Woodward’s American Nations: framework for examining american history by viewing the country as a federation of eleven nations

• Each designed by a shared culture established by each nation’s founding population

Jamestown: first permanent English settlement in North America

• Capital of the virginia colony from 1607 to 1698

• Chesapeake bay colony

Virginia Company: english stock company chartered by king james 

• Goal of establishing a colony in the region of Virginia 

• Led to the founding of jamestown in 1607

Headright system: land grant system where settlers received amounts of land (50 acres) depending on the amount of people they brought to the colony 

• Encouraged immigration and use of indentured servants

Indentured servitude: working as a servant to pay off debt 

Bacon’s Rebellion: colonial uprising in virginia in 1676 led by Nathaniel Bacon 

• Disgruntled farmers and former indentured servants against the government 

• Perceived inaction against Native Americans and favoritism towards the wealthy

• Attacked jamestown, burned buildings

• Highlighted deep class tensions

  • Pre-event to later revolutionaries sentiment 

First Great Awakening: revival in mid-18th century, swept protestantism in british colonies

• changed fabric of religion in early america 

Articles of Confederation: first US constitution 

• 1777 to 1789, loose confederation of states with a weak central government

Northwest Ordinance: chartered government for Northwest 

• Method for admitting new states

• Bill of rights guaranteed

Checks and balances: provided each branch with individual powers to check other branches

• Prevented any one branch from being too powerful

3/5th Compromise: 3 out of every 5 slaves was counted when determining a state’s total population

• Used for legislative representation and taxation

Great Compromise: resolved a debate between large and small states for equal representation

• proposed at constitutional convention

• Senate would have equal representation 

• House is based on population

Ratification Debates: federalists vs antifederalists

• Bill of rights added for antifederalists

Federalist Papers: 85 essays by Hamilton, Madison and Jay

• Argued for strong central government and need for checks and balances

Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans: beginning of America’s first political party

• Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton supported a strong central government, closer ties with Britain, loose interpretation of the constitution

• Democratic-republians led by Jefferson advocated for states’ rights, strict interpretation of the Constitution, closer ties with france

Washington’s Farewell Address: warned against political parties, foreign alliances, dangers of sectionalism

• Shaped US foreign policy and national unity

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: argued that the states had the right and duty to declare unconstitutional acts of congress that the constitution did not authorize 

• Argued for states rights

• Strict construction of the constitution

Louisiana Purchase: granted the US the sole authority to obtain the land from the indigenous 

• Doubled size of US 

• New land for farming and expansion 

• Influenced westward growth

Judicial Review: power of courts to review laws and executive actions to determine constitutionality 

• Came from Marbury v Madison

Marbury v. Madison: established judicial review

Hartford Convention: meetings that discussed grievances and proposed secession

• Led to decline of federalist party

Era of Good Feelings: during Monroe’s presidency marked by political unity and lack of strife 

• Beginning of tensions from slavery and economic policies

American System: henry clay’s economic plan

• Based on market economy

Corrupt Bargain: Alleged deal where Adams chosen over Jackson, and then Clay appointed as Secretary of State

• Jackson’s supporters revolt that John Quincy Adams got elected by the House

Tariff of Abominations: 1828  high tariff that angered South

• High duties on imports to protect northern industries 

• Hurt southern economy by raising cost of goods

Nullification Crisis: conflict between South Carolina and the federal government of the US, tried to nullify federal tariffs 

• South carolina declared tariff of abominations unconstitutional 

• Threats to secede and nullify federal law 

• Jackson responded with the Force Bill and a compromise tariff

Worcester v. Georgia: court ruled that georgia could not enforce laws on a white missionary living on cherokee land 

• Established the principle of tribal sovereignty 

• Recognized american tribes as distinct political entities with rights separate from state governments 

  • Jackson ignored this and forced removal 

Indian Removal Act: authorized Jackson to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands 

• Caused trail of tears and displacement of thousands 

Trail of Tears: forced removal of cherokee people from their land 

Panic of 1837: financial crisis that began a major depression till the mid-1840s 

• Triggered by Jackson and destruction of national bank

• Widespread bank failures, unemployment, severe depression

Texas Revolution: between mexico and texas that resulted in texas’s independence from mexico and founding of the republic of texas 

Annexation of Texas: 1845, led to tensions with Mexico, Texas gets added to the US by appropriation

• Start of mexican-american war, as mexico and many northern states opposed addition due to slavery

Mexican War: independence from mexico by the “Tejas” portion 

• Fought exclusively in texas, new mexico, california and northern and central mexico 

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: 1848 treaty ending the mexican-american war, gave the US western lands

• Established rio grande as texas-mexico border

• Added ⅓ of present US territory (California and New Mexico)

Mexican Cession: ceded 55% of its territory, including California, Nevada, Utah…

• Fulfilled manifest destiny, ended mexican american war

Whigs: political party opposing jackson, supported congress over presidency 

• Modernization, protective tariffs, infrastructure improvements

Manifest Destiny: idea that expansion was wanted by God

Wilmot Proviso: proposal to ban slavery in territory acquired from mexico after MA war

• Failed in the senate

• Deepened sectional divide

Popular Sovereignty: idea that residents of a territory should decide for themselves that slavery should be allowed 

• Context of kansas-nebraska act

• Intended as a compromise to settle slavery debate

Compromise of 1850: five laws passed to ease tensions over slavery and territory

• California admitted as a free state 

•  Stronger fugitive state law 

• Abolition of slave trade 

• Territories of new mexico and utah

• Border dispute resolution between texas and new mexico

Fugitive Slave Law: escaped slaves be returned to their owners even if found in slave states

• Impose heavy penalties who helped runaway slaves 

• Fiercely resisted in the North and increased tensions

Uncle Tom’s Cabin: anti slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Brutal realities of slavery

• Profound impact on public opinion and turning against slavery

Kansas-Nebraska Act: created territories and allowed settlers to decide about slavery for themselves

• Overturned missouri compromise

Bleeding Kansas: period of violent conflict in Kansas

Dred Scott v. Sanford: ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen

• Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in territories 

• Also nullified Missouri Compromise 

Lincoln-Douglas Debates: seven debates during illinois senate race of 1858

• Douglas: popular sovereignty, douglas won

• Lincoln: slavery should not expand into new places 

  • Helped lincoln secure republican nomination for president in 1860

Harper’s Ferry: john brown’s raid to try to start an armed slave rebellion by seizing a federal arsenal 

• Unsuccessful, Brown was captured tried and executed 

• Brown became a martyr for abolitionist cause for Northerners 

• Southerners saw the North was willing to use violence to end slavery

Election of 1860: lincoln won without carrying a single southern state 

• Opposed expansion of slavery into territories 

• Southern states were afraid that slavery was threatened 

• Contributed to secession of southern states from union

Transcontinental RR: central from west, union from east 

• Central: irish, german, italian, built west from omaha, nebraska 

• Union: chinese, built east from sacramento, california  

FJT Frontier Hypothesis: argument that the settlement and colonization of the rugged American frontier is decisive in forming the culture of American democracy and distinguishing it from European nations

•  Many people did not fit his model of the democratizing American 

• Frontier’s influence is so significant that it is inseparable from american identity 

Homestead Act: 160 acres if improved and lived on for five years

• Encouraged western expansion and settlement

Populism: : heavy focus, political end/effects, explain how the populist grew out of discontented farmers, west fell behind, new western political party having extreme influence on economics in the US

• emphasize the common people and often opposite the “elite”, anti-establishment, anti-political sentiment 

• Economic reforms to increase money supply and relieve debt 

• Greenback, inflationary vs deflationary

• Soft – greenback currency, favored by debtors, farmers, capitalists b/c loans can be paid faster, increased prices for commodities

• Hard – back by gold, favored by bankers, creditors, investors b/c currency holds its value and increase the value of gold owned

Grange: : social organization that encourages families to band together to promote economic and political well-being of the community and agriculture 

• Lower railroad rates, fairer treatment for farmers 

Chinese Exclusion Act: 10 year ban on chinese laborers immigrating to the US

• Reflected anti-asian sentiment in the west

Dawes Severalty Act: Promise of land and citizenship contingent on behavior, provided land to railroad companies

• Divided tribal lands into individual plots, natives would get US citizenship

• Reduced native american land and weakened tribal culture

• Promoted assimilation into US society 

Spanish-American War: brief conflict where US defeated Spain

•  Cuban independence movement gained american sympathy 

• Yellow journalism exaggerating spanish atrocities in Cuba

• Sinking of the USS maine in havana harbor, believed to be spanish act of sabotage 

USS Maine: second class battleship sent to Havana to protect American interests during revolt of cubans against spanish

• Explosion sparked the spanish american war and the US colonization of Philippines, PR, Guam

US Acquisitions - Philippines, Hawaii, PR, Guam: 

• Philippines: treaty of Paris from Spain

• Hawaii: strategic importance of Pearl Harbor, military outpost and coaling station, gateway to Eastern markets and rich commercial advantages 

• PR: ceded under treaty of paris 

• Guam: base for potential attacks from Japan

Suburbia: residential areas located on the outskirts of a city, lower population density, greater emphasis on private living spaces 

• Promoted use of automobiles 

• Vast expansion of america’s highways 

• Negative effects on white women and minorities 

Levittowns: large suburban housing developments, first mass-produced suburb

• Archetype for postwar suburbs 

• Monotonous and uniform 

GI Bill: provided WW2 veterans with funds for college education, unemployment insurance and housing 

Interstate Highway Act: provided a national system of interstate and defense highways