APUSH Key Vocabulary and Court Cases by Period

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and court cases from APUSH, organized by historical periods.

Period 1 (1491 - 1607)

Pre-Columbian societies and early European exploration and contact; Native American diversity and first encounters with Europeans.

Columbian Exchange (1492 - onwards)

Transfer of plants, animals, culture, diseases, and technology between the Americas and Europe after Columbus's voyages.

Encomienda System (early 1500s)

Spanish system giving colonists control over Native American labor in exchange for Christianizing them.

Bartolome de las Casas (1552)

Spanish priest who criticized the mistreatment of Native Americans and advocated for their rights.

Period 2 (1607 - 1754)

Colonial development and regional differences; growth of slavery, mercantilism, and emerging American identity.

Joint-Stock Company (1600s)

A business model where investors pooled money to fund colonization, sharing profits and risks.

Jamestown (1607)

First permanent English settlement in North America.

House of Burgesses (1619)

First elected legislative assembly in the New World (Virginia).

Mayflower Compact (1620)

Agreement by Pilgrims to form a government based on majority rule.

Navigation Acts (1651, 1660, 1663)

Laws that restricted colonial trade to benefit England.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

Armed rebellion in Virginia by farmers against the governor over Native American policy.

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

Uprising of Pueblo Indians against Spanish rule in New Mexico; temporarily drove Spanish out.

The Enlightenment (1600s - 1700s)

Ideas of reason and rights that inspired the Revolution.

Trans-Atlantic Print Culture (1700s)

Spread of Enlightenment and revolutionary ideas through print between Europe and the colonies.

First Great Awakening (1730s - 1740s)

Religious revival emphasizing emotional sermons and individual faith.

Salutary Neglect (early 1700s)

British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of laws to keep colonies loyal.

John Peter Zenger Trial (1735)

Established freedom of the press in colonial America after John Peter Zenger was acquitted for criticizing the governor.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

A slave uprising in South Carolina; one of the earliest and most violent revolts, leading to stricter slave laws.

Period 3 (1754 - 1800)

French and Indian War through the American Revolution; creation of the U.S. Constitution and early republic politics.

French and Indian War (1754 - 1763)

War between Britain and France in North America; led to British debt and colonial taxes.

Taxation Without Representation (1760s - 1770s)

Colonists opposed British taxes since they had no vote in Parliament.

Royal Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Stamp Act (1765)

Tax on printed materials in the colonies; first direct tax by Britain.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers killed five colonists during a protest.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest against British taxes; colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Punitive laws passed after the Boston Tea Party.

American Revolution (1775 - 1783)

A colonial revolt against British rule sparked by taxation without representation, Enlightenment ideas, and increasing colonial unity.

Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine urging independence; widely influential.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Document asserting American independence from Britain.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Turning point in the American Revolution; led to French support for the colonists.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Final major battle; British General Cornwallis surrendered.

Articles of Confederation (ratified 1781)

First U.S. government framework; weak federal government.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the Revolutionary War; recognized U.S. independence and set boundaries.

Shay's Rebellion (1786 - 1787)

Uprising by farmers protesting debt and taxes; showed weakness of Articles.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

Meeting to create a stronger federal government; produced the U.S. Constitution.

Federalist Papers (1787 - 1788)

Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution.

Bill of Rights (ratified 1791)

First ten amendments protecting individual freedoms.

Federalists (1791)

Supported a strong national government, commercial economy, and close ties with Britain. Led by Alexander Hamilton.

Democratic-Republicans (1792)

Favored states’ rights. Led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

Warned against political parties and foreign alliances.

XYZ Affair (1797)

A diplomatic scandal where French agents demanded bribes; increased anti-French sentiment in the U.S.

Alien and Seditions Act (1798)

Laws that restricted speech against the government and targeted immigrants; highly controversial.

Period 4 (1800 - 1848)

Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy; Market Revolution, Second Great Awakening, reform movements, and early industrialization.

Revolution of 1800

Peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson).

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

U.S. purchase of French territory doubling U.S. size.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review.

Embargo Act (1807)

Banned American trade with all foreign nations; hurt economy.

War of 1812 (1812 - 1815)

War against Britain over trade restrictions and impressment.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Confirmed federal supremacy; states can't tax federal institutions.

Era of Good Feelings (1815 - 1824)

Period of national unity under one political party (Democratic-Republicans).

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Admitted Missouri as slave state, Maine as free; banned slavery north of 3630' line.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

U.S. policy opposing European colonization in the Americas.

Second Great Awakening (early 1800s)

Religious revival focusing on social reforms and salvation.

Jacksonian Democracy (1820s - 1830s)

Expanded political power for common white men under Andrew Jackson.

Indian Removal Act (1830)

Forced relocation of Native Americans west of the Mississippi River.

Nullification Crisis (1832)

South Carolina attempted to nullify federal tariffs; challenged federal authority.

Whig Party (1834)

Opposed Jacksonian Democrats; supported internal improvements and national banks. Collapsed over the slavery issue.

Panic of 1837

A major economic depression triggered by bank failures and Jackson’s fiscal policies.

Trail of Tears (1838)

Forced march of Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma; thousands died.

Period 5 (1844 - 1877)

Westward expansion, sectional conflict, Civil War, and Reconstruction.

Wilmot Proviso (1846)

Proposed banning slavery in territories won from Mexico; never passed but fueled sectional tension.

Free Soil Party (1848 - 1854)

Political party opposing the expansion of slavery into new territories.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

First women's rights convention; demanded suffrage.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Only Congress can regulate interstate commerce.

Manifest Destiny (1840s)

Belief that U.S. was destined to expand westward.

Annexation of Texas (1945)

Texas joined the U.S.; contributed to tensions leading to the Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848)

Conflict over Texas and western territories.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Ended Mexican-American War; U.S. gained Southwest.

Know-Nothing Party (1850)

Nativist, anti-immigrant, and anti-Catholic party; briefly influential during the 1850s.

Compromise of 1850

Allowed California as free state; new Fugitive Slave Law.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Allowed popular sovereignty to decide slavery; led to 'Bleeding Kansas.'

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Declared African Americans not citizens; Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

Debates over slavery between Senate candidates.

John Brown's Raid (1859)

Attempt to start slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry.

Election of 1860

Lincoln elected; Southern states began seceding.

Civil War (1861 -1865)

Conflict between North and South over slavery and secession.

Homestead Act (1862)

Gave free land to settlers willing to farm it.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Freed slaves in Confederate states.

Lincoln’s 10% Plan (1863)

Reconstruction plan allowing Southern states back if 10% pledged loyalty and accepted emancipation.

Period 6 (1865 - 1898)

Gilded Age industrialization, urbanization, immigration, labor, and political corruption; Native displacement and Populism.

13th Amendment (1865)

Abolished slavery.

Reconstruction (1865 - 1877)

Effort to rebuild the South and integrate freed slaves.

Freedmen’s Bureau (1865)

Government agency to help freed slaves with food, education, and jobs.

Sharecropping (1865)

Post-Civil War farming system where tenants used land in exchange for a share of crops.

Black Codes (1865 - 1866)

Laws in the South restricting rights of freed African Americans; precursor to Jim Crow.

Tenure of Office Act (1867)

Limited the president’s power to remove officials; led to Johnson’s impeachment.

14th Amendment (1868)

Granted citizenship and equal protection.

Knights of Labor (1869)

Early labor union that accepted all workers; declined after Haymarket Riot.

15th Amendment (1870)

Gave black men the right to vote.

Social Darwinism (1870s - 1900s)

Credit Mobilier Scandal (1872)

Railroad corruption scandal involving bribed politicians.

Panic of 1873

Economic depression caused by railroad overbuilding and banking issues.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction; federal troops withdrawn from the South.

Jim Crow Laws (1877 - 1960s)

Enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

First significant law restricting immigration into the U.S.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Established civil service exams to curb patronage and corruption in federal hiring.

Haymarket Riot (1886)

Labor protest in Chicago turned violent; hurt the labor movement’s image.

Dawe’s Act (1887)

Aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting them land.

Gilded Age (1870s - 1900s)

Era of rapid industrialization, corruption, and wealth.

Transcontinental Railroad (completed 1869)

Connected eastern and western U.S.; boosted economy.