Comprehensive US History Notes

Bacon’s Rebellion

Events Leading Up: Economic hardship among former indentured servants, lack of available land, and resentment towards Governor Berkeley's lenient policies towards Native Americans.
1676 revolt in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon.
Against colonial governor William Berkeley.
Highlighted class tensions and resistance to colonial rule.

The Gaspee Incident (1772)

Events Leading Up: Increasing enforcement of trade regulations by the British, resentment of the Townshend Acts, and growing colonial opposition to British policies.
Colonial defiance against British authority.
Rhode Islanders burned the British revenue cutter, the Gaspee.
Incident occurred after the Gaspee ran aground in Narragansett Bay.

Committees of Correspondence

Events Leading Up: Increasing tensions between the colonies and Great Britain, sparked by events like the Boston Massacre and the Gaspee Incident, leading to a need for better colonial communication.
Warned neighboring colonies about incidents with Britain.
Broadened the resistance movement.

First Continental Congress

Events Leading Up: Passage of the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party, leading to a unified colonial response.
Created in 1774.
Response to the Coercive and Quebec Acts.

Treaty of Paris

Events Leading Up: The French and Indian War (1754-1763) between Great Britain and France for control of North America, resulting in British victory and significant territorial gains.
Treaty after the French and Indian War.
Britain gained lands of Canada and east of the Mississippi River (excluding New Orleans).

Articles of Confederation

Events Leading Up: Desire to avoid a strong central government like the British monarchy, fear of centralized power, and the need for a unified government during the Revolutionary War.
First constitution of the United States.
Ratified in 1781.
Established a weak federal government.
Replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.

Shay’s Rebellion

Events Leading Up: Economic depression following the Revolutionary War, high taxes, and debt burden on farmers, leading to widespread discontent.
1786 uprising led by farmers in Massachusetts
Protested economic injustices and government policies.

US Constitution

Events Leading Up: Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, including the inability to regulate trade, raise taxes, and enforce laws, leading to calls for a stronger national government.
Ratified in 1789, replacing the Articles of Confederation
Established a stronger federal government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Bill of Rights

Events Leading Up: Concerns among Anti-Federalists about the lack of protection for individual liberties in the original Constitution, leading to demands for a Bill of Rights as a condition for ratification.
First ten amendments to the US Constitution.
Guarantees individual rights and liberty.
Prevents government abuse of power.

1st Amendment

Protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

2nd Amendment

Protects the right to keep and bear arms.

4th Amendment

Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Sets requirements for search warrants based on probable cause.

5th Amendment

Protects the right to due process.
Prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy.
Ensures compensation for takings.

6th Amendment

Protects the right to a fair trial.
Includes the right to a speedy trial, an impartial jury, and legal counsel.

8th Amendment

Prohibits excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.

10th Amendment

Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

Hamilton’s Economic Plan

Events Leading Up: The new nation faced significant economic challenges, including war debt, lack of credit, and unstable currency, leading to Hamilton's proposals for economic reform.
Policies proposed by Alexander Hamilton to stabilize the American economy.
Included federal assumption of state debts.
Establishment of a national bank.
Promotion of manufacturing.

Hamilton vs Jefferson

Hamilton: Loose construction of the Constitution, distrust of the people, despised the French Revolution
Jefferson: Strict construction of the Constitution, trusted the people, loved the French, believed in the “instability of liberty”

The Whiskey Rebellion

Events Leading Up: Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, aimed at raising revenue to pay off national debt, disproportionately affected small farmers in western Pennsylvania.
1794 uprising in western Pennsylvania.
Protested the federal excise tax on whiskey.
Tax seen as unfairly targeting small farmers.
Tested the new government's ability to enforce its laws and maintain order.

Washington’s Farewell Address

Events Leading Up: Concerns about growing political divisions, the rise of political parties, and entanglement in foreign conflicts, prompting Washington to offer guidance to the nation.
Letter written by George Washington in 1796.
Advised against political parties and foreign alliances.
Aimed to maintain national unity and independence.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Events Leading Up: Quasi-War with France, fear of foreign influence, and desire to suppress political opposition, leading to the passage of these controversial laws by the Federalist-controlled Congress.
Laws passed in 1798.
Restricted immigration and limited free speech.
Aimed at dissent against the government.
Controversial and seen as an infringement on civil liberties.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Events Leading Up: Opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts, assertion of states' rights, and belief in the compact theory of government, leading to these resolutions.
Political statements in 1798 and 1799.
Asserted that states could nullify federal laws they felt were unconstitutional.
Inspired by the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Nullification Act

Principle that a state can invalidate any federal law deemed unconstitutional.

XYZ Affair

Events Leading Up: Tensions between the United States and France, French interference with American shipping, and diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, leading to the demand for bribes by French agents.
Diplomatic incident in 1797-1798.
French agents demanded bribes from American diplomats.
Led to an undeclared naval conflict.

Causes of the War of 1812

Events Leading Up: British impressment of American sailors, interference with American trade, and support for Native American resistance to westward expansion, leading to calls for war against Great Britain.
Trade restrictions.
Impressment of American sailors.
Conflicts with Native Americans.

Fallout of the War of 1812

Increased nationalism.
Economic independence.
Decline of the Federalist Party.

Federalist Party

Political party in the early United States.
Advocated for a strong central government.
Dominant in the 1790s.
Declined after the War of 1812.

Hartford Convention

Events Leading Up: Opposition to the War of 1812, economic grievances in New England, and desire to protect regional interests, leading to this meeting of Federalist delegates.
Meetings held by the Federalist Party in 1814.
Discussed grievances regarding the War of 1812.
Led to the party's decline.

Treaty of Ghent

Agreement that ended the War of 1812.
Signed in 1814.
Restored relations between the United States and Great Britain.

Battle of New Orleans

Fought on January 8, 1815, after the Treaty of Ghent.
American forces, led by Andrew Jackson, achieved a decisive victory against the British.

John C. Calhoun

Believed that slavery was necessary and natural.
Advocated for states' rights and the doctrine of nullification.

William Lloyd Garrison

Abolitionist and journalist.
Known for his outspoken opposition to slavery.
Founded the anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator" in 1831.

Texas Independence (1836 - 1845)

Events Leading Up: Cultural and political differences between American settlers in Texas and the Mexican government, disputes over slavery, and Santa Anna's centralizing policies, leading to the Texas Revolution.
The political struggle and resulting war in which Texas broke away from Mexico, eventually becoming an independent republic before joining the United States.

The Mexican War (1846 - 1848)

Events Leading Up: Annexation of Texas by the United States, border disputes between the U.S. and Mexico, and President Polk's expansionist ambitions, leading to armed conflict.
Conflict between the United States and Mexico.
Sparked by territorial disputes after the annexation of Texas.
Led to significant territorial gains for the U.S.

Treaty of Guadaloupe-Hidalgo

1848 agreement that ended the Mexican War.
Mexico ceded vast territories, including California and New Mexico, to the United States.

Know-Nothing Party

Events Leading Up: Increase in immigration, particularly from Ireland and Germany, led to nativist sentiments and the rise of anti-immigrant political movements.
Political party from the 1850s.
Created after the Whigs fell apart.
Platform: anti-immigration.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that it was the divine right of the United States to expand westward across the North American continent.
Goal: spreading democracy and capitalism.

The Pony Express

Events Leading Up: The need for faster communication between the East and West Coasts, especially before the completion of the transcontinental telegraph.
A mail service that delivered messages and mail using horseback riders across a network of relay stations.
Operating from 1860 to 1861.

Steam Revolution

Technological advancements in steam power during the 19th century.
Transformed transportation and industry, including steamships and locomotives.

James K Polk

Known for expansionist policies.
Served as the 11th President of the United States.
Proponent of Manifest Destiny.

Thomas Edison

American inventor and businessman.
Known for his development of the electric light bulb, phonograph, and motion pictures.
Significantly impacted modern technology.

Causes of the Industrial Revolution in the US

Innovations.
Availability of natural resources.
Expanding transportation network.
Growing labor force driven by immigration.

Sinking of the Lusitania

Events Leading Up: World War I, unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany, and the ship being a British ocean liner torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915.
1,198 deaths, including 128 Americans.
Contributed to anti-German sentiment in the U.S.

Selective Service Act - 1917

Events Leading Up: U.S. entry into World War I and the need to quickly raise a large army.
Law that authorized the U.S. federal government to raise an army for World War I through compulsory enlistment of men, establishing a draft system.

The Committee of Public Information

Events Leading Up: U.S. entry into World War I and the need to mobilize public opinion in support of the war effort.
Agency created by the U.S. government during World War I to promote public support for the war.
Utilized propaganda and media outlets.

Espionage Act (1917)

Events Leading Up: U.S. entry into World War I and concerns about espionage and sabotage.
Federal law that imposed severe penalties for espionage, sabotage, and obstruction of military recruitment during World War I.
Aimed at protecting national security.

Sedition Act (1918)

Events Leading Up: Expansion of the Espionage Act due to the ongoing World War I and the perceived need to suppress dissent.
Law that expanded the Espionage Act by prohibiting obstructive speech against the U.S. government or military during World War I.
Targeted anti-war sentiments and dissent.

Schenk vs US (1919)

Events Leading Up: Prosecution under the Espionage Act for distributing leaflets urging men to resist the draft.
Supreme Court case that upheld the conviction of Charles Schenck for violating the Espionage Act.
Established the "clear and present danger" standard for restricting free speech during wartime.

Abrams vs US (1919)

Events Leading Up: Prosecution under the Sedition Act for distributing leaflets that criticized U.S. intervention in Russia.
Supreme Court case that upheld the conviction of individuals for distributing pamphlets against U.S. intervention in Russia during World War I.
Reinforced limitations on