HIST 1301 midterm 1

Mound Builders

Native American societies (e.g., Adena, Hopewell) that built large earthen mounds for ceremonial, religious, and burial purposes.

Diversity of Native American life

Varied cultures, economies, and social structures across North America shaped by geography and resources.

Great League of Peace

Alliance of five Iroquois nations to maintain peace and coordinate defense.

Trade networks

Extensive systems connecting Native Americans across regions, trading goods, ideas, and culture.

Buffalo

Vital resource for Plains Native Americans; provided food, clothing, tools, and materials for shelter.

Native definitions of freedom

Freedom tied to communal responsibilities, kinship, and harmony with nature rather than individual ownership.

Caravel

Small, fast Portuguese/Spanish ship with triangular sails used for 15th-century exploration.

Motivations for exploration

Economic gain, spreading Christianity, political power, and curiosity about new lands.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa post-1492.

Spanish Empire – The Black Legend

Narrative portraying Spanish colonizers as uniquely cruel, highlighting abuses in the Americas.

French Empire

Focused on fur trade and alliances with Native Americans in Canada and the Mississippi Valley.

Dutch Empire / New Netherland

Dutch colony emphasizing trade; New Amsterdam became New York.

Northwest Passage

Hypothetical northern sea route to Asia sought by European explorers; not successfully navigated at the time.

Great Migration

Movement of English Puritans to New England in the 1630s seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Indentured servants

People who worked for 4–7 years in exchange for passage to America.

Changes to Indian Life

Colonization brought disease, land loss, trade, and cultural disruption.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America (1607) in Virginia.

John Smith

Leader of Jamestown; implemented strict discipline, helping the colony survive early hardships.

Headright system

Land grant system in Virginia; settlers received land for themselves and those they sponsored.

House of Burgesses

First representative assembly in colonial America (Virginia, 1619).

Powhatan

Leader of a powerful Native American confederacy in Virginia; father of Pocahontas.

Origins of slavery

Began as labor system replacing indentured servitude; became increasingly racialized.

Maryland

Founded as a haven for English Catholics; early religious tolerance policies.

Puritans

English Protestants aiming to purify the Church of England; established strict communities in New England.

Pilgrims

Separatists fleeing England for religious freedom; founded Plymouth Colony (1620).

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement establishing self-government and majority rule in Plymouth Colony.

John Winthrop

Puritan leader, governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony; envisioned a “city upon a hill.”

Role of wealthy merchants

Controlled trade, influenced politics, and funded settlements in colonies.

Half-Way Covenant

1662 policy allowing baptism of children of baptized but non-converted church members; reflected declining religious participation.

Rhode Island and Connecticut

Rhode Island: founded by Roger Williams for religious freedom. Connecticut: founded by Thomas Hooker; emphasized self-government.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1639 constitution establishing representative government; early written colonial constitution.

Mercantilism

Economic theory: colonies exist to enrich the mother country via resources and markets.

Navigation Acts

Laws regulating colonial trade; goods had to be shipped on English ships and taxed.

New York

Former Dutch New Netherland; became English colony (1664), major trade hub.

Carolinas

North Carolina: small farms; South Carolina: plantation economy with heavy reliance on slavery.

Pennsylvania

Founded by William Penn as Quaker haven; promoted religious tolerance, fair treatment of Native Americans, and democratic governance.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 Virginia uprising of small farmers and servants protesting elite favoritism and Native conflicts.

Salem Witch Trials

1692 Massachusetts hysteria; accusations of witchcraft reflected social and religious tensions.

German Migration

18th-century German immigration to Pennsylvania and beyond, adding farming skills and cultural diversity.

Consumer Revolution

18th-century rise in colonial consumption of British goods, integrating colonies into global trade.

Colonial Social Classes

Hierarchies: wealthy landowners/merchants, artisans/farmers, laborers/indentured servants, enslaved people.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

System transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas; foundation of plantation labor.

Middle Passage

Brutal voyage for enslaved Africans; high mortality and inhumane conditions.

Political and Social Implications of Slavery

Shaped laws, social hierarchy, economies, and racial ideologies; created divisions and resistance.

Slave Cultures

Enslaved Africans preserved traditions, languages, religion, music, and social practices.

Resistance to Slavery

Included work slowdowns, escapes, revolts (e.g., Stono Rebellion), and cultural retention.

Republicanism

Political ideology emphasizing civic duty, public good, and government based on consent.

Liberalism

Philosophy advocating natural rights, individual freedoms, and protection from arbitrary government.

Suffrage

Right to vote; mostly limited to white male property owners in colonies.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of loosely enforcing colonial laws; allowed economic freedom and self-government.

Zenger Trial

1735 case establishing freedom of the press; John Peter Zenger acquitted of libel for criticizing officials.

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights; inspired colonial thinkers.

Great Awakening

Religious revival (1730s–1740s) emphasizing emotional preaching and challenging established churches.

Aftermath of the 7 Years War

Britain gained territory but incurred debt, leading to colonial taxes and unrest.

Proclamation Line of 1763

British decree forbidding settlement west of the Appalachians to prevent Native conflicts.

Colonial resistance

Protests, petitions, boycotts, and eventually armed conflict against British policies.

Boston Massacre

1770 event; British soldiers killed five colonists during protest; fueled revolutionary sentiment.

Boston Tea Party

1773 colonial protest against the Tea Act; tea dumped into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

1774 punitive laws in response to Boston Tea Party; included closing Boston Harbor and restricting self-government.

1st Continental Congress

1774 meeting coordinating colonial response to British policies; organized petitions and boycotts.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

April 1775; first Revolutionary War battles; “shot heard ‘round the world.”

2nd Continental Congress

1775 assembly managing the war, creating Continental Army, and declaring independence.

Common Sense

1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating independence and republican government.

Declaration of Independence

1776 document by Jefferson declaring independence and asserting natural rights.

Battle of Saratoga

1777 American victory; turning point securing French support.

Native Americans’ role

Tribes allied with either Britain or Americans; war disrupted tribal lands and sovereignty.

Battle of Yorktown

1781 decisive victory by American and French forces; forced British surrender.

Treaty of Paris 1783

Ended Revolutionary War; recognized American independence and set boundaries.

Republics and New State Constitutions

New states created constitutions emphasizing separation of powers and popular sovereignty.

Religious Toleration

Freedom of worship post-Revolution; reduced state-supported churches.

Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations

1776 book advocating free markets; influenced U.S. economic thought.

Free Black Communities

Populations of free African Americans creating schools, churches, and businesses despite discrimination.

Republican Motherhood

Idea that women’s role was educating children in civic virtue, linking women to the republic’s success.

Articles of Confederation

First U.S. constitution (1781–1789); weak central government, strong state sovereignty.

Northwest Ordinance

1787 law organizing western territories; prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory and set a process for statehood.

Shays’ Rebellion

1786–1787 uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting debt and taxes; exposed weaknesses in Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting to revise the Articles; resulted in the U.S. Constitution.

New Jersey Plan

Proposed equal representation for states in Congress regardless of population.

Virginia Plan

Proposed representation based on population; favored large states.

Great Compromise

Combined New Jersey and Virginia plans; bicameral legislature with House (population) and Senate (equal).

3/5th Clause

Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation purposes.

Federalists

Supported Constitution; favored strong central government.

Anti-Federalists

Opposed Constitution without Bill of Rights; feared central government power.

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments (1791); guaranteed individual liberties and limited government.

Ratification

Formal approval of the Constitution; required 9 of 13 states.

Treaty of Greenville

1795 treaty; Native Americans ceded Ohio territory after U.S. victory at Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Jefferson’s Notes of the State of Virginia

Jefferson’s 1785 work discussing politics, society, and slavery in Virginia.

Hamilton’s Financial Plan

Alexander Hamilton’s program to stabilize U.S. economy: federal assumption of state debts, national bank, tariffs, and excise taxes.

Democratic-Republican Party

Founded by Jefferson/Madison; favored states’ rights, agrarian economy, and strict interpretation of Constitution.

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 Pennsylvania uprising against excise tax on whiskey; suppressed by federal forces, showing new government power.

Washington’s Farewell Address

1796 speech warning against political parties, foreign entanglements, and sectionalism.

Role of Women

Influenced politics indirectly (Republican Motherhood), managed households, participated in boycotts, and supported war efforts.

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798 laws restricting immigration and making criticism of government illegal; controversial and opposed by Jefferson/Madison.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

1798–1799 resolutions asserting states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

Revolution of 1800

Peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Jeffersonian Republicans.

Marbury v. Madison

1803 Supreme Court case establishing judicial review.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 U.S. acquisition of Louisiana Territory from France; doubled U.S. size.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

1804–1806 exploration of Louisiana Territory; mapped land, established relations with Native tribes, and documented resources.

Embargo Act

1807 law prohibiting U.S. trade with foreign nations; intended to pressure Britain/France, hurt American economy.

Barbary Wars

Conflicts with North African states over piracy; U.S. military action defended shipping rights.