APUSH CF Review
Things Specifically Listed in the CF
Spread of Maize
Maize (corn) cultivation spread from present-day Mexico northward into the American Southwest and beyond.
It supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies.
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World following Columbus's voyages.
Brought new crops and livestock to the Americas and introduced devastating diseases to Native American populations.
Joint-Stock Companies
Businesses formed by groups of investors who jointly make a purchase and share in the profits and losses.
Used by English and Dutch to finance colonization efforts, such as the Virginia Company.
Encomienda System
Spanish labor system that rewarded conquerors with the labor of particular groups of subject people.
Exploited Native American labor to support plantation-based agriculture and extract precious metals.
Spanish Caste System
A social hierarchy based on race that developed in the Spanish colonies.
Placed European Spaniards at the top, followed by mixed-race populations (mestizos and mulattoes) and enslaved Africans and Native Americans at the bottom.
Town Meetings vs. Colonial Legislatures
Town meetings: Direct democracy practiced in New England, where male landowners could vote on local issues.
Colonial legislatures: Representative bodies elected by property-owning men to make laws for the colony.
Smallpox Epidemic
Devastating outbreak of smallpox that decimated Native American populations due to their lack of immunity.
Weakened Native American resistance to European encroachment.
King Philip’s War
Armed conflict between Native American tribes of southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies from 1675–1678.
Marked the last major effort by the Native Americans of southern New England to drive out the English colonists.
Pueblo Revolt
An uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in 1680.
Led to the expulsion of the Spanish for over 10 years.
Bacon’s Rebellion
An armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.
Triggered by government corruption and failure to protect settlers from Native American attacks, it led to increased reliance on African slave labor.
Accommodation vs. Assimilation
Accommodation: Adapting to the dominant culture while maintaining some of one's original cultural traits.
Assimilation: Adopting the traits of the dominant culture to such a degree that the assimilating group becomes socially indistinguishable from other members of the society.
Patroon System
A landholding system in the Dutch colony of New Netherland in which wealthy Dutch landowners were granted large estates in exchange for bringing 50 or more immigrants to settle on their land.
Salutary Neglect
British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the American colonies obedient to England.
Contributed to the rise of self-government in the colonies.
First Great Awakening
A series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its Thirteen Colonies in the 1730s and 1740s.
Promoted religious fervor and challenged traditional authority and led to the growth of new denominations.
Chattel Slavery
A system of slavery in which enslaved people are treated as property that can be bought, sold, and inherited.
Became the dominant form of slavery in the American colonies, particularly in the South.
European Enlightenment
An intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century.
Emphasized reason, individualism, and human rights and influenced American political thought.
Dominion of New England
An administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America from 1686–1689.
Designed to increase royal control over the colonies, it was highly unpopular and dissolved after the Glorious Revolution.
French and Indian War
A series of military engagements between Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763.
Resulted in British victory and acquisition of French territories in North America but also led to increased tensions with the colonies.
Proclamation of 1763
A British decree that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Intended to prevent conflicts with Native Americans but angered colonists who desired westward expansion.
Benjamin Franklin
A Founding Father of the United States, inventor, statesman, diplomat, and printer.
Played a key role in the American Revolution and helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
George Washington
Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the first President of the United States.
His leadership was essential in securing American independence.
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–76 that advocated independence from Great Britain to the people in the Thirteen Colonies.
It presented the American colonists with an argument for freedom from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided.
Republican Motherhood
The idea that women should be educated to raise their children to be good citizens of the new republic.
Elevated the role of women in society but still confined them to the domestic sphere.
French Revolution
An uprising in France against the monarchy from 1789 to 1799 which resulted in France becoming a republic.
Influenced political discourse in the United States and led to debates over American foreign policy.
Haitian Revolution
A successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial insurrection by self-liberated slaves in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) from 1791–1804.
Inspired enslaved people in the United States to resist their bondage.
Articles of Confederation
The first constitution of the United States, adopted in 1781.
Created a weak central government with limited powers and was eventually replaced by the United States Constitution.
Shays’ Rebellion
An armed uprising in Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787 led by Daniel Shays.
Highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger national government.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
An act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States.
Established a system for governing the Northwest Territory and admitting new states to the Union, outlawed slavery in the territory, and protected civil liberties.
Great Compromise
An agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that created a bicameral legislature.
The House of Representatives would be based on population, and the Senate would have equal representation for each state.
3/5 Compromise
An agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention that stated that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted for the purpose of representation in the House of Representatives and taxation.
Slave Trade Compromise
An agreement during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that prohibited Congress from banning the importation of slaves for 20 years.
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Feared that the Constitution would create a strong central government that would threaten the rights of states and individuals.
Federalist Papers
A series of 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to persuade the citizens of New York to adopt the new Constitution.
Alexander Hamilton
A Founding Father of the United States, first Secretary of the Treasury, and advocate of a strong national government.
Developed a financial plan that helped establish the economic stability of the new nation.
James Madison
A Founding Father of the United States and the "Father of the Constitution."
Played a key role in drafting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and served as the fourth President of the United States.
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.
Guarantee fundamental rights and liberties to all citizens.
Whiskey Rebellion
A tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington.
Demonstrated the power of the federal government to suppress domestic rebellions.
John Adams and XYZ Affair
A diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War.
Poisoned U.S. public opinion of the French.
Feds vs. DRs
Federalists: Led by Alexander Hamilton, advocated for a strong central government and a national bank.
Democratic-Republicans: Led by Thomas Jefferson, favored states' rights and an agrarian economy.
GW’s Farewell Address
A letter written by President George Washington to "friends and fellow-citizens" near the end of his second term of presidency.
Advised Americans to avoid excessive political party spirit and geographical distinctions and warned against long-term alliances with other nations.
Marbury, McCulloch, and Gibbons Decisions
Marbury v. Madison (1803): Established the principle of judicial review.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): Affirmed the implied powers of Congress and the supremacy of the federal government.
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824): Affirmed federal control over interstate commerce.
Jacksonian Democrats
Political movement during the Second Party System toward greater democracy for the common man.
Led by Andrew Jackson.
Henry Clay’s Whigs
A political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States.
Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party.
Second Great Awakening
A Protestant religious revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States.
Led to social reforms and the growth of new denominations.
Stono Rebellion
A slave rebellion that began on 9 September 1739, in the colony of South Carolina.
It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies, with 25 colonists and 35 to 50 Africans killed.
Seneca Falls Convention
The first women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848.
Marked the beginning of the women's suffrage movement in the United States.
The American System
A program of economic development championed by Henry Clay and the Whig Party.
Called for a national bank, protective tariffs, and internal improvements.
Interchangeable Parts
Standardized parts that can be easily replaced.
Revolutionized manufacturing by allowing for mass production.
Cotton Gin
A machine that separates cotton fibers from their seeds.
Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, it increased cotton production and expanded slavery in the South.
Louisiana Purchase
The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory by the United States from France in 1803.
Doubled the size of the United States and opened up vast new territories for settlement.
Nullification Crisis
A sectional crisis in 1832–33, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, which involved a confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government.
South Carolina declared that the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the state.
Trail of Tears
The forced relocation of Cherokee and other Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to areas to the west of the Mississippi River.
Resulted in the death of thousands of Native Americans.
Missouri Compromise
A federal law in the United States during 1820 in an effort to balance the number of free and slave states.
It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state and prohibited slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel.
Monroe Doctrine
A United States policy of opposing European colonialism in the Americas.
Stated that any intervention by external powers in the political affairs of the Americas is a potentially hostile act against the United States.
Erie Canal
A canal in New York State that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
Completed in 1825, it facilitated trade and transportation between the East Coast and the Great Lakes region.
Manifest Destiny
The 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.
Mexican-American War
An armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848.
Resulted in the U.S. acquisition of vast territories, including California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Nativism
The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.
Free-Soil Movement
A short-lived political movement in the United States active in the 1840s and 1850s that was against the expansion of slavery into new territories.
Doctrine of Separate Spheres
An ideology that defined and prescribed separate roles for men and women in society.
Men were expected to work in the public sphere, while women were expected to manage the home and raise children.
The Liberator
An abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831.
Advocated for the immediate emancipation of slaves.
Mexican Cession (Spread of Slavery)
The lands ceded to the U.S. by Mexico in 1848 under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The debate over whether to allow slavery in these territories intensified sectional tensions.
Compromise of 1850
A package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that defused a political confrontation between slave and free states regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican–American War.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
An act of Congress that allowed the people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders.
Repealed the Missouri Compromise, leading to violence and political turmoil in Kansas.
Dred Scott Decision
A landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 that held that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and had no standing to sue in federal court.
Ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
Republican Party
A political party that emerged in the 1850s in opposition to slavery.
Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.
Election of 1860
Presidential election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected president, a major catalyst for the Civil War.
Emancipation Proclamation
A presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War.
Declared all slaves free in rebel states.
Gettysburg Address
A speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of November 19, 1863.
Civil War Amendments
13th Amendment: Abolished slavery.
14th Amendment: Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteed equal protection of the laws.
15th Amendment: Prohibited the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Radical Republicans
A faction of American politicians within the Republican Party from about 1854 until the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877.
Advocated for civil rights for freedmen and a more punitive Reconstruction policy toward the South.
Slaughterhouse Cases
A series of landmark Supreme Court cases in 1873.
Held that the 14th Amendment only protected federal rights and not state rights, limiting its impact on civil rights.
Jim Crow Laws
State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.
Laissez-Faire Policies
An economic system in which transactions between private parties are free from government intervention such as regulation, privileges, tariffs, and subsidies.
The New South
A term used to describe the economic transition from an agrarian society to one that embraced industrialization.
Dawes Act
A federal law intended to turn Native Americans into farmers and landowners.
Emphasized private land ownership and broke up tribal lands into individual allotments.
Populist Party
A political party that advocated for the rights of farmers and workers.
Called for government regulation of railroads, a graduated income tax, and the free coinage of silver.
Ethnic Neighborhoods
Areas with a high concentration of residents of the same ethnicity.
Open Door Policy
A policy proposed by the United States in 1899 under which all nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.
Social Darwinism
The theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals.
Used to justify social inequality and imperialism.
Gospel of Wealth
An article written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889 that describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich.
Social Gospel
A religious movement that sought to apply Christian ethics to social problems such as poverty, inequality, and injustice.
Jane Addams
A pioneer American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author.
A leader in women's suffrage and world peace, she created the first settlement house in the United States.
Plessy v. Ferguson
A landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1896 that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.
Urbanization
The process of an increasing proportion of a population living in cities rather than in rural areas.
Overspeculation
Excessive speculation, especially in securities or property.
Muckrakers
Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems in American society during the Progressive Era.
19th Amendment
A constitutional amendment that prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.
Preservation vs. Conservation
Preservation: Protecting natural resources from human use.
Conservation: Using natural resources sustainably.
New Deal Programs (Relief, Recovery, Reform)
A series of programs and projects undertaken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939.
Aimed to alleviate the suffering of the Great Depression.
New Deal Criticism
Conservatives argued that the New Deal was too interventionist and threatened individual liberty and free enterprise.
Some on the left argued that the New Deal did not go far enough in addressing the root causes of inequality and poverty.
Harlem Renaissance
An intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, New York City, during the 1920s and 1930s.
First Red Scare
A period during the early 20th-century history of the United States noted for a widespread fear of far-left extremism, including Bolshevism and anarchism.
Immigration Restriction Act
U.S. federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States as of the 1890 census.
Great Migration
The movement of six million African Americans out of the Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that occurred between 1916 and 1970.
Mexican-American Repatriation
A forced migration that took place between 1929 and 1939, when as many as one million people of Mexican descent were forced or pressured to leave the United States.
Anti-Imperialism League
An organization established in the United States on June 15, 1898, to battle the American annexation of the Philippines.
Spanish-American War
An armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898.
Resulted in the U.S. acquisition of territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Wilson’s Statement of Neutrality
President Woodrow Wilson's declaration that the U.S. would remain neutral during World War I.
League of Nations
An international organization established after World War I to promote peace and cooperation among nations.
The United States did not join the League of Nations.
Rape of Nanking
An episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing, then the capital of China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Holocaust
A genocide during World War II in which Nazi Germany systematically murdered some six million European Jews.
Japanese American Internment
The forced relocation and incarceration in camps during World War II of people of Japanese ancestry who lived on the Pacific coast.
Island Hopping
A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II.
Involved bypassing heavily fortified islands and instead capturing strategically important islands to establish air bases and supply lines.
Fat Man and Little Boy
The two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.
Korean War
A war fought on the Korean Peninsula from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea and South Korea.
The United States and its allies supported South Korea, while China and the Soviet Union backed North Korea.
Vietnam War
A war fought in Vietnam from 1955 to 1975 between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
The United States supported South Vietnam, while the Soviet Union and China backed North Vietnam.
Military-Industrial Complex
The close relationship between the military establishment and defense contractors.
Brown v. Board of Education
A landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 that declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Stonewall Riots
A series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community in response to a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
A book written by Rachel Carson that documented the detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment and wildlife.
Helped launch the modern environmental movement.
Great Society
A set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s.
Aimed to reduce poverty and racial injustice.
Warren Court Decisions
Refers to the Supreme Court of the United States during the chief justiceship of Earl Warren (1953–1969).
Expanded civil rights and liberties.
Election of 1980
Ronald Reagan defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter to become president.
Signaled a shift to more conservative policies.
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Eliminated most tariffs and trade barriers between the three countries.
Ronald Reagan as Cold War Leader
Increased military spending and adopted a confrontational stance toward the Soviet Union.
Is credited by many with helping to end the Cold War.
The Attacks on September 11th
A series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of September 11, 2001.
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
The United States and its allies launched military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan in response to the September 11th attacks.
Patriot Act
A U.S. federal law passed shortly after the September 11th attacks.
Granted law enforcement agencies broader powers to conduct surveillance and investigate suspected terrorists.