APUSH Key Terms — Units 2-5 (1607–1877)

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key terms and concepts from APUSH Units 2-5, detailing significant events, movements, and legislations from 1607 to 1877.

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia governor William Berkeley, stemming from resentment of Native American raids and Berkeley's neglect.

Triangular Trade

A transatlantic trading system where ships carried rum from New England to West Africa, exchanged it for enslaved people, transported them to the West Indies, and returned with sugarcane.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Considered the first written constitution in the American colonies, establishing a framework of government for the Connecticut River towns.

Mercantilism

The dominant European economic theory holding there is a fixed amount of wealth that nations must acquire by maintaining a favorable balance of trade.

Navigation Acts

British laws requiring colonial merchants to trade only in English ships and route valuable goods through British ports.

Middle Passage

The brutal transatlantic voyage endured by enslaved Africans, with horrific conditions leading to many deaths.

Chattel Slavery

Race-based slavery where enslaved individuals are legally defined as property.

Stono Rebellion

A 1739 slave revolt in South Carolina where enslaved men stole weapons and marched, resulting in stricter slave codes.

Enclosure Movement

The process of taking common lands from peasants in England, causing economic hardship and prompting migration to American colonies.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason and individual rights, influencing colonial political thought.

Natural Rights

John Locke's concept of inalienable rights of life, liberty, and property that no government can take away.

Social Contract

The idea that individuals surrender some freedoms to government for protection of their rights.

Great Awakening

A mid-18th century religious revival generating intense Christian devotion and challenging established authority.

Metacom's War

A conflict between English colonists and Native Americans (1675-1676) led by Metacom, also called King Philip.

Pueblo Revolt

A 1680 uprising of Pueblo people in New Mexico against Spanish rule.

Impressment

The British practice of forcibly enlisting American sailors into the Royal Navy.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas and the Old World after Columbus's voyages.

Headright System

A land grant policy in Virginia giving land to those who paid for passage to the colony.

Mayflower Compact

A 1620 agreement among Pilgrim settlers to form a self-governing community based on majority rule.

House of Burgesses

The first representative legislative assembly in British North America, established in Virginia.

Anglicization

The process by which British colonists adopted British cultural practices.

Paternalism (Slavery)

The ideology used by slaveholders portraying themselves as benevolent caretakers of enslaved people.

Seven Years' War (French and Indian War)

A global conflict (1754-1763) between Britain and France over control of North America.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A British decree forbidding American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Salutary Neglect

Britain's policy of lax enforcement of trade laws, fostering colonial independence.

Stamp Act

A 1765 tax on paper goods that sparked colonial resistance.

Townshend Acts

1767 British taxes on imported goods that led to organized colonial boycotts.

Boston Massacre

A 1770 confrontation where British soldiers killed colonists, inflaming anti-British sentiment.

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against the Tea Act where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

Punitive laws passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party.

Common Sense

A 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for American independence.

Battle of Saratoga

A major American victory in 1777 that was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.

Articles of Confederation

America's first constitution, establishing a weak central government from 1781 to 1789.

Shays's Rebellion

An 1786 uprising of Revolutionary War veterans in Massachusetts protesting economic hardships.

Great Compromise

The 1787 agreement creating a bicameral legislature to balance representation.

Three-Fifths Compromise

The agreement to count enslaved persons as three-fifths of a person for representation.

Electoral College

A body of representatives who formally cast votes to elect the president.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Debate between those supporting and opposing ratification of the Constitution.

Federalist Papers

A collection of essays urging states to ratify the Constitution.

Whiskey Rebellion

A 1794 uprising against Hamilton's tax on whiskey, showing federal authority.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident involving French agents demanding a bribe during negotiations.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws allowing deportation of dangerous non-citizens and criminalizing public criticism of the government.

Republican Motherhood

The idea that women had a civic duty to be educated to raise informed citizens.

Albany Plan of Union

Franklin's proposal for a unified colonial council for defense and trade.

Virtual Representation

Britain’s argument that MPs represented all British subjects, including colonists.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Patriot organizations resisting British taxation through protests and boycotts.

Declaration of Independence

A document declaring the colonies' separation from Britain, articulating Enlightenment principles.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

A law establishing a process for admitting new states and banning slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Federalism

The constitutional division of power between the national and state governments.

Separation of Powers / Checks and Balances

The division of government authority among three branches to limit power.

Haitian Revolution

A 1791 slave revolt leading to Haiti becoming the first Black-led independent nation.

Jay's Treaty

A 1794 treaty that failed to address impressment but secured British withdrawal from US territory.

Washington's Farewell Address

Washington's letter warning against political factions and foreign entanglements.

Revolution of 1800

The election of Jefferson, marking the first peaceful transfer of power between parties.

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 purchase from France that doubled the size of the US.

Judicial Review

The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional, established by Marbury v. Madison.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark case establishing the principle of judicial review.

War of 1812

A conflict between the US and Britain over impressment and support for Native American attacks.

American System

Clay's economic plan involving internal improvements and protective tariffs.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

A compromise admitting Missouri as a slave state and establishing a slavery boundary.

Monroe Doctrine

An 1823 statement declaring the Americas closed to further European colonization.

Market Revolution

The transformation to a market-based capitalist economy driven by innovations.

Erie Canal

A significant waterway connecting New York City to the Great Lakes, reducing shipping costs.

Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney's invention that revolutionized cotton production and deepened slavery.

Cult of Domesticity

The ideal that women's roles were confined to home and family.

Panic of 1819

America's first major economic depression, triggering calls for expanded suffrage.

Doctrine of Nullification

The argument that states could nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional.

Indian Removal Act

A law mandating the relocation of Native American tribes to territories west of the Mississippi.

Trail of Tears

The forced removal of Native Americans leading to thousands of deaths.

Second Great Awakening

A wave of religious revivals promoting personal salvation and social reform movements.

Abolitionism

The movement calling for an end to slavery.

Seneca Falls Convention

An 1848 women's rights convention producing the Declaration of Sentiments.

Transcendentalism

A movement emphasizing nature, individual intuition, and human perfectibility.

Nat Turner's Rebellion

An organized slave revolt in 1831 that led to harsher slave laws.

Strict vs. Loose Constructionism

Two interpretations of the Constitution regarding federal powers.

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)

A clause granting Congress the power to make laws necessary for executing its powers.

McCulloch v. Maryland

An 1819 case affirming Congress's implied powers and federal supremacy.

Era of Good Feelings

A period of national unity marked by a single-party dominance.

Jacksonian Democracy

A movement expanding suffrage for white men and promoting common man's political power.

Spoils System

The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.

Worcester v. Georgia

An 1832 case affirming federal protection over Cherokee lands.

Lowell System

An industrial labor system in Massachusetts, staffed by young women.

Interchangeable Parts

Standardized components that enabled mass production.

Temperance Movement

A campaign to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption.

Manifest Destiny

The belief in America's divine right to expand from coast to coast.

Mexican-American War

A conflict initiated by border disputes that resulted in significant territorial gains for the US.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The treaty ending the Mexican-American War, transferring land to the US.

Wilmot Proviso

An 1846 proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.

Compromise of 1850

Legislation addressing slavery in new territories, including California's admission.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle allowing residents of a territory to decide on slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An 1854 law applying popular sovereignty to Kansas and Nebraska territories.

Bleeding Kansas

Violence between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

A Supreme Court case ruling that slaves were not citizens and Congress couldn't ban slavery.

Republican Party (Founding)

Formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, opposing slavery's expansion.

Secession

The withdrawal of Southern states from the Union after Lincoln's election.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's order freeing enslaved people in Confederate states.

Anaconda Plan

The Union's strategy to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River.

13th Amendment

The amendment abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude in the US.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all born or naturalized in the US.

15th Amendment

Prohibited denying the right to vote based on race.