HIST 1301 midterm 1
1. Mound Builders – Native American societies (e.g., Adena, Hopewell) that built large earthen mounds for ceremonial, religious, and burial purposes.
2. Diversity of Native American life – Varied cultures, economies, and social structures across North America shaped by geography and resources.
3. Great League of Peace (confederacy) – Alliance of five Iroquois nations to maintain peace and coordinate defense.
4. Trade networks – Extensive systems connecting Native Americans across regions, trading goods, ideas, and culture.
5. Buffalo – Vital resource for Plains Native Americans; provided food, clothing, tools, and materials for shelter.
6. Native definitions of freedom – Freedom tied to communal responsibilities, kinship, and harmony with nature rather than individual ownership.
7. Caravel – Small, fast Portuguese/Spanish ship with triangular sails used for 15th-century exploration.
8. Motivations for exploration – Economic gain, spreading Christianity, political power, and curiosity about new lands.
9. Columbian Exchange – Transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa post-1492.
10. Spanish Empire – The Black Legend – Narrative portraying Spanish colonizers as uniquely cruel, highlighting abuses in the Americas.
11. French Empire – Focused on fur trade and alliances with Native Americans in Canada and the Mississippi Valley.
12. Dutch Empire / New Netherland – Dutch colony emphasizing trade; New Amsterdam became New York.
13. Northwest Passage – Hypothetical northern sea route to Asia sought by European explorers; not successfully navigated at the time.
14. Great Migration – Movement of English Puritans to New England in the 1630s seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity.
15. Indentured servants – People who worked for 4–7 years in exchange for passage to America.
16. Changes to Indian Life – Colonization brought disease, land loss, trade, and cultural disruption.
17. Jamestown – First permanent English settlement in North America (1607) in Virginia.
18. John Smith – Leader of Jamestown; implemented strict discipline, helping the colony survive early hardships.
19. Headright system – Land grant system in Virginia; settlers received land for themselves and those they sponsored.
20. House of Burgesses – First representative assembly in colonial America (Virginia, 1619).
21. Powhatan – Leader of a powerful Native American confederacy in Virginia; father of Pocahontas.
22. Origins of slavery – Began as labor system replacing indentured servitude; became increasingly racialized.
23. Maryland – Founded as a haven for English Catholics; early religious tolerance policies.
24. Puritans – English Protestants aiming to purify the Church of England; established strict communities in New England.
25. Pilgrims – Separatists fleeing England for religious freedom; founded Plymouth Colony (1620).
26. Mayflower Compact – 1620 agreement establishing self-government and majority rule in Plymouth Colony.
27. John Winthrop – Puritan leader, governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony; envisioned a “city upon a hill.”
28. Role of wealthy merchants – Controlled trade, influenced politics, and funded settlements in colonies.
29. Half-Way Covenant – 1662 policy allowing baptism of children of baptized but non-converted church members; reflected declining religious participation.
30. Rhode Island and Connecticut – Rhode Island: founded by Roger Williams for religious freedom. Connecticut: founded by Thomas Hooker; emphasized self-government.
31. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut – 1639 constitution establishing representative government; early written colonial constitution.
32. Mercantilism – Economic theory: colonies exist to enrich the mother country via resources and markets.
33. Navigation Acts – Laws regulating colonial trade; goods had to be shipped on English ships and taxed.
34. New York – Former Dutch New Netherland; became English colony (1664), major trade hub.
35. Carolinas – North Carolina: small farms; South Carolina: plantation economy with heavy reliance on slavery.
36. Pennsylvania – Founded by William Penn as Quaker haven; promoted religious tolerance, fair treatment of Native Americans, and democratic governance.
37. Bacon’s Rebellion – 1676 Virginia uprising of small farmers and servants protesting elite favoritism and Native conflicts.
38. Salem Witch Trials – 1692 Massachusetts hysteria; accusations of witchcraft reflected social and religious tensions.
39. German Migration – 18th-century German immigration to Pennsylvania and beyond, adding farming skills and cultural diversity.
40. Consumer Revolution – 18th-century rise in colonial consumption of British goods, integrating colonies into global trade.
41. Colonial Social Classes – Hierarchies: wealthy landowners/merchants, artisans/farmers, laborers/indentured servants, enslaved people.
42. Transatlantic Slave Trade – System transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas; foundation of plantation labor.
43. Middle Passage – Brutal voyage for enslaved Africans; high mortality and inhumane conditions.
44. Political and Social Implications of Slavery – Shaped laws, social hierarchy, economies, and racial ideologies; created divisions and resistance.
45. Slave Cultures – Enslaved Africans preserved traditions, languages, religion, music, and social practices.
46. Resistance to Slavery – Included work slowdowns, escapes, revolts (e.g., Stono Rebellion), and cultural retention.
47. Republicanism – Political ideology emphasizing civic duty, public good, and government based on consent.
48. Liberalism – Philosophy advocating natural rights, individual freedoms, and protection from arbitrary government.
49. Suffrage – Right to vote; mostly limited to white male property owners in colonies.
50. Salutary Neglect – British policy of loosely enforcing colonial laws; allowed economic freedom and self-government.
51. Zenger Trial – 1735 case establishing freedom of the press; John Peter Zenger acquitted of libel for criticizing officials.
52. Enlightenment – 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights; inspired colonial thinkers.
53. Great Awakening – Religious revival (1730s–1740s) emphasizing emotional preaching and challenging established churches.
54. Aftermath of the 7 Years War – Britain gained territory but incurred debt, leading to colonial taxes and unrest.
55. Proclamation Line of 1763 – British decree forbidding settlement west of the Appalachians to prevent Native conflicts.
56. Colonial resistance – Protests, petitions, boycotts, and eventually armed conflict against British policies.
57. Boston Massacre – 1770 event; British soldiers killed five colonists during protest; fueled revolutionary sentiment.
58. Boston Tea Party – 1773 colonial protest against the Tea Act; tea dumped into Boston Harbor.
59. Intolerable Acts – 1774 punitive laws in response to Boston Tea Party; included closing Boston Harbor and restricting self-government.
60. 1st Continental Congress – 1774 meeting coordinating colonial response to British policies; organized petitions and boycotts.
61. Battle of Lexington and Concord – April 1775; first Revolutionary War battles; “shot heard ‘round the world.”
62. 2nd Continental Congress – 1775 assembly managing the war, creating Continental Army, and declaring independence.
63. Common Sense – 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating independence and republican government.
64. Declaration of Independence – 1776 document by Jefferson declaring independence and asserting natural rights.
65. Battle of Saratoga – 1777 American victory; turning point securing French support.
66. Native Americans’ role – Tribes allied with either Britain or Americans; war disrupted tribal lands and sovereignty.
67. Battle of Yorktown – 1781 decisive victory by American and French forces; forced British surrender.
68. Treaty of Paris 1783 – Ended Revolutionary War; recognized American independence and set boundaries.
69. Republics and New State Constitutions – New states created constitutions emphasizing separation of powers and popular sovereignty.
70. Religious Toleration – Freedom of worship post-Revolution; reduced state-supported churches.
71. Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations – 1776 book advocating free markets; influenced U.S. economic thought.
72. Free Black Communities – Populations of free African Americans creating schools, churches, and businesses despite discrimination.
73. Republican Motherhood – Idea that women’s role was educating children in civic virtue, linking women to the republic’s success.
74. Articles of Confederation – First U.S. constitution (1781–1789); weak central government, strong state sovereignty.
75. Northwest Ordinance – 1787 law organizing western territories; prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory and set a process for statehood.
76. Shays’ Rebellion – 1786–1787 uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting debt and taxes; exposed weaknesses in Articles of Confederation.
77. Constitutional Convention – 1787 meeting to revise the Articles; resulted in the U.S. Constitution.
78. New Jersey Plan – Proposed equal representation for states in Congress regardless of population.
79. Virginia Plan – Proposed representation based on population; favored large states.
80. Great Compromise – Combined New Jersey and Virginia plans; bicameral legislature with House (population) and Senate (equal).
81. 3/5th Clause – Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation purposes.
82. Federalists – Supported Constitution; favored strong central government.
83. Anti-Federalists – Opposed Constitution without Bill of Rights; feared central government power.
84. Bill of Rights – First 10 amendments (1791); guaranteed individual liberties and limited government.
85. Ratification – Formal approval of the Constitution; required 9 of 13 states.
86. Treaty of Greenville – 1795 treaty; Native Americans ceded Ohio territory after U.S. victory at Battle of Fallen Timbers.
87. Jefferson’s Notes of the State of Virginia – Jefferson’s 1785 work discussing politics, society, and slavery in Virginia.
88. Hamilton’s Financial Plan – Alexander Hamilton’s program to stabilize U.S. economy: federal assumption of state debts, national bank, tariffs, and excise taxes.
89. Democratic-Republican Party – Founded by Jefferson/Madison; favored states’ rights, agrarian economy, and strict interpretation of Constitution.
90. Whiskey Rebellion – 1794 Pennsylvania uprising against excise tax on whiskey; suppressed by federal forces, showing new government power.
91. Washington’s Farewell Address – 1796 speech warning against political parties, foreign entanglements, and sectionalism.
92. Role of Women – Influenced politics indirectly (Republican Motherhood), managed households, participated in boycotts, and supported war efforts.
93. Alien and Sedition Acts – 1798 laws restricting immigration and making criticism of government illegal; controversial and opposed by Jefferson/Madison.
94. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions – 1798–1799 resolutions asserting states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.
95. Revolution of 1800 – Peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Jeffersonian Republicans.
96. Marbury v. Madison – 1803 Supreme Court case establishing judicial review.
97. Louisiana Purchase – 1803 U.S. acquisition of Louisiana Territory from France; doubled U.S. size.
98. Lewis and Clark Expedition – 1804–1806 exploration of Louisiana Territory; mapped land, established relations with Native tribes, and documented resources.
99. Embargo Act – 1807 law prohibiting U.S. trade with foreign nations; intended to pressure Britain/France, hurt American economy.
100. Barbary Wars – Conflicts with North African states over piracy; U.S. military action defended shipping rights.
101. War Hawks – Congressmen advocating war with Britain (1812); pushed for expansion into Canada.
102. War of 1812 – Conflict with Britain over trade restrictions, impressment, and frontier expansion; affirmed U.S. sovereignty.
103. Origins of the Star-Spangled Banner – Written by Francis Scott Key during War of 1812 (Fort McHenry bombardment); became national anthem