apush me off a cliff

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies exist to benefit the mother country by providing raw materials and serving as markets for finished goods, aiming to maintain a closed trade circle to prevent wealth from flowing to enemy nations.

Protestant Reformation

Movement starting in 1517 that led to the establishment of new faiths and denominations within Christianity, causing religious diversity and persecution in Europe, influencing the colonization of English North America by groups like the Puritans.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of crops, livestock, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds after Columbus' voyages, leading to significant changes in diets, economies, and populations, with devastating effects on Native American populations due to introduced diseases.

Encomienda

System in Spanish colonies where conquistadors were granted land and control over indigenous people, leading to exploitation and abuse, eventually phased out by the mid-16th century due to revolts and changing practices.

Predestination

Calvinist belief that God has already determined who will be saved or damned, influencing Puritan and Presbyterian settlers in the American colonies to work hard and live morally to demonstrate their salvation, leading to cultural and religious impacts in colonial America.

Huron and French Alliance

The French establish their first permanent settlement in place of the Huron and quickly ally with them, temporarily tipping the power balance against the Iroquois due to access to French weaponry.

Coureurs de Bois

French fur traders who ventured deep into Indian territory to hunt exotic animals for fur trade, crucial for the French colonial economy.

Metis

Offspring of French and Native American intermarriages, who later rebel against the British.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colony characterized by a lack of concern for religion, leading to conflicts with natives over land deals.

Middle Ground

The area where Europeans and Natives interacted as equals, exchanging ideas, trade, and technology, fostering cultural diffusion.

Spanish Colonization

Spanish colonization led to hyperinflation due to the devaluation of gold and silver, with attempts to assert dominance and the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing the New World.

New France

Quebec, Detroit, and New Orleans were key French colonies tied to the Mississippi River, with seigneuries and limited population growth due to religious conflicts.

Dutch Colonization

Dutch colonies, tied to the sea, were prosperous but eventually taken over by the English, emphasizing the age of wooden ships and diverse populations.

English Reformation

Henry VIII's actions led to the Anglican Church's establishment, causing internal dissension and migration to the Western Hemisphere by Puritans and Pilgrims.

Jamestown

Founded by the Virginia Company, faced challenges like the "Starving Time," Powhatan Confederacy conflicts, and the introduction of tobacco farming and African slaves.

Proprietary Colonies

Colonies like New Jersey and Pennsylvania owned by individuals or groups with full governing rights.

Quakers

Members of the Religious Society of Friends known for pacifism and belief in the divine spark in all individuals.

Slavery in Southern Colonies

High demand for labor led to the reliance on slaves, especially in Carolina for crops like rice and indigo.

Headright System

Offered land to white male settlers in Carolina who brought family or servants, aiming to attract more colonists.

Indentured Servitude

System where individuals sold their labor for a set period in exchange for passage to America, prevalent in the colonies.

Triangle Trade

Trade route involving rum, slaves, sugar, and molasses between New England, Africa, and the British West Indies.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against the colonial government in Virginia, highlighting tensions between rich and poor.

Great Awakening

Religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s that emphasized personal spirituality and undermined traditional clergy authority.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of colonial trade laws, fostering self-governance and unity among the American colonies.

Albany Plan

Proposed by Ben Franklin in 1754, aimed to create a council of colonial delegates for common defense and taxation, but was rejected.

Non-importation agreements

Agreements to boycott British goods as a form of protest against British policies.

Boston Tea Party (Dec

Protest where American colonists dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act.

Continental Congress (1774)

Assembly of delegates from the American colonies that met to address grievances against British policies.

Separation of church and state

Concept that religion and government should be kept separate, preventing the establishment of an official state religion.

Republican motherhood

Idea that women had a role in raising children to be virtuous citizens of the new republic.

Articles of Confederation

First constitution of the United States, characterized by a weak central government and state sovereignty.

Shays’ Rebellion

Uprising by farmers in Massachusetts against high taxes and economic injustices, highlighting the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

Meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, leading to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

Federalism

System of government where power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.

Bill of Rights (1791)

First ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing individual rights and freedoms.

10th Amendment

Limits Congress' powers and reserves powers to the states

Judiciary Act (1789)

Established the federal court system

Washington's Cabinet

Group of experts to assist in running the country

Hamilton's Financial Plan (1790)

Aims to fix the nation's financial issues

Strict Construction

Literal interpretation of the Constitution

Loose Construction

Broad interpretation of the Constitution

Jay's Treaty (1794)

Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain post-Revolution

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

Treaty with Spain granting navigation rights

Native Americans

Treated as sovereign nations with ongoing conflicts

Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797

Laws passed under John Adams to limit freedoms

Sally Hemings

Half-sister of Martha Randolph, remained Jefferson's slave, had children with him, and was never freed.

Electoral Controversy

Jefferson and Burr tied in Electoral Votes, leading to a vote in the House of Representatives.

Midnight Judges

Adams appointed new Federalist judges, including John Marshall, who shaped the power of the Supreme Court.

Marbury v Madison

Established judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.

Louisiana Purchase

Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the U.S.

Embargo Act (1807)

Prohibited U.S. exports in response to trade sanctions, leading to economic disaster and smuggling.

War of 1812

Fought between the U.S. and Britain, leading to the burning of Washington, D.C., and the Battle of New Orleans.

Monroe Doctrine

Monroe's foreign policy warning European powers against further colonization in the Americas.

Missouri Compromise

Balanced slave and free states by admitting Maine and Missouri, establishing a line at 36°30' for future states.

Tariff of 1816

First protectionist tariff in the U.S., aimed at boosting American manufacturing and the economy.

Missouri Compromise

Established a line at the southern border of Missouri to determine which new states could allow slavery below the line and which would be free states above it.

Marshall Court

Significantly expanded the powers of the federal government through landmark cases like Fletcher v. Peck, Dartmouth College v. Woodward, and McCulloch v. Maryland.

McCulloch v

Upheld the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States, protecting implied powers and reinforcing federal supremacy over state governments.

Monroe Doctrine

Issued in 1823, aimed to establish the US as the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere and prevent European interference in the region.

Demographics

Population growth in the US from 1790 to 1860, driven by immigration, high birth rates, and improved access to quality food.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly towards Irish and German Catholics, leading to movements like the American (‘Know Nothing’) Party.

Industrialization

Introduced to America in the 1800s, spurred by factors like the cotton gin, factory systems, and an influx of unskilled labor through immigration.

Transportation

Evolution from roads and turnpikes to steamboats, canals, railroads, and clipper ships, facilitating westward migration and economic growth.

Cult of Domesticity

Emerged as part of the market revolution, emphasizing the separation of private and public spheres and the role of women in the domestic realm.

Slavery in America

From its origins in Jamestown in 1619 to the development of chattel slavery, slave codes, and significant rebellions like the Stono Rebellion and Nat Turner’s Rebellion.

Plantations

Large agricultural estates not rotating crops, leading to lower yields annually and consolidation of land in the South, causing class disparities.

Small farmers

Squeezed out by plantations, becoming free soilers and forming the basis for the Republican Party.

Slaves

Capital investment, risk, and a one-crop economy, leading to demographic disparities and social hierarchy in the South.

Free blacks

Split between North and South, with limited property ownership rights, mainly subsistence farmers or laborers.

Slave codes

Regulated daily life, required punishment, and perpetuated excessive cruelty and violence towards slaves.

Second Great Awakening

Religious revival promoting reform, women's rights, and abolitionism, influencing social and political changes.

Temperance movement

Aimed to curb alcohol consumption, tied to nativism and women's involvement in reform efforts.

Prison reform

Transition from public punishments to reformatory prisons, focusing on rehabilitation and mental health considerations.

Education

Originating from New England Puritans, expanded by Horace Mann to address social issues, industrialization, and nativist concerns.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment influencing education, temperance, and religious movements in the United States.

McGuffey Readers

Standard reading textbooks until the 1940s and 50s, widely used in education.

Oberlin College

First co-ed school founded in 1833, breaking gender barriers in education.

Dorothea Dix

Led reform efforts in the US from the 1840s onward, advocating for mental health treatment.

Seneca Falls

Location of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention, where the Declaration of Sentiments was presented.

Transcendentalism

Philosophical movement in the 1830s emphasizing self-reliance, dignity of the individual, and direct communication with God.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding supporters with government jobs, prominent during Jackson's presidency.

Indian Removal Act

Legislation in 1830 leading to the forced relocation of Native American tribes west of the Mississippi River.

Bank War

Conflict between Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle over the Bank of the US, leading to its expiration in 1836.

Panic of 1837

Economic crisis marked by the collapse of banks, crop failures, and instability in the US economy.

Second Party System

Emergence of the Democratic and Whig parties by 1840, establishing a durable two-party system in the US.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, driven by American exceptionalism and the idea of territorial expansion.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)

Treaty between the US and Britain resolving issues like the Maine boundary dispute, extradition of criminals, and search and seizure of American slave ships.

Oregon Trail

Route used by American settlers in the early 1840s to travel to the Oregon Country, starting from Missouri and leading to the West Coast.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposed amendment to ban slavery in the Mexican Cession territories, leading to a decade of controversy over the expansion of slavery.

Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

Strong national law requiring Northern states to arrest and return fugitive slaves, leading to protests and defiance in the North.

Bleeding Kansas

Term describing the violent conflicts in Kansas in the 1850s, where pro and anti-slavery settlers clashed, funded by wealthy abolitionists.

Sumner-Brooks Incident (1856)

Symbolic event where Senator Charles Sumner was beaten by Representative Preston Brooks in retaliation for a speech criticizing slavery, hardening the divide between North and South.

Sumner's Assault

A violent incident where Charles Sumner was beaten with a cane on the Senate floor by Preston Brooks.

Lecompton Constitution

A pro-slavery document proposed in 1857 for Kansas' statehood, leading to political turmoil.

Dred Scott Decision

A Supreme Court ruling in 1857 that declared slaves as property and invalidated the Missouri Compromise.

Panic of 1857

A global financial crisis caused by various factors, impacting the North and West more than the South.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

A series of debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas on slavery and its expansion.

Harpers Ferry

An 1859 event led by John Brown, aiming to start a slave revolt, which heightened tensions between North and South.

Election of 1860

A pivotal election where Abraham Lincoln won, leading to Southern secession and the start of the Civil War.

Fort Sumter

The site of the first battle of the Civil War in April 1861, following Lincoln's call for volunteers and suspension of habeas corpus.