APUSH AP EXAM

for the AP test

What was a central justification for European conquest and colonization in the New World?

Native Americans’ lack of machines, metalwork, gunpowder, Christianity, or written language.

How did Europeans often portray Native American society?

As barbaric, due to its organization without private property, material wealth, or marital inequality.

What were the primary motivations of Spanish conquistadors in the New World?

Wealth, glory, and Catholic conversion.

What was the Black Legend of Spanish Colonization?

An anti-Spanish, anti-Catholic propaganda piece criticizing Spain for its sins in the New World.

What was the main focus of French colonization in New France?

Fur trade, relying on friendly relations with Native Americans.

What distinguished New Netherland from other European colonies?

Its respect for freedom of religion and freedom of the press.

What was the largest factor contributing to European success in the New World?

The Columbian Exchange, including the introduction of European diseases like smallpox.

How did the Columbian Exchange impact the enslavement of Native Americans?

It led to a shift from enslaving natives to importing slaves from Africa due to the decimation of the native population by disease.

What were the Chesapeake colonies?

Joint-stock colonies, a.k.a. charter colonies or corporate colonies, where funds were invested for a return.

What was the headright system?

A colonial recruitment policy offering 50 acres of land for every person a settler paid to bring over.

What were indentured servants?

Generally single, young, poor Englishmen who served as enslaved workers for 5-10 years in exchange for land.

When did the first shipment of African slaves arrive in Virginia?

1619

What was Virginia's first successful English colony?

Jamestown, founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company.

What was the "starving time"?

The winter of 1609-1610 in Jamestown, where about ⅔ of the colonists died due to disease, drought, and starvation.

Who was John Smith?

The colonial governor of Jamestown whose strict discipline helped the colony recover from the "starving time."

What was the Powhatan Confederacy?

The Native American mega-tribe inhabiting the Chesapeake area who conflicted with the Jamestown colonists.

Who were John Rolfe and Pocahontas?

A tobacco planter and the daughter of Powhatan who married to assist with the spread of Christianity and tobacco planting.

What was the Virginia House of Burgesses?

The first representative government in English North America, established in 1619.

What was Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)?

Settlers burned Jamestown in protest of Governor William Berkeley's lack of support in eradicating Native Americans from the frontier, leading to a shift from indentured servant labor to slave labor

Describe Maryland's founding

Established in 1632 as a proprietary colony under Cecilius Calvert (Lord Baltimore) as a haven for Catholics and Protestants.

Define the Maryland Act of Toleration

Issued in 1649, granting religious freedom to all Christian colonists.

What factors united Virginia and Maryland?

High death rates, tobacco farming, headright system, and conflict with natives

What happened to Maryland's religious toleration following the overthrow of King James II?

Terminated when rebels established a Protestant government and forced the Catholic proprietor to convert to Anglicanism.

Why was New Amsterdam founded in 1624?

Dutchmerchants founded it as a for-profit colony, granting settlement to anyone who could turn them a profit, while respecting freedom of religion and press.

What was the Charter of Liberties and Privileges?

Established in New York in 1683, it allowed male property owners and freemen to partake in elections every three years, reinstated trial by jury, security of property, and religious toleration of Protestants.

What was offered to colonists in Penn's 1682 Charter of Liberty?

Christian liberty to all who did not use their freedom to promote immoral behavior

What are the New England Colonies known for?

Self-governing towns with common land, democratically-distributed property, and schools.

Which factors distinguished the populations of the Chesapeake vs. New England?

English Puritans came to English North America in the Great Migration as families and their university-trained ministers, not as single, poor indentured servants.

What were the Pequot War (1637) and King Philip’s War (1676)?

Two wars with the same cause: the culmination of existing tensions between the English colonists and Native Americans in Puritan New England.

How did Puritans generally treat Native Americans?

Savagely, and by vilifying them as bloodthirsty.

How did the Puritans who settled in New England view the Anglican Church?

They believed it had not separated itself enough from the Catholic Church and still needed purification and were called Congregationalists.

List two requirements to vote or hold office in Massachusetts during the time of Puritan rule:

One had to be a church member, and in order to be a church member, one had to be a "visible saint."

Who was John Winthrop?

The Puritan leader and governor of Massachusetts who declared that his new Puritan community is like a “city upon a hill."

Who was Anne Hutchinson?

She was banished from Massachusetts in 1638 after being accused of and tried for sedition and for challenging the male ministers' religious interpretation.

What did the 1662 Halfway Covenant decree?

Ancestry was the determining factor for voting rights due to declining church membership

What was The Dominion of New England?

In 1689, James II combined New York, East and West Jersey, Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and Rhode Island into a single super-colony.

How was Massachusetts affected when the Dominion of New England was terminated?

Massachusetts was forced to abide by the English Toleration Act of 1689, and the governor of the colony was appointed by England.

What were the Salem Witch Trials?

Occurring in 1692, they highlighted the extremes of religious fanaticism in Puritan communities, resulting in executions based on witchcraft beliefs influenced by Anglo-Indian wars and political changes.

Where did the Pilgrims land in North America in 1620?

Plymouth

Who were the Separatists?

Extreme members (more extreme than the Puritans) who wanted complete separation from the Anglican Church.

What was the Mayflower Compact?

An agreement in which the Pilgrims agreed to obey “just and equal laws” enacted by democratically-elected representatives.

What were the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)?

The first constitution in America, establishing a representative government in Connecticut, featuring a legislature elected by a popular vote and a governor elected by the legislature.

Who was Roger Williams?

A dissenting Puritan who left Massachusetts who founded Rhode Island in 1636, where he welcomed fellow dissenting Puritans, promoting separation of church and state and religious freedom.

What characterized the Southern colonies' soil and economy?

Rich soil and temperate climates made large-scale plantation farming possible, fueling an agriculture-based economy with cash crops like tobacco, indigo, and rice which created a dependence on African slaves.

Explain the founding and original intent of the Carolinas

Founded in 1663 as a barrier to Spanish expansion north of Florida, early settlers participated in the mass enslavement of Native Americans or forced their expulsion to Florida.

Explain why the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina (1669) failed

Hereditary rule and feudalism never came to fruition; the colony became reliant on slave labor for its hierarchial society.

Describe the Stono Rebellion (1739)

About 20 armed slaves participated, burning and plundering settlements on their march to Spanish Florida, resulting in a stricter slave code that banned purchasing alcohol and becoming literate.

Why and by whom was Georgia was founded in 1732?

James Oglethorpe, a philanthropist who advocated for the abolition of slavery, founded the colony of Georgia in 1732 as a haven for persecuted Protestant sects and the poor and destitute.

Why did the English take over New Amsterdam in 1664?

To benefit from its trade of furs, wheat, tobacco, and timber

When and why did Georgia become a slave colony?

1751; The colonists won an elected assembly in 1751, bringing liquor and slaves into the colony, turning it into a miniature South Carolina.

How did Enlightenment thinkers relate to progress, freedom, and individualism?

They believed in progress, freedom of thought and expression, education of the masses (including women), liberty to all men, and individualism.

What key argument formed Thomas Paine's Common Sense?

It called for a democratic system based on frequent elections and a written constitution.

What are the natural rights, according to John Locke?

Life, liberty, and property.

What is secularism?

A concept arguing that government and other institutions should exist entirely separate from religion and the Catholic Church.

What is deism?

The belief in a distant God but denial of organized religion, basing one’s belief on the light of reason.

How did the First Great Awakening relate to the Enlightenment?

It was the antithesis to Enlightenment thought and the general colonial emphasis on commerce in the 18th century.

What did the Great Awakening philosophers reject?

Stoic Calvinist predestination in favor of spiritual salvation while questioning social and political norms like the relationship between church and state.

What argument did George Whitefield use to retain his slaves by the end of his life?

He claimed that slavery was necessary for building his orphanage and the betterment of the Georgia colony.

Why did the Seven Years’ War begin?

Both Great Britain and France claimed ownership of the Ohio River Valley, and plantation owners in Virginia wanted to settle westward to expand the tobacco industry.

Describe the system of mercantilism

A system of economic regulations aimed at increasing the power of the state based on the belief that a nation’s international power was based on its wealth, specifically its supply of gold and silver.

What were the consequences after Great Britain won the Treaty of Paris of 1763?

Britain won all of France’s land holdings in colonial America, but it also meant Natives lost all their land to Britain.

Which plan proposed colonial unification for the purpose of defense?

The Albany Plan of Union, proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754.

What did members of the Pontiac Rebellion fight against?

Attempted to forcefully stop British encroachment on their territory, inspired by teachings of universal Native unity and rejection of dependence upon Europeans.

What were the Navigation Acts?

Largely-ignored trade rules that dictated commerce be carried on English ships, that goods pass through English ports, and that specific goods could only be exported to England.

Describe the establishment of the Dominion of New England (1686-1692)

Established by King Charles II during the English Civil War as an attempt to tighten England’s control on its colonies under Sir Edmund Andros but universally resisted.

What is salutary neglect?

From the early to mid-18th century, the British government exercised loose trade regulations and minimal supervision of internal affairs on its North American colonies.

How did the John Peter Zenger case affect freedom of the press?

Zenger was accused of libel (published defamation) by the royal governor of New York but was acquitted by the jury, becoming a symbol of freedom of the press.

What was the Proclamation of 1763?

It prohibited movement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflicts with Native Americans, upsetting many colonists who wanted the land to increase their wealth.

What were the writs of assistance?

Documents serving as a general search warrant to enter any ship or building suspected of holding smuggled goods, issued to crack down on smuggling.

Why was the Stamp Act enacted in 1765?

To impose a direct tax on all printed documents in the North American colonies to reimburse Britain after the Seven Years’ War

Why did the Stamp Act upset the colonists so much?

It affected every colonist of every social class, particularly the politically active, sparking a debate over Britain's righ to tax the colonies solely to raise revenue

What phrase did colonists coin out of opposition to the Stamp Act

"No taxation without representation"

The Declaratory Act of 1766 asserted which political power?

Britain’s ultimate right of control over the colonies.

What item(s) were taxed under the Townshend Acts?

All imports of glass, lead, paint, and tea.

Describe the events surrounding the Boston Massacre

Fueled by anti-British sentiment, Paul Revere's propagandist depiction of the incident inflamed revolutionary anger in a dissenting area.

How did Sam Adams influence the revolutionary era?

Addressed Massachusetts to employ a committee of correspondence to rally opposition to British policies, educate the townspeople of Massachusetts about their constitutional rights and the British threats to those rights, and to encourage townspeople to become more politically active.

Describe the significance of 1772 British case Somerset v. Stewart

Outlawed slavery in Britain, striking fear into American slaveholders

In what ways was the Boston Tea Party a direct response to the Tea Act in 1773?

Radical colonists in the Sons of Liberty willfully destroyed 342 crates of East India Company tea (modern worth: about $1.7 million)

What were the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts?

Issued by the British, these measures shut down Boston’s port, shut down the colony’s legislative assembly, sent British troops to occupy Boston, and authorized the newly-appointed governor to send indicted government officials away for trial.

What was the Quartering Act?

Allowed British troops to be housed in private buildings in all colonies, not just Massachusetts.

What outcomes resulted from the First Continental Congress?

Convened in late 1774 supporting Massachusetts and approved of a general boycott of British goods, as well as the Declaration of Colonial Rights and Grievances,

What actions did Thomas Paine encourage Americans to take in his Common Sense pamphlet (1775)?

To form a written constitution, and also a democracy with frequent elections.

Where did British and American forces first engage in military conflict during the Revolutionary War?

Lexington and Concord, fought in April 1775; "the shot heard ‘round the world."

Why was George Washington appointed commander of the Continental Army at the Second Continental Congress?

The war with Britain begun and authorization given to raise the army through conscription.

What did the authorization of the Olive Branch Petition assert?

Reaffirmed the 13 colonies’ loyalty to the Crown as a last attempt at negotiation, but was then invalidated by Congress issued the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms

Why was the Declaration of Independence issued on July 4, 1776?

To assert for the first time the colonies’ intention to be fully independent of the mother country.

List three weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation

The federal government lacked the power of taxation, had no authority to regulate commerce, and was powerless to resolve conflicts arising between states.

Why did Daniel Shay lead a rebellion?

To protest the unjust economic policies and political corruption of Massachusetts’s state legislature because veterans-turned-farmers were taken to court for debts accrued without compensation for their service.

What did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 establish?

A process to create 5 new states between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; It outlawed slavery in all 5 of the new states; It also acknowledged that Native Americans had a claim to the land and should be treated more fairly if the settlers wanted to avoid war.

The U.S. Constitution was created by delegates from 12 states aiming to revise

The Articles of Confederation

Explain the differences between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans for the legislative branch

The Virginia Plan called for a two-house legislature in which representation would be based on population, while the New Jersey Plan said the legislature would have one house and each state would have one vote.

How was slave representation handled during the creation of the American Constitution?

The Three-Fifths Compromise stated that every 5 enslaved individuals would count as 3 for the purposes of legislative representation and taxation, as well as a fugitive slave clause.

Which document was created to appease to anti-federalists

The Bill of Rights, a series of ten amendments, was added to the document to ensure that the federal government would respect the natural rights of citizens.

For what are the Federalist Papers best known?

Arguing that a strong national government was necessary and not an infringement on the people’s liberty, regarded as the most authoritative source for determining the original intent of the framers of the U.S. Constitution

In his farewell address, which two pitfalls of American society did George Washington warn the people about?

Divided political parties and developing entanglements with European countries.

What precedent did Washington set by ending the Whiskey Rebellion?

For federal authority in the United States, as the rebellion proved to Federalists that democracy in the hands of ordinary citizens was dangerous.

The Alien and Sedition Acts made it harder for

Immigrants to vote and gain citizenship and severely reducing free speech.

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions as a response to

The Alien and Sedition Acts

What was the XYZ Affair under president John Adams?

Series of French diplomatic incidents that resulted in an undeclared naval quasi-war between the United States and France and an attempt to promote good commercial relations with Britain.

How did Federalists feel about the Constitution?

They favored a strong central government and broad interpretation of the Constitution.