All APUSH Key Terms

Joint-stock company

A business owned by many investors to reduce individual risk and encourage investment, used to finance trade voyages more safely.

Roger Williams

Puritan minister who believed that the individual’s conscience was beyond the control of any civil or church authority; faced banishment.

Providence

Founded by Roger Williams and his followers, one of the first Baptist churches in America promoting religious freedom.

Rhode Island

A colony that allowed Catholics, Quakers, and Jews to worship freely, recognized the rights of American Indians, and paid them for land.

Anne Hutchinson

Believed in antinomianism, which posits salvation through faith alone, leading to her banishment and subsequent founding of Portsmouth.

Quakers

A radical religious group known for their belief that religious authority lies within each person and advocacy for sexual equality.

Halfway Covenant

Allowed partial membership rights to people not yet converted into the Puritan church to maintain the church’s influence.

Jamestown

The first successful British colony in North America, established by the Virginia Company, known for its fatal conditions and early hardships.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Created by Puritans in search of religious freedom, featuring significant migration, with Boston founded by John Winthrop.

Puritans

Moderate dissenters who believed that the Anglican Church could be reformed rather than separated from.

Virginia House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in America that guaranteed settlers the same rights as residents of England.

Mayflower Compact

An early form of self-government established by the Pilgrims where decisions were made by the will of the majority.

Mercantilism

The economic theory that a country's wealth is determined by its export-import balance, aiming to enrich the parent country.

Triangular trade

A three-way trade route connecting North America, Africa, and Europe involving rum, sugarcane, and enslaved people.

Navigation Acts

Laws that restricted trade to English or colonial-built ships, requiring imported goods to pass through English ports.

Sir Edmund Andros

Governor who combined New York, New Jersey, and other New England colonies into the Dominion of New England.

King Philip’s War

Conflict led by Metacom (King Philip) against English settlements, resulting in devastation for Native American tribes.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon in 1676 against the government of Sir William Berkeley over issues of land and governance.

Headright system

Land grants to attract immigrants who paid their own passage to the New World; fostered settlement.

Middle Passage

The trans-Atlantic journey of enslaved Africans, marked by high mortality rates due to inhumane conditions.

Phillis Wheatley

The first published African American poet, notable for her work that overcame her circumstances of slavery.

Great Awakening

A religious movement characterized by fervent expressions of faith among the masses across the colonies.

Jonathan Edwards

A key figure in the Great Awakening known for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

Subsistence farming

Farming that produces just enough food for the family to survive, with little surplus.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement promoting reason and science over tradition and religious doctrine.

Town meetings

Regular assemblies where local issues were debated and decisions made in colonial America.

French and Indian War/Seven Years’ War

A conflict between the British and French, along with their Native allies, over territorial control in North America from 1754-1763.

Albany Plan of Union

A proposal by Benjamin Franklin for intercolonial cooperation during the French and Indian War, ultimately not adopted.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of laws in the American colonies, allowing greater autonomy.

Peace of Paris 1763

The treaty ending the French and Indian War, ceding Canada and significant territories to Britain.

Proclamation of 1763

British law prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

A Native American uprising in response to British encroachment post-French and Indian War.

Stamp Act Congress

A meeting of colonial delegates in 1765 to protest the Stamp Act, asserting only their representative could impose taxes.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Colonial protest groups organizing boycotts against British taxation.

Intolerable Acts

A series of punitive measures imposed on the colonies in response to the Boston Tea Party.

Stamp Act

1765 law imposing taxes on printed materials in the colonies, leading to widespread protests.

Tea Act

1773 law granting the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies.

Enlightenment

A movement emphasizing reason and individual rights, influencing revolutionary thought.

Social Contract

The theory that the state exists to protect the natural rights of its citizens.

Thomas Paine

Author of "Common Sense," advocating for American independence from British rule.

First Continental Congress

A 1774 gathering to address colonial grievances against British policies.

Second Continental Congress

1775 assembly that managed the colonial war effort and moved towards independence.

Common Sense

Paine's pamphlet arguing for independence from Britain, instrumental in rallying support.

Declaration of Independence

The document declaring the American colonies' independence from British rule.

Olive Branch Petition

A final attempt to avoid war by asserting loyalty while addressing grievances against Britain.

Lexington and Concord

The first battles of the American Revolution in 1775 that marked the conflict's beginning.

Yorktown

The final major battle of the American Revolution, leading to British surrender.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty that ended the American Revolution and recognized U.S. independence.

Republican Motherhood

The concept that women have an important role in teaching civic values to future generations.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams, early advocate for women's rights, known for urging him to 'remember the ladies'.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Legislation establishing a method for admitting new states and prohibiting slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, creating a weak national government.

Shays’ Rebellion

A 1786 uprising by Massachusetts farmers protesting economic injustices, highlighting the Articles' weaknesses.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution, advocating for a strong national government.

Anti-Federalist

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution, favoring strong state governments.

The Federalist Papers

A series of essays advocating for the ratification of the Constitution.

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting to amend the Articles of Confederation, leading to the drafting of the Constitution.

Federalism

A system of government where power is shared between national and state levels.

Separation of powers

The division of government responsibilities among distinct branches to prevent abuse of power.

Checks and balances

Mechanisms that allow each branch of government to limit the powers of the others.

Congress

The legislative branch of the U.S. government, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Virginia Plan

Proposed representation based on population, favoring larger states.

New Jersey Plan

Proposed equal representation for all states regardless of size, favoring smaller states.

Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise

Established a bicameral legislature balancing representation by population and equal state representation.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Determined that three-fifths of enslaved people would count towards state population totals for representation.

Commercial Compromise

Prohibited Congress from taxing exports but allowed regulating imports.

Electoral College System

A mechanism established in the Constitution by which a body of electors is established to elect the President.

Amendments

Official changes or additions to the Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments of the Constitution ensuring individual rights and liberties.

Alexander Hamilton

First Secretary of Treasury who proposed a financial plan to stabilize the national economy.

James Madison

Key architect of the Constitution, known as the 'Father of the Constitution'.

National Bank

Established through Hamilton's financial plan to provide a stable currency and manage government funds.

Supreme Court

The highest court in the U.S., which has the authority to interpret the Constitution.

Cabinet

Advisory body to the President consisting of the heads of executive departments.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Established the federal judiciary system and the Supreme Court's powers.

Federalist Party

The first political party advocating for a strong federal government and commercial interests.

Democratic-Republican Party

Opposition party favoring states' rights and agrarian interests.

Two-term tradition

The unwritten rule that a president should serve no more than two terms.

John Adams

Second president known for his role in establishing a strong federal government.

George Washington

The first President of the United States, establishing many precedents.

Washington’s Farewell Address

Warnings against political parties and foreign alliances in his final speech.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws aimed at restricting immigration and limiting freedom of speech.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Statements asserting that states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.

Public Land Act 1796

Established a method for adding new states to the Union.

Proclamation of Neutrality 1793

Declaration stating the U.S. would remain neutral in foreign conflicts.

Jay Treaty of 1794

Settlement improving trade relations with Britain post-Revolution.

Pinckney Treaty of 1795

Established peace with Spain and secured American access to New Orleans.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident leading to an undeclared naval war with France.

Right of deposit

The right to transfer goods in New Orleans without duties.

Indian Intercourse Act

Federal regulation of all legal actions involving Native Americans.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

U.S. army victory over Native Americans that secured the Northwest Territory.

Treaty of Greenville

Addressed land claims in Ohio after Native American defeat.

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the cotton gin, which revolutionized the production of cotton.

Cotton gin

A machine that quickly separates cotton fiber from seeds, increasing production.

Judicial review

The Supreme Court's power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Marbury v. Madison

Landmark case establishing the principle of judicial review.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Supreme Court case confirming federal supremacy over state laws.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Supreme Court case extending federal authority over interstate commerce.

John Marshall

Federalist chief justice known for establishing principles of American constitutional law.

Implied powers

Powers of Congress that are not explicitly listed in the Constitution.