US Hist 130

1607 – Jamestown established the first permanent British colony in the Americas

1619 – 1^st enslaved Africans brought to Britain’s American colonies

1776 – Declaration of Independence

1846-1848 – Mexican-American War

1861-1865 – Civil War

1865-1877 – Reconstruction

Topics from Lecture:

Recommendation: Reread your lecture notes, and pay special attention to key terms. Flash cards may be a good idea for terms that you find hard to understand or hard to remember. Below is a list of questions that will guide you toward preparing for key topics that may be on the midterm.

1.     What were the lives of Native Americans like before the arrival of Europeans?

-Population estimate: 8m-100+m people

- Large Cities like Cahokia and Tenochtitlan

-More than 600 tribes in the US

- There were Vikings in North America over 500 years before Columbus 

2.     Why was Columbus’ arrival so important to the history of the Americas?

-Landed in Bahamas 1492

-He enslaved Indigenous people

-made a series of European settlements in the Americas

3.     What was the Columbian Exchange?

Widespread exchange of human populations, animals, plants, culture, disease, and ideas between the American and Afro-Eurasian Hemisphere

4.     What factors caused tensions between European settlers and Native Americans? (List all.)

-Native Americans were weakened:

      - slavery

      -Losing land and resources

      -non-native species

      -diseases

- Slavery created bad conditions

5.     What is a virgin soil epidemic?

Virgin soil epidemics have occurred with European settlement, particularly when European explorers and colonists took diseases to lands they settled in the Americas.

6.     Who practiced scalping?

-       Colonists and Native Americans practiced Scalping

Colonists Scalped:

-French & Native Americans

Phips Proclamation- An official document that established a bounty for Native American scalps

7.     What was the name of the first permanent English colony in North America? Describe the types of people that lived there and what kind of business sustained them.

-       The name was the Jamestown Settlement.

The types of people that lived there were English men and boys, including laborers, artisans, and gentlemen.

-       Agriculture( Tobacco), glassmaking, wood production, and metalworking

8.     What differences were there between Native American slavery and African slavery?

Native Slavery:

-Not Legal

-Local/ Easier/ Cheaper

-More sustainable to disease

-If escaped, can return to tribe

-Women// Children most valuable

African Slavery:

-Legal

-More Expensive

-More Resilient to Diseases

-Far from Home

- Males Most Valuable

9.     Define indentured servitude, chattel slavery, and the Middle Passage.

Indentured Servant – a person who is unfree and must work for a master until debt is paid

Chattel Slavery- Humans as Property, to be bought and sold into permanent slavery

Middle Passage- Most enslaved people were sent to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America

10.  What was the Enlightenment? What political philosophies came out of it?

-Originated in Europe 1600s-1700s

-Reasoning and Individualism over Traditions

Political Philosophy

1.     Natural Rights – rights based on the universal laws of nature

2.     John Locke- people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property

3.     Jean-Jacques Rousseau- Laws Must be supported by General Will of people

4.     Baron Montesquieu – Political power should be separated  

11.  What was the Great Awakening? Why was it important?

-Encourage people to question the world, challenge church authority, and form a personal relationship with god

-preachers at outdoor meetings; listeners frenzied

-       1730s- 1740s

12.  How did Pontiac’s War create frustration in the colonies?

No more settling west of the Appalachian Mountains for the settler colonies

13.  Who fought in the Seven Years’ War? How did the results of the Seven Years’ War lead the colonists toward rebellion?

-       Rivalry between Britain and France

-       Both sides have Indigenous allies

-       1756-1763

-       French People were winning initially

-       The British ended up winning

14.  During the Revolutionary War, what advantages and disadvantages did the American colonists have? What advantages and disadvantages did the British have?

Advantages of Colonists:

-George Washington

-Home Court Advantage

-Had British enemies like France, Spain, Netherlands

Disadvantages:

-Poor Pay

-More to Lose

Advantages of British:

-Better Trained

-Experienced Leaders

-Had Navy

Disadvantages:

-Could not treat colonies as enemies

15.  What kinds of roles did women & free African Americans play in the new United States?

Women:

- Ran Farms and businesses

-Nurses, Cookes, and Seamstresses

African Americans:

-Fought on both sides

-British offered to free slaves who fought

16.  What is the significance of each of these documents? What did they create, change, or declare? Also know the sequence in which they were created (first, second, third, etc.):

a.     Declaration of Independence- The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

b.    Articles of Confederation- ratified in 1777 ratified in 1781

-named country

- Allows Congress to make treaties& alliances

- maintained armed forces

c.     Constitution

-Congress before each state  equal representatives

- At convention: debate between big Vs. Small States

d.    Bill of Rights-1791

-       The goal to protect people from government overreach

-       1^st ten Amendments to the Constitution

e.     13^th Amendment

 The 13th Amendment abolished slavery.

f.      14^th Amendment

The 14th Amendment gave citizenship to all people born in the US.

g.     15^th Amendment

The 15th Amendment gave Black Americans the right to vote.

17.  What was Republican Motherhood?

-engaged in debates about ratifying the constitution

-Supported families and worked

-Women were responsible for raising good Americans who loved liberty

18.  What was the Great Compromise, and why was it needed? What about the 3/5 Compromise?

Great Compromise: Senate: 2 senators per state, HOR: # of Representatives based on population

-Debate over how to count slaves for rep and taxation

3/5 Comprise- each slave counted as 3/5 of a person when counted states population

19.  Why was the transition of the presidency from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson so noteworthy?

-       First transition of power between political parties for the first time from FEDERALIST TO REPUBLICAN

20.  What was the Whiskey Rebellion, and why was it important?

-Whiskey taxed per gallon

-Whiskey producers thought the tax was unfair

- refused to pay the tax and or attacked tax collectors & inspectors

- gov enforced order

21.  What was the Nullification Crisis of 1832-33 about, and why was it important?

The theory that skates had the authority to block enforcement of a federal law

-       South Carolina went against federal law about taxation

22.  For the War of 1812, know:

a.     What countries fought in it?

English, France, Britain, Canada, America

b.    What were the causes of the war?

-USA wanted to be neutral and trade with both countries

-  English and France Harassed US SHIPS

-Impressment -forcing men into military service

c.     What were effects of the war?

-Britain defeats Napoleon, focused on US

- 1814-British burned Washington DC

23.  What is impressment?

the act of forcing people into military service, usually by intimidation or physical coercion

24.  What is Manifest Destiny, and why did Americans promote this idea? Understand both the ideals and the more tangible reasons.

-       The 19^th-century doctrine that the United States had the right and duty to expand throughout North American Continent

-       God and Constitution  The Destiny of the USA to bring its culture to others

-       Wanted access to natural resources

-       Immigration & births  quickly expanding us population

25.  How did the USA obtain the following territories?

a.     Florida Territory-1819 Obtained Florida from Spain

b.     Louisiana Territory- 1803 Bought Land from Napoleon

c.     Oregon Territory-Long Dispute W/ Britain over this land

N- British

S- USA. Washington, Oregon

d.     Texas-

e.     California-

26.  As Americans expanded westward and pursued Manifest Destiny, how did Native Americans respond? (Note: There were a variety of responses.)

27.  What were Pan-Indian Movements?

-       Emphasized unity across emphasized Indigenous tribes

-       Attempted to remove Euro-American influences from tribes

28.  What was Indian Territory, and what state is currently on that land?

-       Established in the early 1800s in present-day Oklahoma

-       Forced tribes to deal with new climate resources& neighbors desirable to the USA

29.  How did Mexico attempt to get settlers in Texas to assimilate into Mexican culture?

-Mexico declared independence from Spain: in sept 1810

-Won War of Independence-1821

30.  What is annexation?

Annex- to attach something smaller to a larger unit

31.  How did the Texas go from being land owned by Mexico to being land owned by the USA?

Texas asked to join USA

-       USA worried it would lead to war with Mexico

-       Throw off free slave state/slave balance

-       Texas joined USA

32.  For the Mexican-American War, know:

a.     The leaders involved

-       POLK

-       SANTA ANA

b.    The causes

-Polk arranged to have Santa exiled back to Mexico

- US Controlled Mexico City for 4 months

-       USA worried it would lead to war with Mexico

-       Throw off free slave state/slave balance

Texas joined the USA

c.     The disadvantages Mexico faced

New Mexico was weakened by Comanche raiding unstable govt.

d.    The results

Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo- 1848, needed war, and Mexico had a large tract of land

Today- CA, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming

33.  What was Romanticism?

Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and philosophical movement that began in Europe in the late 18th century. It emphasized emotion and imagination, and was a reaction to the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason. Romanticism was also a response to the Industrial Revolution. 

34.  What was Transcendentalism? What country did this philosophy come from?

spiritual movement that emphasized the spiritual over the material

New England

35.  What happened because of Abraham Lincoln’s election to the presidency?

-civil war

36.  What motivated states to secede?

Secede -formally withdraws membership from an organization

-Churches begin to divide over slavery

37.  What kinds of states formed the Confederacy? What kinds of states remained in the Union? What were the Border States?

-formed by the states that succeeded from the USA

-The South was more part of the Confederacy, but some slave states did remain part of the Union

-Compromise of 1850- admit CA of free slave

-The slave trade was outlawed in Washington DC, but not Slavery

38.  What motivated the Union to fight the Civil War at the BEGINNING of the war?

-Racial Inequality

- believed that President Lincon was a great threat to the institution of slavery in the US

39.  How did the Union’s motivation change for the war?

Union = free states & 4 slave states: the USA

-       Viewed succession as illegal

-       Union framed the issue as a matter of unity

-       War for emancipation

40.  Did the Union allow black men to fight as soldiers during the Civil War? If so, when and why?

-       They did not, but after a while, they did when General F. Butler started accepting fugitive slaves into the army as it was the Christian thing to do, it hurts the enemy, and they are a source of a military intelligence from the other side

41.  What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Declared all persons held as slaves w rebellion states FREE but did not apply to border states or the southern states

Here are the answers to the questions based on the provided topics from your study guide:

1. The Dred Scott Decision? Popular Sovereignty?

• Dred Scott Decision: A Supreme Court case in 1857 where Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom, arguing that he had lived in free territories. The court ruled that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be considered U.S. citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, thus allowing slavery to spread into the territories.

• Popular Sovereignty: The idea that the settlers of a federal territory should have the right to decide by vote whether or not to allow slavery, rather than having it decided by Congress. This idea was most notably associated with the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

2. What factors led to an increasing number of people supporting abolition?

Several factors contributed to the growing support for abolition:

• The moral argument against slavery, particularly from religious groups and reformers.

• The publishing of works like "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe, which humanized enslaved people and highlighted the brutalities of slavery.

• The activism of abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Tubman, who raised awareness about slavery and fought for its end.

• The growth of the Underground Railroad, a network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

• The recognition that slavery was economically and morally unsustainable.

3. How did Abraham Lincoln win the presidency?

Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election due to the division of the Democratic Party, which split between northern and southern factions. The Republican Party, formed in the 1850s with a platform of limiting the expansion of slavery, gained significant traction in the North. Lincoln received a majority of the electoral votes, though he did not win a single Southern state. His victory was largely due to his strong appeal in the North and his position on stopping the spread of slavery into new territories.

4. What were Black Codes?

Black Codes were laws passed in the South after the Civil War during Reconstruction, aimed at restricting the rights and freedoms of African Americans. These laws limited their ability to own property, travel freely, and vote. They were designed to maintain a labor force and control freed African Americans, essentially maintaining many aspects of slavery under a different name.

5. How was President Andrew Johnson different from President Abraham Lincoln?

President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln after his assassination, had a much more lenient approach to Reconstruction. He believed in quickly restoring the Southern states to the Union with minimal requirements, which angered many in Congress who wanted more protection for the rights of freed slaves. Johnson’s policies were often seen as too sympathetic to the South, and he vetoed important Reconstruction legislation, which led to his impeachment (though he was acquitted).

In contrast, Lincoln's approach was more focused on reconciliation, but he emphasized gradual emancipation and preservation of the Union, with a clearer vision for a long-term solution to slavery and the status of freed people.

6. What was the purpose of Reconstruction? What problems did Reconstruction have?

The purpose of Reconstruction was to rebuild the South after the Civil War, integrate formerly enslaved people into society, and restore the Southern states to the Union. The key goals included granting civil rights to freed slaves and ensuring the Southern states adhered to the new constitutional amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments).

Problems faced during Reconstruction included:

• Resistance from white Southerners, who sought to undermine Reconstruction efforts through violence (e.g., the Ku Klux Klan) and political opposition.

• Economic hardship in the South, making it difficult to implement the changes needed for true equality.

• Northern exhaustion and waning interest in Southern Reconstruction after the mid-1870s, leading to the eventual end of Reconstruction.

7. What were the effects of Reconstruction?

The effects of Reconstruction were both positive and negative:

• Positive effects: The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and protected voting rights for African Americans.

• Negative effects: The rise of Black Codes and Jim Crow laws in the South, the failure to provide lasting economic opportunities for African Americans, and the eventual disenfranchisement of Black voters through tactics like literacy tests and poll taxes.

• Reconstruction ended with the Compromise of 1877, which led to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and allowed white Southern Democrats to regain political control, ushering in an era of segregation and disenfranchisement.

8. What was the Indian Removal Act, and how did it impact Native Americans?

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a law signed by President Andrew Jackson that authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands in the West (present-day Oklahoma). The government argued that this was necessary to allow for white settlers' expansion.

The impact on Native Americans was devastating:

• Many tribes were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands, leading to the loss of their homes, cultures, and traditional ways of life.

• The Trail of Tears was the most tragic event, during which thousands of Cherokee and other tribes died from exposure, disease, and starvation during the long journey to their new lands.

What events lead to the Cherokee embarking on the Trail of Tears?

• The Indian Removal Act of 1830, signed by President Jackson, allowed for the forced relocation of Native American tribes.

• In 1838, after years of legal battles (including the Supreme Court case Worcester v. Georgia), the U.S. government ordered the Cherokee to leave their lands in Georgia and move west.

• The Cherokee Nation resisted removal, but they were ultimately forced to comply, leading to the infamous Trail of Tears in which thousands of Cherokee died during the journey to Oklahoma.

Here’s a more detailed and accurate version of the responses based on your readings:

1. Based on the Week 1 reading “Humanized Landscapes Before 1492,” what did the Americas look like before contact with Europeans? In what ways did Native Americans alter their environments?

Before European contact in 1492, the Americas were diverse in terms of ecosystems, but they were not untouched or wild. Native Americans actively managed and altered their environments in sophisticated ways:

• Land management and agriculture: Native Americans practiced agriculture, cultivating crops such as maize (corn), beans, squash, and tobacco. These crops were often part of sustainable polyculture systems, like the "Three Sisters" method, where beans, corn, and squash were grown together to enhance soil fertility and reduce the need for additional resources.

• Controlled burns: Many tribes used controlled fire to manage forests and grasslands, clearing underbrush, promoting the growth of edible plants, and improving hunting grounds. This also helped to prevent larger, uncontrolled wildfires.

• Modified landscapes: Indigenous people constructed vast systems of canals, irrigation, and earthworks, such as the mound-building cultures in the Mississippi River Valley (e.g., Cahokia), which demonstrated their ability to reshape landscapes for agricultural or ceremonial purposes.

• Sustainable hunting and fishing practices: Native American tribes carefully managed animal populations through hunting and fishing practices, ensuring that these resources were not overexploited and that ecosystems were preserved.

2. Based on the Week 2 readings, what was life like in the early years of the Jamestown colony? (List the many elements of life there.)

The early years of the Jamestown colony (founded in 1607) were marked by hardship, mismanagement, and high mortality rates:

• Starvation and malnutrition: The settlers struggled with food shortages. The colony’s focus on finding gold rather than growing food left them unprepared for survival. The infamous "Starving Time" in the winter of 1609-1610 resulted in the deaths of over 70% of the settlers.

• Diseases: Malaria, dysentery, and other diseases spread quickly in the swampy area of Jamestown. The lack of clean water and poor sanitation contributed to the high death toll.

• Tension with Native Americans: Initial relations with the Powhatan Confederacy involved trade, but relations soon soured, leading to conflicts and sporadic violence.

• Harsh living conditions: The settlers endured harsh living conditions, including inadequate housing and extreme weather. The colony was poorly prepared to deal with these conditions.

• Leadership struggles: Leadership was inconsistent. Captain John Smith helped stabilize the colony temporarily, but after his departure, there was a power vacuum, which further contributed to instability.

• Labor shortages: The settlers lacked necessary skills, as many were gentlemen rather than farmers, and there were not enough laborers to develop a sustainable economy.

• Indentured servitude: The colony initially relied on indentured servants, who worked for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the New World.

3. Based on the Week 2 readings, what overall impact did the introduction of livestock to the colonies have on relationships between colonists and Native American tribes?

The introduction of livestock, such as cattle, pigs, and horses, had significant and often negative impacts on relationships between colonists and Native American tribes:

• Environmental disruption: Livestock often trampled Native American agricultural fields, including the crops they depended on, leading to tensions between settlers and Indigenous peoples.

• Competition for resources: Native Americans, who had managed the land for generations, now faced competition for resources like land and water, which were needed to sustain the livestock.

• Spread of diseases: Livestock also brought diseases, such as smallpox, that devastated Native American populations, who had no immunity to these diseases, further disrupting tribal societies.

• Cultural and social disruption: The colonists' use of horses, cattle, and other livestock often conflicted with Native American ways of life, particularly for those tribes that relied on hunting or gathering. Horses, in particular, became integral to some Indigenous cultures, leading to both cooperation and conflict as tribes adapted to new methods of transportation and hunting.

4. What main concerns and hopes did Abigail Adams express in her letter to John Adams? (Week 3 Reading)

In Abigail Adams' famous letter to her husband, John Adams, written in March 1776, she expressed both concerns and hopes regarding the future of the United States:

• Concerns:

  • Women’s Rights: She was deeply concerned that women would be left out of the new government and the rights that would come with independence. She famously wrote, "Remember the ladies," urging her husband to consider women's rights in the formation of new laws and government structures.

  • The treatment of women: Abigail expressed concern that without legal protections, women would remain subject to the whims of men and would not be treated as equals.

• Hopes:

  • A more just and equal society: Abigail hoped that the American Revolution, which was based on ideals of liberty and equality, would extend those principles to all members of society, including women.

  • Inclusion of women in government: She hoped that women would be granted more rights and protections under the new government and that they would play a role in shaping the future of the United States.

5. How did slavery impact the entire United States? Who profited from slavery? (Week 4 podcast 1619, “The Economy that Slavery Built”)

Slavery had a profound impact on the economic, social, and political landscape of the United States:

• Economic growth and profits: Slavery was the backbone of the Southern economy, particularly through the cultivation of cash crops like cotton, tobacco, and sugar. The cotton industry, fueled by enslaved labor, became central to both the U.S. and global economies in the 19th century.

  • Who profited: Southern plantation owners were the direct beneficiaries of slavery, as their wealth was tied to the labor of enslaved people. However, Northern merchants, bankers, and manufacturers also profited indirectly. For example, Northern shipping industries played a major role in transporting goods produced by slave labor, and financial institutions in the North invested in the Southern slave economy.

• Widespread economic benefit: The profits generated by slavery were not limited to the South. The Northern economy, including industries like textiles, benefited from cheap raw materials (cotton) produced by enslaved labor. This intertwined the economies of the North and South.

• Social and racial inequality: Slavery perpetuated racial inequalities in the United States, creating a rigid racial hierarchy that dehumanized African Americans and justified discrimination and segregation long after slavery was abolished.

6. What are the main ideas from the excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass? (Week 5)

In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the main ideas focus on the brutality of slavery and the importance of education and self-liberation:

• The dehumanizing nature of slavery: Douglass describes the physical and psychological abuse suffered by enslaved people, including the separation of families, the constant threat of violence, and the denial of basic human dignity.

• The transformative power of education: Douglass emphasizes how learning to read and write became a tool of self-liberation. He viewed education as essential to gaining freedom, both in a literal sense (escaping slavery) and in a moral sense (gaining intellectual and personal freedom).

• Resistance and resilience: Douglass recounts his efforts to resist the oppressive system of slavery, including his defiance in small acts like asserting his human dignity and eventually escaping to the North. His escape represented not just a physical freedom but a mental and emotional escape from the chains of slavery.

• The hypocrisy of slaveholders: Douglass criticizes the moral and religious contradictions of slaveholders, who claimed to be Christians while perpetuating the brutal institution of slavery. He underscores the hypocrisy of a society that espoused liberty and equality while keeping millions enslaved.

• The psychological impact of slavery: Douglass explores the long-term psychological effects of slavery on both the enslaved and the enslavers, emphasizing how slavery warped relationships and caused moral and emotional degradation.

\