Foundations of Governance and Historical Milestones

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering government branches, historical amendments, major wars, ancient civilizations, and colonial settlements.

Executive Branch

The branch of government charged with the responsibility of carrying out and enforcing laws.

Harry Truman

The President of the United States at the start of the Cold War in 1947.

France

The country whose colonial strategy in the Americas focused less on large settlements and more on trading posts and alliances with Indigenous peoples.

Monarchy

A type of government characterized by hereditary rule, often by a king or queen.

Judicial review

The legal principle established by the landmark Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison.

Citizen

An individual with the right to participate in the political process, distinguished from a subject who lacks such political rights.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

An organization that impacts globalism by promoting economic integration.

Direct rule

A colonial governance strategy in the 19th and 20th centuries that involved imposing colonial administrators to govern on behalf of the imperial power.

Confucianism

A system of thought that focuses on personal ethics and the fulfillment of one's role in society with propriety, honor, and loyalty.

Valleys

Physical landforms that offer natural protection from the wind and elements, encouraging groups to settle there.

Articles of Confederation

The document that established the first national government of the United States of America.

The Federalist Papers

A series of essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Popular sovereignty

The theory that the government derives its power from the consent of the governed.

Anti-federalists

Opponents of the U.S. Constitution who favored states' rights and were concerned about the lack of a bill of rights to protect civil liberties.

10th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that pertains to state’s rights.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery.

Tobacco

A staple crop in the Virginia colony that relied heavily on slave labor.

Mayflower Compact

A document signed by the Pilgrims in 1620 to create a framework for self-governancy.

Battle of Saratoga

The engagement commonly referred to as the turning point of the American Revolution.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The document that formally ended the American Revolutionary War.

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document asserting the American colonies' freedom from British rule.

Legislative Branch

The branch of government responsible for making laws, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Judicial Branch

The branch of government responsible for interpreting laws and ensuring they are applied fairly, headed by the Supreme Court.

Truman Doctrine

A policy designed to support nations resisting the spread of communism during the early years of the Cold War.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended World War I and imposed punitive conditions on Germany.

Radical Republicans

A group in Congress who fought for strong civil rights for African Americans following the Civil War.

Attack on Fort Sumter

The major event that marked the beginning of the Civil War.

Impressment

The British Navy's practice of forced enlistment of American sailors, which was a significant cause of the War of 1812.

Treaty of Ghent

The 1814 agreement that ended the War of 1812 by restoring pre-war boundaries.

365-day calendar

An innovation introduced by the ancient Egyptians to assist with agricultural planning.

Democracy

A major political achievement associated with the Greek Empire.

Roman Republic

The entity that established a republic form of government.

Ancient Egyptian Medicine

A field where early contributions included the practice of surgery and dentistry.

Great Pyramid of Giza

A massive tomb for the pharaoh Khufu that was typically aligned with the north-south axis.

Twelve Tables

The codification of Roman law, viewed as a major achievement of the Roman Empire.

Mercantilism

The economic system that drove European nations to explore and establish colonies in the Americas.

Battle of Gettysburg

The Civil War turning point where a Union victory halted General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The agreement that ended the Mexican-American War and established the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico.

15th Amendment

The 1870 amendment that granted African American men the right to vote.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

The 1989 event that symbolized the end of the Cold War.

Plymouth Colony

A settlement established in 1620 by Pilgrims seeking religious freedom.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

A colony established in 1630 by Puritans led by John Winthrop.

Connecticut Colony

A colony established in 1636 by Thomas Hooker.

Rhode Island Colony

A colony founded by Roger Williams based on the principles of religious tolerance.

New Haven Colony

A colony founded by John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton in 1638 that later became part of Connecticut.

New Hampshire

A region originally part of Massachusetts that became a separate colony in 1679.