Aztecs
-written language
-human sacrifice
-complex system of irrigation
Tenochtitlan
the capital city of the Aztecs which consisted of 300k people
Maya
-large cities
-complex irrigation
-temples+palaces for rulers
Inca
-huge pop. (16m people)
-had fertile land in the mountain valleys
-elaborate irrigation system
Maize
a nutritious crop that was cultivated by aztecs, incas, and mayas, that supported economic development, the settlement of people, advanced irrigation, and social diversification
Columbian exchange
the transfer of food, animals, minerals, people and diseases between Africa, America, and Europe
Feudalism
a system where peasants lived and worked under the noble class in exchange for armed protection
Mercantilism
a system that was heavily dependent on gov. direction and intervention
Encomienda system
introduced by Columbus that granted a portion of land to leading men and the natives who worked under that land were coerced into labor
Requerimento
Pope granted Spanish monarchs the authority to claim lands in the Americas and convert the people
Pueblo Revolt (1610)
the spanish were forcing native to convert and after having doughts and attacks from other native groups they blamed the spanish for their problem. Eventually the rest of the spanish pop. left
Bartolome de las casas
argued on behalf of the natives and believed that Africans should endure enslaved labor in the America
Jamestown
one of the first colonies in the Americas that was financed by joint-stock company. It failed due to famine and many of the people resorted to cannibalism
Bacon’s rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon led poor farmers and indentured servants on an attack on the Indians and destroyed Berkeley’s plantations
House of Burgesses
established in Virginia. Representatives assembly which could levy taxes on pop. and pass laws
Mayflower Compact
In New England. Organized gov. on the model of self-government church congregation
Navigation Acts
Required merchants to engage in trade with English colonies exclusively in English ships. Valuable trade items had to pass through British ports where they were taxed
Colonial slave laws
-legally defined African laborers as chattel (property)
-made an institution that was passed from one generation to another
-laws became harsher and harsher
Stono Rebellion
group of enslaved men stole weapons from a store and killed white owners of the store. Marched along the Stono River as more enslaved men joined and burned plantations and killed white folks
Enlightenment
emphasized rational thinking against traditional and religious revelation
John Locke
preached natural rights like life, liberty, and property
Great Awakening
religious revival that was led by a group of preachers who were upset with the loss of faith during the enlightenment period
Jonathan Edwards
a preacher during the great awakening that combined enlightenment ideas and religion
George Whitefield
a preacher during the Great Awakening that traveled all colonies and spread the words of God
French and Indian War
territorial dispute in the Ohio River Valley between French and British cause this war in 1754
Albany Congress
delegates from several British Colonies met to discuss more organized colonial response to frontier defense, trade, and westward expansion
Albany Plan of Union
introduced by Benjamin Franklin, decide of frontier defense, trade, and westward expansion
Impressment
forced American men to join the ranks of the Royal Navy
Salutary Neglect
British gov. practice that allowed North American colonies to be left largely on their own
Quartering Act of 1765
kept British soldiers stationed in colonies and the colonists were responsible for soldiers food and housing
Sugar Act
tax on coffee, wine, and enforced existing taxes on molasses
Stamp Act of 1765
tax on all paper item
Currency Act
prohibited colonial assemblies from printing their own paper currency
Stamp Act Congress
delegates from nine colonies to accomplish basic goals to petition the British gov. to repeal the Stamp Act
Declaratory Act
Parliament had the right to pass they wanted on the colonies
Townshed Acts
levied taxes on items like paper, tea, and glass
Boston Massacre
group of boys and young men were harassing British soldiers. Someone fired a gun and British soldiers fought back and 11 colonist were shot and 4 were dead
Boston Tea Party
1773, members of the Sons of Liberty dumped 45 tons of British tea into the Boston harbor
Continental Congress
1774, discussed the increasing legislative tyranny and despite different regional views, all agreed that colonies need to resist further violations of their liberty at the hands of Parliament
Jean-Jaques Rosseau
“Social Contract.” The power to govern is in the hands of the people and they agreed to give up some power to the government as long as their natural rights are protected
Montesquieu
argued for a republican gov. where power was split into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
put language to what the colonist were feeling
Second Continental Congress
1776, a formal resolution for independence was put on the floor
Battle of Saratoga
a turning point in the American Revolution because Franklin was able to persuade France to ally with Americas
Battle of Yorktown
the battle during the American Revolution where the British surrendered
Paris Peace Treaty
1783, recognized America as an independent nation
Articles of Confederation
ratified in 1781 to become the new governing document of the United States
Shays Rebellion
many farmers were in debt while they were fighting of in the revolution and had trouble paying of the debt due to inflation and new taxes so an angry militia headed down to town arsenal to arm themselves. Nobody could save Massachusetts because there was no President and proved that the Articles of Confederation was flawed
Constitutional Congress
held in 1787 in Philadelphia and debated how the voices of the people should be represented (Virginia or New Jersey Plan)
Virginia Plan
centralized state, two houses in congress, representative based on population
New Jersey Plan
every state has equal representation
The Great Compromise
House of reps. represented states based on population and senate had equal representation of two votes
Three-Fifths Compromise
three out of five slaves would count towards a state population
Federalist
wanted to ratify the constitution
Federalist Paper
written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison that promoted the ratification of the Constitution
Anti-federalist
didn’t want to ratify the constitution
Federalism
the sharing of power between the national gov. and state gov.
Supremacy Clause
the national law trumps state law whenever they contradict
Jay’s rebellion
British agreed to give up post on the western frontiers of the American territory
Pinckney Treaty
Spain agreed to let Americans use the port at New Orleans for trade along the Mississippi River
Battle of Fallen Timbers
US army clashed with a confederacy of America Indian tribes and defeated them. Indians surrendered all lands in the Ohio Valley
Whiskey Rebellion
farmers revolted whiskey tax and Washington stopped the revolt. This proved that the Constitution was working
XYZ affair
the French were seizing American ships so a delegation was sent to negotiate a settlement instead the three frenchmen who met the delegation demanded a bribe
Alien Act
made it possible to government to imprison or deport any non-citizens but mainly targeted Irish and Scottish people
Sedition Acts
made it illegal to criticize the government publicly
Virginia and Kentucky resolution
response to the Alien and Sedition act. States could nullify any laws passed by the federal government
Republican Motherhood
mothers had to teach their children about republican government. In order to educate kids women need education
Charles Willson Peale
artist who did the portrait of Washington
Samuel Jennings
artist who painted women and black folks while emphasizing rationality and education
John Trumbull
artist that painted the signing of the Declaration of Independence in romanticized way
Election of 1800 (“Revolution of 1800”)
marked one of the few times in history power was transferred peacefully between rival parties
Louisiana Purchase
land purchased from the French for 15m
Marbury v. Madison
placed the idea of Judicial review
McCulloch v. Maryland
the decision that declared that national law trumps state law whenever the two contradict
War of 1812
the British continued the impressment of American citizens and the British aided Native Americans who were attacking migrant settlers leading to this war
War Hawks
willing to get involved in the War of 1812 in order to defend American honor
American System
proposed by Henry Clay and states that the gov should fund internal improvement, federal tariffs, and second bank of the US
Missouri Compromise/Compromise of 1820
Missouri would enter as a slave state but Maine would be a free state. States above the 36 30’ line was free and below was slave
Treaty of Ghent
the treaty ended the war between the US and Britain but left many thing unclear
49th parallel
border between the US and Canada
Monroe Doctrine
lands and nations in the Western Hemisphere were in the US’s backyard, thus their business
Market Revolution
the linking of northern industries with western and southern farms which was created by advances in agriculture, industry, and transportation
interchangeable parts
created by Eli Whitney. If pieces failed you could just change it out with another that fits the exact specification
Factory system
factories could mass produce discreet parts of any given item with precision and workers could assemble them to be shipped to regional and more distant markets
Cotton gin
sped up the process of separating cotton seeds from cotton fibers
spinning machine
turned raw cotton into yarn
subsistence farming
a person farmed to feed themselves
commercial farming
a person grows cash crops to trade in markets
Irish Potato Famine
people in Ireland were suffering from hunger and starvation
Cult of Domesticity
a woman’s purpose is to have babies, raise them, and provide a home that was a haven of rest to her husbands who were working in the real world
Panic of 1819
second bank of the US tightened lending money in order to control inflation but cause many state banks to close. This led to the decrease in demand for American exported goods leading to more unemployment and bankrupties
Doctrine of Nullification
if a state judged a federal law to be unconstitutional the state could pretend the law didn’t exist
Indian Removal Act of 1830
Cherokee nation in Georgia declared themselves a sovereign nation within the bounds of the state but when gold was found there Indians were forced to relocate west of the Mississippi River
Worcester v. Georgia
The Supreme Court decision that believed that the Indian removal act was unconstitutional
Trails of Tears
sickness and death of native americans that occurred as they moved west of the Mississippi river since they were ill prepared
Transcendentalism
romantic view of the transcendent power and beauty of nature and emphasized the belief in human perfectibility
Second Great Awakening
religious revival among Protestants that emphasized righteous living, personal, restraint, and strong moral rectitude that would lead a person and society to salvation
American Anti-Slavery Society
led by William Garrison who argued that white folks needed to take a stand against slavery by persuasion
Narrative of Fredrick Douglass
emphasized the dehumanization occurred not only in the enslaved but also the owner to perpetuate the institution of slavery
Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution
written in the same form of the Declaration of Independence and listed the grievances of women against a sexist society