United Kingdom and United States History Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering British and American history.

Great Britain

Geographical/political term referring to the island containing England, Wales, and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland.

United Kingdom

Political term referring to the territory under the English crown, including England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

British Isles

Geographical term referring to Great Britain and Ireland.

Albion

The name of Great Britain before the Roman invasion.

Britannia

The name given to England by the Romans.

King Edgar of Wessex

The first king of England to rule over a territory large enough to establish the foundations of the Old English Kingdom.

King Edward “The Confessor

He restored the Wessex dynasty after years of Danish invasion but died childless in 1066 AD.

William I (the Conqueror)

Governed under Norman rule after the succession issue of King Edward 'The Confessor'.

Magna Carta

A charter of liberties signed in 1215 that limited royal rights; considered England’s first written Constitution.

Treaty of Salisbury

Treaty in 1289 forced by Edward I (England) which consisted of the marriage between Margaret and Edward II in the future, merging the dynasties.

Declaration of Arbroath

Document in 1320 reaffirming Scottish independence.

War of the Two Roses

Fights between the children of Edward III resulting in succession problems.

Henry VII

Tudor king who defeated Richard III and ended the War of the Two Roses.

Protestant Reformation

A European movement that began in Germany in the 1510s that affected doctrine, liturgy and the organization of the Church.

Act of Restraint of Appeals

Act proclaimed in 1533 by Henry VIII, declaring the English Church as self-sufficient.

Mary I (Bloody Mary)

Convinced Catholic queen who persecuted Protestantism in England.

Elizabeth I

Queen who favored Protestant settlement and rebranded the role of the Crown as “Supreme Governor of the Church”.

Oliver Cromwell

Leader of the English Republic who imposed an authoritarian military regime.

The Restoration

The return of the monarchy to England with Charles II.

Glorious Revolution

The overthrow of King James II of England by William III of Orange.

Jacobitism

The support for James II and his descendants as heirs to the throne.

George I

King named after Anne died, descendant of James I.

East India Company

Company created in 1600 to trade with Asian territories for spices. The beginning of the British Empire in India.

Francis Bacon

Philosopher (1561-1626) that popularized the concept that God intended people to regain the mastery over nature they had lost with Adam’s fall from grace.

British Royal Society of 1660

Created to “promote” science with the aim of bringing glory and progress to the nation under monarchical direction and patronage.

George III

He dealt with the parliamentary union with Ireland to ensure unity in the face of a constant foreign threat.

Reform Act

Proposal for a new, more representative electoral system extended the right to vote by 50% (English male electorate) and a change in the representation in Parliament.

Queen Victoria

Throned as Queen Victoria (1837-1901). In 1840 she married Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a key figure for the kingdom.

Chartism

Movement that sought political rights for the working class.

The Capital

Karl Marx's work, It is the moment for class identity.

Factory Acts (1833-1874)

Regulated employment conditions.

Laissez faire

Full freedom of the system

Women’s Social and Political Union

Organization was around, led by the Pankhurst family.

conservative counterculture

A New Right embodied in new religious, moral and political groups, as a reaction against the effervescence of the 1960s and the “new voices” introduced into the public arena (women, blacks, activists, homosexuals, students…)

Windsor

Dynasty line of George V (1910-1936), changed due to growing anti- German sentiment in public opinion.

Trade of Disputes Act of 1906

Guaranteed immunity to unions from actions for damages resulting from strikes.

National Insurance Act of 1911

Provided unemployment assistance.

Great Britain entered the war

When Germany invaded Belgium and threatened to invade France, created a domino effect.

the war of the trenches

Trenches filled with crated and barbed wire that they had to cross to attack the enemy, exposed.

Labour Party

New political formation, caused by a shift in power and the political crisis within the Liberal Party.

BBC

Created in 1926, along with new cultural and leisure activities, like radio and cinema.

Wallis Simpson

Twice-divorced American socialite that Edward VIII resigned to marry.

USA - Virginia Company

The first English settlement in 1606 on the Chesapeake Bay, supplied goods previously provided by other world powers (furs, timber, wine, salt…).

USA - Bacon’s Rebellion

Challenged the distribution of land and opportunities.

USA - Pequot tribe

In 1637, the reaction of the harassed tribe resulted in attacks on the Connecticut settlers.

USA - Quakers

Uphold the concept of the priesthood of all believers.

USA - George Washington

Elected president in 1789.

Hamilton

Federalists.

Jefferson

Democratic republican.

Monroe Doctrine

In 1986, William McKinley won the presidential election.

Manhattan Project

The secret Project for testing the atomic bomb.