US History - Final

Amerigo Vespucci

discovered America to be a new continent

charter

document that gives holder the right to organize settlements in an area

joint stock company

individuals investing money to buy a stock, controlled early colonization

John Smith

founded + governed Jamestown

Jamestown

1st English settlement, many got sick, did not get along with Indians

treatment of native Americans by English + Spanish

-overworked, abused, forced conversion to Christianity, disease
-ex. Spanish conquered Aztecs, raided Indians

treatment of native Americans by French

respected their territories, treated them as human beings, wanted to trade

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritans founded it, wanted to build a "model Christian community", Rodger Williams forced to leave

Puritans

wanted to "purify" the church of England

Georgia colony

James Oglethorpe established it, refuge for London's indebted prisoners

economy in New England

had very few slaves, small farms, slaves were treated well

causes of French + Indian War

\-England + France both had control of Ohio River Valley -religious differences

effects of French + Indian War

-British citizens had to pay taxes to pay off war debt -
-France left North America
-England gained land east of the Mississippi

Treaty of Paris 1763

ended French + Indian War

reasons Parliament taxed the colonies

-debt from French + Indian War
-defending new territory in America

virtual representation

members of Parliament controlled the colonies

sons of liberty

violent political organization that opposed British taxation

nonimportation

prohibition of imported goods from other countries, closed port of Boston

circular letter

forged ties between colonies after Townshed Acts

Thomas Paine

wrote "Common Sense" (defense for American independence from England), supporter of revolutionary causes

Common Sense

argued for independence from England

Thomas Jefferson

democrat, secretary of state

Declaration of Independence

America declared independence from Britain

Battle of Saratoga

defensive victory for Americans, Benedict Arnold came in to help the British (traitor)

Battle of Yorktown

French troops helped, trapped British soldiers, Britain surrendered

advantages British had at the start of the war

best Navy, more soldiers, more funds

Treaty of Paris 1783

ended Revolutionary War + declared America independent

Articles of Confederation (strengths + weaknesses)

Strengths:
\-created a sense of unity
\-Congress could declare war, start a navy or army
\-organize a post office

\
Weaknesses:
\-each state had one vote
\-no power to draft soldiers
\-no power to enforce treaties
\-could not raise taxes
\-no president
\-no national currency

\-needed 2/3 vote to pass laws

Land Ordinance of 1785

-sale of lands known as the Northwest Territory
-divided lands into townships - area of land six miles square
-each township divided into 36 sections, each 640 acres

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

-gov. for new territories
-bill of rights for the territories
-outlined a process for admitting a new state to the Union

Shay's Rebellion

mob of farmers in Massachusetts marched on county courts to stop the sales of farms for nonpayment of taxes and debt

Virginia Plan

-proposed by James Madison
-national gov. with three branches
-bicameral legislature - 2 houses for House of Reps.
-representation based on population

New Jersey Plan

-proposed by William Patterson
-no state should have more power than another
-changes to AOC
-representation based on population + statehood

Great Compromise

\-bicameral legislature -Senate with equal number of reps. from each state -House of Reps. based on a state's population

Three-Fifths Compromise

Slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person for BOTH representation and tax purposes

Supremacy Clause

Constitution was the most important law of the land

Federalists

supported Constitution

anti-federalists

thought Constitution was missing a list of rights

Ratification of the Constitution

-waited on New York + Virginia's votes

The Bill of Rights

-first 10 amendments
-only applied to federal gov.

Federalist Papers

-Hamilton, Madison, Jay
-arguments to NY in favor of ratification

Washington's cabinet

-Hamilton: secretary of the treasury
-Jefferson: new secretary of state
-Knox: secretary of war
-Adams: vice president

First 4 presidents

Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison

Embargo Act

outlawed trade between America and any foreign nation

Washington's farewell address

warned Americans against danger of political parties, to remain neutral in foreign conflicts, and celebrate their achievements

Kentucky + Virginia Solutions

-laid basis for the doctrine of state rights
-argued that each state should have the right to declare acts null or void if they contradict the Constitution

Thomas Jefferson

democratic-republican, Burr was the runner-up

Election of 1800

Jefferson vs. Burr, Hamilton makes the final vote for Jefferson

War of 1812 (cause + effect)

cause:
-British attempts to restrict U.S. trade
-British took U.S. citizens + put them into the navy
-U.S. wanted to expand

effects:
-U.S gained international respect
-end of Federalist party

Gag Rule

no anti-slavery petitions in Congress

Tariff of Abominations

-protected Northern Industry
-hurt Southern farmers

Henry Clay

speaker of the House, "great compromiser", bets House of Reps. to vote for Adams

Missouri Compromise

-Missouri=slave state
-Maine=free state
-drew territorial line to determine which states had slavery

Protective Tariffs

imported goods costed more than domestic, supported Northern industry

Andrew Jackson

-heavily opposed the U.S. Bank
-claimed bank was corrupt
-vetoed bill to renew the bank's charter
-resulted in the Specie Circular (people had to pay in gold or silver coins)

Seneca Falls Convention

-first women's rights convention

Lucretia Mott

early feminist + female abolitionist

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

chief philosopher of women's rights, women’s suffrage

election of 1824

-Jackson vs. Adams vs. Crawford vs. Clay (who persuaded House of Reps. to vote for Adams)
-Adams won all the the House of Reps. votes
-Adams named Clay secretary of state

election of 1828

-Jackson vs. Adams
-vicious election with supporters rallying against opponents

Era of Good Feelings

-election of 1824 ended this era
-no more unity
-Adams vs. Jackson

Nullification crisis in SC

resulted in the doctrine of nullification (states had power to nullify acts they deem unconstitutional)

corrupt bargain

-Adams named Clay secretary of state
-Jackson thought they made a corrupt bargain

Robert Fulton

engineered the first steamboat

Indian Removal Act

-U.S. policy was to remove Indians from their land west of the MS river
-slower process in the South vs. North

Stephen Austin

-brought U.S. families to Texas
-families agreed to become Catholic, citizens of Mexico and free child slaves at the age of 14

settlement of Texas

most citizens hoped to have Texas annexed into the U.S.

Occupation of Oregon

emigrants + missionaries traveled to Oregon
-split up Oregon between U.S. and British by the 49th parallel

Joseph Smith

founder of Mormonism

James K. Polk

-elected president in 1844
-expansionist
-Oregon: "54-40 or fight"

manifest destiny

the U.S. is "destined by God" to expand

expansionists

focused attention on the annexation of Texas + Oregon

Mexican American War

causes:
-undisputed boundary between U.S. + Texas

results:
-one-sided affair
-Mexican gov. paid 15 million
-U.S. received disputed Texas territory, New Mexico and California

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

-ended war
-Mexico gave up all claims to Texas
-

factory system

brought machines + workers under one roof

Samuel Slater

British mechanist, helped build cotton yarn spinning mill

assembly line

first industry was the meatpacking industry

Eli Whitney

invented cotton gin

King Cotton

indicated the political + economic importance of cotton production

Harriet Tubman

underground railroad leader

underground railroad

helped slaves escape plantations

% of slave owners in the South

12% of plantations had slaves

impact of industrial revolution

-terrible conditions
-stressful lifestyle
-no safety precautions
-child labor
-women had a higher societal status

Nativists

policy favoring inhabitants rather than immigrants (anti-immigrant)

Wilmot Proviso

no slavery in any territory from Mexico

expansion of slavery into Mexican Cession

made new territory gained open to slavery

election of 1860

\-Douglas, Breckenridge, Bell, Lincoln

\-Lincoln wins

Compromise of 1850

\-proposed to determine which states would have slavery

\-California became a free state

\-buying + selling slaves banned

\-boundary dispute between TX + NM=solved

\-no slavery restrictions on remaining territory from Mexico

\-federal gov. assumes Texas’ 10 million dollar state debt

Fugitive Slave Act

slave owners sent agents north to retrieve runaway slaves, many slaves ran off to Canada

Harriet Beecher Stowe

wrote Uncle Tom’s cabin - antislavery novel

Stephan Douglas

ran for election, democrat, promoted Kansas-Nebraska act

popular sovereignty

authority of the state and gov. are based upon the consent of the people

Kansas-Nebraska Act

\-repealed Missouri Compromise

\-split into two territories, each territory could decide whether or not to have slavery

rise of Republican Party

\-decline of Whig Party

\-carried all but 5 northern states in the election of 1856

Bleeding Kansas

John Brown led an attack against proslavery immigrants who lived along Potawatomi Creek

John Brown

crazy anti-slavery advocate

Dred Scott case

Scott was still considered a slave, Blacks had no citizenship (free or not)

John Brown’s Raid

led attack against a federal arsenal in Virginia

first state to secede from the Union

South Carolina

reasons for succession

\-slavery

\-tariffs

\-state rights