Key Terms from American History Lecture

These flashcards cover key terms, definitions, and significant figures from American History as discussed in the lecture notes.

Hopewell

An ancient Native American culture known for its earthworks and burial mounds.

Mississippian cultures

Indigenous cultures in the southeastern United States known for their complex societies.

Cahokia

A major pre-Columbian Native American city directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis.

Maize (Maize Culture)

A culture centered around the cultivation of maize, a staple crop for many Native American societies.

Three Sisters Farming

Agricultural technique that involves planting maize, beans, and squash together for mutual benefit.

Iroquois Confederacy

A political and cultural union of several Native American tribes in the Northeast.

Pueblos

Multistory adobe dwellings built by Native Americans in the Southwestern United States.

Aborigine

The original inhabitants of a land; often used to refer to the Indigenous peoples of Australia.

Homogenous

Made up of similar or identical elements; often used to describe groups with similar cultural backgrounds.

Maya

An ancient civilization known for its writing system, art, and sophisticated knowledge of astronomy and mathematics.

Aztec

A Mesoamerican culture known for its vast empire in present-day Mexico and sophisticated society.

Inca

An ancient civilization in South America known for its engineering achievements and vast empire.

Chinook

A Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest known for their fishing and trade.

Hunter-gatherer

A member of a nomadic group that relies on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild foods.

Mission System

Spanish colonization method in which missions were established to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Encomienda

A system that rewarded Spanish settlers with land and rights to indigenous labor.

Pantheism

The belief that the divine pervades all things in the universe.

Animism

The belief that objects, places, and creatures possess a spiritual essence.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Kinship networks

Social structures based on familial ties and relationships.

Nuclear family

A family unit consisting of two parents and their children.

Private land ownership

A system where individuals or corporations own land.

Communal land ownership

A system where land is owned collectively by a group.

Pueblo Revolt (Pope's Rebellion)

An uprising of Pueblo people against Spanish colonizers in 1680.

Bartolomé De Las Casas

A Spanish missionary and historian who advocated for the rights of Native Americans.

Caste system

A social hierarchy based on ascribed status, often seen in colonial Latin America.

Beaver War(s)

Conflicts in the 17th century involving Native American tribes and European settlers over fur trade.

Powhatan War(s)

Conflicts between English settlers and the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia.

Pequot War

A conflict in 1636-1638 between English settlers and the Pequot tribe.

Metacom’s War (King Philip's War)

A conflict between Native Americans and English settlers in New England in 1675-1676.

Anglicization

The process by which individuals, cultures, or societies adopt English customs and norms.

WASP

An acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, often used to describe American elite culture.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism of authority.

Natural rights

Rights that individuals have under natural law, such as life, liberty, and property.

Social contract

The theory that individuals give up certain freedoms to an authority in exchange for protection and order.

John Locke

An Enlightenment thinker known for his ideas on natural rights and government.

Transatlantic print culture

A culture developed through print media exchanged across the Atlantic, influencing ideas in America and Europe.

First Great Awakening

A religious revival movement in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s.

Camp Meeting/Revival

Revivals organized in the wilderness to promote religious fervor, part of the First Great Awakening.

New Light Clergy

Clergy who supported the revivalist movement during the First Great Awakening.

Jonathan Edwards

A preacher known for his role in the First Great Awakening and his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'

George Whitefield

An English preacher who was a significant figure in the First Great Awakening.

Predestination

The belief that God has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned.

Denomination

A recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church.

Aristocracy

A privileged social class, typically hereditary, often ruling over others.

Spirit of industry

The drive towards innovation, productivity, and economic growth.

American Second Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the early 19th century that emphasized individual piety.

Good works

Actions considered beneficial, particularly in a religious or moral context.

Market Revolution

A period of economic transformation in the early 19th century, characterized by increased commercialization.

Republican Motherhood

The idea that women had an important role in shaping future citizens by educating their children.

Abolition

The movement to end slavery.

Temperance

The social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Voluntary societies

Organizations formed voluntarily by members to promote social and political change.

John Brown

A radical abolitionist known for his violent opposition to slavery.

King Cotton

The phrase that emphasized the importance of cotton as a cash crop to the Southern economy.

Frances Watkins Harper

An African American abolitionist, poet, and public speaker.

Frederick Douglass

A former enslaved person who became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement.

Antebellum

The period in American history before the Civil War.

Gradual emancipation

The process of slowly ending slavery, as opposed to immediate emancipation.

14th amendment

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting citizenship and equal protection under the law.

15th amendment

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibits denying the right to vote based on race.

Middle Class

A social class typically between the upper and lower classes, often associated with moderate wealth.

Disposable income

Income available for spending after taxes and necessary expenses have been paid.

Leisure activities

Activities that individuals engage in during free time, outside of work.

Department store

A retail establishment that sells a wide variety of goods categorized under one roof.

Muckraker

Journalists who investigate and expose social or political issues.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

A tragic industrial disaster in 1911 that highlighted the need for labor reforms.

Conservation

The practice of protecting and preserving natural resources.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Child Labor

The practice of employing children in industry or business, often in harsh conditions.

Workers Rights

The legal rights and protections afforded to workers.

Temperance

The movement advocating for the reduction or prohibition of alcohol consumption.

Jacob Riis

A journalist and social reformer known for his work documenting the conditions of the urban poor.

Carrie Nation

A radical member of the temperance movement known for her method of smashing alcohol barrels.

Upton Sinclair

An author known for his muckraking novel 'The Jungle' that exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

Ida B. Wells

An African American journalist and activist who led an anti-lynching campaign.

Great Migration

The movement of over 6 million African Americans from the rural South to urban areas in the North and West from 1916 to 1970.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s.

New Negro Movement

An African American cultural movement in the 1920s advocating for civil rights and cultural pride.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 legal case in Tennessee that tested the Butler Act which prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools.

19th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 that granted women the right to vote.

18th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1919 that initiated the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

socioeconomic

Relating to or concerned with the interaction of social and economic factors.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of violent clashes in 1943 in Los Angeles between zoot-suit-wearing Mexican American youths and white servicemen.

Rosy the Riveter

A cultural icon representing American women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II.

Japanese Internment

The forced relocation and imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Executive Order 8802

An order signed by President Roosevelt in 1941 prohibiting racial discrimination in the national defense industry.

Executive Order 9981

An order signed by President Truman in 1948 to desegregate the armed forces.

Double V Campaign

A campaign during World War II advocating for victory against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home.

Red Scare

The fear of communism and radical leftism spreading in the U.S., primarily during the early and late 20th century.

Subversive

Seeking or intended to subvert an established system or institution.

Blacklisting

The practice of identifying and denying work or access to those who associate with, or are perceived to be associated with, undesirable groups.

Joseph McCarthy

A U.S. Senator known for his role in the anti-communist movement and for alleging that numerous communists were working in the government.

Demagogue

A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than using rational argument.

innuendo

An indirect or subtle, usually derogatory implication in expression.

House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC)

A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives established in 1938 to investigate disloyalty and subversion.

Army-McCarthy Hearings

A series of hearings in 1954 before the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations that investigated conflicting accusations between Senator McCarthy and the U.S. Army.

Lavender Scare

The persecution of homosexuals in the government in the 1950s, parallel to the Red Scare.

Conformity

Behavior that follows the socially accepted standards, attitudes, and practices.

Homogenous

Of the same kind; alike, or having a uniform nature.