US History Final Exam

Appalachian Mountains

western boundary for British colonial settlements

New England Colonies

natural harbors, rocky soil (trade, fishing, and manufacturing)

Southern Colonies

hot summers, good soil, mild winters (agricultural)

Mississippi RIver

used for trade

Erie Canal

opened up trade between Northeast and Northwest

Economic characteristics of New England/North

Economic characteristics of Middle colonies

Economic characteristics of Southern colonies

Mercantilism

A British economic policy in which the American colonies served as a source of raw materials and a market to sell goods

Mayflower Compact, New England town meetings, and Virginia House of Burgesses are all examples of........

Self government

self-government

a system of government in which people make their own laws

Salutary Neglect

Period of time when the British ignored the American colonies because they only wanted to benefit from the economic prosperity of the colonies

What did salutary neglect lead to?

the development of independent colonial trade practices

What happened when salutary neglect ended?

When salutary Neglect ended, the British began to impose more governmental control. This angered the American colonists (cause of Revolutionary War)

Albany Plan of Union

Ben Franklin's plan to unite the colonies under one government to defeat France.

Zenger Case

John Peter Zenger was arrested (1733) for printing an article that critized the governer. Zenger was found innocent because the article was based on fact

What did the Zenger case establish?

freedom of the press

French and Indian War

(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area. The English won.

How did the French and Indian War impact salutary neglect and taxes?

The French and Indian War led to the end of Salutary Neglect because of the British's need to tax American colonists in order to pay for the war

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which established a border in order to avoid conflicts between American colonists and Native Americans

How did the Proclamation of 1763 affect the colonists?

it angered the American colonists because they couldn't move or settle west of the Appalachian mountains

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed materials and any foreign goods

Boston Massacre

Five colonists killed by British soilders ; used as propaganda by the colonists (Paul Revere)

Paul Revere

A patriot who helped warn colonists about British movements

Meaning of "No taxation without representation"

British could not tax the colonies without adequate colonist representation in Congress

Declaration of Independence

Created by THomas Jefferson

listed complaints or reasons why American colonies were mistreated by Great Britain

What was the Decleration of INdependence influenced by?

It was influenced by the Enlightenment thinker, John Locke, and his idea of natural rights (life, liberty, and property)

consent of the governed

The idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people.

Social Contract Theory

purpose of the government is to secure the rights of the people. If the government denies this, it can be overthrown

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation

Impact of Common Sense

changed the colonists perspective of Britain as it advocated independence for American colonies

Why did the Articles of Confederation create a weak, central gov.?

They distrusted a strong central gov. because of their experiences under the rule of Great Britain

Revolutionary War

Lexington and Concord: 1st shots fired (started the war)

Saratoga : turning point battle for the colonists

Yorktown : British surrender

American colonists win the war against the British with help from familiar land and foreign aid (France)

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation

The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. These provided a system for governing the Western territories and a process for admitting new states to the Union

Significance of Shay's Rebellion

convinced many Americans of the need for a stronger national government and it exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Led to the Constiutional Convention

Constitutional Convention

Meeting in 1787 of the elected representatives of the thirteen original states to write the Constitution of the United States.

Great Compromise \-- NJ Plan

states with small populations wanted equal representation in Congress

Great Compromise \-- VA Plan

states with large populations wanted representation in Congress

Result of the Great Compromise

bicameral legislature (two houses) \-- Senate equal representation and a House of Representatives based on population

3/5 Compromise

3 out of 5 slaves would be counted toward representation and taxes

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Commerce Compromise

an agreement during the Constitutional Convention protecting slave holders; congress could tax imports but not exports

Federalists

supported the ratification of the new Constitution
favored a strong central gov.
had a loose interpretation of the constitution

Antifederalists

opposed the ratification of the new Constitution
feared a strong central government
had a strict interpretation of the Constiution

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution ; purpose was to protect civil liberties and protect the people from gov. abuse

Purpose of Federalist Papers

To convince the citizens of New York to ratify the Constitution.

1st Amendment

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition

10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution are reserved to the States or to the people.

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

delegated powers

Powers specifically given to the federal government
(declare war, print money)

reserved powers

Powers given to the state government alone
(education, licenses)

concurrent powers

powers shared by the national and state governments
(taxes)

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Where is Popular Sovereignty found in the Constitution?

Found in the Preamble ("We the people")

seperation of powers

dividing the powers of government among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Cheif Legislature

The President proposes laws and supports legislation

Commander in Chief

The President is the highest leader or commander of the nation's armed forces

Cheif diplomat

The President meets and negotiates with other foreign rulers

implied powers

powers that congress has that are not stated explicitly in the constitution

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

1st political parties

formed behind Alexander Hamilton (federalist) & Thomas Jefferson (democratic republican) on the debate over how strong the fed govt should be

Goal of Alexander Hamilton's financial plan

rebuild the economy of a new nation

repay federal and state debts

3 examples of "unwritten" Constitution during Washington's Presidency

National bank, cabinet, 2 term presidency

Whiskey Rebellion

In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's extra tax on whiskey. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay's Rebellion.

Proclamation of Neutrality

Washington's declaration that the US would not engage itself in French-British conflicts

Washington's Farewell Address

Warned Americans not to get involved in European affairs, not to make permanent alliances, not to form political parties and to avoid sectionalism.

Alien and Sedition Acts

The President could arrest and deport foreigners living in the US

People could be jailed/fined for speaking out against the gov. without proper proof

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Written anonymously by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, they declared that states could nullify federal laws that the states considered unconstitutional.

Nulification

states could refuse to obey federal laws that they believe are unconstitutional

Louisiana Purchase

purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. Made by Jefferson, this doubled the size of the US.

Louisiana Purchase \-- Jeffersons contradiction

Jefferson contradicted his belief in a strict interpretation of the constitution because he used the Elastic Clause and Implied powers to make the purchase

Impact of Louisiana Purchase

it doubles the size of the U.S. & gives complete access to the Mississippi River.

Impressment

British practice of taking American sailors and forcing them into military service

Embargo Act of 1807

This act issued by Jefferson forbade American trading ships from leaving the U.S. It was meant to force Britain and France to stop attacking ships ; it hurt US profits instead

War of 1812

US and Britain war over impressment and seizure of American ships

Warhawks

War ended with the Treaty off Ghent : no real victor

Confirmed American independence and increased nationalism

Warhawks (war of 1812)

Congressmen including John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, that supported the war

Madbury v. Madison

established judicial review \-- Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional

Marshall Court

Asserted federal power over states (McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, Cohens v Virginia)

How did the Marshall Court impact the federal gov.?

expansion of the power of the federal gov.

Whigs

Anti-Jackson or anti-Federalist political party that generally stood for national community and an activist government

Monroe Doctrine

Foreign policy intended to limit European influence in the Western Hemisphere ; warned against any further colonization in Latin America

Spoils System

the practice of a successful political party giving public office to its supporters.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

Passed by Congress under the Jackson administration, this act removed all Indians east of the Mississippi to an "Indian Territory" where they would be "permanently" housed.

Worcester v. Georgia

The Supreme court ruled that the Cherokee nation was a distinct community in which Georgia could not remove them from their home ; Jefferson ignored the Supreme Court and did it anyway

Trail of Tears

The forced removal of Cherokees west of the Mississippi River. More than 5,000 Cherokees died of cold, disease, and lack of food

Erie Canal impacts

aided economic development in the US by lowering the costof shipping goods from the Midwest to Atlantic

Northwest economies promoted the growth of trade and manufacturing

Cult of Domesticity

belief the a women's role after marriage was to stay in the home and take care of the house and children

Seneca Falls Convention

the first national women's rights convention, pushed for equal rights including suffrage

The Declaration of Sentiments was written at this convention

Declaration of Sentiments

declared that all "people are created equal"; used the Declaration of Independence to argue for women's rights

Temperance Movement

An organized campaign to eliminate alcohol consumption

Abolition

Movement to end slavery

Key leaders in abolitionist movement

Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, Nat Turner, and John Borwn

Frederick Douglass

American abolitionist and writer, he escaped slavery and became a leading African American spokesman and writer

Harriet Tubman

Former slave who helped slaves escape on the Underground Railroad

William Lloyd Garrison

Prominent American abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. Editor of radical abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator", and one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Nat Turner

Slave in Virginia who started a slave rebellion in 1831

John Brown

An abolitionist who attempted to lead a slave revolt by capturing Armories in southern territory and giving weapons to slaves, was hung in Harpers Ferry after capturing an Armory

John Brown's Raid

Began when he and his men took over the arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in hopes of starting a slave rebellion.

Apologists

Southerners who defended the practice o slavery

Arguments to defend slavery : "happy slave" myth, slaves were allowed in the Bible, and they needed to civilize slaves