APUSH Review 2024

Mayas

Built distinct cities in the Yucatán Peninsula between 300 and 800, influencing early North American cultures.

Aztecs

Developed after the decline of the Mayas, known for Tenochtitlán and advanced civilization in central Mexico.

Incas

Major group in western South America, particularly in Peru, known for their organized society and advanced agriculture.

Iroquois Confederation

Strong Native political group formed by Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscaroras.

Encomienda System

Forced labor system in the Spanish empire, exploiting Native Americans and later Africans for economic gain.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds, impacting diets and populations.

Jamestown

First permanent English colony in America, established in 1607 by the Virginia Company under King James I.

Plymouth

Colony established by Pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1620, known for the first Thanksgiving celebration.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Founded by Puritans seeking religious freedom, led by John Winthrop, with Boston as its center.

Rhode Island

Founded by Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, known for religious tolerance and acceptance of diverse beliefs.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Established a representative government with a legislature elected by popular vote and a governor chosen by that legislature.

New Haven

Second settlement formed by John Davenport in 1637.

New Hampshire

Established to increase royal control, separated from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1679.

The Carolinas

Founded by Charles II, land granted to 8 nobles, later becoming the Lord Proprietors in 1663.

Middle Colonies

Consisted of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, known for fertile land, diverse population, and good harbors.

Pennsylvania

Granted to William Penn in return for debt, known for the Religious Society of Friends/Quakers' settlement.

Georgia

Established as the 13th and final colony, received direct financial support from the British government.

Triangular Trade

Three-part route between North America, Africa, and Europe for trading goods.

Acts of Trade and Navigation

Implemented by England's government to regulate trade with the colonies, including rules on shipping and imports.

New England Confederation

Formed in 1643 between Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Haven for mutual protection and military alliance.

King Philip's War

Led by Metacom against English encroachment on American Indian land, resulting in significant American Indian resistance in New England.

Bacon's Rebellion

Led by Nathaniel Bacon against William Berkeley's government in Jamestown, resulting in attacks on American Indian villages.

Indentured Servants

Signed contracts with masters for work in exchange for passage, room, and board, gaining freedom after the contract period.

Great Awakening

Religious revival led by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, impacting religious practices and denominations in the colonies.

Proclamation of 1763

Issued by the British government to prevent colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, angering many colonists.

Sugar Act

Tax placed on foreign sugar and luxuries in 1764 to regulate the sugar trade and raise revenue.

Stamp Act

Required revenue stamps on paper goods in the colonies, leading to protests and the formation of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.

Boston Massacre

Incident in 1770 where British guards fired into a crowd of colonists, leading to further tensions between the colonies and Britain.

Boston Tea Party

Protest in 1773 where colonists dumped British tea into the harbor in response to the Tea Act.

Coercive Acts

Enacted by King George III in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party, including the Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, Quartering Act expansion, and Quebec Act.

Declaration and Resolves

A petition urging the king to address colonial grievances and restore colonial rights.

Continental Association

Enforced sanctions of the Suffolk Resolves to regulate colonial trade.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Fought on June 17, 1775, where American militia inflicted severe damage on the British.

Second Continental Congress

Met in May 1775, adopted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking up Arms.

Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, adopted on July 4, 1776, detailing grievances against George III's government.

Articles of Confederation

Ratified in 1781, established a central government with one body where each state had a singular vote.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Set rules for creating new states, granted self-government, and prohibited slavery.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution and a strong federal government.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing individual rights.

Louisiana Purchase

Acquisition of the Louisiana Territory in 1803, doubling the size of the United States.

American System

Proposed by Henry Clay, it consisted of protective tariffs to promote American manufacturing, a national bank for a national currency, and internal improvements to foster growth in the West and South.

Panic of 1819

The first major economic crisis in the United States, caused by tightened credit to control inflation, resulting in bank closures, unemployment, bankruptcies, and a shift in nationalistic beliefs.

Missouri Compromise

Enacted in 1820, it admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and prohibited slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of latitude 36°30'.

Monroe Doctrine

Enacted in 1823 under President Monroe, it declared that European powers should not interfere with the United States and Western Hemisphere affairs.

Second Great Awakening

A religious reform movement in the 18th-19th centuries that led to the development of new denominations and movements like Millennialism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the American Temperance Society.

Mexican-American War

Fought from 1846 to 1848, it was caused by disputes over the Texas-Mexico border and ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, where Mexico ceded California and New Mexico to the US.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposed in 1846 by David Wilmot, it aimed to forbid slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, but was struck down in the Senate.

Fugitive Slave Law

Passed in 1850, it allowed slave owners to track down and capture runaway slaves in northern states, increasing tensions between the North and South.

Underground Railroad

A network of activists and safe houses that helped slaves escape to freedom in the North or Canada, with Harriet Tubman being a prominent conductor.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Proposed by Senator Stephen A. Douglas in 1854, it divided the Nebraska territory into Kansas and Nebraska, allowing settlers to decide on the state's stance on slavery, leading to increased tensions and violence in "bleeding Kansas."

Sumner-Brooks Incident

In 1856, Senator Charles Sumner was attacked by Congressman Preston Brooks with a cane in response to Sumner's verbal attack on Senator Andrew Butler.

Republican Party

Formed in 1854, it consisted of antislavery Whigs, Free-Soilers, and Democrats who opposed the expansion of slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled against Scott, stating that African Americans were not US citizens and Congress couldn't deprive someone of property without due process.

Freeport Doctrine

During a debate in 1858, Abraham Lincoln challenged Stephen Douglas to reconcile popular sovereignty with the Dred Scott decision.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued by Lincoln in 1863, it freed all enslaved people in states at war with the Union.

Reconstruction Amendments

The 13th Amendment banned slavery, the 14th granted citizenship to anyone born in the US, and the 15th gave Black Americans the right to vote.

Transcontinental Railroads

By 1898, several transcontinental railroads were built, including the Southern Pacific, Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, North Pacific, and Great Northern.

National Grange Movement

Founded in 1868 by Oliver H. Kelley, it aimed to defend farmers against middlemen, trusts, and railroads through cooperatives and laws against price fixing.

Dawes Act of 1887

Designed to "civilize" Native Americans, it divided tribal lands into plots for individual families, leading to the loss of millions of acres of land.

Jim Crow Laws

Enacted in the South, these laws enforced racial segregation and created obstacles like literacy tests and poll taxes to prevent African Americans from voting.

Horizontal Integration

When a company takes control of all its competition

Lockout

Closing a factory to break a labor movement before it could organize

Blacklist

A roster of pro-union employees shared by employers to prevent future employment

Yellow-dog contracts

Contracts prohibiting employees from joining unions

Private guards/state militia

Forces used by employers to suppress strikes

Court injunction

Judicial action used to prevent or shut down a strike

National Labor Union

Founded in 1866, advocated for higher wages, 8-hour workdays, and social programs

Knights of Labor

Secret society founded in 1869, focused on worker cooperatives and labor dispute arbitration

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Founded in 1886, focused on higher wages and better working conditions

Chinese Exclusion Act

Passed in 1882, halted Chinese immigration to the US

Ellis Island

Opened in 1892 as an immigration center in New York

Political Machines

Tightly organized groups of politicians with a "boss" at the top

Gospel of Wealth

Advocated by Carnegie, urged the wealthy to help society through civic projects

Social Gospel Movement

Preached by Protestant clergy in the 1880s-1890s, applying Christian principles to social issues

Women's Suffrage Movement

Fought for women's voting rights, led by NAWSA and WCTU

Interstate Commerce Act

Required railroads to be "reasonable and just" in response to state laws regulating rates

Spanish-American War

Fought in 1898 due to jingoism, economic interests, and moral concerns

Open Door Policy

Advocated by John Hay in 1899, ensuring equal trading privileges in China

Big Stick Diplomacy

Foreign policy approach by Theodore Roosevelt, using US power to influence other nations

Dollar Diplomacy

Strategy by Taft promoting US trade by supporting American enterprises abroad

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Protected consumers against unfair trade practices

Clayton Antitrust Act

Strengthened antitrust laws and exempted unions from being prosecuted as trusts

Child Labor Act

Prohibited interstate commerce of products made by children under 14

League of Nations

Peacekeeping organization established after WWI to maintain peace and security.

Great Depression

A period in the 1930s marked by severe economic downturn, high unemployment rates, and widespread business failures.

New Deal

A series of programs and reforms introduced by President Roosevelt in the 1930s to provide relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression.

Three R's

Relief, Recovery, and Reform - the key components of the New Deal aimed at helping people out of work, reviving the economy, and restructuring economic institutions.

Pearl Harbor

A surprise military strike by the Japanese on the US naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, leading to the US entry into World War II.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking a significant turning point in World War II.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missile sites in Cuba, which brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed 1961 CIA-backed operation by Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro's government in Cuba, which strengthened ties between Cuba and the Soviet Union.

Berlin Wall

A barrier constructed by East Germany in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany, symbolizing the division between East and West during the Cold War.

Detente

A period of reduced Cold War tensions in the 1970s, characterized by improved relations between the US and the Soviet Union, exemplified by the signing of arms control agreements.

Red Scare

A period of anti-communist hysteria in the US during the late 1940s and 1950s, marked by investigations, accusations, and restrictions on suspected communists and their sympathizers.

Brown vs

NAACP lawyers, led by Thurgood Marshall, argued that segregating Black children in public schools was unconstitutional, violating the 14th Amendment's "equal protection of the laws" guarantee.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a White passenger led to her arrest, sparking a massive African American protest against segregation laws and the beginning of the nonviolent movement by Martin Luther King Jr.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Formed by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957, it organized ministers and churches in the South to support the civil rights struggle.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Established to promote voting rights and advocate for the end of segregation, working alongside other civil rights organizations.

Malcolm X

A controversial figure in the civil rights movement, he criticized Martin Luther King Jr., advocated for self-defense against White violence, and later left the Black Muslims before being assassinated in 1965.

Eisenhower Doctrine

In 1957, the US pledged economic and military aid to Middle Eastern countries threatened by communism, aiming to counter Soviet influence in the region.