APUSH terms (all terms)

John Winthrop

Puritan governor and founder of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Speaker of the "City upon a Hill" speech

Restoration Colonies

English colonies that were created from land grants given by Charles II to Stuart restoration supporters

Leisler's Rebellion

Small revolt in New York that showed class dissatisfaction between landlords and merchants following the Dominion of New England

a militia seized lower New York and governed it for a short time

General Court

Puritan representative assembly elected by freemen in Massachusetts; the earliest form of democracy in America in the 1600s and evolved into the court system we have now

Quakers

group who believed the Holy Spirit could inspire everyone; a revolutionary view that emphasized equality

Their views led to the success of Pennsylvania

Navigation Acts

Laws that governed trade between England and its colonies to achieve self-sufficiency. Under these laws, colonists were required to ship some products exclusively to England; They made colonists angry because they were forbidden from trading with other countries

Dominion of New England

Combinations of colonial Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut into a single province headed by a royal governor by the British government created to combat resistance but failed and led to more hatred of English rule

Half-Way Covenant

enactment that applied to members of the Puritan colonies who were the children of church members, but who had not converted because of the difficult process. It allowed them to participate in some church affairs to keep the religion from losing power

Bacon's Rebellion

Rebellion of W. Virginia settlers after Governor Berkeley tried to appease Natives who attacked their settlements. The militia went around killing all natives they came across, burning their villages, then marching on Jamestown and burning the city

Enlightenment

movement that emphasized science and reason as guides to help see the world more clearly; led to new ideas, inventions, religions, and improvement of the state of living

Great Awakening

revival of religious feeling (1700s) in the American colonies that stressed a strong personal relationship with god

Albany Congress

Intercolonial congress summoned by the British government to foster colonial unity and assure Iroquois support in the upcoming war against the French

French and Indian War

a war In N. America between France and Britain (both helped by Indian tribes) ending in a British victory and claiming the Ohio Valley for the English; greatened colonial power but put England in deeper debt, leading to future tax acts

Writs of Assistance

legal documents created to combat merchants smuggling given to government officials that allowed them to search homes and warehouses for goods that might be smuggled

Stamp Act

Law that taxed all printed/paper goods

Townshend Acts

laws passed that taxed common goods like glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea

Tea Act

Law passed that allowed the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies, undermining colonial tea merchants and leading to the Boston Tea Party

"Common Sense"

pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that criticized monarchies, stated the colonies had a right to be free, and convinced many American colonists of the need to break away from Britain

Second Continental Congress

colonial meeting to prepare for the Revolutionary War where delegates organized the Continental Army, called for troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence

Saratoga

Revolution battle in New York where the Continental Army defeated the British which became the turning point of the war because it led France to support the colonies with military forces in addition to the supplies and money already being sent

Treaty of Paris of 1783

treaty that ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the colonies, and granted the colonies the land from Canada to Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. in use 1781-1788 that only linked the states but did not make them one nation and was extremely weak

Newburgh Conspiracy

fake plot of unpaid officers of the Continental Army to march to the capital of the Union and oust Congress in a coup to set up a military dictatorship to get their wages which failed and was stopped by Washington

Northwest Ordinance

law from the Articles of Confederation that established a system for setting up new governments in western territories so they could eventually join the Union equal with the original 13 states

Shay's Rebellion

uprising of farmers in Massachusetts, protesting mortgage foreclosures, where they attacked courthouses; highlighted the need for a strong national government and strengthening arguments for the Constitution

Constitutional Convention

meeting of state delegates in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation which turned into a designed for the new US Constitution

Federalist Papers

85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay anonymously published in newspapers that were used to convince readers to adopt the new constitution as well as defend it

Anti-Federalists

group in opposition to the Constitution, opposing the Constitution's powerful centralized government, saying that the Constitution gave too much total control to one place. They instead advocated for a decentralized government structure that granted most power to the states

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the US Constitution that were drafted by Madison which placed limitations on government and protects natural rights

Judiciary Act of 1789

Statue act that created the federal court system to quiet popular apprehensions by establishing in each state a federal district court that operated according to local procedures

Federal Naturalization Law of 1790

extended requirements for naturalization (becoming a citizen) from 5 years to 14 years of residence and excluded indentured servants, free blacks, slaves, and Asians from being citizens which set the standard that citizenship would be for white people

Hamilton's Reports

documents presenting America's post-Revolutionary War financial situation and proposing ways to relieve the debt by chartering a bank, and promoting industry and investment

Jay's Treaty

Treaty between the U.S. and Britain attempting to improve trade relations where Britain also agreed to withdraw from forts in the Ohio Valley

British and Americans both had to pay their pre-war depts

Pinckney Treaty

Treaty between the U.S. and Spain that gave the U.S. the right to move goods on the Mississippi River and store goods in the then Spanish port of New Orleans (opened trade and redefined Florida's boundary)

Whiskey Rebellion

Uprising of alcohol distillers in Pennsylvania in opposition to a government excise tax on their products that led to rioting. In a show of strength by the new Constitutional government, Washington and the army put down the rebellion

XYZ Affair

incident in which American delegates were meant to meet a French foreign minister (Talleyrand) but instead 3 French officials were in his place demanding $250,000 as a bribe to see him to continue peace talks

Election of 1800

Jefferson and Burr tied in the Electoral College, so the House of Representatives had to decide the outcome, choosing Jefferson as President and Burr as Vice President leading to a political realignment

Alien and Sedition Acts

passed by federalists these gave the government the power to imprison or deport foreigners and prosecute critics of the government, one passed against French and Irish Immigrants, and the other to quiet opposition

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Written anonymously by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, these declared that states could nullify federal laws that the states considered unconstitutional

Marbury vs. Madison

Case where the Supreme Court first asserted the power of Judicial review: reviewing cases in which the original ruling is found unconstitutional

Louisiana Purchase

President Jefferson's not specifically constitutional purchase of midwestern territory from France for $15 million doubled the size of the US and gave the US access to New Orleans

Lewis and Clark Expedition

commissioned expedition by Jefferson to map and explore the Louisiana Purchase region which produced extensive maps of the area and recorded many scientific discoveries, greatly facilitating later settlement of the region and travel to the Pacific coast

Yazoo Claims

Georgian legislators were bribed to sell most of Georgias western land claims to four land companies for far below its potential market value

Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

British crew of a ship looking for deserters of the Royal Navy demanded to board an American ship to search it. When the U.S. commander refused, the British attacked, killing or wounding 20 American sailors. Four alleged deserters were then removed from the ship and impressed (forced to join the navy); showed bad Anglo-American relations and led to a call for war

Embargo of 1807

Declaration by President Jefferson that banned all American trade with Europe to protect American neutral sea rights after they were threatened by Napoleon's war on England; Jefferson hoped this would force England and France to respect American neutrality but it failed

Tecumseh

Shawnee chief who, along with his brother, Tenskwatawa, a religious leader known as The Prophet, worked to unite the Northwestern Indian tribes against white settlement

Treaty of Ghent

Ended the War of 1812 and restored prewar conditions. Territory captured in the war was returned to the original owner, and it set up a commission to determine the Canada/U.S. border

American System

Economic program by Henry Clay that emphasized a strong role for the federal government in the economy that was devised to stimulate US industry growth and eventually help America become an economic power

Hartford Convention

Meeting of Federalists that were dissatisfied with the War of 1812 where the party listed its complaints against the Republican Party; It was viewed as traitorous and showed the end of the Federalists

Rush-Bagot Treaty

Treaty that demilitarized the Great Lakes where many British naval ships and forts remained, laid the basis for a demilitarized boundary between US and British North America, and showed improving relations between the US and Britain

Barbary Wars

President Jefferson refused to pay tribute to protect American ships from pirates off the Mediterranean coast of Africa, sparking an undeclared naval war with the Tripoli which the US won, removing the old pay protection, saving the US lots of money

Adams-Onis Treaty

Treaty where Spain ceded all of Florida to the United States and gave up its claims to the Oregon Territory

Monroe Doctrine

Speech declaring that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the US It also declared that a New World colony which has gained independence may not be recolonized by Europe

Panic of 1819

Economic crisis caused by extensive speculation and a decline of European demand for American goods along with mismanagement within the Second Bank after the war which brought deflation, depression, bank failures, and unemployment and hurt the poorer class, which gave way to Jacksonian Democracy

Dartmouth College v. Woodward

New Hampshire attempted to take over a College by revising its colonial charter but the Supreme Court ruled that states could not interfere with private contracts

McCulloch v. Maryland

a state was trying to tax the national bank and the Supreme Court ruled that the state could not do so: affirming national government power over state government

Gibbons v. Ogden

New York tried to grant a monopoly on waterborne trade between New York and New Jersey. The Supreme Court, reasserted that regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government

Missouri Compromise

Compromise over the issue of slavery in a new state where it was decided it entered as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state and that following states admitted North of the 36th parallel were free states and South were slave states

The Cotton Culture

The South's basis of everything around the growing and selling cotton in masses which would lead to idealistic conflicts between the North and South

Samuel Slater

British inventor who came to America and invented the first American machine for spinning cotton to thread. He is known as "the Father of the Factory System" and he started the idea of child labor in America's factories

Lowell System

factories where as much machinery was used as possible so few skilled workers were needed, most workers were young women, who were then payed little however while working were housed, fed, and cared for

Second Great Awakening

religious revivals based on Methodism and Baptism that stressed doing good deeds and tolerating all Protestant branches which attracted women, Blacks, and Native Americans and had an effect on moral movements such as prison reform, the temperance movement, and moral reasoning against slavery

Corrupt Bargain

in the election of 1824 there was a tie in the electoral vote and Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House, convinced the House of Representatives to elect Adams rather than Jackson, and in turn, Adams made Clay his Secretary of State

Tariff of Abominations

enactment wanted by the North that greatly raised the tax on imported manufactured goods to support domestic industries that harmed the South which was heavily reliant on trade with Britain; led to the Nullification crisis

Kitchen Cabinet

small group of president Jackson's friends and advisors who were especially influential over him. Jackson conferred with them instead of his regular cabinet, angering many who didn't like Jackson ignoring official procedure

Maysville Road

bill that proposed building a road in Kentucky at federal expense vetoed by P. Jackson because it only benefited Kentucky and should be paid for by the state which led to a Constitutional interpretation that stated that the federal government could not pay for internal improvements

Worcester v. Georgia

After s southern state tried to pass a law stating white persons may not live in Cherokee nations without state permission a number of people refused and took it to the Supreme Court which ruled the states did not have the right to impose regulations on Native American land

the Webster-Hayne Debate (1830)

an unplanned Senate debate where a S. Carolina senator argued the Constitution was a treaty between sovereign states, and Daniel Webster countered that the United States was one nation; made Daniel Webster a legendary defender of the Constitution and nationalism

Force Bill

Bill created in reaction to resistance to the Tariff of Abominations, which authorized the President to use military force to collect taxes if needed that was passed on the same day as the Compromise Tariff of 1833 becoming the Olive branch and the Sword (nullified by disobedient S. Carolina)

Nicholas Biddle

President of the Second Bank of the United States while President Jackson was trying to destroy it; he struggled and failed to keep the bank functioning after trying to recharter it

Specie Circular

executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson that required the purchase of federal lands to be with gold or silver to stop land speculation caused by states printing paper money without proper specie (gold or silver) backing; stopped land speculation, but led to the panic of 1837

Tocqueville's Democracy in America

novel written by a French socialist after going to America in the early 19th Century that examined democracy in the US and why it works in the US determining that democracy is a good balance between liberty and equality

The Liberator

anti-slavery newspaper written by William Lloyd Garrison; drew attention to abolition, both positive and negative, causing a war of words between supporters of slavery and those opposed

Horace Mann

Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, "Father of the public school system", and a prominent supporter of public school reform who set the standard for public schools throughout the nation

McGuffey Readers

series of elementary textbooks that became widely accepted as the basis of reading and moral instruction in the 1800s; taught the virtues of hard work, punctuality, and sobriety

Manifest Destiny

belief held by Americans that the U.S. was destined by god to rule the continent, and that the expansion was justified and inevitable

Wilmot Proviso

failed bill that would have banned slavery in the territories acquired in the Mexican-American War; became a symbol of how intense dispute over slavery was in the U.S.

Compromise of 1850

Agreement designed to ease tensions caused by the expansion of slavery into western territories; included: California admitted as a free state, sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, slave trade abolished in DC, and a new fugitive slave law

Free Soil Party

political party dedicated to stopping the westward expansion of slavery that merged with the Republican Party

Commodore Matthew Perry

commanded ships in the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War, and in 1853 led an expedition to Japan to open trade and diplomatic relations

"The American Scholar"

Ralph Waldo Emerson's address at Harvard College, in which he declared an intellectual independence from Europe, urging American students to develop their own traditions

Seneca Falls Declaration

declaration written at the first women's rights convention that stated "all men and women are created equal"; it also listed many items that the signers believed were injustices perpetrated by "man" towards women

Hudson River School

Founded by Thomas Cole, the first native school of landscape painting in the U.S. that attracted artists rebelling against the neoclassical art tradition

Minstrel Shows

white actors in blackface doing comedy routines, dances, and instrumental solos. While racist, it speaks to the profound effect African American music had on American music

Uncle Tom's Cabin

novel written by harriet beecher stowe that highly influenced negative views on the Deep South and slavery and promoted abolition, depicting slavery as inhumane and brutal

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Act that created 2 new states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty

Bleeding Kansas

series of violent fights in a new state between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces who had moved there to try to influence the decision of whether it would a slave state or a free state; further strained the relations of the North and South

Dred Scott Decision

A slave sued for his freedom, claiming that his 4 year stay in the in a free state had made him a free man. The U.S. Supreme Court decided he couldn't sue in federal court because he was property, not a citizen-- declaring slaves were not viewed as citizens but as property

Yeoman Farmers

Independent family farmers in the south who lived and worked on smaller-sized farms. They did not have slavery on their farms but hired slaves during harvests on occasion

Hinton R. Helper

Wrote The Impending Crisis, a book about slavery. He said the non-slave holding whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery. He was captured and killed by Southerners

Know-Nothing Party

Political party of the 1850s that was anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant, and pushed for political action against newcomers, displaying the feelings of Americans towards newcomers that were different and the double standard of the country

Ostend Manifesto

declaration issued by the U.S. ministers to England, France, and Spain, stating that the U.S. would be justified in seizing Cuba if Spain did not sell it to the U.S.

Freeport Doctrine

voiced by Stephen Douglas that said the exclusion of slavery in a territory should be determined by the refusal of the voters (popular sovereignty). It was unpopular with Southerners and cost him the election

John Brown

abolitionist who believed that militant action had become the only effective way to end slavery. He attempted to lead a slave revolt in southern territory and was hung in Harpers Ferry after capturing an armory

First Battle of Bull Run

First "real" battle of the Civil War, it was expected by Union officials to be short but ended up a Confederate victory; helped boost Southern morale and made the North realize that this would be a long war

Homestead Act

Provided 160 acres of public land in the west to anyone willing to settle there and develop it for free; Encouraged westward migration.

"King Cotton"

Expression used by Southerners before the Civil War to state the economic dominance of the Southern cotton industry, and that North needed Southern cotton

Battle of Antietam

the bloodiest battle of the Civil War where the North succeeded in stopping Lee's Confederate forces in Maryland resulting in 25,000 deaths

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction

deal issued by President Lincoln that offered full pardon to Southerners who would take an oath of allegiance to the Union and acknowledge emancipation

Wade-Davis Bill

plan for Reconstruction that denied the right to vote or hold office for anyone who had fought for the Confederacy that was refused by Lincoln for being too harsh