APUSH Key Terms

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Massachusetts Bay Colony

First settlements in New England; established in 1630 founded by Puritans hoping to escape religious prosecution

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan women who disagreed with Puritan Church; was eventually banished from the colony and moved to Rhode Island

1st Great Awakening

Religious revolution around 1730s and '40s. by christian protestants encouraging more direct relationship with God

Old Lights

Conservative religious people who were against the emotional approach of the Great Awakening

New Lights

(Usually young) people for the religious change during the Great Awakening

George Whitefield

One of the ministers who grew Great Awakening; a New Light

House of Burgesses

A form of self-government in Virginia, curated in 1618

Headright System

Gave land to people who paid to have indentured servants farm cash crops like tobacco

New England Colonies

Little to no agriculture b/c of bad soil, however benefited from industrial work

Middle Colonies

Rich soil perfect for wheat, corn, etc. harvested by family and/or indentured servants

Southern Colonies

Agriculture varies, plantations were self-sufficient

1607

Jamestown founded

1619

Date that the first enslaved people arrived in VA

1676

Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia

1630

Massachusetts Bay Colony founded

Encomineda System

1500s-late 1700s: Native American slavery used by Spanish; in return, NA would get “religious protection”

Columbian Exchange

Spread of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. 

Pueblo Revolt

Native American revolt against the Spanish. Took place in modern-day New Mexico (1680)

Mercantilism

Economic policy that focuses on making money for the mother country.

French & Indian War

War between french and Great Britain from 1754-1763; caused french extinction in North America

Proclamation of 1763

Prohibited colonists from settling on lands westward

Northwest Land Ordinance

Passed under Articles - banned slavery in NW territory (OH, MI, IN, etc.); created a process for admitting new states

Monroe Doctrine

President James Monroe’s declaration to warm European to not interfere with North American affairs

Democratic-Republicans

Political party founded by Jefferson and Madison in the 1790s, supporting states' rights and agrarian interests.

Tarrif of abominations/1828

Under President Jackson, this imposed an extreme tariff on imports

War of 1812

US against the UK over the UK kidnapping American sailors/impressment

American system

An economic plan by Henry Clay promoting national growth through tariffs, a national bank, and infrastructure improvements.

William Lloyd Garrison

An American abolitionist and journalist known for his anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator.

Mexican-American War

1848: A conflict between the U.S. and Mexico, initiated by the annexation of Texas, leading to significant U.S. territorial expansion.

Manifest Destiny

19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the United States throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable

James K. Polk

president in March 1845. wanted to settle oregon boundary dispute with britain. wanted to aquire California. wanted to incorperate Texas into union.

Texas Revolution

the 1836 rebellion in which Texas gained its independence from Mexico

Mexican-American War

(1846-1848) The war between the United States and Mexico in which the United States acquired one half of the Mexican territory.

Henry David Thoreau

American transcendentalist who was against a government that supported slavery.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States saved the Union during the Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)

Seneca Falls Convention

1848: First women's rights convention in the United States

Compromise of 1850

Cali is free state, fugitive slave law, abolition of slave trade in Washington

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln wins popular and electoral vote.

Louisiana Purchase

1803: Acquisition of territory from France that doubled the size of the United States

Embargo Act

1807: Law that prohibited American ships from trading in all foreign ports, intended to protect American interests.

Missouri Compromise

1820: Missouri is slave, Maine is free

Annexation of Texas

1845: Incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States, leading to conflict with Mexico.

Civil War

The conflict in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the Northern states (Union) and Southern states (Confederacy) primarily over issues like slavery and states' rights.

13th Amendment

1865: amendment that abolished slavery

14th Amendment

1865: amendment that granted African Americans citzenship and equal protection over laws

15th Amendment

1865: African American men granted voting rights

Freedmen’s Bureau

1865: Welfare agency for black people and homeless whites

Black Codes

Laws enacted in the southern United States after the Civil War, designed to restrict the freedoms of African Americans

Radical Republicans

A faction of the Republican Party during the Reconstruction Era that advocated for the full civil rights of freed slaves and harsh penalties for the Southern states that seceded.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882: Banned Chinese immigration to the US for 10 years

Knights of Labor

1869: inclusive labor’ union sought to unite all workers and their rights

American Federation of Labor

1886: Union who only accepted skilled workers focused on gaining their rights

Haymarket Riot/Bombing

1886 labor protest in Chicago that turned violent and bomb went off, leading to the decline of the KoL

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

1890: legislation aimed at curbing monopolies and promoting fair competition in business.

Social Gospel

Believed it was the Christian responsibility of those with means ($) means to help those effected by social issues

Homestead Strike

1892: Violent labor dispute at Carnegie Steel's Homestead plant

Panic of 1893

1893: a severe economic depression that affected the United States and parts of Europe.

Pullman Strike

1896: a nationwide strike by railroad workers protesting wage cuts and poor working conditions

Plessy vs. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court case that upheld the idea of “separate but equal” / segregation

Populist Party

an agrarian populist political party in the United States in the late 1800s

Dawes Act

1887: Free land in white neighborhoods for Native Americans who assimilate

Battle of Little BigHorn

1876: U.S. break NA treaty b/c of gold, NA wins against American soldiers

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

1890: Govt. has power to break up monopolies

Teddy Roosevelt

1901-1909: Reformer, went vice to prez, republican

Upton Sinclair

Author of The Jungle, advocate for worker safety regulations

Meat Inspection Act

1906: USDA inspection and sanitary conditions for meat processing to ensure safe food.

17th Amendment

1913: Voting for senator

18th Amendment

1919: (Repealed) No alcohol

19th Amendment

1920: Women can vote

Spanish-American War

1898: Set off by USS Maine sinking, Us vs. Spanish territories in North-America; US wins & gains land

Filiipino-American War

1902: Conflict over Philippines because of Filipino independence

Transcontiental Railroad

Completed 1869 and built by majority Chinese immigrants, connecting railroads all over the U.S.

Espionage act

1917: made it a crime to convey information intended to interfere with the war effort.

Sedition act

1918: Punishes anyone who would speak badly about the government during wartime

Scopes Trial

1925: Argument if schools can teach evolution

Prohibiton

Anti- alcohol ideas; led to 18th amendment

1st Red Scare

The period following World War I (1919-1920) characterized by a widespread fear of communism and radical leftist ideologies, leading to a national crusade against suspected radicals.

Flapper Movement

Early 1900s: Movement that involved women wearing less conservative clothes; pushed boundaries of stereotype

Comstock Laws

State laws that banned abortion and birth control medication

Red Summer

A term that refers to the summer of 1919 marked by race riots and violence against African Americans in numerous U.S. cities, fueled by post-World War I tensions and competition for jobs.

1st Red Scare

The period after World War I (1919-1920) marked by widespread fear of communism and a national crackdown on suspected radicals.

Stock Market Crash

The dramatic decline in stock prices that occurred in 1929, leading to the Great Depression.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless during the Great Depression, named after President Herbert Hoover.

Social Security Act

1935: Law that established a system of old-age benefits (New Deal)

Franklin D. Roosevelt

32nd President of U.S., led the country through the Great Depression and World War II

New Deal

Series of programs and reforms enacted by Franklin D. Roosevelt aimed at economic recovery and social reform during the Great Depression

Neutrality Act

1939: No travel or ships of U.S. origin to European nations

Cash and Carry

1939: U.S. giving weapons to Britain

Attack on Pearl Harbor

1941: Surprise attack on military base by Japan, leading the U.S. to enter World War II.

EO 88o2

1941: Stopped segregation in U.S. government

Double V Campaign

WW2 campaign that promoted victory against fascism and end of racial discrimination

EO 9066

1942: Executive Order that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing

1945: first use of nuclear weapons in warfare, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

Yalta Conference

Meeting of Allied leadersin 1945 to discuss the post-war reorganization of Europe.

Truman Doctrine

1947: Policy to contain communism by providing political, military, and economic assistance to countries threatened by Soviet influence.

NATO

1949: United States and 11 other nations; U.S. joins late

Warsaw Pact

1955: Soviet Union/communist version of NATO

Arms Race

U.S. versus Soviet Union: who can get the most weapons during the Cold War

Eisenhower Doctrine

1957: Prevent communism to spread to the middle-east

G.I. Bill

1944: Veterans get benefits