hist 225 key terms study

beringea

submerged landmass that used to bridge the gap between north america and asia

* connecting what are now alaska and russia with dry land

mayans

modern day group of people who live across the globe and their ancestors who built an ancient civilization that stretched across much of central america

aztecs

native american people who dominated northern mexico at the time of the spanish conquest in the ealry 16th century

columbian exchange

process by which commodities, people, and diseases crossed the atlantic

protestant reformation

religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s

calvinism

stresses the literal truth of the bible, views the church where christ is head and all members are equal under him

roanoke

england’s first colony in north america

* settlers would have been the first permanent English colony in the new world, had the settlers not disappeared owing to unknown circumstances

headrights

legal grant of land given to settlers during the period of european colonization in the americas

* most notable for their role in the expansion of the 13 colonies

push factors

something that makes people want to leave a place or escape from a particular situation

* poverty, famine, war, religious persecution

pull factors

the reasons that an individual might settle in a particular country

* employment, education, religious freedom, higher living standards

enclosure

the consolidation of communal fields and lands in western europe into carefully delineated and individually owned and managed farm plots of modern times

indentured servants

form of labor where an individual is under contract to work without a salary to repay an indenture or loan within a certain timeframe

monoculture

the deliberate cultivation of only one single crop in a large land area

slave codes

any of the set of rules based on the concept that enslaved persons were property, not persons

bacon’s rebellion

last major uprising of enslaved blacks and white indentured servants in colonial virginia

* rushed the hardening of racial lines dealing with slavery

puritanism

religious reform movement in the late 16th and 17th centuries that sought to purify the church of england of remnants of the roman catholic

* sought to extricate anglicanism from the influences of catholicism

utopian society

an ideal society that does not exist in reality

covenant

formal promises that were made under oath

calling

the sense of ‘vocation, profession, trade, occupation’ trades

separatists

group of puritans who wanted to completely separate themselves from the church of england

plymouth colony

first english settlement in the region of modern-day new england in the us

* established a self-governing agreement of their own - ‘mayflower compact’first

massachusetts bay colony

first english chartered colony whose board of governors did not reside in england

glorious revolution

permanently established parliament as the ruling power of england

* represented a shift from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy

mercantilism

dominant economic system from the 16th century to the 18th century

* based on the idea that a nation’s wealth and power were best served by increasing exports and reducing imports

navigation acts

series of laws passed by the british parliament that imposed restrictions on colonial trade

* decreased dependence on foreign imported goods

subsistence vs. commercial agriculture

* subsistence: form of faring where nearly all the crops/livestock are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer’s family
* commercial: process of growing food for the purpose of selling it as a business venture

virtual vs. direct representation

* virtual: members of a representative body represent the entire country
* direct: citizens choose their representatives in a legislature

great awakening

religious revival that impacted the english colonies in america

albany congress

conference that advocated a union of the british colonies in north america for their security and defense against the french

albany plan of union

plan to place the british north american colonies under a more centralized government

seven years’ war

* crucial turning point in canadian history
* laid the bicultural foundations of modern canada

proclamation of 1763

designated the region between the appalachian mountains and the mississippi river as indian territory

imperial crisis

the colonists living in america were fighting for their right not to be deprived of their property without their consent

sugar act of 1764

the first time parliament charged a tax on the american colonies for the purpose of generating revenue

stamp act of 1765

imposed a tax on all papers and official documents in the american colonies, though not in england

townshend duties of 1767

series of measures, passed by the britisth parliament, that taxed goods imported to the american colonies

american board of customs commissioners

board whose purpose was to stop colonial smuggling and the rampant corruption of local officials who were often complicit in such illegal trade

vice-admiralty courts

served to resolve disputes among merchants and seamen

nonimportation agreements

* result of britain’s attempt to find new sources of revenue for colonial defense and administration
* required american colonies to purchase english goods over those from foreign lands

boston massacre

* helped to unite the colonies against britain
* became a turning point in the beginnings of the american revolution

committees of correspondence

emergency provisional governments set up in the 13 american colonies in response to british policies leading up to the revolutionary war

tea act

gave all control of the trade and delivery of tea to the east india tea company

boston tea party

* american colonists dumped shiploads of tea into the water to protest a british tax on tea
* fueled the tension that had already begun between britain and america

coercive/intolerable acts

series of laws that restricted trade and increased british control in boston

quartering act

required the colonies to house british soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies

quebec act

guaranteed the freedom of worship and restored french property rights

1st continental congress

provided leadership during the american revolution and drafted the declaration of independence and the articles of confederation

lexington and concord

* kicked off the american revolutionary war

2nd continental congress

* appointed george washington commander in chief of the army
* approved the declaration of independence

olive branch petition

colonists’ last ditch effort to make peace with the british king and avoid a war between britain and the colonies

common sense

* written by thomas paine
* challenged the authority of the british government and the royal monarchy

declaration of independence

document that officially records the proclamation that the us is an independent country from great britain

critical period

when the new nation suffered crippling economic, political, and foreign policy problems that threatened its independence

state constitutions

set of laws that a state develops that is unique to the state in which it was written

property qualifications

rule by which those without property are not enfranchised to vote, stand for election or to hold offices

articles of confederation

first constitution of the 13 independent American colonies

ordinance of 1784

outlawed slavery in the territory and stated that ‘free males of full age’ could form a temporary government

land ordidance of 1785

ownership of the vast lands in the Northwest Territory would be legally transferred from the federal government to states and individual landowners

northwest ordinance of 1787

* chartered a government for the northwest territory
* provided a method for admitting new states to the union from the territory
* listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory

shay’s rebellion

series of violence attacks on courthouses and other government properties in Massachusetts

federal vs. states rights

* federal: powers of congress and the tenth amendment
* state: political powers held for state governments

constitutional convention

formal meeting held in 1787 for the purpose of creating a constitution for the US

virginia plan

proposal for the creation of a supreme national government with 3 branches and a bicameral legislature

3/5 compromise

determined that 3 out of every 5 slaves were counted when determining a state’s total population for legislative representation and taxation

federalist debate

argued for counterbalancing branches of government

* separation of powers among 3 branches of government protected the rights of the people

anti-federalist debate

argued against the expansion of national power

states rights

emphasizes the rights of individual states to fight the power of the us government

bill of rights

first 10 amendments of the constitution

federalist

argued for a strong central government

democratic republican

believed state governments should be stronger than the central government

political factions

group of individuals that share a common political purpose

political parties

political group that is a part of the electoral process and who can support candidates for elections on a regular basis

whiskey rebellion

violent tax protest

* first tax imposed on a domestic product on the newly formed federal government

mixed economy

system that combines aspects of both capitalism and socialism

agrarian republic (yeoman farmers)

political and social philosophy that promoted subsistence agriculture, smallholdings, and egalitarianism

strict interpretation of the constitution

the constitution should be interpreted and applied based on a precise reading of the text and the text alone

loose interpretation of the constitution

the document permitted everything that it did not expressly forbid

elastic clause

granted congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers

alien and sedition acts

series of 4 controversial laws passed by US congress that applied restrictions to immigration and speech

louisiana purchase

purchase of imperial rights to the western half of the mississippi river basin from france by the us in 1803