AP US History Midterm

U.S. History Study Guide

Each topic includes causes, events, effects, and significance to help with memorization.

1. Columbian Exchange

Cause: European exploration of the Americas.

Event: The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and culture between the Old and New Worlds.

Effects:

• Europe gained new foods (potatoes, corn, tomatoes).

• Native Americans suffered diseases that killed up to 90% of their population.

• African slavery expanded.

Significance: Changed diets, economies, and cultures worldwide.

2. Encomienda System

Cause: Spain needed labor to farm and mine in the New World.

Event: Spanish settlers were granted Native American labor in return for “protecting” them.

Effects:

• Harsh conditions for Native Americans.

• Replaced by African slavery as Native populations declined.

Significance: Early form of forced labor in the Americas, leading to racial-based slavery.

3. European Countries’ Relationship with Native Americans

Cause: Colonization of North America.

Event: Different European nations interacted with Native Americans in different ways.

Effects:

• Spanish enslaved and converted Natives.

• French built friendly trade relations (fur trade).

• English took land, leading to wars.

Significance: Set the tone for future conflicts between settlers and Native Americans.

4. Reasons for European Exploration

Cause: The search for new trade routes and wealth.

Event: European explorers like Columbus and Magellan sailed to new lands.

Effects:

• Discovery of the Americas.

• Expansion of European empires.

• Beginning of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Significance: Opened the Americas to European colonization.

5. Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

Cause: Colonists in Virginia wanted local control over laws.

Event: First representative government in the American colonies.

Effects:

• Allowed colonists to make their own laws.

• Inspired future American democracy.

Significance: First step toward self-government in America.

6. Economy, Geography, and Society of the Colonies

Cause: Different climates and resources led to different economic systems.

Event: The colonies developed distinct economies.

Effects:

• New England: Trade, fishing, shipbuilding, strict Puritan life.

• Middle Colonies: Farming (wheat), diverse population, religious tolerance.

• Southern Colonies: Plantations (tobacco, cotton), slavery-based economy.

Significance: Shaped regional differences that contributed to the Civil War.

7. Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Cause: Poor farmers were angry that the Virginia government refused to protect them from Native attacks.

Event: Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion against the Virginia governor, burning Jamestown.

Effects:

• Wealthy landowners became afraid of uprisings.

• Shifted from indentured servants to African slaves for labor.

Significance: Increased racial division by making slavery more common.

8. Middle Passage

Cause: The need for cheap labor in the Americas.

Event: The forced transport of millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Effects:

• Africans suffered brutal conditions on ships.

• Increased plantation-based economies in the South.

Significance: Strengthened the system of slavery in America.

9. Religion in the Colonies

Cause: Religious groups fled Europe for freedom.

Event: Different colonies had different religious beliefs.

Effects:

• New England: Puritan strictness.

• Middle Colonies: Religious diversity.

• Southern Colonies: Anglican, tied to plantation life.

• First Great Awakening (1730s-40s): New religious enthusiasm, questioning authority.

Significance: Encouraged ideas of personal freedom, leading to the American Revolution.

10. French and Indian War (1754-1763)

Cause: Britain and France fought over land in North America.

Event: Britain won, taking French land.

Effects:

• Britain gained land but was in debt.

• Taxes on colonies increased (Stamp Act, Tea Act).

• Colonists became angry at Britain, leading to the Revolution.

Significance: Direct cause of the American Revolution.

11. Reconstruction Act of 1867

Cause: The Civil War ended, and the South needed to be rebuilt.

Event: The U.S. divided the South into 5 military districts to enforce new laws.

Effects:

• Southern states forced to accept Black citizenship.

• Former Confederate leaders lost power.

• Eventually led to Jim Crow laws after Reconstruction ended.

Significance: Tried to protect freedmen but failed in the long term.

12. Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Cause: Lincoln wanted to weaken the South during the Civil War.

Event: Declared slaves in Confederate states free.

Effects:

• Encouraged enslaved people to flee to Union lines.

• Made the Civil War about abolishing slavery.

Significance: First step toward ending slavery in the U.S.

13. Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Cause: A slave, Dred Scott, sued for his freedom.

Event: The Supreme Court ruled that slaves were not citizens.

Effects:

• Slavery was expanded into new territories.

• Angered the North, leading to Civil War tensions.

Significance: One of the worst Supreme Court decisions, deepening the divide between North and South.

14. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Cause: Debate over slavery in new western territories.

Event: Allowed popular sovereignty (people vote on slavery).

Effects:

• Led to violence in Kansas (“Bleeding Kansas”).

• Repealed the Missouri Compromise.

Significance: Increased sectional tensions before the Civil War.

15. Compromise of 1850

Cause: The U.S. gained new land after the Mexican-American War.

Event: California became a free state, and new territories voted on slavery.

Effects:

• Fugitive Slave Act angered Northerners.

• Delayed the Civil War but made tensions worse.

Significance: Temporarily eased North-South conflicts.

16. Manifest Destiny

Cause: Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward.

Event: Expansion westward into Native and Mexican lands.

Effects:

• Conflicts with Native Americans and Mexico.

• Mexican-American War (1846-48).

Significance: Led to the U.S. stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

This guide includes causes, effects, and significance to help with memorization. Let me know if you need more details!