APUSH AP Exam Review Notes By Friend

Maize

Maize

Refers to corn, crucial for economic development, settlement, and social diversification among Native American societies in regions like the American Southwest.

Irrigation Systems

Developed by Native Americans in the Southwest to support agriculture, particularly for growing maize in hot climates.

Iroquois League

A Native American confederacy in the Northeast known for adapting to their environment, practicing agriculture, and being argued as the first democracy.

Encomienda System

An abusive system used by the Spanish in the Americas to exploit Native American labor for plantation agriculture and resource extraction.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, culture, and diseases between the Americas, Europe, and Africa, leading to significant social, cultural, and economic changes.

Joint-Stock Companies

Organized methods for conducting international trade that helped drive economic changes in Europe and the Americas during the Age of Exploration.

Pueblo's Revolt

A Native American uprising against Spanish colonizers in North America, leading to Spanish accommodation of some aspects of American Indian culture in the Southwest.

Headright System

A system in early British colonies where individuals who paid for the transportation of indentured servants received land, contributing to the growth of the colonies.

City on a Hill

A concept in Massachusetts Bay colonies where punishments were meant to publicly shame and set an example, envisioned by Governor John Winthrop as a beacon of hope for spreading religious righteousness.

Middle Colonies

Colonies with a flourishing export economy based on cereal crops, attracting diverse European migrants and promoting cultural, ethnic, and religious tolerance.

Quakers in Pennsylvania

Religious group promoting tolerance, equality for women, pacifism, anti-slavery beliefs, and the idea that everyone carries a light of God within them.

Plantation Economies

Southern colonies and British West Indies developed economies based on exporting staple crops, heavily relying on enslaved Africans for labor.

Self-Governing Institutions

British colonies developed democratic structures due to distance from Britain and salutary neglect, with New England colonies having participatory town meetings and the South being dominated by elite planters.

Atlantic Economy

Exchange of goods, enslaved Africans, and Native Americans between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, focusing on acquiring and exporting commodities valued in Europe.

First Great Awakening

Religious revival leading to increased conversions, emotional connections to religion, and challenging traditional religious views, influenced by figures like George Whitefield.

Mercantilism

Economic nationalism aiming to increase Britain's wealth through trade with colonies, enforced through Navigation Acts, leading to conflicts with colonists who often resorted to smuggling.

Colonial Resistance

Colonists resisted imperial control due to evolving ideas of liberty, Enlightenment philosophy, religious independence, and perceived corruption in the imperial system.

Chattel Slavery

Dominant labor system in southern colonies, creating a strict racial system, prohibiting interracial relationships, and defining descendants of African American mothers as enslaved in perpetuity.

French and Indian War

Conflict between British, French, and American Indians in North America leading to British victory and territorial expansion.

Albany Plan of Union

1754 proposal by Ben Franklin for colonial unity during the French and Indian War, advocating a general government for defense.

Salutary neglect

British policy of loose enforcement of colonial trade laws, ended by post-French and Indian War revenue-raising measures.

Stamp Act Congress

1765 assembly of colonies to protest the Stamp Act, asserting rights and grievances against British taxation without representation.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

1763 conflict between British and Native Americans post-French and Indian War, showcasing Pan-Indian resistance to colonization.

Proclamation of 1763

British policy prohibiting westward migration beyond the Appalachian Mountains, leading to colonial opposition.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Grassroots organizations protesting British taxation, using tactics like boycotts and protests.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest against the Tea Act, where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor to oppose British taxation.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Agreement ending the American Revolution, recognizing American independence and establishing new borders and rights.

Common Sense

1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for American independence and criticizing monarchy, influencing the Declaration of Independence.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Law setting rules for new states in the territory between Great Lakes and Ohio River, granting self-government, prohibiting slavery, and promoting education.

Shays’ Rebellion (1786)

Uprising led by Daniel Shays against high state taxes and debt imprisonment, highlighting weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Separation of powers

Division of power among government branches - legislative, executive, and judicial.

Great Compromise

Bicameral Congress with equal state representation in the Senate and population-based representation in the House of Representatives.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counting each enslaved individual as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation.

Federalism

Division of power between federal and state governments.

Anti-Federalists

Opposed ratification of the Constitution, advocating for weaker central government and individual rights protection.

Federalists

Supported ratification of the Constitution, favoring a stronger central government and national unity.

Hamilton’s Financial Plan

Assumed state debts, established a national bank, and supported protective tariffs and excise taxes.

Jay Treaty (1794)

Resolved issues with Britain, maintaining U.S. neutrality and addressing British occupation and ship seizures.

Farewell Address

Washington's advice on avoiding political factions, foreign alliances, and honoring financial obligations.

Era of Good Feelings

Post-War of 1812 period marked by political unity and economic growth in the U.S.

Jacksonian Democracy

President Andrew Jackson's presidency (1829-1837) symbolized the shift towards the common man and universal white male suffrage, challenging the rule of elite industrialists in politics.

Marbury v

Landmark Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, granting the judiciary the power to interpret the Constitution.

McCulloch v

Supreme Court decision affirming federal supremacy over states, ruling that states cannot tax the federal government, particularly the Bank of the U.S.

Gibbons v

Supreme Court case confirming Congress's authority to regulate interstate commerce, limiting states' powers in this realm.

Worcester v

Supreme Court ruling protecting Native American rights, stating they could not be forced to move westward, though President Jackson ignored this in the Trail of Tears.

Democrats vs

Political parties emerging in the 1820s and 1830s, with Democrats led by Andrew Jackson advocating for the common man and opposing the National Bank and tariffs, while Whigs led by Henry Clay supported a strong federal government, the National Bank, and tariffs.

Nullification Crisis (1833)

Conflict over tariffs where South Carolina sought to nullify federal laws, leading to the Force Act allowing President Jackson to use military force to enforce tariffs.

Second Great Awakening

Religious revival in the early 19th century inspiring moral and social reforms, including the Temperance and Abolition movements, and the rise of utopian societies.

Market Revolution

Transformation in the U.S. economy in the early 19th century marked by innovations in transportation, communication, and production, leading to the growth of a middle class and changes in gender and family roles.

American System

Economic plan by Henry Clay after the War of 1812 aiming to unify the U.S. economy through infrastructure development funded by tariffs, but faced sectional debates over its benefits for agriculture and industry.

Spread of Slavery Westward

Movement of slave plantations to more fertile lands west of the Appalachians due to overcultivation in the Southeast.

Missouri Compromise

Legislation admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, with a line designating future slave and free states, aimed at temporarily easing tensions over slavery.

Manifest Destiny

Belief in the U.S.'s right to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean, driven by economic motives and the superiority of American institutions.

Annexation of Texas

Incorporation of Texas into the U.S. due to economic interests, leading to debates over slavery expansion and concerns about the balance of power between free and slave states.

Homestead Act

Legislation encouraging westward expansion by providing cheap land to American settlers, promoting economic development and migration.

Abolition Movement

Campaign against slavery by African American and white abolitionists, using moral arguments, assisting escapes, and sometimes advocating for violent means to end slavery.

Caning of Charles Sumner

Pro-slavery attack on Charles Sumner in the Senate, symbolizing the violent turn in sectional divisions over slavery.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to prohibit slavery in territories acquired from the Mexican Cession, reflecting debates over the extension of slavery and economic opportunities for white men.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling declaring slaves as property, denying citizenship to African Americans, and deeming the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, intensifying conflicts over slavery in the territories.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Required slaves to return to their owners even in free states, causing controversy and labeled as the "bloodhound bill" by the North.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Repealed the Missouri Compromise, introduced popular sovereignty to determine a state's slave status, leading to Bleeding Kansas.

Bleeding Kansas

Became a battleground for pro and anti-slavery settlers, witnessed violence like the Sack of Lawrence in 1856.

Second Party System

Ended due to slavery and nativism issues, paving the way for sectional parties like the Republican Party in the North.

Critical Realignment

The issue of slavery divided the Democratic Party, leading to the emergence of the Republican Party and the 3rd Two Party System.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued by Lincoln in 1863, freed slaves in rebellion areas, reframed the war's purpose, and attracted African American enlistment.

Reconstruction Amendments

13th abolished slavery, 14th granted equal protection, and 15th ensured universal male suffrage.

Sharecropping

System where freedmen worked on farms in exchange for land use, leading to debt cycles and limited economic opportunities post-war.

Jim Crow Laws

Segregated African Americans, upheld by Plessy v. Ferguson, and restricted rights despite the 14th and 15th amendments.

Industrial Capitalism

Rose post-Civil War due to technological advances, government support, and business consolidation, impacting economic growth and wealth concentration.

Populist Party

Agrarian activists formed the People’s Party in response to economic instability, advocating for a stronger government role in regulating the American economic system.

Graduated income tax

The Populist Party proposed taxing rich industrialists at higher rates to address economic inequality.

Free silver

The Populist Party supported the use of silver, in addition to gold, as currency to benefit farmers.

Direct election of senators

The Populist Party called for senators to be elected directly by the people, rather than by state legislatures.

Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism justified the success of wealthy individuals as appropriate and inevitable, promoting the idea of the survival of the fittest.

Gospel of Wealth

The Gospel of Wealth argued that the wealthy had a moral obligation to help the less fortunate and improve society through philanthropic contributions.

Settlement houses

Women like Jane Addams worked in settlement houses to assist immigrants in adapting to U.S. language and customs.

Plessy v

This Supreme Court decision upheld racial segregation through the doctrine of "separate but equal," marking the end of many political gains made by African Americans during Reconstruction.

Great Depression

Episodes of credit and market instability in the early 20th century, particularly the Great Depression, led to calls for a stronger regulatory system to reform the U.S. economy.

New Deal

The New Deal, enacted by FDR, included programs and regulations to prevent economic disasters like the Great Depression and established federal responsibility for the welfare of the U.S. economy and its people.

Scopes Trial

Legal battle over teaching evolution in schools, pitting modernist Clarence Darrow against traditionalist William Jennings Bryan.

Nativism

Rise of anti-immigrant sentiment, exemplified by the Emergency Quota Act and National Origins Act in the 1920s.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the South to the North and West for job opportunities and to escape segregation.

Marcus Garvey

Advocated for Black pride, economic independence, and the "return to Africa" through the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

Selective Service Act

Enacted conscription during WWI to raise troops, leading to ethnically diverse troops and facing racism and segregation.

Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points

Post-WWI plan to prevent future wars, including no secret alliances, freedom of seas, and League of Nations.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

1928 agreement denouncing war as a national policy instrument, though lacking enforcement mechanisms.

Dawes Plan

U.S. loaned money to Germany post-WWI to repay reparations, aiding economic recovery and international trade flow.

Containment

The United States' strategy to prevent the spread of communism, involving military engagements in Korea and Vietnam.

Détente

Periods during the Cold War characterized by reduced tensions and cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Decolonization

The process of former colonies gaining independence, leading to the emergence of nationalist movements in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Non-Aligned

Nations that did not align with either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Anticommunist

Opposition to communism, which led the U.S. to support non-Communist regimes in Latin America.

Civil Liberties

Rights and freedoms of individuals, which were debated in the context of Cold War policies and government power.

Antiwar Protests

Demonstrations against the Vietnam War that grew in size and intensity as the conflict escalated.

Nuclear Arsenal

The stockpile of nuclear weapons, a subject of debate regarding its size and necessity during the Cold War.

National Energy Policy

Efforts to address energy crises, particularly in the Middle East, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Civil Rights Movement

Activists' efforts to end racial discrimination and achieve equality, utilizing legal challenges and nonviolent protests.