AP US History Ultimate Study Guide (copy)

Christopher Columbus

Arrived in the New World in 1492; marked the beginning of the Contact Period.

Contact Period

Period of sustained contact between Europe and the Americas, lasting from 1492 to 1607.

Bering Land Bridge

Connected Eurasia and North America; first peoples to enter Americas were thought to have crossed this bridge.

Pre-Columbian Era

Refers to the period before Columbus's arrival in the New World, marked by the presence of Native American cultures.

Culture Clash

Conflicts arising between European settlers and Native Americans due to differences in culture, religion, and technology.

Columbian Exchange

The period of rapid exchange of plants, animals, foods, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

Norse Exploration

The first known European explorers to reach North America, arriving in modern Canada around 1000 AD.

Encomienda System

Spanish colonial system where colonists were granted authority over indigenous people for labor in exchange for protection and conversion to Christianity.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that trade generates wealth; used as justification for establishing colonies.

Spanish Colonial Power

Refers to Spain's dominance in the Americas primarily during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Exploratory Voyages

Refers to long voyages undertaken during the Age of Discovery aimed at finding new lands and resources.

Headright System

A system that granted land (typically 50 acres) to settlers to incentivize colonization.

Joint-Stock Companies

Companies formed for the purpose of settling and developing lands in the New World, with shared financial risk.

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 uprising in Virginia caused by tensions between frontier settlers and the ruling class.

Stono Rebellion

A significant slave uprising in 1739 in South Carolina, where enslaved people revolted against their oppressors.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement signed by Pilgrims that established a form of self-government for the Plymouth Colony.

Great Awakening

A religious revival in the 18th century that emphasized emotional experience and individual faith.

The Age of Exploration

A period from the late 15th century to the 17th century when European powers explored and colonized parts of the world.

The Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey undertaken by enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system where individuals worked for a set number of years in exchange for passage to America.

Civil Rights Movement

A political, legal, and social struggle by African Americans to gain full citizenship rights.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. policy that opposed European colonialism in the Americas, declaring that any intervention could be seen as a threat.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The 1857 Supreme Court decision ruling that African Americans could not be American citizens and Congress had no authority to regulate slavery.

Labor and Union Movements

Efforts by workers to band together to negotiate better wages and working conditions.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation aimed at overcoming legal barriers at state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

The Space Race

A 20th-century competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union for supremacy in space exploration.

Women's Suffrage Movement

The struggle for the right of women to vote, particularly prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The New Deal

Economic programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression to promote recovery and social reform.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

The Great Society

A set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

Nixon Doctrine

A policy stating that the U.S. would provide military assistance to allies but would not always send American troops to conflicts.

The Watergate Scandal

A political scandal in the 1970s involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up efforts by the Nixon administration.

The Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, characterized by mutual distrust and ideological conflicts.

Detente

A period of improved relations between the U.S. and the USSR during the Cold War, involving negotiations and arms control.

Roe v. Wade

A landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a woman's legal right to abortion.

Anti-Vietnam War Movement

A diverse social movement in the 1960s and 1970s opposing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to improve opportunities for historically marginalized groups in education and employment.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A U.S. governmental organization created in response to increasing environmental concerns, established in 1970.

The Great Society

A set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The process initiated due to conflicts between Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction policies.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A 1964 resolution by Congress that granted President Johnson the authority to escalate military involvement in Vietnam.