APUSH Key Historical Concepts, People, and Events

City on a Hill

Concept by John Winthrop, symbolizing a model community - Puritan - set model for rest of colonies in new world

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Sermon by Jonathan Edwards emphasizing God's wrath

Declaration of Independence

Document by Thomas Jefferson declaring US independence

Constitution of the United States

Document by James Madison outlining US government structure

Declaration of Sentiments

Document by Stanton and Anthony advocating women's rights

What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

Speech by Frederick Douglass questioning July 4th significance

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe highlighting slavery's horrors

House Divided speech

Speech by Abraham Lincoln on national division over slavery

Ain't I a Woman?

Speech by Sojourner Truth advocating for women's rights

The Gospel of Wealth

Ideas by Andrew Carnegie on philanthropy and wealth distribution

Our Country

Ideas by Josiah Strong promoting American imperialism

The Jungle

Novel by Upton Sinclair exposing meatpacking industry issues

First Inaugural Address

Speech by FDR addressing economic challenges and WWII

Long Telegram

Document by George Kennan outlining US-Soviet relations - goal: non-violent suppression of communism if countries haven’t already went communist

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr.'s defense of nonviolent protest

Evil Empire speech

Speech by Ronald Reagan criticizing the Soviet Union

Marbury v. Madison

Landmark Supreme Court case establishing judicial review

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Supreme Court case denying citizenship to African Americans

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case upholding racial segregation

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark Supreme Court case ending school segregation

Roe v. Wade

Supreme Court case legalizing abortion in the US

Bush v. Gore

Supreme Court case deciding the 2000 US presidential election

Monroe Doctrine

US policy opposing European colonization in the Americas

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine justifying US intervention

Truman Doctrine

US policy to contain communism and support nations in need

Nixon Doctrine

Policy emphasizing self-reliance in US foreign relations

Bush Doctrine

Foreign policy doctrine of preemptive strikes against threats

virgin soil epidemic

Outbreak affecting populations with no previous exposure

salutary neglect

British policy of relaxed enforcement towards colonies

mercantilism

Economic theory emphasizing state control and exports

Federalist

Supporter of a strong central government in the US

Anti-Federalist

Opponent of a strong central government in the US

isolationism

Policy of avoiding involvement in foreign affairs

judicial review

Power of courts to review and invalidate laws

embargo

Governmental ban on trade with other nations

Democratic-Republican

Political party founded by Jefferson and Madison, liked westward expansion, anti-federalists (weak central gov’t), no central banking syst., indv liberty, strict const. interp. (couldn’t do anything not stated)

Whig

US political party opposing executive power abuse (Jackson + national bank), but likes strong central power generally

Jacksonian Democracy

Era of expanding voting rights under Andrew Jackson

nullification

State's right to invalidate federal laws deemed unconstitutional

popular sovereignty

Policy allowing territories to decide on slavery

Emancipation

Act of freeing individuals from slavery

Jim Crow segregation

Racial segregation laws in the Southern US

sharecropping

Agricultural system where tenants farm land in exchange for a share of crops

nativism

Policy favoring native-born citizens over immigrants

mass production

Manufacturing large quantities of goods efficiently

monopoly

Exclusive control of a commodity or service in a market

labor union

Organization representing workers' interests and rights

frontier

Undeveloped land at the edge of a settled area

imperialism

Policy of extending a nation's authority through colonization

self-determination

Right of people to choose their own political status

prohibition

Era banning alcohol in the US

laissez-faire economics

Economic system with minimal government intervention

liberalism

Political ideology supporting civil liberties and equality

Soviet Union

Former communist state in Eurasia

containment

US policy to prevent the spread of communism

Domino Theory

Belief that communist success leads to neighboring nations' fall

communism

Political ideology advocating classless society and state ownership

non-violent protest

Advocacy for change through peaceful means

Vietnamization

US policy of transferring combat roles to South Vietnam

conservatism

Political ideology favoring tradition and limited government

terrorism

Use of violence for political aims

Glass-Steagal Act

The Glass-Steagall Act, enacted in 1933, aimed to separate commercial banking from investment banking to prevent conflicts of interest and reduce the risk of speculative trading using depositor funds. It also established the FDIC to insure bank deposits, ensuring the stability of the banking system. However, it was repealed in 1999, allowing for greater integration between commercial and investment banking activities.

GI Bill

law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans

Stamp Act, sugar act, etc.

acts from British parliament taxing colonies for more tax revenue

American System

Protective tariffs, internal improvements, and a national bank - by Henry Clay, promoting economic growth + industrialization

Erie Canal

canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians

First Confiscation Act

designed to allow the federal government to seize property, including slave property, being used to support the Confederate rebellion

Second Confiscation Act

slaves of civilian and military Confederate officials “shall be forever free,” but it was enforceable only in areas of the South occupied by the Union Army (basically freeing slaves in union)

Civil Rights Act

prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin

Homestead Act

provided 160 acres of federal land to anyone who agreed to farm the land

Navigation Acts

acts of Parliament intended to promote the self-sufficiency of the British Empire by restricting colonial trade to England and decreasing dependence on foreign imported goods

Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

restricted the ability to strike and preferential hiring of union members