US History Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards

Flashcards for US History Final Exam Review

What was Salutary Neglect and why did its end matter?

British policy of non-enforcement of trade laws in colonies; its end led to tensions.

What are unalienable rights and where are they mentioned?

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; found in the Declaration of Independence.

What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

No power to tax, enforce laws, or regulate trade.

Why was Shays' Rebellion significant?

It showed the need for a stronger federal government.

What were the differences between Federalists and Anti-Federalists?

Federalists supported strong central government; Anti-Federalists wanted states’ rights and Bill of Rights.

What were the major compromises of the Constitutional Convention?

Great Compromise (bicameral legislature), 3/5 Compromise (slaves count as 3/5 for population).

What is Popular Sovereignty?

The idea that political power belongs to the people.

What are the roles of each branch of government?

Legislative makes laws, Executive enforces, Judicial interprets.

What is federalism?

Shared power between state and federal governments.

What is the difference between loose and strict interpretation?

Loose = flexible reading (Hamilton); Strict = literal reading (Jefferson).

What is the impeachment process?

House votes to impeach, Senate holds trial and can remove from office.

How does the Electoral College work?

Electors from each state vote for President based on popular vote in that state.

What are checks and balances and separation of powers?

Checks prevent one branch from dominating; separation gives each branch distinct roles.

What is the Bill of Rights and why was it added?

First 10 Amendments; protects individual rights and freedoms.

What were some foreign issues faced by early presidents?

Citizen Genet, XYZ Affair, British impressment.

What was the significance of the Whiskey Rebellion?

Showed the power of the new federal government.

What did Washington say in his Farewell Address?

Warned against political parties and foreign alliances.

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?

Laws restricting immigrants and limiting criticism of the government.

What were the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions?

Said states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

What did the 12th Amendment do?

Required separate votes for President and Vice President.

What was the Louisiana Purchase and why was it controversial?

Jefferson doubled US size by buying from France; conflicted with his strict construction views.

What was the outcome of the War of 1812?

Ended in stalemate (Treaty of Ghent); increased nationalism; weakened Native resistance.

What caused the War of 1812?

Impressment, trade restrictions, War Hawks.

What was the American System?

Henry Clay’s plan for tariff, bank, and internal improvements.

What was the Missouri Compromise?

MO = slave state, ME = free state, 36°30' line for future territories.

Why is Henry Clay called the "Great Compromiser"?

Engineered multiple compromises including Missouri and 1850.

What was the "Corrupt Bargain" in the Election of 1824?

Adams elected by House with Clay’s support; Clay becomes Secretary of State.

What was the Nullification Crisis?

SC tried to nullify tariffs; Jackson opposed.

What was the Trail of Tears?

Forced removal of Native Americans despite Supreme Court rulings.

Why did Jackson veto the Second Bank of the U.S.?

Believed it was unconstitutional and only benefited the elite.

How did the Democratic and Whig parties differ?

Democrats = small govt, Whigs = strong federal role in economy.

What was Manifest Destiny?

Belief that US was destined by God to expand westward.

Why did the US go to war with Mexico?

Border dispute; Manifest Destiny.

What does "54°40’ or Fight" refer to?

Polk’s slogan to claim Oregon Territory up to northern border.

How were Native Americans affected by expansion?

Displacement, violence, and forced relocation.

What did the Compromise of 1850 do?

CA = free, Fugitive Slave Act, pop. sovereignty in NM/UT.

Why was the Kansas-Nebraska Act controversial?

Repealed MO Compromise; led to violence.

What was the impact of Dred Scott?

Declared Congress couldn’t ban slavery in territories.

What were Personal Liberty Laws and Northern reactions to FSA?

Northern laws resisting enforcement; fueled sectionalism.

What was Uncle Tom’s Cabin and its effect?

Anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe; increased Northern opposition.

What was Bleeding Sumner?

Preston Brooks beat Senator Sumner after anti-slavery speech.

What was the Lecompton Constitution?

Pro-slavery Kansas constitution rejected by voters.

What were the Free Soilers, Know-Nothings, and Republican views?

Free Soilers opposed expansion of slavery; Know-Nothings = anti-immigrant; Republicans = stop spread of slavery.

What did John Brown do at Harpers Ferry?

Tried to start a slave revolt; increased Southern fears.

What advantages did each side have?

North—industry, railroads, manpower; South—generals, defensive war.

What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation?

Shifted war goals to include ending slavery.

What happened at Gettysburg and why does it matter?

Turning point of the war; major Union victory.

Who were the Copperheads?

Northern Democrats who opposed the war.

What were the NYC Draft Riots of 1863?

Violent resistance to conscription; racial violence.

What were the key Civil War battles?

Bull Run, Antietam, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Appomattox.

Who were the key Civil War leaders?

Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Sherman, Meade, Stonewall Jackson.

What were the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?

End slavery, citizenship, voting rights for Black men.

Why was Johnson impeached?

Violated Tenure of Office Act; clashed with Congress.

What led to the end of Reconstruction?

Compromise of 1877, waning Northern interest, return of Southern power.

What were Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws?

Restricted Black rights and segregated public life.

What was the Freedmen’s Bureau?

Assisted formerly enslaved people with food, schools, legal aid.

Who were Carpetbaggers and Scalawags?

Northern Republicans in the South; Southern Republicans viewed as traitors.

How were Black voters suppressed after Reconstruction?

Poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, KKK intimidation.

What was Plessy v. Ferguson?

Legalized racial segregation with "separate but equal" doctrine.

Who were the big industrialists and what did they do?

Carnegie (steel), Rockefeller (oil), Vanderbilt (railroads), Morgan (finance).

What was the Gilded Age?

Period of industrial growth and political corruption.

Why were labor unions formed?

Poor working conditions, low pay, long hours.

What is Social Darwinism and the Gospel of Wealth?

SD = survival of the fittest in society; GoW = rich must help the poor.

What was the Pendleton Act?

Ended patronage; created merit-based civil service.

What was Populism?

Movement of farmers seeking reform on RR, banks, inflation.

What caused the Spanish-American War?

USS Maine explosion, yellow journalism, Cuban independence.

What did the US gain from the war?

Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines; annexed Hawaii.

What was the Roosevelt Corollary?

U.S. would intervene in Latin America to stabilize economic affairs.

What were Dollar Diplomacy and the Open Door Policy?

Dollar = use investment to influence other nations; Open Door = equal trade access in China.

What was the Boxer Rebellion?

Anti-foreign uprising in China; US joined other powers to suppress it.

Who were Buffalo Soldiers?

African American soldiers who served in western and overseas campaigns.

Who were the key figures in American imperialism?

Sanford Dole, William Taft, Teddy Roosevelt, Queen Liliuokalani, William McKinley, Emilio Aguinaldo.