U.S. History Lecture Notes Flashcards

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary terms and definitions covering American history topics from Early Colonization through Reconstruction based on lecture notes.

Jamestown (1607)

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established by the Virginia Company for economic profit.

John Smith

One of the leaders of the Jamestown colony.

Powhatan

Leader of the local Native American tribes near Jamestown.

Pocahontas

Daughter of Chief Powhatan.

John Rolfe

Introduced tobacco cultivation to the Jamestown colony.

Cash Crop

A crop grown mainly for sale and profit.

Plymouth Colony

A colony founded in 1621 by the Pilgrims in search of religious freedom.

William Bradford

The first governor of Plymouth Colony.

Pilgrims

Religious separatists who left England in search of religious freedom.

Mayflower Compact (1620)

An agreement signed by the passengers of the Mayflower establishing self-government, serving as one of the first examples of self-government in America.

House of Burgesses (1619)

The first representative assembly in the English colonies.

Puritans

An important group in the New England Colonies who wanted to reform the Church of England.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania.

Quakers

A religious group that believed in equality and peaceful coexistence.

Breadbasket of America

A region in the Middle Colonies producing large amounts of grain.

Indentured Servitude

A system in which a person worked for a number of years in exchange for passage to America.

French and Indian War (1754–1763)

A war won by Britain, which accumulated large debts, leading to new taxes on the American colonies.

Stamp Act (1765)

A tax imposed by Britain on printed materials, newspapers, and legal documents.

No Taxation Without Representation

An important phrase expressing colonists' opposition to British taxes because they had no representatives in the British Parliament.

Boston Massacre (1770)

An event where British soldiers killed colonists during a protest.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

A protest against British taxation.

First Continental Congress (1774)

The first joint meeting of the colonies against British policies.

Lexington and Concord (1775)

The first battles of the Revolutionary War.

Marquis de Lafayette

A foreign officer from France who served during the American Revolution.

Tadeusz Kościuszko

A foreign officer from Poland who served during the American Revolution.

Kazimierz Pułaski

A foreign officer from Poland who served during the American Revolution.

Baron von Steuben

A foreign officer from Prussia who served during the American Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

The official declaration of American independence adopted on July 4, 1776.

Thomas Jefferson

The principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

John Locke

An influential Enlightenment thinker whose ideas influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Four Parts of the Declaration

1. Preamble, 2. Declaration of Rights, 3. List of Grievances, 4. Statement of Independence.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty ending the American Revolution in which Britain officially recognized the independence of the United States.

Constitution (1787)

Adopted in 1787, it is the supreme law of the United States designed to establish a strong federal government and define its structure.

James Madison

Known as the Father of the Constitution.

Executive Branch

The branch of government led by the President that enforces laws.

Legislative Branch

The branch of government consisting of Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) that makes laws.

Judicial Branch

The branch of government consisting of the Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution and federal law.

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch of government can limit the powers of the others to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.

Bill of Rights (1791)

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, designed to protect individual rights and freedoms.

First Amendment Guarantees

Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and right to petition.

Fifth Amendment

Protects people from self-incrimination ('I plead the Fifth').

Hernán Cortés

A Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire, expanding Spanish influence in the Americas.

Plains Indians

Nomadic tribes who followed buffalo herds and lived in tipis.

Buffalo

An animal essential to Plains Indians for food, clothing, and shelter.

Sitting Bull

A Sioux leader who resisted U.S. government policies and defended Native American lands.

Red Cloud

An Oglala Lakota chief who fought to protect Native American lands and rights.

Totem Poles

Wooden poles showing family history, animals, and important symbols, found only on the Northwest Coast.

Navajo Code Talkers

World War II Navajo soldiers serving in the U.S. military who transmitted secret military messages using the Navajo language, which the Japanese never broke.

Manifest Destiny (1845)

The belief coined by John O'Sullivan that the United States should expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

John O'Sullivan

Coined the term 'Manifest Destiny' in 1845.

California Gold Rush (1849)

Mass migration to California following the discovery of gold, leading to rapid growth of California and the American West.

Boom Town

A rapidly growing town that developed because of gold or silver discoveries.

Ghost Town

An abandoned town left behind after local resources were exhausted.

Homestead Act (1862)

A law granting land to settlers in the West provided they lived on and farmed the land.

Transcontinental Railroad (1869)

The first railroad connecting the eastern and western United States.

Chattel Slavery

A system of forced labor in which enslaved people were treated as property that could be bought and sold.

Atlantic Slave Trade

The trade in enslaved Africans between Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Triangular Trade

A trade system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas along the route: Europe → Africa → Americas → Europe.

Middle Passage

The transportation of enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas across overcrowded ships with poor food, poor sanitation, and high death rates.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

An agreement where Missouri entered the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state, temporarily maintaining the balance between free and slave states.

Fugitive Slave Law (1850)

A law requiring escaped slaves to be returned to their owners.

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

A novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe showing the cruelty of slavery.

Confederate States (1861)

Eleven Southern states that seceded from the Union out of fear that slavery would be restricted or abolished.

Abraham Lincoln

President of the United States during the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant

Commander of the Union Army during the Civil War.

Robert E. Lee

The most important Confederate general during the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Lincoln's proclamation freeing slaves in the Confederate states, transforming the Civil War into a struggle to end slavery.

Battle of Gettysburg (1–3 July 1863)

The most important battle of the Civil War and the turning point of the war in favor of the Union.

Appomattox Courthouse (1865)

The place where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Reconstruction (1865–1877)

The period of rebuilding the South, readmitting Southern states to the Union, and protecting the rights of freed slaves after the Civil War.

Reconstruction Act (1867)

A law establishing conditions for Southern states to rejoin the Union.

13th Amendment (1865)

Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery.

14th Amendment (1868)

Constitutional amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment (1870)

Constitutional amendment that granted voting rights to African American men.