U.S. History Practice Flashcards: Colonial America to Manifest Destiny

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering major events, figures, and concepts from the colonial era through the mid-$$19^{th}$$ century based on lecture notes.

Pre-Columbian Native Americans

Peoples who were mostly nomadic and regulated their own tribes and communities; they were later impacted by European diseases and the introduction of horses.

Maryland

A Chesapeake colony established as a religious refuge for Catholics.

Tobacco

The primary cash crop that led to the success of the Virginia and Maryland colonies.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system common in the southern colonies where landowners used the labor of others to grow crops cheaply.

Puritans

English Protestant settlers who arrived in the New World seeking to keep the Church pure and established a way of life centered around family, town, and church.

John Winthrop

The Puritan leader who established the ideal of a "city upon a hill" to symbolize the colony as an example for others.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement created by the Puritans before leaving their ship to establish rules, order, and the idea of self-governance.

Dominion of New England

An attempt by England to unite northern colonies under the ruler Sir Edmund Andros, which failed after the Glorious Revolution.

Middle Passage

The brutal and cruel journey undertaken by Africans forced from their homes to serve as slaves in the New World.

New Lights

Individuals in favor of the religious revivals during the Great Awakening.

Old Lights

Traditionalists who did not support the religious revivals of the Great Awakening.

Mercantilism

The economic theory where colonies supply raw materials to benefit Britain, leading to trade limits resented by colonists.

Stamp Act and Townshend Act

Specific British efforts to impose taxes and tighten control over the colonies after $1763$.

Sons of Liberty

A colonial group formed to protest and boycott goods to force the repeal of British taxes.

Battle of Saratoga

A major turning point in the Revolution that convinced France to provide money, troops, and naval support to the colonies.

Treaty of Paris

The diplomatic agreement that officially signed the independence of the United States into existence.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. government system which succeeded in winning independence but failed due to its inability to tax or unify states.

Shays’s Rebellion

An uprising that demonstrated the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and motivated leaders to create the Constitution.

Federalists

A group that favored a strong central government and the ratification of the Constitution; they were often wealthier, urban, and pro-British.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution who feared tyranny and advocated for more local power and a Bill of Rights.

Jay’s Treaty

A conciliatory treaty with the British intended to avoid war and protect trade, which provoked outrage from Jeffersonians.

Marbury v. Madison

The court case that established the principle of judicial review, strengthening the role of the judiciary.

Louisiana Purchase

The acquisition of land from France in $1803$ that doubled the size of the U.S. and secured control of the Mississippi River.

Treaty of Ghent

The agreement that ended the War of $1812$ by restoring prewar conditions, or status quo ante bellum.

Panic of 1819

The first major U.S. economic depression, caused by bank failures, falling land prices, and over-speculation.

Missouri Compromise

An $1819$ agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while banning slavery north of the $36^\circ 30'$ line.

Monroe Doctrine

A declaration that European nations should not colonize or interfere in the Americas, symbolizing growing U.S. confidence.

Corrupt Bargain

The allegation in $1824$ that Henry Clay supported John Quincy Adams for president in exchange for being named Secretary of State.

Tariff of Abominations

A high tax on imports that protected Northern industry but caused significant furor and sectional tension in the South.

Spoils System

The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs, popularized under Andrew Jackson.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of southeastern Indian tribes resulting from Andrew Jackson's policies.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans were destined to expand across the continent, driven by nationalism and a belief in cultural superiority.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The agreement ending the Mexican-American War that gave the U.S. land including California, Texas, and the Southwest.

Eli Whitney

The inventor who revolutionized manufacturing through the use of interchangeable parts.

Erie Canal

A major transportation development that improved speed and reduced costs for moving goods and people.