history

New England Colonies

Northern colonies with rocky soil and natural harbors economy based on shipbuilding fishing whaling and subsistence farming

Middle Colonies

Breadbasket colonies with fertile soil and rivers produced grain and wheat for trade more diverse economy

Southern Colonies

Colonies with long growing season and fertile soil economy based on cash crops like tobacco rice and indigo grown on plantations using slave labor

Subsistence farming

Growing just enough food to feed your own family with little surplus for trade

Cash crops

Crops grown specifically for sale and profit rather than personal use tobacco rice and indigo in Southern colonies

Plantations

Large agricultural estates in the South that relied on enslaved labor to produce cash crops for export

Natural harbors

Protected coastal areas in New England that facilitated shipbuilding and maritime trade

Rocky soil

Poor quality soil in New England that made large-scale farming difficult and encouraged other industries

Breadbasket colonies

Middle colonies that produced large amounts of grain and wheat becoming the bread basket for the colonies

Fertile soil

Rich productive soil in Middle and Southern colonies that enabled successful farming

Long growing season

Extended warm weather in Southern colonies allowing multiple harvests and cash crop cultivation

Slavery

System of forced labor where African Americans were enslaved to work on Southern plantations producing cash crops

Manifest Destiny

Belief that American expansion across North America was justified and inevitable drove westward expansion in 1800s

Louisiana Purchase 1803

Jeffersons purchase of Louisiana Territory from France for 15 million dollars doubled size of United States

Missouri Compromise 1820

Agreement that admitted Missouri as slave state and Maine as free state established 36°30′ line dividing future slave and free territories

36°30′ line

Boundary line established by Missouri Compromise slavery allowed south of this line in new territories but prohibited north of it

Maine

Admitted as free state in 1820 to balance Missouri as slave state maintained equal representation in Senate

Indian Removal

Policy of forcing Native American tribes to relocate west of Mississippi River to open land for white settlement

Mexican-American War 1846-48

War between US and Mexico over Texas and western territories US victory led to massive territorial gains in Southwest

Slave vs free states

Ongoing political battle over whether new states would permit slavery crucial for maintaining Senate balance of power

Oregon Trail

Overland route used by settlers traveling west to Oregon Territory during westward expansion

Andrew Jackson

President who championed and enforced Indian Removal policies saw Native Americans as obstacle to expansion

Indian Removal Act 1830

Law authorizing forced relocation of Native American tribes from Southeast to lands west of Mississippi River

Trail of Tears 1838-39

Forced march of Cherokee and other tribes to Oklahoma thousands died from disease exposure and starvation

Worcester v Georgia 1832

Supreme Court ruled Georgia laws had no force on Cherokee territory Jackson ignored ruling and removal continued

Indian Boarding Schools

Institutions designed to assimilate Native American children by suppressing their culture language and traditions

Cherokee

One of Five Civilized Tribes forcibly removed during Trail of Tears adopted many European-American practices but still expelled

Oklahoma

Territory where southeastern Native American tribes were relocated during Indian Removal became destination of Trail of Tears

Choctaw

One of Five Civilized Tribes forcibly removed from their lands in the Southeast to Oklahoma

Chickasaw

One of Five Civilized Tribes removed from Southeast to Oklahoma during Indian Removal

Creek

One of Five Civilized Tribes forcibly relocated westward during Trail of Tears

Seminole

One of Five Civilized Tribes that resisted removal and fought wars against US government in Florida

Declaration of Independence 1776

Document declaring American independence from Britain written primarily by Thomas Jefferson

Jeffersons 3 truths

Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness are unalienable rights all men are created equal government derives power from consent of the governed

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas about natural rights and right of resistance influenced Jefferson and Declaration

Natural rights

Rights that all people are born with that cannot be taken away life liberty and property according to Locke

Right of resistance

Lockes principle that people can overthrow a government that violates their natural rights

Gettysburg Address 1863

Lincolns speech at Civil War battlefield redefining war as fight for equality and testing whether democratic nation can survive

I Have a Dream 1963

MLK Jrs speech at Lincoln Memorial during March on Washington called for racial equality and end to discrimination

Lincoln Memorial

Monument where MLK delivered I Have a Dream speech symbolic connection between Lincolns emancipation and Civil Rights Movement

Promissory Note

MLKs metaphor that Declaration and Constitution were promises of equality that America had defaulted on for African Americans

Constitutional Convention 1787

Meeting in Philadelphia where delegates created the Constitution to replace failed Articles of Confederation

Great Compromise

Agreement creating bicameral legislature with House based on population and Senate with equal representation per state

3/5ths Compromise

Slaves would count as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes gave South more political power

Commerce Compromise

Agreement that Congress could regulate interstate and foreign trade but not tax exports protected Southern agriculture

Electoral Compromise Electoral College

System where president is elected by electors chosen by each state rather than direct popular vote result of Electoral Compromise

Representative democracy

System where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf form of government established by Constitution

Slave-holding states

Southern states that demanded protections for slavery and more representation in exchange for ratifying Constitution

White supremacy

Belief that white people are superior to other races undergirded slavery and many political compromises

Articles of Confederation 1781-89

First US government creating weak central authority with most power in states proved ineffective

Constitution 1789

Document establishing current federal government with separation of powers and checks and balances

Bill of Rights 1791

First ten amendments to Constitution guaranteeing individual liberties and rights demanded by Anti-Federalists

Federalists vs Anti Federalists

Federalists supported Constitution and strong central government Anti-Federalists opposed it and demanded Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties

Ratification

Process of officially approving Constitution required approval by nine states debate centered on federalism and rights

Separation of powers

Division of government into three branches legislative executive judicial to prevent concentration of power

Checks and balances

System where each branch of government can limit powers of the other branches to prevent tyranny

Brown v Board of Education 1954

Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional declaring separate is inherently unequal overturned Plessy

Plessy v Ferguson 1896

Supreme Court upheld separate but equal doctrine allowing racial segregation in public facilities

14th Amendment 1868

Amendment guaranteeing equal protection under law and citizenship to all born in US used in Brown decision and other civil rights cases

Equal Protection Clause

Part of 14th Amendment requiring states to provide equal protection under law basis for challenging discrimination

Segregation

Legal separation of races in public facilities schools and society enforced by Jim Crow laws in South

Doll test

Psychological study showing Black children preferred white dolls demonstrated harm of segregation used as evidence in Brown case

Judicial review

Supreme Court power to declare laws unconstitutional established in Marbury v Madison used to strike down segregation

Declaration of Sentiments 1848

Document from Seneca Falls Convention modeled on Declaration of Independence demanded womens rights including suffrage

Feme covert laws

Legal doctrine treating married women as having no independent legal identity all property belonged to husbands

19th Amendment 1920

Amendment granting women the right to vote culmination of decades of suffragist activism

Suffrage

The right to vote womens suffrage movement fought for women to gain this right

Civil Rights Act 1964

Law prohibiting discrimination based on race color religion sex or national origin major victory for civil rights and womens rights

Title IX 1972

Federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding increased womens sports opportunities

Roe v Wade 1973

Supreme Court ruled abortion was constitutional right under privacy protections overturned in 2022

ERA Equal Rights Amendment

Proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights regardless of sex passed Congress but never ratified by enough states

Issues-based feminism

Modern feminist approach focusing on specific policy issues and intersectionality rather than universal womens experience

Gender identity

Persons internal sense of their gender which may or may not align with sex assigned at birth

Gender binary vs spectrum

Binary views gender as only male or female spectrum recognizes gender as range of identities

Intersectionality

Framework recognizing overlapping systems of discrimination based on race class gender sexuality etc

Cancel culture

Practice of withdrawing support from public figures or companies after objectionable statements or actions

Stonewall Riots 1969

Spontaneous uprising by LGBTQ+ community against police raid at Stonewall Inn in NYC launched modern gay rights movement

AIDS epidemic 1980s

Devastating health crisis that disproportionately affected gay men government response was slow and inadequate

ACT UP

AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power activist organization that fought for AIDS research funding and treatment access

Lawrence v Texas 2003

Supreme Court struck down anti-sodomy laws as unconstitutional violation of liberty and privacy

Anti-sodomy laws

State laws criminalizing same-sex sexual activity struck down by Lawrence v Texas decision

Obergefell v Hodges 2015

Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage is constitutional right under 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause

Same-sex marriage

Legal marriage between two people of same gender recognized nationwide after Obergefell decision