking a low point in the Union effort.

Wilderness Campaign

A series of brutal clashes between Ulysses S. Grant's and Robert E. Lee's armies in Virginia, leading up to Grant's capture of Richmond in April of 1865. Having lost Richmond, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse.

Petersburg Campaign

(June 1864 - April 1865). After Cold Harbor, Grant moved south to lay siege to this railroad hub, 25 miles from Richmond. On July 30, Pennsylvania coal miners detonated four tons of powder in a tunnel underneath the Confederate line; this "Battle of the Crater" killed many defenders. Although the South maintained the city, its supplies ran thin in the winter of 1865. Grant finally destroyed the Confederate right flank at Five Forks (April 1-2), 14 miles southwest of Petersburg. This resounding defeat led to Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House one week later, effectively ending the Civil War.

1800

Election that led to a peaceful transfer of power from the Federalist Party to the Democratic-Republican Party.

1824

Jackson, Clay, Adams, and Crawford all ran. The House of Reps chose Adams because Henry Clay had supported him. After Adams became President, he appointed Henry Clay as his Secretary of State. This was seen as a corrupt bargain by Andrew Jackson

Lexington and Concord

April 8, 1775: Gage leads 700 soldiers to confiscate colonial weapons and arrest Adam, and Hancock; April 19, 1775: 70 armed militia face British at Lexington (shot heard around the world); British retreat to Boston, suffer nearly 300 casualties along the way (concord)

Ticonderoga

American revolutionary troops captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775 and gained 50 cannons; raised morale and made French join war

Bunker Hill

(June 17, 1775) Site of a battle early in the Revolutionary War. This battle contested control of two hills (Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill) overlooking Boston Harbor. The British captured the hills after the Americans ran-out of ammunition. "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!" Battle implied that Americans could fight the British if they had sufficient supplies.

Quebec (December 31, 1775)

The culmination of a failed invasion of Canada by American colonists. In a blinding snowstorm, the American general Richard Montgomery was killed in battle, Benedict Arnold was wounded, and Daniel Morgan was captured.

Long Island (August 27, 1776)

The largest battle of the entire war, Long Island (or Brooklyn Heights) resulted in the British capture of New York. William Howe defeated George Washington.

Trenton (December 26, 1776)

Occurred early in the morning after George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. The Hessians, under the command of Johann Rall, were surprised and about two thirds of them were captured.

Germantown (October 4, 1777)

Washington's attack on Germantown was the Continental Army's last major effort to retake Philadelphia before the winter of 1777-1778. After this defeat, Washington's troops wintered at Valley Forge.

Saratoga (October 1777)

American victory that was turning point in American Revolution/Convinced France tho help colonies

Monmouth (June 28, 1778)

The last major battle of the Northern theater of the war; its outcome was inconclusive. American general Charles Lee was court-martialed for his actions at Monmouth. Molly Pitcher became famous for fighting in this battle in place of her husband.

Camden (August 16, 1780)

The American defeat was part of the British "southern strategy," which included the earlier capture of Charleston and Savannah. Charles Cornwallis inflicted a humiliating defeat on the forces of Horatio Gates.

Cowpens (January 17, 1781)

A turning point in the American recapture of South Carolina. Daniel Morgan commanded the Continentals and Banastre Tarleton led the British. The Battle was fought between the Pacolet and Broad Rivers.

Yorktown (October 1781)

George Washington, with the aid of the French Army, besieged Cornwallis at Yorktown, while the French naval fleet prevented British reinforcements from coming ashore. Cornwallis surrendered, dealing a heavy blow to the British war effort and paving the way for an eventual peace. (165)

Sir Guy Carleton

Irish-born, he led grenadiers across the Plains of Abraham in the 1759 siege of Quebec under his close friend General Wolfe. He entered the war as second in command to Thomas Gage before taking command after Gage's 1775 recall. Carleton then directed British troops from Canada to Boston after the Battle of Concord, resulting in a revolt. Carleton then repulsed efforts by Montgomery and Benedict Arnold to capture Montreal and Quebec, routing a second attempt by Arnold, by defeating an American naval buildup on Lake Champlain.

Nathanael Greene

American general who commanded the Continental army in the South

Sir William Howe

A veteran of the siege of Louisbourg, and the leader of the ascent to the Plains of Abraham (Quebec, 1759), he was dispatched in 1775 as second in command to Gage. After directing the attack on Bunker Hill, he succeeded Gage as commander, and coordinated a strategic retreat from Boston to Halifax. In Halifax, he coordinated a joint army-navy attack with his brother, Richard, an admiral, resulting in a campaign which allowed the British to control New York City. After his attempts to secure a peace in 1777 failed, he led the attack on Philadelphia, defeating Washington at Brandywine. On May 25, 1778, he relinquished command to Sir Henry Clinton and returned home.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Polish and Lithuanian national hero, general and a leader of 1794 uprising (which bears his name) against the Russian Empire. He fought in the American Revolutionary War as a colonel in the Continental Army on the side of Washington.

Antietam (Sharpsburg)

(September 17, 1862). The bloodiest day of the Civil War: 12,000 Union men lost their lives, as did 10,000 Confederates. Lee planned a northern invasion into Maryland but a Union soldier discovered those battle plans wrapped around three cigars. Instead, Lee marched his army toward Sharpsburg Creek. Meanwhile, Jackson's forces captured Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and rushed to reunite with Lee. McClellan had a large enough force to capture the entire rebel army but did not use all of his troops nor coordinate one solid attack.

Fredericksburg

Ambrose Burnside led the Union toward Richmond and marched into waiting Confederate troops who shot them down as they marched. Horrible defeat for the Union.

Chancellorsville

A major battle in the American Civil War (1863), the Confederates under Robert E. Lee defeated the Union forces under Joseph Hooker. General Jackson was killed by friendly fire.

Gettysburg

A large battle in the American Civil War, took place in southern Pennsylvania from July 1 to July 3, 1863. The battle is named after the town on the battlefield. Union General George G. Meade led an army of about 90,000 men to victory against General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army of about 75,000. Gettysburg is the war's most famous battle.

Chattanooga Campaign (September-November 1863)

It began when Union General William Rosecrans forced Confederate commander Braxton Bragg out of the city on September 9. Ten days later, at Chickamauga (in Georgia), Bragg and Longstreet turned the tables by whipping Rosecrans, forcing him into a siege position at Chattanooga. Only George Thomas (the "Rock of Chickamauga") saved Rosecrans from annihilation. Well-developed railroad networks, however, allowed Grant, Hooker, and Sherman to bring reinforcements. On November 24, Hooker took Lookout Mountain in the southwest, in the "Battle Above the Clouds." The next day, Thomas ran right over the Southern force at Missionary Ridge, securing Tennessee for the North.

1860

Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party was split over slavery. As a result, the South no longer felt like it has a voice in politics and a number of states seceded from the Union.

1876

Hayes promised to show concern for Southern interests and end Reconstruction in exchange for the Democrats accepting the fraudulent election results. He took Union troops out of the South.

1896

William McKinley-Republican, North, industry and high tariffs. Williams Bryan-Democrat, West and South, farmers and low tariffs. The main issues were the coinage of silver and protective tariffs.

1912

Presidential campaign involving Taft, T. Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, enabling Wilson to win

1948

Dewey and Truman ran against each other, Dewey had an unwillingness to fight and lost against Truman, whom many people thought would lose because of his integration policies / southern Democrats who opposed Truman's position on civil rights. They caused a split in the Democratic party...led by Strom Thurman

Election of 1960 and New Frontier

Democrat (John F. Kennedy) vs. Republican (Richard Nixon)

1968

Richard M. Nixon, Republican, won by a 1% margin against Hubert Humphrey, Democrat. The issues were the war in Vietnam and urban crisis of law and order.

2000

Bush v. Gore; Bush won although Gore won popular vote; controversy over the final vote count in Florida; settled by Supreme Court decision in favor of Bush

Thomas Jefferson

served as Secretary of State, Vice-President, and was the 3rd President of the United States; member of the Democratic-Republican party; he was responsible for purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France and issuing the Embargo Act

Henry Clay

Distinguished senator from Kentucky, who ran for president five times until his death in 1852. He was a strong supporter of the American System, a war hawk for the War of 1812, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and known as "The Great Compromiser." Outlined the Compromise of 1850 with five main points. Died before it was passed however.

Daniel Webster

Famous American politician and orator. he advocated renewal and opposed the financial policy of Jackson. Many of the principles of finance he spoke about were later incorporated in the Federal Reserve System. Would later push for a strong union. (Secretary of state)

William H. Seward

Secretary of State purchased Alaska people called it "Seward's Folly"

John Hay

Secretary of State under McKinley and Roosevelt who pioneered the open-door policy and Panama canal

Elihu Root

Secretary of War under Roosevelt, he reorganized and monderized the U.S. Army. Later served as ambassador for the U.S. and won the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize.

Cordell Hull

FDR's secretary of state, who promoted reciprocal trade agreements, especially with Latin America

George Marshall

United States general and statesman who as Secretary of State organized the European Recovery Program (1880-1959)

Dean Acheson

The successor to Marshall, he is known primarily for developing the policy of containment, designed to prevent the spread of Communism and the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. His autobiography, "Present at the Creation" is a major source for Cold War historians.

Henry Kissinger

United States diplomat who served under President Nixon and President Ford (born in 1923) Served as secretary of state from 1949-1953.

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State under Obama

John Kerry

Massachusetts Senator and Democratic presidential nominee in Election of 2004. (Served as Obama's secretary of state from 2014-2016).

Anti-Masonic Party

a 19th century minor political party in the United States. It strongly opposed Freemasonry, and was founded as a single-issue party, aspiring to become a major party

The Free Soil Party

Formed in 1847 - 1848, dedicated to opposing slavery in newly acquired territories such as Oregon and ceded Mexican territory.

The American Party

Political organization that was created after the election of 1852 by the Know-Nothings, was organized to oppose the great wave of immigrants who entered the United States after 1846

The People's Party

Another name for the Populists. They campaigned in the election of 1892; they nominated James B. Weaver as their candidate. They wanted to bring together the aggrieved workers from across the nation, but had support primarily in the West.

The Socialist Party

Political Party in the United States which supports socialism - working people own and control the means of production and distribution through democratically- controlled public agencies, cooperatives, or other collective groups.

The States' Rights Democratic Party

A breakaway party of white Democrats from the South, formed for the 1948 election. Its formation shed light on an internal struggle between the civil rights aims of the party's liberal wing and southern white Democrats.

The Communist Party of the United States of America

(established 1919) is notable mainly for attempts to outlaw it, such as the 1940 Smith Act which criminalized organizations advocating the violent overthrow of the government, the Communist Control Act of 1954, and the inquiries of the House Un-American Activities Committee and Senators Richard Nixon and Joseph McCarthy.

The American Independent Party

Headed by George Wallace who entered the 1968 election and called for the continuation of segregation of blacks

The Reform Party

A minor party founded by Ross Perot in 1995. It focuses on national government reform, fiscal responsibility, and political accountability. It has recently struggled with internal strife and criticism that it lacks an identity.

The Green Party

A minor party dedicated to the environment, social justice, nonviolence, and the foreign policy of nonintervention. Ralph Nader ran as the Green party's nominee in 2000.

Umayyad Dynasty

An Islamic Dynasty based on succession rather than election following the first period of caliphates. Continued advances in the kingdom, venturing as far as China in the East. Fell apart in 750 CE due to internal tensions.

Abbasid Dynasty

From 750-1258 this was the 3rd dyansty of the Islamic Caliphate. They built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate.

Fatimad Dynasty

Islamic Shia Caliphate that spanned a large amount of North Africa. Made Egypt the center

Seljuq Empire

The Seljuks were a group of nomadic Turkish warriors from central Asia who established themselves in the Middle East during the 11th Century as guardians of the declining abbasid caliphate, important because the Seljuks united the fractured political landscape of the eastern Islamic world and played a key role in the first and second crusades.

Ayyubid Dynasty

A Sunni Muslim dynasty founded by Saladin and centered in Egypt that ruled large parts of the Middle East during the 12th and 13th centuries.

Mamluk Dynasty

Only turkish dynasty to survive Monogol invasions and Black Death. Baybars was king from 1260-1277, increased trade in Byzantine empire and Constantinople. Brought turkish influence to islam. Mamluks and Seljuks became the Ottoman Empire in 1299

Ottoman Empire

Islamic state founded by Osman in northwestern Anatolia. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire was based at Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) from 1453-1922. It encompassed lands in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe.

Mughal Empire

Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Safavid Empire

Iranian kingdom (1502-1722) established by Ismail Safavi, who declared Iran a Shi'ite state.

Shang Dynasty

one of the first Chinese dynasties, ruled from 1700 to 1122 B.C.E.

Zhou Dynasty

A decentralized Chinese dynasty in China because of the massive size, and whose emperor was the first to claim to be a link between heaven and earth. Iron metallurgy increased in this dynasty.

Qin Dynasty

a short-lived Chinese dynasty that replaced the Zhou Dynasty in the third century B.C.

Han Dynasty

(202 BC - 220 AD) dynasty started by Lui Bang; a great and long-lasting rule, it discarded the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and adopted Confucian principles; Han rulers chose officials who passed the civil service exams rather than birth; it was a time of prosperity

Three Kingdoms Period

After the Han collapse there were periods of division.

Tang dynasty

(618-907 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was much like the Han, who used Confucianism. This dynasty had the equal-field system, a bureaucracy based on merit, and a Confucian education system.

Song Dynasty

(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.

Yuan Dynasty

(1279-1368 CE) The dynasty with Mongol rule in China; centralized with bureaucracy but structure is different: Mongols on top->Persian bureaucrats->Chinese bureuacrats.

Ming Dynasty

Succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Minority Manchu rule over China that incorporated new territories, experienced substantial population growth, and sustained significant economic growth.

Idi Amin

He took over the government of Uganda and overthrew his ally. And started his own reign of terror, and in 8 months there was over 300,000 executed. He started war with Tanzania and was crushed by them, he later than fled to Libya.

Muammar al-Qaddafi

Libyan leader that supported international terrorism

Jomo Kenyatta

A nationalist leader who fought to end oppressive laws against Africans; later became the first Prime Minister of Kenya

Mobutu Sese Seko

He overthrew Lumumba, the leader of the Congo, and turned him over to his enemy. He renamed the country Zaire, and ruled for 32 years. He used a combination of force, one party rule, and gifts to supporters to run his country.

Robert Mugabe

President of Zimbabwe since 1980, very corrupt leading to massive inflation

Nelson Mandela

South African statesman who was released from prison to become the nation's first democratically elected president in 1994 (born in 1918)

Gamal Abdel Nasser

He led the coup which toppled the monarchy of King Farouk and started a new period of modernization and socialist reform in Egypt

Kwame Nkrumah

founder of Ghana's independence movement and Ghana's first president

Julius Nyerere

President of Tanzania who advocated an African form of socialism

Haile Selassie

Emperor of Ethiopia (r. 1930-1974) and symbol of African independence. He fought the Italian invasion of his country in 1935 and regained his throne during World War II, when British forces expelled the Italians. He ruled Ethiopia as an autocrat. (809)

Montezuma II

The last Aztec emperor in Mexico who was overthrown and killed by Hernando Cortes (1466-1520)

Miguel Hidalgo

Mexican priest who led peasants in call for independence and improved conditions