American History Review

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about American history.

Beringia

A land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska during the Ice Age, allowing people to migrate to the Americas.

Caral-Supe Civilization

Civilization in present-day Peru that built the earliest known cities around 3500 BCE.

Beringia

A land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska during the Ice Age, allowing people to migrate to the Americas.

Caral-Supe Civilization

Civilization in present-day Peru that built the earliest known cities around 3500 BCE.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between Europe and the Americas.

English Reformation

Religious and political upheaval in 16th-century England, initiated by King Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church.

Mercantilism

An economic policy where colonies exist to benefit the home country through raw materials and trade.

Virginia Colony

An early English colony that survived due to tobacco farming, the Virginia Company's support, and self-government.

Bacon’s Rebellion

Act of rebellion in colonial Virginia led by poor farmers seeking protection and land.

Navigation Acts

Acts passed by King Charles II to control colonial trade and ensure profits remained in England.

Georgia Colony

Colony founded as a buffer against Spanish Florida and as a charitable project for debtors.

Maryland Colony

Colony that allowed religious toleration to protect its Catholic population from being outnumbered by Protestants.

Puritans

A group that wanted to purify the Church of England from Catholic practices.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement to establish a basic government and work together for survival in Plymouth Colony.

Rhode Island and Connecticut

Colonies that broke away from Massachusetts seeking greater religious freedom and less control from Puritan leaders.

New Netherlands (New York)

A Dutch colony that was taken over by the English and renamed.

Pennsylvania

A colony known for its religious freedom, fair land deals, and effective leadership, which attracted many settlers.

Great Awakening

Emotional religious revivals that led to questioning of authority and increased colonial unity.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

A treaty in 1763 that resulted in France losing land and Britain gaining power in North America.

Pontiac

Led Native American tribes in an uprising against the British after the French defeat.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the Revolutionary War that convinced France to support the Americans.

Tea Act

Act that gave the British East India Company control over tea sales in the colonies, leading to the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress

A meeting where colonies united to protest British taxes and boycott British goods.

Common Sense

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine arguing for the independence of the colonies from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

Document declaring the colonies independent from Britain, outlining rights and grievances against the king.

Northwest Ordinance

Ordinance that set rules for admitting new states and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Articles of Confederation

The first government of the United States, characterized by a weak central authority.

Shays’ Rebellion

An uprising that highlighted the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger government.

Great Compromise

Compromise during the Constitutional Convention that resolved disputes over representation between large and small states.

The Federalist Papers

Essays supporting the Constitution and a strong, balanced government.

Townshend Duties

Taxes on imported goods like glass, paint, paper, and tea.