World History Semester 1 Study Guide

Unit 2-Unit 6 World History only Semester ONE

Joint-stock Companies

Stock companies that allowed investors to combine their money and fund a voyage/ trip to America.

Charter

An official permit from the King to settle a new colony.

Jamestown

First English colony in Virginia of 1607.

Starving Time

Gold was not found immediately and colonists refused to do work to clear fields and gather food. They grew hungry and by winter, they were starving and forced to eat rats, snakes, roots, etc. Only about 60 colonists survived.

Tobacco

Called “brown gold" because it earned wealth and saved Jamestown.

House of Burgesses

2 burgesses (representatives) from each district of Virginia would meet together to decide tax rates and to create laws. This influenced today’s government.

Plymouth

Pilgrims were aiming for Virginia in 1620 but the Mayflower went off course and they landed in modern-day Massachusetts instead.

Mayflower Compact

The earliest constitution that was drafted on U.S. soil that called for just and equal laws. It said that laws approved by the majority would be legally binding (official).

Pequot War

In 1637, Pequot Natives in Connecticut fought back against colonists and war broke out. Native enemies of the Pequot allied with colonists and set fire to their fort. 400-600 died which was nearly the entire Pequot nation.

King Phillip’s War

Chief Metacom (called King Phillip by the colonists) was tired of land being stolen and decided to form an army to attack Puritan villages. The 2-year war resulted in Metacom’s head being put on display in Plymouth, Massachusetts for 20 years.

Quakers and Natives Relationship

Quakers were friendlier with Natives and wanted to actually live and trade with them. There was a 50-year peace.

Maryland Toleration Act

Promised religious tolerance but only to Catholics/ Christians.

Stono Rebellion

In 1739, about 20 slaves gathered along the Stono River in South Carolina and began killing planter families. They moved south and more slaves joined them. They were defeated by white militia and overall, it led to harsher rules and stricter punishments for slaves.

Navigation Acts

Restricted trade exclusively to England and only allowed using English/ Colonial ships.

Glorious Revolution

People were worried that when King James had a son, it would lead to a Catholic dynasty. In 1689, Parliament offered the throne to his daughter Mary who was Protestant and her husband William of Orange. People were happy, hence the name.

Indentured Servants

A person from Europe who agreed to come to the colonies and work for a certain number of years in exchange for food, clothing, etc.

Proclamation of 1763

Banned colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains that angered colonists. Many moved anyway.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

Was signed in February of 1763 to officially end the French and Indian War. It granted all land east of the Mississippi River to Britain and all land west of the river to Spain (who gave Florida to Britain). This was a big victory for Britain but they had to recover financially.

Sugar Act

Enforced by the British to make money. It reduced taxes on foreign sugar, added taxes to other foreign goods, and increased the punishment for smuggling goods into the colonies without paying taxes.

Stamp Act

Passed in 1765 by the British that required colonists to buy a stamped piece of paper for every legal document, license, newspaper, or other paper products. Cards and dice were taxed too.

Direct Tax

Tax that is paid directly to the government.

Sons of Liberty

A resistance group founded in Boston and led by Samuel Adams and John Hancock that harassed customs workers, stamp agents, and royal governors in protest of the new act.

Boycott

When colonists refused to buy certain items as a challenge to the British tax acts.

Townshend Acts

Passed in 1767 that placed taxes on imported goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and most importantly: tea. It was an indirect tax. “Taxation without representation.”

Indirect Tax

Tax that was added on to the price of goods.

Boston Massacre

Competition grew over jobs between colonists and the British soldiers who wanted to make extra money on their off time, On March 5, 1770, a mob of colonists went to harass the Customs House’s guards and a fight broke out resulting in 3 colonists being killed immediately and 2 more later.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonists were upset when King George formed a commission to bring suspects to England for a trial after some burned a British customs agent’s ship. They created this to communicate with one another about threats and liberties. This was the first time colonies formally unified themselves against the British.

Tea Act

Passed in 1773 that allowed tea companies to sell tea directly to the colonists without using colonial merchants or charging taxes. Colonists were upset because it took away their jobs in order to help a British company..

Boston Tea Party

On December 16, 1773, Boston rebels disguised as Natives took over 3 British ships in the Boston Harbor and dunked 18 thousand pounds of tea overboard. This angered the British even more.

The Intolerable Acts

Parliament passed the Coercive Acts in 1774 that closed the Boston Harbor (as punishment for the BTP), passed the Quartering Act which forced colonists to provide or pay for housing for British soldiers stationed in the colonies, and get Massachusetts a new governor who placed the colony under martial law.

First Continental Congress

The COC planned a meeting to decide what to do about the British. In September 1774, 54 delegates (representatives) from the colonies met in Philadelphia to write a declaration of colonial rights that said 1) Colonists would fight back if the British used force against the colonies or denied their rights and 2) There would be another meeting in May 1775 if their rights were not acknowledged to decide what to do.

Minutemen

Colonial civilians who started organizing and stock-piling guns and ammunition.

Lexington and Concord

(Massachusetts) General Gage planned to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams after he heard that there were weapons being kept in Concord and that they were hiding in Lexington.

Second Continental Congress

Radicals led by John Adams wanted each colony to set up their own governments and have Congress declare independence. He also argued that Minutemen should be recognized as the official Continental Army with an appointed general. He also wanted to form a foreign relations committee.

Battle of Bunker Hill

In June 1775, General Gage sent 2400 soldiers to attack colonists at Breed’s Hill in South Carolina. Colonists won the first two rounds but the British won the final round. Even though they won, they suffered more losses (1000 vs 450). The battle was misnamed and was one of the deadliest battles of the war.

Declaration of Independence

The Continental Congress created a committee to come up with a declaration. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write it and used ideas from John Locke and wrote that people have natural rights; the government should be run by the people. Delegates voted that the colonies were free on July 2,, 1776 and Congress approved the final draft on July 4, 1776.

Patriots

People who supported independence.

Loyalists

People who opposed independence.

Hessians

German soldiers/mercenaries who were hired buy the British and mixed in with the British troops.

Battle of Trenton

Washington led 2400 troops to Trenton, New Jersey to ambush a Hessian camp on Christmas night 1776. The Hessians were drunk, asleep, or both and were not expecting an attack. 30 Hessians were killed, 918 were taken prisoner, and 6 of their cannons were stolen. This was a huge victory for the Americans which encouraged soldiers to extend their contracts and caused more men to enlist.

Battle of Saratoga

In summer/fall 1777, the British planned to send a group of soldiers from Canada to New York to meet another group and isolate the New England colonies. They slowed down in unfamiliar territory that caused them to use up their supplies. Continental Army soldiers surround them in Saratoga, New York which forced them to surrender and change their strategy to traveling along the coastline and well-known paths.

Valley Forge

Fighting paused in winter 1777/1778. The British were stationed in Philadelphia with supplies but the Continental Army soldiers were camping here in Pennsylvania with limited supplies and makeshift huts. Many lost their limbs to frostbite and George Washington had to order smallpox vaccines to keep more soldiers from dying. They used this time to train.

War Bonds

Continental Congress was selling these during the war to make money. The people who bought them were told they would be repaid when the war was over.

Yorktown

Lafayette heard about Cornwallis’ plan to take over Virginia and move to New York with British soldiers so he planned for the American and French troops to attack the British in Yorktown. The French Navy defeated soldiers in Chesapeake Bay to prevent the British calling for help after the attack in Yorktown. The British were surrounded in October 1781 and they surrendered, ending the Revolutionary War.

Treat of Paris (1783)

In 1782, the Americans, French, British, and Spanish met in Paris. This treaty was signed in 1783 and confirmed the U.S. was an independent nation that should be recognized by all European countries and that the U.S. boundaries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the top of Florida to the bottom of Canada.

Articles of Confederation

The first national constitution of the U.S. and was written before the war ended. It allowed states to hold most of the government power and set up a Congress where each state had one representative. This failed because the states had too much power and the federal government was too weak.

Great Compromise

Suggested by Robert Sherman that said there would be a bicameral legislature which worked for both big and small states and that each state would have equal representation in the Senate and HOR. Representation would be based on population.

Branches of Government

The Legislative branch makes the law and includes Congress. The Executive branch executes and enforces the law and includes the President and Vice President. The Judicial branch interprets the law and includes the Supreme Court.

Checks and Balances

The ability of each branch to check one another to ensure one doesn’t have more power than the other(s).

Federalism

Power is divided between federal and state governments to strengthen the federal government while protecting states’ rights.

The Constitution

A living document that changes and grows with society. It replaced the AOC and explains how the government works.

Federalist Papers

Essays written by supporters of the Constitution to convince people to support and ratify it

Bill of Rights

Congress submitted 12 amendments to the Constitution but only 10 were official. These guarantee basic rights to the people and places certain limits on the government to make sure these rights are protected.

Amendment

Formal change to the Constitution.

Bicameral

Two-house legislature

Ratify

An official approval and adoption (of the Constitution which required 9 out of 13 states to do so)

3/5 Compromise

People wanted to know if slaves impacted the number of representatives in each state. Southern states wanted slaves to count for representation but not taxation. It was agreed each slave would count as 3/5 of a person for both representation and taxation.

New Jersey Plan

Proposed by William Paterson that said there would be a single-house legislature (unicameral) where each state had an equal vote and representation.

Virginia Plan

Proposed by James Madison that said there would be a bicameral legislature where representation was based on population.

Whiskey Rebellion

Congress passed a tax on the manufacture and distribution of a product on whiskey to make money. Corn farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled and the government sent a militia to end it. This showed the government was actually able to enforce the law.

Neutrality

Not getting involved or choosing sides (in war).

Treaty of Greenville

Officially bought the land (of Chief Little Turtle and the new chief) for $20,000 plus an annual payment of $10,000. This would lead to future similar treaties with other Native tribes.

Pinckney’s Treaty

Was signed in 1795 and made agreements between Spain and America. Spain gave up claims to disputed territory east of the Mississippi River. They settles Florida’s boundaries and opened up access to the Mississippi River and allowed a port near New Orleans for shipping access.

Jay’s Treaty

The British agreed to remove their soldiers from the northwest and Americans agreed to allow the British to continue fur trading on the American side of Canada.

Partianship

When people are more loyal to their political party than the country as a whole.

XYZ Affair

The French refused to have meetings with the American ambassador and also started seizing American ships. They sent two low-level officials to meet the Americans. John Adams called the X, Y, and Z because they were so unimportant. This led to a two-year unofficial war.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Federalists thought French spiders were immigrating to the U.S. to try and overthrow the government. Congress passed these Acts which changed the residence requirement from 5 to 14 years to become a citizen, allowed the President to deport or jail any “alien” considered undesirable, and set fines or jail terms to anyone trying to hinder the government or anyone expressing negative statements about the government. This was repealed because they violated the First Amendment.

Judicial Review

Power for the Supreme Court to declare something unconstitutional. This was established as a result of Marbury vs Madison.

Louisiana Purchase

During Jefferson’s presidency, France and Spain planned a secret deal to give the Louisiana territory back to France. He heard about this deal and feared France being next to the U.S., so he purchased the territory for $15 million which doubled the size of the U.S.

Lewis and Clark

People hired by Jefferson to explore new territory.

Sacagawea

A Native American woman who helped Lewis and Clark by guiding them and interpreting for them.

Impressment

Seizing ships and drafting passengers to the military. America was angry with the British for doing this.

Chesapeake Incident

The British stopped an American ship and demanded to search for a runaway British soldier. When the Americans refused to allow the search, the British opened fire on the ship.

Embargo (Embargo Act if 1807)

A ban on exporting goods to Europe. This hurt America more than Europe and was lifted from all countries but France and Britain.

Tecumseh

Shawnee Chief who refused to sell his tribe’s land and believed Native tribes should form a confederacy to protect themselves and the land. He traveled to get other tribes to join as well as the British. Some joined but many already sold their land or didn’t want to give up their authority. His brother acted as chief while he was gone.

Andrew Jackson

Was leading American troops in the south and had multiple victories. He defeated the Creek tribe in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (Alabama) which destroyed the military power of the Native allies to the British in 1814. He defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 which was after the war but still considered a success.

Treaty of Ghent

Was signed on Christmas Eve, 1814 and declared armistice. It didn’t discuss impressment or shipping rights but both sides were ready for peace and an end to the war (of 1812).

Impacts of the War of 1812

Patriotism and respect from other countries.