American History Midterm

Articles of Confederation

the first national constitution, unicameral legislature

Bacon’s Rebellion

an uprising of people who believed that Virginia government was impeding their access to land and wealth

Boston Massacre

a confrontation between a crowd of Bostonians and British soldiers

Coercive Acts

four acts that Lord North passed to punish Massachusetts for destroying the tea and refusing to pay for the damage

Committees of Correspondence

colonial shadow governments that coordinated plans of resistance against the British

Crusades

expeditions made by Christian Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims

Dunmore’s Proclamation

proclaimed that any enslaved or indentured servants who fought on the side of the British would be rewarded with their freedom

Enlightenment

emphasized reason and science over superstition, religion, and tradition

First Great Awakening

a Protestant revival that emphasized emotional, experiential faith over book learning

Glorious Revolution

the overthrow of James II

Indenture

a labor contract that promised young men money and land after they worked for a set period of years

Loyalist

colonists in America who were loyal to Great Britain

Middle Passage

deadly transatlantic crossing of ships carrying captured Africans to the New World

No Taxation without Representation

the colonists needed to be represented in Parliament if they were to be taxed

Privateers

sea captains who had given permission to raid Spanish ships at will

Protestant Reformation

the schism in Catholicism that began with Martin Luther and John Calvin

Salutary Neglect

the laxness in the enforcement of the Navigation Acts

Sons of Liberty

artisans, shopkeepers, and small-time merchants who opposed the Stamp Act

Whiskey Rebellion

a tax on whisky that erupted in four western Pennsylvania counties

Embargo of 1807

prohibited American ships from leaving their ports until Britain and France stopped seizing them on the high seas

Black Death

two strains of the bubonic plague that swept Europe, causing the death of nearly half the population

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, which guarantee individual rights

Chattel Slavery

a system of servitude in which people are treated as personal property to be bought and sold

Columbian Exchange

the movement of plants, animals, and diseases across the Atlantic due to European exploration of the Americas

Common Sense

argument for independence rejecting monarchy and questioning the right of England to rule over America

Dominion of New England

made up of all the colonies from New Haven to Massachusetts and later New York and New Jersey

Encomienda

legal rights to native labor as granted by the Spanish crown

Feudal Society

serfs and knights provided labor and military service to noble lords, receiving protection and land use in return

French and Indian War

between Great Britain and France, leading to a British victory

Impressment

the practice of capturing sailors and forcing them into military service

Intolerable Acts

the name the colonists gave to the Coercive Acts

Mercantilism

the principle that nations should control trade to ensure a favorable balance of trade

Navigation Acts

mercantilist laws enacted in order to control trade with the colonies

Pilgrims

established the first English settlement in New England

Popular Sovereignty

allowed the citizens to decide issues based on majority rule

Republicanism

the states should be governed by representatives

Shay’s Rebellion

veterans of war who wanted their debts to be taken away

Stamp Act Congress

the members of the first congress

XYZ Affair

the French attempt to extract a bribe from the United States during the Quasi-War

Marbury vs. Madison

establishing the Supreme Court’s powers of judicial review