United States History Cram Packet Flashcards

Key terms, people, and events in United States History

Treaty of Tordesillas

Divides world between Portugal and Spain.

John Cabot (1497)

Lands in North America.

Ponce de Leon (1513)

Claims Florida for Spain.

Verrazano (1524)

Explores North American Coast.

Hernando de Soto (1539-1542)

Explores the Mississippi River Valley.

Coronado (1540-1542)

Explores what will be the Southwestern United States.

St. Augustine (1565)

Spanish found the city of ___ in Florida.

Sir Francis Drake (1579)

Explores the coast of California.

Roanoke (1584 – 1587)

The lost colony

Jamestown (1607)

British establish ___ Colony – bad land, malaria, rich men, no gold.

Headright System

Land for population – people spread out.

Quebec (1608)

French establish colony at __.

1609

United Provinces establish claims in North America.

1614

Tabacco cultivation introduced in Virginia.

1619

First African slaves brought to British America.

House of Burgesses (1619)

Virginia begins representative assembly.

1620

Plymouth Colony is founded.

Mayflower Compact

Signed – agreed rule by majority

1624

New York founded by Dutch.

1629

Mass. Bay founded – “City Upon a Hill”

1629 (Mass. Bay)

Gov. Winthrop - Bi-cameral legislature, schools

1632

Maryland – for profit – proprietorship

1634

Roger Williams banished from Mass. Bay Colony

1635

Connecticut founded

1636

Rhode Island is founded

1636

Harvard College is founded

1638

Delaware founded – 1st church, 1st school

1649

Maryland Toleration Act – for Christains – latter repealed

Navigation Acts (1650-1696)

The ___ Acts are enacted by Parliament. - limited trade, put tax on items

1660

Half Way Covenant – get people back into church – erosion of Puritanism

1670

Charles II grants charter for Carolina colonies – Restoration Colony

1672

Blue Laws: Connecticut – death codes for disagreeing with parents or bible

Bacons (1676)

___ Rebellion – Virginia – Bacon wants frontier protection from royal Gov. Berkeley

1682

Pennsylvania is founded by William Penn. – Quaker – 1st library – center of thought

Dominion of New England

Attempt to unify Northern colonies to curb independence

1692

The Salem Witchcraft Trials.

1699-1750

Restrictions on colonial manufacturing.

1700’s

Enlightenment – reason, natural rights, diesm god made universe but doesn’t control it)

1702-1713

Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession).

1720 – 1740

Great Awakening – salvation for all, extreme piety, Divine Spirit

1733

Georgia Colony is founded – buffer state

Molasses (1733)

___ Act – import tax on molasses, sugar, rum – to curb trade with French West Indies – not strictly enforced

1735

Zenger Trial – victory for freedom of the press – truth is not libel

1740-1748

King George's War (War of the Austrian Succession).

French (1754-1763)

The ___ and Indian War - Over Ohio River Valley – trade / settlement

1754

Albany Plan of Union - for defense – fails and shows disunity of colonies

1761

Writs of assistance – search warrents to enforce Navigation acts

1763

Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War - French loose all territory

1763

Proclamation restricts settlement west of the Appalachians

Sugar (1764)

The __ Act – to raise revenue – England in debt - cut Molasses Act in half - objection – 1st direct tax – “No taxation without representation”

1764

Currency Acts – prevents printing of colonial money

Stamp (1765)

The___Act – tax on printed materials to “keep troops in colonies”

Stamp Act (1765)

Colonists don’t want standing army

1766

Quartering Act – colonies must support troops

Townshend (1767)

The ___Acts – tax lead, paint, paper, glass, tea

1770

The Boston Massacre

1772

Samuel Adams organizes the Committees of Correspondence.

1773

The Tea Act - reduces price to tea – gives England a monopoly

1773

Boston Tea Party – dump tea into sea

Intolerable (1774)

The __Acts – to punish Boston

1775

Battles of Lexington and Concord

1775

Second Continental Congress convenes.

1776

American Declaration of Independence

1777

Battle of Saratoga – turning point in Revolution

1777

Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation

1778

Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France – sends navy and army

1781

British surrender at Yorktown

1783

Treaty of Peace is signed – violated – Articles of Confederation weak

1785

Land Ordinance – government responsible over territory

1786

Shay's Rebellion – depression, no market, no hard currency, farmers poor

1787

Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia

1789

George Washington is inaugurated first President.

1791

The Bill of Rights is ratified

Whiskey (1794)

The ___Rebellion – poor farmers don’t want to pay excise tax

1795

Jay Treaty - with Britain – US will not trade with ports opened during war time that were closed . W A S H I N G T O N

1795

Pinckney’s Treaty – with Spain – free navigation of Mississippi River, right of deposit in New Orleans.

1796

Washington's Farewell Address – strong central government and foreign neutrality

1798

Alien and Sedition Acts – illegal to publish anything against government or president

1798-1799

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions – gave states right to nullify if unconstitutional

1803

Louisiana Purchase – Federalists oppose – establish loose construction of the Constitution

1803

Marbury vs. Madison - Supreme Court declares parts of the Judiciary Act of 1789

1807

US ship Leopard sunk by Br. for refusal to be searched

1809

Nonintercourse Act – resumes trade with all but France and Britain

War (1812-1814)

The __ of 1812 – to protest trade, stop impressment, protect mercantilism

1814

Treaty of Ghent – ends war with a status-quo

1816

2nd Bank of U.S. created

1819

Transcontinental Treaty - Get Florida from Spain

1820

Missouri Compromise – Main admitted as free state and Missouri a slave state

1823

Monroe Doctrine declared – No future colonization of this hemisphere

Election John Quincy Adams (1824)

Jacksons “Corrupt Bargain”

1828

South Carolina Exposition and Protest – by Calhoun – reaffirms right of state to nullify

1830s

The Second Great Awakening.

1831-1838

The Trail of Tears--Southern Indians are removed to Oklahoma.

1835-1836

Texas War for Independence – “Lone Star Republic”

1840

Independent Treasury System – constructs vaults to hold federal money

Election of 1844

Polk (Dem) defeats Clay (Whig) and Birney (Liberty – anti-slavery)

1846-1848

Mexican-American War- Gen. Taylor provokes Mexicans by moving into disputed Rio-Grande / Neuces River

1848

Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California.

of 1850

Clay’s Compromise __ – passes as separate acts during Fillmore

1852

Commodore Matthew Perry opens Japan to US trade