American History Lecture Notes

Comprehensive practice flashcards reviewing American History lecture notes by Mr. Cyprian Probity Okwudiogor, covering early settlement, colonial regions, the Enlightenment, the Revolutionary War, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Progressive Era, World War I, and the Roaring Twenties.

What were the three primary reasons early settlers traveled to America?

To seek economic opportunity, escape religious persecution, and gain political liberty.

Why did the Mormons move westward to Utah?

To build isolated communities safe from religious hostility.

What initial labor system involved poor Britons working for about seven years in exchange for boat passage?

Indentured servitude.

What goods and knowledge were initially exchanged between indigenous groups and European colonists?

Indigenous groups traded furs, corn, and survival knowledge in exchange for European metal tools, textiles, and firearms.

What percentage of indigenous populations collapsed in many regions due to Old World diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza?

Between $50\%$ to $90\%$ (with overall health collapse estimates ranging from $75\%$ to $95\%$).

How did European and Native American concepts of land ownership differ?

Europeans viewed land as private property that could be individually bought and sold, whereas many native groups practiced communal land use.

What major military conflicts erupted between colonists and indigenous groups due to agricultural expansion?

The Powhatan attacks in Jamestown, the Pequot War, and Metacom's War.

Which colonies made up the New England region, and what was their economic focus?

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; their economy focused on maritime industries including fishing, whaling, shipbuilding, and transatlantic shipping.

Why were literacy rates particularly high in the New England colonies?

High literacy was driven by the religious requirement that every citizen must read the Bible.

Why were the Middle Colonies nicknamed the 'Breadbasket'?

Because of their fertile soil, moderate climate, and wide, navigable rivers, which supported large-scale grain farming of wheat, barley, and oats.

Which cash crops defined the plantation economy of the Southern Colonies?

Tobacco, rice, indigo, and cotton.

What core political principles did John Locke contribute to American democratic ideals?

The theory of natural rights (life, liberty, and property), the social contract, and the right to revolt against a government that fails to protect natural rights.

How did Baron de Montesquieu influence the structure of the United States government?

His model inspired the separation of powers into three distinct branches—Legislative, Executive, and Judicial—interlocked via checks and balances to prevent tyranny.

How did the First Great Awakening contribute to the revolutionary spirit in colonial America?

It democratized religion by emphasizing personal spiritual experience and individual agency, encouraging colonists to question traditional authority and established religious hierarchies.

How did the intellectual basis of the Enlightenment differ from that of the Great Awakening?

The Enlightenment emphasized reason, science, and evidence, whereas the Great Awakening emphasized personal spiritual experience over formal doctrine.

What was the colonists' primary objection to British parliamentary acts like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts?

'Taxation without representation'—they were forced to pay taxes without having a voice or consent in Parliament.

What took place during the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775?

Colonial minutemen confronted British troops in Massachusetts, marking the first military engagements of the American Revolution and the 'Shot heard round the world.'

What strategic benefit resulted from Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold capturing Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775?

They seized artillery that was later used in the siege of Boston.

What daring maneuver did George Washington execute at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776?

He led a surprise crossing of the Delaware River to defeat British-allied Hessian forces in New Jersey.

Why is the Battle of Saratoga (September–October 1777) considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War?

American forces under General Horatio Gates defeated British General John Burgoyne, convincing France to enter the war as an American ally with military and financial support.

What was the significance of the Siege of Yorktown in 1781?

Combined American and French forces trapped British General Cornwallis in Virginia, forcing his surrender and effectively ending major combat operations.

What operational precedent did George Washington establish as the first president to show the nation was ruled by law?

The peaceful two-term limit.

What key measures did Alexander Hamilton take as the first Secretary of the Treasury to stabilize the post-war economy?

He established a National Bank, assumed state war debts, and crafted commercial and trade frameworks.

How did representation in Congress differ between the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution?

Under the Articles, Congress was unicameral and each state had one vote; under the Constitution, it is bicameral with equal representation in the Senate (two per state) and population-based representation in the House.

What voting threshold was required to amend the Articles of Confederation versus the U.S. Constitution?

The Articles required unanimous consent ($13\text{ out of }13\text{ states}$), while the Constitution requires two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states.

What domestic crisis highlighted the weakness of the central government under the Articles of Confederation and prompted calls for the Constitutional Convention?

Shays' Rebellion.

How did the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) resolve the debate between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?

It created a bicameral legislature featuring a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation (two senators per state).

What did the Three-Fifths Compromise establish?

Three out of every five enslaved people would be counted when determining a state's population for representation and taxation.

What restriction did the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise place on Congress?

It barred Congress from banning the transatlantic slave trade for $20\text{ years}$ (until $1808$).

How can Congress override a presidential veto under the system of checks and balances?

By a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress.

What individual protections are outlined in the Fourth Amendment?

Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring a warrant based on probable cause.

What legal rights are protected by the Fifth Amendment?

Due process, protection against double jeopardy, protection against self-incrimination, the requirement of a grand jury for major crimes, and just compensation for private property taken for public use (eminent domain).

What does the Tenth Amendment declare?

It reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states respectively, or to the people.

What state became the critical eleventh state to ratify the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791?

Virginia.

Which original proposed amendment submitted in 1789 was not ratified until 1992 as the 27th Amendment?

Article 2, which delayed congressional pay raises.

Which two Progressive Era antitrust laws were enacted to curb corporate monopolies and protect labor union strikes?

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of $1890$ and the Clayton Anti-Trust Act of $1914$.

What muckraking work by Upton Sinclair spurred the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906?

The novel 'The Jungle'.

What did the 17th Amendment (1913) establish?

The direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote instead of selection by state legislatures.

What settlement house was established by Jane Addams in Chicago in 1889 to aid poor immigrant neighborhoods?

Hull House.

How did urban political machines like Tammany Hall trade aid for political power with immigrants?

They provided basic social welfare, housing, jobs, and naturalization assistance in exchange for guaranteed votes and political loyalty.

What was Herbert Spencer's core argument regarding Social Darwinism and state intervention?

He coined 'survival of the fittest' and argued that government welfare or public assistance interfered with natural evolutionary processes by artificially preserving the 'unfit.'

What were the three key components of Theodore Roosevelt's 'Square Deal'?

Labor protection/fairness for average citizens, control of large corporations (trust-busting), and consumer safety.

How many antitrust lawsuits did President William Howard Taft launch during his administration?

Roughly $80\text{ antitrust suits}$ (more than Theodore Roosevelt).

What did the intercepted Zimmermann Telegram propose in 1917?

A military alliance between Germany and Mexico, offering German help for Mexico to reconquer lost territories in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if the U.S. entered the war.

What was the purpose of Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles?

Known as the 'War Guilt Clause,' it forced Germany to accept full responsibility for all loss and damage caused by World War I.

What did Point 14 of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points call for?

The creation of a 'general association of nations' (the League of Nations) to guarantee political independence and territorial integrity for all states.

Why did the commercial liquor and brewing industry strongly oppose women's suffrage?

Because suffragists and women's rights advocates heavily supported the temperance movement to ban alcohol.

What were the Palmer Raids during the First Red Scare?

Mass federal law enforcement raids directed by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and J. Edgar Hoover that arrested $3{,}000\text{ to }5{,}000+$ suspected foreign-born radicals without warrants.

What legislation in 1924 established strict national quotas to curb immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe?

The National Origins Act of $1924$.

What economic practices contributed directly to the Wall Street Crash of October 1929?

Widespread financial speculation, industrial overproduction, and buying stock 'on margin.'