Studied by 7 PeopleTags & Description
Bering Land Bridge
A land bridge that was used to get from Asia to America
Why was corn (mesa) important to ancient American culture?
It was the first plant developed for human use
Where did the Hohokam settle?
In the valleys of the Salt and Gila rivers (modern day Arizona)
Where did the Anasazi settle?
In the mesa tops, cliff sides, and canyon bottoms of the Four Corners Region
Cahokia
The dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture (modern day St. Louis)
Iroquois Tribe
Eastern woodlands tribe that blended agriculture and hunting living in common villages constructed from the trees and bark of the forests
Christopher Columbus
Italian navigator who mistakenly discovered the Americas in 1492 while searching for a faster route to India
Taino Tribe
The people Columbus mistook for Indians; a small fishing community; they were very welcoming to Columbus and company
What does San Salvador mean?
Holy Savior
Colonization
The establishment of distant settlements controlled by the parent country
Treaty of Tordesillas
An agreement between Portugal and Spain that divided the Western Hemisphere between them
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world
Bartolome de Las Casas
Dominican priest who spoke out against mistreatment of Native Americans
Hernan Cortez
A Spanish Conquistador who defeated and conquered the Aztec Empire
Conquistadors
Spanish soldiers and explorers who led military expeditions in the Americas and captured land for Spain
Montezuma II
The last Aztec emperor who was captured and killed by Cortés in 1520
Inca (location)
South America
Aztec (location)
Central Mexico
Maya (location)
Yucatan Peninsula
Encomienda system
system that gave settlers the right to demand their labor in exchange for protecting them and teaching them skills
What replaced the Encomienda system?
African slavery
Juan Ponce de Leon
Spanish Explorer who discovered and named Florida while searching for the "Fountain of Youth"
Pope's Rebellion
An Indian uprising where pueblo rebels in an attempt to resist Catholicism and Europeans all together destroyed every catholic church in the province and killed scores of priests and hundreds of Spanish settlers
Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in America
Indentured Servitude
A contractual system in which someone sells labor for a specified period of time
Chattel slavery
Absolute legal ownership of another person, including the right to buy or sell that person
Mayflower Compact
The first legal document of the Plymouth colony in which they agreed to have fair laws to protect the general good of the people
Middle Passage
A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies
Triangular Trade
A three way system of trade; Africa sent slaves to America, America sent raw materials to Europe, and Europe sent manufactured goods to Africa
Benjamin Franklin
American enlightenment figure who was a scientist, printer, author, inventor, diplomat, statesman, and a Founding Father
Tobacco
A cash crop that made a profit and saved Jamestown's money crisis
Bacon's Rebellion
A rebellion lead by Nathaniel Bacon; farmers to attacked Native Americans in an attempt to gain more land
George Washington (in the French and Indian War)
A militia colonel who led the English expedition to evict the French from the Ohio River Valley
French and Indian War
War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area; both sides were aided by NA tribes; the English won
Albany Plan of Union
A plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown
Treaty of Paris
Treaty that ended the French and Indian War
Mercantilism
An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by selling more goods than they bought
Favorable balance of trade
an economic situation in which a country sells more goods abroad than it buys from abroad
Navigational Acts
A series of laws passed by Parliament that restricted colonial trade
Headright system
Under this system, anyone who paid for their own or another's passage to Virginia received 50 acres of land
Pontiac
A cheif who led a rebellion in which they opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when the chief was killed
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalacian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east
Sugar Act
law passed by the British Parliament setting taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies
Roger Williams
He founded Rhode Island for separation of Church and State. He believed that the Puritans were too powerful and was ordered to leave the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious beliefs
Anne Hutchinson
A Puritan woman who's actions resulted in her banishment from the colony; she had different religious views and questioned authority
New ethnic groups in the American Colonies in 1755
Germans, Irish, Scots-Irish
Boston Massacre
The first bloodshed of the American Revolution; as British guards opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans
Paul Revere
American silversmith remembered for his midnight ride to warn the colonists in Lexington and Concord that British troops were coming
Thomas Paine
Author of Common Sense
Sons of Liberty
A group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies
Hessian Mercenaries
Professional German soldiers hired to fight for Britain in the American Revolution
Declaration of Independence
A document declaring the US free; drafted at the Second Continental Congress; 1776
Lexington and Concord
First battles of the Revolutionary War; "The shot heard around the world"
George Washington (in the Second Continental Congress)
A commanding general who helped draft the declaration of independence
Patriot Strengths
Knew the territory
fought a guerrilla war
persistent, fierce fighters
great leadership
British Strengths
-Lots of troops -Well trained -Well supplied
-Help from the Germans -Good supply of money
Battle of Yorktown
Last major battle of the Revolution; American victory in Virginia that forced the British to surrender
John Hancock
President of the Continental Congress; first to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Intolerable Acts
series of laws passed to punish Boston for the Tea Party
Valley Forge
Place where Washington's army spent the winter of 1777-1778, a 4th of troops died here from disease and the winter weather
John Locke
Many of the phrases that Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence came from the works of this British political philosopher
Revolutionary war
A war between the British and the colonists. The colonists wanted to be free of British rule; lasted 7 years
Articles of Confederation
A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War; no real power; it failed because people needed something permanent and centralized
Land Ordinance of 1785
A system for surveying and dividing western lands
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
a law that established a procedure for the admission of new states to the Union
Shay's Rebellion
A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.
George Washington (in the Constitutional Convention)
President of the Constitutional Convention
New Jersey Plan
A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress; proposed by William Paterson
Virginia Plan
Proposal to create a strong national government; created the 3 branches; proposed by James Madison
Great Compromise
An agreement made between large and small U.S. states that partly defined the representation each state would have in the legislature under the United States Constitution
3/5 Compromise
An agreement to count slaves as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of deciding the population and determining how many seats each state would have in Congress
Ferderalists
Supporters of the Constitution
Anti-Federalists
People who opposed the Constitution
James Madison
"Father of the Constitution"; Federalist leader; fourth President of the United States
Checks and Balances
A system used to distribute power equally across the branches
Republic
A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting
Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)
A clause that grants Congress the power to pass whatever laws are deemed necessary and proper to help Congress to carry out the enumerated powers
Where was the Constitutional Convention held?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Electoral college
A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
Judiciary Act of 1789
A law passed by the first Congress to establish the federal court system.
Cabinet
A group of advisers to the president.
Whiskey Rebellion
Rebellion in which farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey
Western Boundary of the US in 1800
Mississippi River