Apush period 1-7 key events

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, culture, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.Decimated Native populations (smallpox) but fueled European population growth (maize/potatoes).

Encomienda System

Spanish system of rewarding settlers with Native labor.Essentially a form of slavery; led to the "Black Legend" and debates over Native rights.

Requerimiento

A Spanish legal document read to Natives demanding they submit to the Church/Crown.Used to "justify" the conquest and use of force against non-Christians.

Jamestown (1607)

The first permanent English settlement in North America.Introduced tobacco as a cash crop, leading to a need for labor (indentured servants, then slaves).

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 uprising of poor western farmers against the VA governor.Led to the transition from indentured servitude to African chattel slavery to prevent future class revolts.

Metacom’s War

1675–1678 conflict between Wampanoags and New Englanders.Effectively ended significant Native resistance in New England.

Great Awakening

1730s–40s religious revival (George Whitefield/Jonathan Edwards).Challenged traditional authority; first "mass movement" in the colonies.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where colonies exist to benefit the Mother Country.Led to the Navigation Acts and eventual friction over trade restrictions.

Proclamation Line (1763)

British law forbidding settlement west of the Appalachians.Angered colonists who fought for that land, beginning the rift with Britain.

Common Sense (1776)

Thomas Paine's pamphlet arguing for independence.Shifted public opinion from "reconciling with Britain" to "independence is common sense."

Northwest Ordinance

Law for admitting new states and banning slavery in the NW Territory.One of the few successes of the Articles of Confederation; set a precedent for banning slavery.

Shays’ Rebellion

1786 uprising of debt-ridden MA farmers.Exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation; led to the Constitutional Convention.

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 protest against excise taxes; crushed by Washington.Demonstrated that the new Constitution was strong enough to enforce federal law.

Alien & Sedition Acts

Laws passed by Adams to silence political critics (Democratic-Republicans).Led to the VA and KY Resolutions and the theory of Nullification.

Marbury v. Madison

1803 Supreme Court case under John Marshall.Established Judicial Review, giving the Court power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Missouri Compromise

1820 deal: MO enters as slave state, ME as free; 36°30' line.Temporarily quieted sectional tensions but highlighted the growing divide over slavery.

Market Revolution

Transition from subsistence farming to large-scale commercial manufacturing.Linked the North and West via canals/railroads; changed gender roles (Cult of Domesticity).

Monroe Doctrine

US policy warning Europe to stay out of the Western Hemisphere.Asserted US dominance in the Americas for decades to come.

Nullification Crisis

SC (led by Calhoun) threatened to secede over "Tariff of Abominations."Tested federal power vs. states' rights; a "preview" of the Civil War.

2nd Great Awakening

Religious revival sparking reform movements (1820s-40s).Inspired Abolitionism, Temperance, and Women’s Rights (Seneca Falls).

Time Period 5

1844-1877

Focus of period 5

Expansion, Civil War, and Reconstruction.

1844-1877 (The Period)

These years represent the era from the election of James K. Polk to the Compromise of 1877.

James K. Polk

Served as president from 1845-1849; he was the primary driver of Manifest Destiny and oversaw the Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American War

Fought from 1846-1848; it resulted in the U.S. gaining the Mexican Cession and reigniting the debate over the expansion of slavery.

California Gold Rush

Occurred in 1848, leading to a massive population surge that forced California to apply for statehood as a free state.

Compromise of 1850

A series of five laws passed in 1850 that admitted California as a free state but established a much stricter Fugitive Slave Act.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Published in 1852, this novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe became a powerful abolitionist tool by humanizing the experience of slavery.

Bleeding Kansas

A period of violent guerrilla warfare between 1854-1861 sparked by the use of popular sovereignty in the Kansas territory.

Dred Scott Case

A 1857 Supreme Court ruling that declared Black people were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

John Brown's Raid

An attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859 intended to start a slave revolt; it increased Southern fears of Northern radicalism.

Abraham Lincoln's Presidency / Civil War

The era from 1861-1865 where the Union and Confederacy fought over secession and the institution of slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued on January 1, 1863, this executive order freed enslaved people in areas of rebellion and shifted the war's purpose.

13th Amendment

Ratified in 1865, it formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

14th Amendment

Ratified in 1868, it granted citizenship to all born in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

Ratified in 1870, it prohibited the government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race or color.

Impeachment of Johnson

Occurred in 1868 after he violated the Tenure of Office Act; he was the first president to be impeached.

Election of Rutherford B. Hayes

The 1876 election that led to the Compromise of 1877, ending Reconstruction by removing federal troops from the South.

Time Period 6

1865-1900

Focus of period 6

The Gilded Age, Industrialization, and the West.

1865-1900 (The Period)

The era spanning from the end of the Civil War to the turn of the century, marked by rapid industrialization and the Gilded Age.

Transcontinental RR Completed

Linked the East and West coasts at Promontory Point in 1869, creating a unified national economy.

Railroad Strike of 1877

The first major interstate labor strike in 1877, which was ended by federal troops sent in by the president.

Homestead Strike

A violent 1892 lockout and strike at Carnegie's steel plant that resulted in a major defeat for organized labor.

Dawes Act

A 1887 law that broke up tribal lands into individual plots, forcing Native American assimilation and resulting in massive land loss.

Wounded Knee Massacre

The 1890 event where U.S. troops killed hundreds of Lakota people, marking the end of the Indian Wars on the Great Plains.

1890 Census / Turner Hypothesis

In 1890, the census declared the frontier closed, leading Frederick Jackson Turner to argue that the frontier was central to American identity.

Panic of 1893 / Coxey's Army

A severe economic depression in 1893 that led to an 1894 protest march of unemployed workers on Washington D.C.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1896 Supreme Court decision that legalized "separate but equal" racial segregation.

The Populist Movement

A political movement that peaked in the 1890s (specifically the election of 1896) representing the interests of farmers and laborers.

Time Period 7

1890-1945

Focus of period 7

Progressive Reform, World Wars, and the Great Depression.

1945 (End Date)

This year marks the end of World War II and the start of the Cold War, transitioning the U.S. into a global superpower.

Spanish-American War

A 1898 conflict that led to the U.S. acquiring an overseas empire, including the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

Lochner v. New York

A 1905 Supreme Court case that struck down a law limiting working hours, favoring "liberty of contract" over labor reform.

Teddy Roosevelt

Served as president from 1901-1909; known for his "Square Deal" and active trust-busting.

Roosevelt Corollary

An addition to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904 stating that the U.S. would intervene in Latin American affairs as a police power.

16th-19th Amendments

Passed between 1913 and 1920, these Progressive Era amendments created the income tax, direct election of senators, prohibition, and women's suffrage.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

A 1911 industrial disaster in NYC that killed 146 workers and led to strict new factory safety regulations.

America's involvement in WWI

The U.S. officially entered the "Great War" from 1917-1918.

Woodrow Wilson

Served as president from 1913-1921; he led the U.S. through WWI and proposed the League of Nations.

14 Points

A 1918 speech outlining Wilson's vision for a post-war world based on peace and self-determination.

Schenck v. United States

A 1919 ruling that established the "clear and present danger" test for restricting free speech.

Federal Reserve Act

Legislation passed in 1913 that created the modern central banking system of the U.S.

1919 Unrest

A year of chaos involving the Palmer Raids, massive labor strikes, and the Red Summer race riots.

1920 Census Data

The first census to report that over 50% of the U.S. population lived in urban (city) areas.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 trial regarding the teaching of evolution that highlighted the conflict between modern science and religious fundamentalism.

Highest KKK Membership

The organization reached its peak influence (roughly 4-5 million members) in 1924-1925.

Quota Acts

Laws passed in 1921 and 1924 that strictly limited immigration, particularly from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Two Italian anarchists who were executed in 1927 following a controversial trial that reflected the nativism of the era.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Served as president from 1933-1945, the longest-serving president who led the U.S. through the Depression and WWII.

TVA / WPA / NIRA

Major "Alphabet Agencies" created between 1933 and 1935 to provide relief and recovery during the Great Depression.

Social Security

A 1935 law that established a retirement pension system and unemployment insurance.

Neutrality Acts

A series of laws passed from 1935-1937 aimed at keeping the U.S. out of future foreign wars.

Atlantic Charter

A 1941 joint declaration between the U.S. and Britain that set out a vision for the post-war world.