U.S. History Exam Flashcards — All 20 Terms

1. Seven Years' War

DEFINE: A major global war from 1756–1763 between Britain and France and their allies.

CONTEXT:

In North America, it was called the French and Indian War. Britain and France fought over territory and control of North America.

ANALYZE:

Britain won, but the war left Britain with a lot of debt. Britain began taxing the colonies to raise money, which angered colonists and contributed to the American Revolution.

Remember: War → Britain wins → Britain has debt → taxes → Revolution.

2. Stamp Act

DEFINE: A 1765 British tax on printed materials such as newspapers, legal documents, and paper products.

CONTEXT: Britain wanted the colonies to help pay the debt from the Seven Years' War.

ANALYZE: Colonists protested because they believed Parliament was taxing them without their consent, strengthening 'no taxation without representation.'

REMEMBER: Remember: Paper = tax = colonists angry.

3. New England Colonies

DEFINE: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

CONTEXT: Many were established by English settlers, especially Puritans, who wanted religious communities. The region developed around towns, farming, fishing, shipping, and trade.

ANALYZE: New England became important for its strong communities, religious traditions, town meetings, and economy.

REMEMBER: Remember: MA, CT, RI, NH.

4. Anne Hutchinson

DEFINE: A religious dissenter in Massachusetts Bay Colony who challenged Puritan religious leaders.

CONTEXT: She emphasized a personal relationship with God and questioned the authority of male religious leaders.

ANALYZE: Her challenge to religious and political authority led to her banishment; she later settled in Rhode Island.

REMEMBER: Remember: Anne = challenged Puritan authority.

5. Boston Tea Party

DEFINE: A 1773 protest in which colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.

CONTEXT: Colonists protested British taxation and the Tea Act. The Sons of Liberty were associated with the protest.

ANALYZE: Britain responded with the Intolerable Acts, increasing tensions and pushing the colonies closer to revolution.

REMEMBER: Remember: Tea → protest → punishment → Revolution.

6. Declaration of Independence

DEFINE: A document adopted July 4, 1776, declaring that the American colonies were independent from Britain.

CONTEXT: Thomas Jefferson wrote the main draft. It was influenced by Enlightenment ideas such as natural rights and government by consent.

ANALYZE: It formally announced independence and explained why the colonies believed they had the right to separate from Britain.

REMEMBER: Remember: 1776 = America declares independence.

7. Thomas Paine

DEFINE: A writer and revolutionary who encouraged American colonists to support independence.

CONTEXT: In Common Sense, published in 1776, Paine argued that the colonies should become independent from Britain.

ANALYZE: His writing made the argument for independence easier for ordinary colonists to understand and increased support for the Revolution.

REMEMBER: Remember: Paine = Common Sense = Independence

8. Witch Hunts

DEFINE: The persecution of people accused of practicing witchcraft.

CONTEXT: Witch hunts occurred in Europe and colonial America. The most famous colonial example was the Salem witch trials of 1692–1693.

ANALYZE: They show how fear, religion, social tensions, and accusations could lead communities to punish people without reliable evidence.

REMEMBER: Remember: Fear + accusations + religion → witch hunts.

9. The Enlightenment

DEFINE: An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, individual rights, and questioning traditional authority.

CONTEXT: It became influential in Europe during the 1600s and 1700s and influenced American political thinkers.

ANALYZE: It helped shape ideas such as natural rights, liberty, and government based on the consent of the people.

REMEMBER: Remember: Reason + Natural Rights + Question Authority.

10. Absolutism

DEFINE: A system in which a monarch has very strong or nearly unlimited political power.

CONTEXT: European monarchs such as Louis XIV of France used absolutism and ideas such as divine right.

ANALYZE: Enlightenment thinkers challenged the idea that kings should have unlimited authority.

REMEMBER: Remember: Absolutism = king has major power.

11. Treaty of Paris — 1763

DEFINE: The treaty that ended the Seven Years' War.

CONTEXT: Britain defeated France and gained major territory in North America.

ANALYZE: Britain became dominant in North America, but war debt contributed to new colonial taxes.

REMEMBER: Remember: 1763 = Britain beats France.

Treaty of Paris 1783

DEFINE: The treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War.

CONTEXT: Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation.

ANALYZE: It formally ended the war and established the United States as an independent country.

REMEMBER: Remember: 1783 = Britain recognizes America.

12. Fall of the Bastille

DEFINE: The July 14, 1789 attack on the Bastille prison in Paris during the French Revolution.

CONTEXT: French people were angry about political inequality, economic problems, and the power of the monarchy.

ANALYZE: It became a major symbol of the French Revolution and the challenge to royal authority.

REMEMBER: Remember: Bastille = French Revolution = 1789.

13. Benjamin Franklin

DEFINE: An American writer, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and political leader.

CONTEXT: Franklin participated in colonial politics and the American Revolution and helped negotiate French support for the American cause.

ANALYZE: His diplomacy helped the Revolution because France became an important ally against Britain.

REMEMBER: Remember: Franklin = Founding Father + France + Revolution.

14. Toussaint L'Ouverture

DEFINE: A major leader of the Haitian Revolution who was formerly enslaved.

CONTEXT: He became a military and political leader during the revolution in the French colony of Saint-Domingue.

ANALYZE: He played a major role in the fight against slavery and French control, helping move Saint-Domingue toward independence.

REMEMBER: Remember: Toussaint = leader of Haitian Revolution.

15. Haitian Revolution

DEFINE: A revolution in Saint-Domingue from 1791–1804 in which enslaved people fought against slavery and colonial rule.

CONTEXT: It occurred while France was experiencing its own revolution. Toussaint L'Ouverture became an important leader.

ANALYZE: It resulted in independent Haiti in 1804 and challenged slavery and European colonial power.

REMEMBER: Remember: Enslaved people revolt → Haiti becomes independent.

16. Articles of Confederation

DEFINE: The first national governing system of the United States, used before the Constitution.

CONTEXT: It created a weak central government because Americans feared another powerful government after fighting Britain.

ANALYZE: The government struggled because it could not effectively tax, regulate trade, or enforce many national decisions. These weaknesses contributed to the Constitution.

REMEMBER: Remember: Articles = weak national government.

17. Northwest Ordinance

DEFINE: A 1787 law that created a system for governing and admitting new states from the Northwest Territory.

CONTEXT: The territory was land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River.

ANALYZE: It created an organized process for territories to become states and prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.

REMEMBER: Remember: Northwest Ordinance = territories → future states.

18. Alexander Hamilton

DEFINE: A Founding Father and the first Secretary of the Treasury.

CONTEXT: Hamilton wanted a stronger federal government and a stronger national economy.

ANALYZE: He supported a national bank, federal assumption of state debts, and a stronger financial system, strengthening the new federal government.

REMEMBER: Remember: Hamilton = money + strong government.

19. War of 1812

DEFINE: A war between the United States and Britain from 1812–1815.

CONTEXT: Major causes included British interference with American trade, impressment of American sailors, and British support for Native resistance to U.S. expansion.

ANALYZE: It increased American nationalism, weakened the Federalist Party, and encouraged growth in American manufacturing.

REMEMBER: Remember: Britain + U.S. → 1812–1815 → nationalism.

20. Bill of Rights

DEFINE: The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791.

CONTEXT: Anti-Federalists worried that the new federal government might become too powerful, so protections for individual rights were added.

ANALYZE: It protects important freedoms and limits the government's ability to violate certain individual rights.

REMEMBER: Remember: Bill of Rights = first 10 amendments = individual freedoms.