Spring 2nd Block American History Honors (FINAL EXAM REVIEW)

Includes Unit 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10

Colonization

The process of establishing settlements and control over indigenous lands by a foreign power.

Empire

A group of nations or territories controlled by a single sovereign authority.

Indigenous

Native peoples and cultures originally inhabiting a region before colonization.

Mercantilism

An economic policy where colonies provide raw materials to the mother country and serve as markets for finished goods.

Charter

A legal document granting rights and privileges to an individual or company to establish a colony.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607.

Pilgrims

English settlers who sought religious freedom and established Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Mayflower Compact

An early self-government agreement signed by Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system where people worked for a set time in exchange for passage to America.

Encomienda System

A Spanish labor system that granted colonists the right to demand labor or tribute from indigenous people.

Triangular Trade

The trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Religious Freedom

The right to practice one’s religion without persecution.

Puritans

A religious group that sought to purify the Church of England and established colonies in New England.

Subsistence Farming

Farming focused on growing enough food to feed the farmer’s family, with little surplus for trade.

Cash Crops

Agricultural products grown for sale rather than personal use, such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton.

Native American Alliances

Partnerships formed between European settlers and Native tribes for trade or military support.

Colonial Assemblies

Early forms of representative government in the American colonies.

Religious Persecution

Hostility or punishment against individuals or groups due to their religious beliefs.

Exploration

The act of traveling to unknown regions to discover new lands and resources.

Revolution

A fundamental change in political power or organizational structures, often through rebellion.

Patriot

Colonists who supported independence from Britain during the American Revolution.

Loyalist

Colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution.

Militia

A military force made up of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service.

Continental Congress

The governing body of the American colonies during the Revolution, which coordinated the war effort and declared independence.

Declaration of Independence

The formal statement written primarily by Thomas Jefferson declaring the colonies' freedom from British rule in 1776.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The agreement that ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.

Redcoats

A nickname for British soldiers, named for their distinctive red uniforms.

Boycott

A protest method where people refuse to buy or use goods or services.

Taxation without Representation

The colonial grievance that it was unfair to be taxed by the British Parliament without having colonial representatives in it.

Boston Tea Party

A political protest in 1773 where American colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament after the Boston Tea Party to punish Massachusetts colonists.

Sons of Liberty

A secret organization of American colonists that protested against British policies before and during the Revolution.

Minute Men

Colonial militia volunteers who were prepared to fight at a minute's notice.

Common Sense

A pamphlet by Thomas Paine that argued for American independence and influenced many colonists.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War in 1775.

Bunker Hill

An early and significant battle in the Revolution showing that the colonists could stand up to British troops.

George Washington

Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the United States.

Alliance

A formal agreement between two or more nations or groups to cooperate for specific purposes.

British Parliament

The legislative body of Great Britain that imposed taxes and laws on the American colonies.

Neutrality Proclamation (1793)

Washington’s formal statement declaring U.S. neutrality in the war between Britain and France, setting an early precedent for American foreign policy.

Jay’s Treaty (1794)

Agreement with Britain that settled outstanding issues from the Revolutionary War and facilitated ten years of peaceful trade but angered many who favored stronger action against British maritime policies.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Armed protest by Western Pennsylvania farmers against an excise tax on whiskey; suppressed by federal troops under Washington, demonstrating the federal government’s ability to enforce law.

Federalists

Political faction led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams favoring a strong central government, commercial economy, and close ties with Britain.

Democratic-Republicans (Republicans)

Political faction led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison favoring limited federal power, an agrarian economy, and sympathy toward France.

XYZ Affair (1797–1798)

Diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and France in which French agents demanded bribes, leading to anti-French sentiment and an undeclared naval conflict (the Quasi-War).

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Federalist-sponsored laws that increased residency requirements for citizenship, allowed the president to deport noncitizens, and criminalized criticism of the government; highly controversial for civil liberties concerns.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Supreme Court case that established judicial review, empowering the Court to declare federal laws unconstitutional.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Jefferson’s acquisition of vast territory from France that doubled U.S. land area, raised questions about constitutional power, and promoted westward expansion.

Embargo Act (1807)

Law passed under Jefferson that banned American ships from trading with foreign ports to avoid war; it severely damaged the U.S. economy and was widely unpopular.

War of 1812

Armed conflict between the United States and Great Britain (1812–1815) that tested national resolve, led to military and political consequences, and fostered a sense of national identity.

Treaty of Ghent (1814)

Agreement that ended the War of 1812 and restored prewar boundaries without addressing many causes of the war; nevertheless it helped establish U.S. sovereignty.

Era of Good Feelings

Post‑War of 1812 period (roughly during Monroe’s presidency) marked by a decline in partisan rancor and heightened nationalistic sentiment.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

Policy declaring that the Western Hemisphere was closed to future European colonization and that the U.S. would view European interference in the Americas as hostile; it asserted a growing U.S. role in hemispheric affairs.

Nationalism

A sense of national unity and identity that grew after the War of 1812 and influenced economic policy, infrastructure projects, and foreign policy.

Internal Improvements

Federal and state projects (roads, canals, later railroads) promoted to improve transportation and bind the nation economically and politically.

Henry Clay’s American System

Economic plan calling for a national bank, protective tariffs, and federal funding for internal improvements to promote industry and national cohesion.

Sectionalism

The growing tendency of different regions (North, South, West) to prioritize their own economic and political interests, foreshadowing later conflicts.

Nullification

The theory that states could invalidate federal laws they considered unconstitutional; rooted in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and influential in later sectional disputes.

Popular Sovereignty (in early usage)

The idea that political power rests with the people, used rhetorically in debates about republican government and states’ rights.

Westward Expansion

The movement of American settlers, pioneers, and the U.S. government into western territories during the 1800s.

Homestead Act (1862)

Federal law that offered 160 acres of free land to settlers who would farm it for five years, encouraging westward migration.

Frontier

The edge of settled territory, representing the boundary between civilization and wilderness in the expanding nation.

Gold Rush

A sudden mass migration to areas where gold was discovered (such as California in 1849), driven by the hope of wealth and fortune.

Nativism

The belief that native-born citizens are superior to immigrants and should receive preferential treatment; often accompanied by discrimination.

Know-Nothing Party

A political party in the 1850s that opposed immigration and the influence of Catholic immigrants in American politics.

Cotton Gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney (1793) that separated cotton seeds from fibers, making cotton production more profitable and increasing demand for enslaved labor.

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that settlers in a territory should vote to decide whether slavery would be allowed in their new state.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws that temporarily reduced tensions between North and South by admitting California as a free state while allowing popular sovereignty in other territories.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

A federal agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, and banned slavery in territories north of the 36°30' parallel.

Bleeding Kansas

The violent conflict (1854–1859) between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas over whether the territory would allow slavery.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to enslaved and formerly enslaved people, stating that African Americans had "no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Law that required Northern citizens to assist in capturing and returning escaped enslaved people to the South, increasing tensions between regions.

Abolitionism

The movement to completely end slavery in the United States; abolitionists believed slavery was morally wrong and must be eliminated.

Slave Codes

Laws in Southern states that restricted the rights and freedoms of enslaved people and free Black people, controlling their movements and activities.

Mexican-American War (1846–1848)

Military conflict between the U.S. and Mexico resulting in American victory and the acquisition of vast western territories, reopening slavery debates.

Plantation Economy

The Southern economic system based on large estates growing cash crops (like cotton and tobacco) using enslaved labor for profit.

Yeoman Farmer

An independent small-scale farmer who owned their own land and did not rely on enslaved labor, common in the North and West.

Civil Disobedience

The deliberate refusal to obey laws considered unjust, used by abolitionists and later by anti-slavery activists to protest slavery.

Romanticism

An artistic and literary movement that emphasized emotion, individualism, and nature; influenced American idealism and abolitionist sentiment.

Frontier

The edge of settled territory; area where European Americans expanded westward during the 1800s

Great Plains

A vast, flat region of grassland stretching from Canada to Texas, characterized by extreme weather and sparse vegetation

Homestead

A piece of land granted to settlers who agreed to farm it and live on it for a certain period of time

Reservation

Land set aside by the U.S. government for Native American tribes to live on

Native Americans

Indigenous peoples who inhabited North America long before European exploration and settlement

Transcontinental Railroad

A railway system completed in 1869 that connected the East and West coasts of the United States

Telegraph

A communication device that sent electrical signals through wires to transmit messages over long distances

Pony Express

A fast mail delivery system using relay stations and riders on horseback (1860-1861)

Innovation

A new invention or method that improves how people work, communicate, or live

Industrial Revolution

A period of rapid development of new technology and manufacturing that changed society and the economy

Barbed Wire

A type of fencing material with sharp barbs, widely used to control cattle and mark property boundaries on the frontier

Plow

A farming tool used to turn over soil for planting crops, improved during the frontier era

Populist Party

A political party formed in the 1890s that represented farmers and workers, advocating for government reform and fair prices for crops

Indian Removal Act

An 1830 federal law that forced Native American tribes to relocate west of the Mississippi River

Treaty

A formal agreement between two or more groups, often between the U.S. government and Native American nations

Sovereignty

The right of a nation or group to govern itself and make its own decisions