Key Presidents and Events: 1491-Present

These flashcards focus on key presidents and significant events spanning from 1491 to the present, reflecting major milestones in American history.

Columbus

Explored the Americas in 1492; credited with opening the New World to European colonization.

Encomienda

A system that allowed Spanish colonists to exploit Native American labor and land.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in America, established in 1607.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A 1676 uprising in Virginia against Governor William Berkeley's administration, led by Nathaniel Bacon.

Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the American colonies during the early 18th century.

Mercantilism

An economic policy that emphasized the role of the state in managing international trade and colonial resources.

Treaty of Paris 1763

Ended the French and Indian War; recognized British dominance in North America.

Stamp Act

A 1765 British law imposing a direct tax on the colonies, requiring printed materials to have a tax stamp.

Boston Tea Party

A political protest by the Sons of Liberty in 1773 against British taxation, notably the Tea Act.

Declaration of Independence

A 1776 document declaring the American colonies free from British rule.

Constitutional Convention

A 1787 meeting in Philadelphia to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Whiskey Rebellion

A 1794 uprising in Pennsylvania against federal excise taxes, representing a challenge to federal authority.

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 acquisition of territory from France, which doubled the size of the United States.

War of 1812

A conflict between the United States and Britain, often seen as a second war for American independence.

Missouri Compromise

An 1820 agreement that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. policy that opposed European colonialism in the Americas, articulated in 1823.

California Gold Rush

A mass migration to California in 1849 triggered by the discovery of gold.

Dred Scott Case

An 1857 Supreme Court decision that ruled African Americans could not be American citizens.

Emancipation Proclamation

A 1863 declaration by Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate-held territory.

Transcontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869; it connected the eastern U.S. to the West, facilitating transport and commerce.

Spanish-American War

A conflict in 1898 between the U.S. and Spain, resulting in U.S. territorial gains.

New Deal

A series of programs and reforms instituted by Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Watergate Scandal

A political scandal in the 1970s involving President Nixon’s administration and the subsequent cover-up.