APUSH Terms

House of Burgesses

An elective representative assembly established in Virginia that could levy taxes and pass laws

Mayflower Compact

A compact that organized the Pilgrims’ government on the model of a self-governing church congregation

Iroquois Confederacy

One of the largest native nations on the continent

New Light Clergy

A group of preachers that started the First Great Awakening, lamented about the loss of faith in the Bible and were inspired by German Pietism which emphasized emotion over reason in regards to spiritual and religious matters, also emphasized democracy, resisting tyranny, and preached that a lack of wealth did not diminish God’s favor of people

Congregational Church

A tax-supported church created by the Puritans in New England

Church of England

The church of the southern colonies

New England Confederation

Created during the English Civil War in 1643 for the New England colonies to use their own resources to fight against natives and the French, replaced with the Royal Dominion of New England in 1684

Albany Congress/Convention

A meeting during the French and Indian War about how to defend against the French; here, delegates from several British colonies met to discuss frontier defense, trade, and westward expansion. They also invited the Iroquois Confederacy to attend in hopes of allying with them but they mostly ignored the Iroquois in their discussions; Benjamin Franklin presented his Albany Plan of Union here

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

A meeting of 27 delegates from nine colonies in which they gathered to petition the British Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. And as a result of these petitions, Parliament actually repealed both the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act in 1766. But then they passed the Declaratory Act which stated that Parliament had the right to pass whatever law they wanted in the colonies

Sons of Liberty

A group of organized resistance that dumped 45 tons of British tea from the British East India Company into the Boston Harbor in December of 1773, which was worth around two million dollars in today’s currency

Continental Congress

A convention in which delegates met in 1774 to discuss what to do regarding British tyranny; they hoped that they could come to some sort of agreement with Britain that could protect their liberty and freedom

Continental Army

The army that fought for the colonies during the American Revolution

Constitutional Convention

A convention in 1787 where fifty-five delegates from the states met in order to fix the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and replace it

National Bank (First Bank of the United States)

A bank created during Washington’s presidency to deposit government funds and print banknotes that would also allow the U.S. to borrow money from other nations

Federalists

Urban and commercial people who supported a strong government, led by Alexander Hamilton

Anti-Federalists

Rural people and agriculturalists who supported state power, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

Anglican Church

Major church in the new United States mostly found in the South

Congregational Church

Major church in the new United States mostly found in New England, based on Puritanism

Corps of Discovery

Created by Congress, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, a group sent to explore the northern Louisiana Territory in 1804 to map the region and establish diplomatic relationships with the natives there

War Hawks

Young Democratic-Republicans who were eager for a war against Britain

Second Bank of the United States

Leading up to the Panic of 1919, the bank restricted loans in order to control inflation but as a result of this, many state banks closed due to it being harder to get money. By the 1830s, several state banks were shut down because they couldn’t make payments to the bank, and this left citizens with worthless paper money. Jackson vetoed recharting the bank in 1832 and spread the federal money between 23 state banks instead of keeping it all in the National Bank (which led to the Panic of 1837 after these banks started printing too much money)

Hudson River School

Painted vast stretches of American landscapes and how untouched it was, but they also often included hints of civilization to show that the arrival of Americans was tainting the beauty of nature, painted to capture emotion and feeling

Nativists

People who feared that immigrants would take their jobs and ruin their culture, spread stereotypes against Catholics and Jews, portraying Catholics as religious spies and Jews as greedy scammers, believed that protecting the interests of native-born people (non-immigrants) was the most important thing of all. For example, the Nativists hated that the Irish were Catholic and not Protestants. Some Nativists would later create the Know-Nothing Party. Later in the 20th Century, nativists feared immigration would take their jobs, lower wages, and harm the white face

National Republicans (Whigs)

Split from the Democratic-Republicans: Had a more expansive view of federal power, and thought that the Constitution should be interpreted loosely, an idea known as loose constructionism, favored urban interests and large industries

Democrats 1820s

Split from the Democratic-Republicans, continued to be like the original Democratic-Republicans and supported both limited federal power and strict constructionism, meaning that the Constitution should be followed very strictly and literally, supported limited federal power, free trade, local rule, and rural and agricultural interests

The Shakers (”Shaking Quakers”)

A Christian group in Kentucky that believed that Christ’s Second Coming was about to occur at any moment, they believed in sharing property, equality, and not getting married or having any children

The Oneida Community

A utopian community that believed in equality and sharing everything, including marriage and children, meaning everybody raised each other, and they made money through selling silverware

American Temperance Society

Founded in 1826 to stop the working class from drinking. Over 5,000 chapters of the American Temperance Society were established across the country. They eventually got political influence as well, convincing factory owners and politicians to pass measures to stop drinking

American Anti-Slavery Society

A society against slavery founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1883

Mount Holyoke College

One of the first colleges that allowed women to be admitted, giving them access to higher education

African Methodist Episcopal Church

Created as the first black-run Protestant Church

Freedman’s Bureau

An agency created during Reconstruction to supply freedmen (newly freed black people) with food, shelter, medical aid, and clothing so they could start a new life

National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA)

Created by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, continued to fight for the right to vote for women

American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)

Created by Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell, argued that women should support Reconstruction first and then work on women’s suffrage at the state level

Know-Nothing Party

A political party that revolved entirely around its opposition to immigration. Essentially, the main goals of these people were to limit the cultural and political influence of these immigrants. And a few decades later, this hatred of immigrants would come to target the Mexicans and the Chinese arriving on the West Coast as well

Cotton Whigs

Whigs who supported slavery

Conscience Whigs

Whigs who were anti-slavery

Republican Party

Created in 1854 as a union of the many other smaller parties that had sprung up over the past few decades. For example, the Republican Party was made up of members of the Know Nothing Party, Northern Democrats, abolitionists, the Free Soil Party, Conscience Whigs, and many others

Radical Republicans

A group of people who saw that the war had caused a lot of damage and loss of life to the nation and therefore, they wanted to see the South be punished severely. And because Johnson wasn't doing anything, they wanted Reconstruction to be carried out through Congress and legislation, not by the president. Created the Freedman’s Bureau, passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and turned it into the 14th Amendment

National Grange Movement

Created in 1868. This movement pushed for education for farmers and also pushed states to pass laws to regulate railroad rates and to make harmful corporate practices illegal. These laws became known as the Granger Laws. Also led to the creation of the Farmers’ Alliance and the passing of the Commerce Act of 1886

Farmers’ Alliance

Founded after the panic of 1873 to unite farmers and help them improve their lives

Interstate Commerce Commission

A federal agency, created to enforce the Commerce Act of 1886 but mostly did nothing because it was underfunded

International Migration Society

Founded by Henry Turner in 1894, helped many black Americans migrate and flee to Africa, especially to Liberia

Bell Telephone Company

Founded by Alexander Graham Bell, facilitated the spread of thousands of telephones across America

Westinghouse Electric Company

Formed by George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla, used an alternating current motor to convert electricity into mechanical power. This now allowed factories to be powered by electricity instead of relying on water or coal for power

Capitalism

Based on laissez-faire economies, with laissez-faire meaning “let alone”, defined by the belief of limited government involvement in the economy and the ownership of private property, supported the idea of private owners owning trade and industry for profit, led to the rise of large corporations

Standard Oil

Owned by John D. Rockefeller, an oil company that controlled almost 90% of the oil industry by the late 1880s through horizontal integration

U.S. Steel Corporation

A steel company created after J.P. Morgan bought Carnegie’s company in 1901 for half a billion dollars and combined it with several other companies. After President Taft prosecuted U.S. Steel to continue his policy of trustbusting, former president Theodore Roosevelt saw this as a personal attack on him and so Roosevelt decided to run for a third term in 1912, which split the votes between the Republicans and made Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson the president

National Labor Union

The first labor union, founded in 1866, ought for eight-hour workdays, workplace equality, and the right to organize

Pinkertons

A small private army hired by Henry Clay Frick to stop the Homestead Strike of 1892

Knights of Labor

A labor union established in 1869. Fought for an eight-hour workday, the right to organize, the destruction of trusts and monopolies, and the abolition of child labor. By 1886, the Knights of Labor had over 700,000 members but soon after, the entire organization fell apart. In May of 1886, Knights of Labor gathered in Haymarket Square in Chicago to protest for an eight-hour workday. But then a bomb exploded and this led many Americans to view the Knights as radical anarchists. This event became known as the Haymarket Square Riot and soon after, the union fell apart

American Federation of Labor

Replaced the Knights of Labor, an association of craft workers led by Samuel Gompers. By 1901, the federation had surpassed the old Knights and had over a million members. And much like the Knights, they wanted to unionize for higher wages and better working conditions

American Protective Association

Formed by Nativists to stand against Catholics, mainly because the majority of Irish immigrants were Catholic. While they didn’t have anything against the religion, they were concerned about the fact that so many Irish people were Catholic

Colored Relief Board

Created to help migrating black people from the South

The Kansas Freedmen’s Aid Society

Created to help migrating black people from the South

Socialist Party of America

A socialist party started by Eugene V. Debs in 1901 and some other union leaders, died out after Debs ran for president and failed

Salvation Army/YMCA

Charity group that followed the Social Gospel

Socialism

An economic ideology in which the means of production, meaning the factories and industries, should be owned by the people as a whole and that the wealth generated from it should be shared among everyone equally

National American Woman Suffrage Association

Created in 1890 as a union of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone. This association led to women’s suffrage

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union

Founded in 1874 to argue for total abstinence from alcohol. By 1898, the union had over 500,000 members. Eventually, this union and other organizations such as the Anti-Saloon League began protesting and lobbying Congress to pass laws with regard to temperance and alcohol

Anti-Saloon League

Protested and lobbied Congress to pass laws with regard to temperance and alcohol

Greenback Party

A party that supported printing more paper money

Populist Party

A party that wanted to actually help out the people and fix the economy by removing power from elite banks and trusts. In the Ocala Platform, populists published their beliefs and argued for the direct election of senators, an eight-hour work day, lower tariff rates, the unlimited coinage of silver, a graduated income tax (the higher your income, the more you were taxed), a new banking system regulated by the federal government, federal storage for farmers’ crops, and federal loans in order to decrease farmers’ dependency on creditors. After Populism ended in 1896, the Democrats began taking up many of the Populist viewpoints and demands, such as the unlimited coinage of silver

Tammany Hall

A political machine in New York City, ran by Boss Tweed. Under him, the needs of many businesses, immigrants, and poor people were catered to in order to put these people indebted to Tammany Hall and to make those people owe the machine their votes. If they didn’t vote for the machine, they would lose their benefits. Some of these benefits included giving poor families jobs and food, along with constructing hospitals and orphanages in urban areas. As a result, many poor immigrants would turn to political machines much like Tammany Hall for aid. Additionally, Tammany Hall also partook in acts of fraud, stealing millions from taxpayers. Tammany Hall used some of their money to construct the New York County Courthouse in downtown Manhattan, costing roughly $13 million

Anti-Imperialist League

A group of anti-imperialists

Niagara Movement

Led by W.E.B. DuBois, established to plan protests to secure rights for the black population

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Established with the goal of abolishing all segregation and expanding education for black children, encouraged black Americans to participate in the Double V Campaign during World War II, meaning that they were fighting for both victory in the war and victory against racism in the United States. NAACP lawyers argued in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case to desegregate schools

Northern Securities Company

Sued by the Justice Department under Theodore Roosevelt for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1902. The company was a holding company that owned many rail networks all over the country and so as a result, the Supreme Court ordered the company to be dissolved

Progressives

People who all shared the belief that society could be improved through political action. They were made up of a lot of different people such as labor union leaders, church leaders, feminists, the working class, African Americans, and immigrants. They advocated for limiting the power of big businesses, stabilizing the economy, granting rights to workers, resolving conflicts between factory owners and labor groups, securing the franchise for women, stopping segregation, stopping the problem of alcohol, helping immigrants, and many more. Essentially, these were people that believed government intervention was necessary to improve society. Passed the Australian Ballot, the 16th to 19th Amendments, the initiative, the referendum, the recall, and was partially responsible for the establishment of direct primaries

Federal Reserve System

The central banking system of the United States, created with the Federal Reserve Act in 1913

American Expeditionary Forces

The first groups of American soldiers to arrive in France in early 1918 for World War I; ended up turning the tide of the war because, by this point, all of the European nations were already exhausted and struggling to continue fighting

League of Nations

An international organization created to try and guarantee peace, political independence, and territorial integrity across the world. But when it was created, Congress refused to agree to join it because they feared that the League would drag the United States into more overseas wars without congressional approval. And so while the League was created, the United States, its “creator”, was not a member. Replaced by the United Nations after World War II due to the League of Nations’ inability to stop the war

War Industries Board

Created during World War I in order to make sure factories were creating enough war-related materials like weapons, armaments, and uniforms

Food Administration

Created during World War I to make sure that enough food was being created for both troops and the people at home. They also encouraged Americans to eat less food

Communism

An ideology advocating for the abolishment of social classes, the communal ownership of the means of production and distribution, the removal of private property, and equal payment to everyone, mainly started after the communist revolution in Russia during World War I

Westinghouse Broadcasting Company

Established radio and television stations across the United States in the 1920s. This led to the spread of popular culture throughout the country

Second Ku Klux Klan

This group rose during the 1920s and like the first Ku Klux Klan, they targeted African Americans but also targeted Jews, immigrants, and Catholics

Bureau of the Budget

Established during the presidency of Warren Harding; established a single budget for all government expenditures, a bureau to create the yearly budget, and procedures for Congress to hold the budget accountable

Public Works Administration (PWA)

Created during the New Deal, employed Americans to work on public works projects such as building roads, dams, and bridges

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Created during the New Deal, hired people to run electric power plants to control flooding and erosion

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Created during the New Deal, employed young men to work in national parks and forests

Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)

Created during the New Deal, paid farmers to plow under more land to reduce crop prices

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Created during the New Deal, funded workers of the arts to create culture such as artists, playwrights, actors, writers, and photographers

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

Created during the New Deal, created an administration to regulate business profits, prices, wages, and hours

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Created during the New Deal, created as a result of the Glass-Steagall Act; supplied deposit insurance to depositors to protect them from losing money if a bank fails; made to restore people’s faith in banks

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Created during the New Deal, established to regulate the stock market and prevent buying on margin and insider trading (which caused the Great Depression)

Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)

Created during the New Deal, provided monetary help to the poor

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

Created during the New Deal, insured bank loans for building new houses or repairing old ones

Share Our Wealth Society

Led by Huey Long, said that the New Deal didn’t address wealth inequality enough and wanted a 100% tax rate to all incomes over a million dollars and for that money to be redistributed to poor people

Democrats

Now, the Democrats were supported by black people, the working class, immigrants, and minorities, and supported federal power and equality due to FDR’s New Deal

Republicans

Now, the Republicans were people who were against heavy government intervention, were anti-immigrant, and supported rural interests

Nye Committee

A Senate committee that had exposed between 1934 and 1936 that many American corporations had profited off of World War I and that maybe it was greed from these companies that had caused America’s involvement in the war in the first place

Fascism

An ultra-nationalist ideology that supported heavy militarism and having a dictatorial leader. Before World War II, these fascist leaders came into power by promising to fix the economies of their countries after World War I

War Production Board/Office of War Mobilization

Created by FDR during World War II to help with the war effort

Tuskegee Airmen

A group of African American airmen during World War II that became renowned for their contributions and their efforts in the war

Navajo Code Talkers

A group of Navajo who served during World War II and worked as communication experts to encrypt messages for the U.S. and avoid decoding by the enemies

United Nations

After World War II ended, this organization was created as a replacement for the League of Nations. The United Nations was formed in the image of the League of Nations as an international peacekeeping assembly with the goals of preventing future wars and resolving international issues through diplomacy rather than fighting. But unlike the League of Nations, the United Nations would actually have the infrastructure and the power required to maintain peace. For example, they would have peacekeeping soldiers that would be supplied by their member nations

Security Council

A council in the United Nations created to maintain international security and ensure that peace was maintained throughout the world. The U.S., UK, France, China, and the USSR were all given permanent seats and veto power in the Security Council

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Created to take a stand against communism. This alliance was made up of the U.S., ten western European nations, and Canada, and the members of this alliance agreed to commit themselves to a mutual defense agreement against communism. Truman appointed General Dwight D. Eisenhower as the NATO supreme commander and also stationed four American divisions in Europe to act as the NATO army. He did this in order to deter the USSR from trying to influence western Europe

Loyalty Review Board

Set up by Truman in 1947 to investigate the background of more than 3 million federal employees