Kime Fall Semester Exam 2024
1. Abolitionism
A political and social movement aimed at ending slavery, particularly in the United States. Abolitionists campaigned for the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and the immediate end of slavery in the South. Notable abolitionists include Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison.
2. Abraham Lincoln
The 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln is best known for leading the nation through the Civil War, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation (which freed enslaved people in Confederate states), and delivering the Gettysburg Address.
3. Alexander Hamilton
One of the Founding Fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. Hamilton was a key figure in the creation of the U.S. financial system, advocating for a strong central government and a national bank.
4. American Revolution
A war (1775–1783) in which the thirteen American colonies fought for independence from Great Britain. The Revolution was sparked by issues such as taxation without representation, and it culminated in the creation of the United States.
5. American System
A set of economic policies promoted by Henry Clay in the early 19th century, aimed at strengthening the national economy through protective tariffs, a national bank, and infrastructure development.
6. Anaconda Plan
A Union military strategy during the Civil War, devised by General Winfield Scott. It aimed to blockade the Southern coastline and cut off supply lines, thereby "squeezing" the Confederacy into submission.
7. Anti-Federalists
A group of people who opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, fearing it granted too much power to the federal government at the expense of states’ rights. They advocated for a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms.
8. Antietam
A pivotal Civil War battle fought in 1862 in Maryland, which resulted in the bloodiest single day of battle in American history. The Union victory gave President Lincoln the opportunity to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.
9. Appomattox
The site in Virginia where General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, effectively ending the Civil War.
10. Articles of Confederation
The first constitution of the United States (ratified in 1781), which established a weak central government with limited powers. It was replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789 due to its inability to effectively govern.
11. Battle of Yorktown
The final major battle of the American Revolution (1781), in which British forces led by General Cornwallis surrendered to American and French troops, leading to the end of the war.
12. Lexington & Concord
The first military engagements of the American Revolution, fought in April 1775. The battles marked the beginning of armed conflict between the colonies and Great Britain.
13. Bleeding Kansas
A series of violent confrontations in the Kansas Territory between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the mid-1850s, sparked by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed settlers to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty.
14. Bull Run
Two significant battles (First and Second) during the Civil War fought in Virginia, resulting in Confederate victories. The first battle, in 1861, shattered Northern optimism about a quick victory.
15. Civil Rights Cases
A series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1883 that ruled against federal protection of civil rights for African Americans, undermining the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Act of 1875.
16. Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 that argued for independence from Britain. It was widely read and influential in galvanizing support for the American Revolution.
17. Compromise of 1850
A series of laws passed to ease tensions between slave and free states. It included the Fugitive Slave Act, the admission of California as a free state, and the establishment of territories in which the issue of slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty.
18. Compromise of 1877
An informal agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election. In exchange for conceding the presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes, Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.
19. Crittenden Compromise
A failed proposal in 1860 to prevent the Civil War, which aimed to extend the Missouri Compromise line to protect slavery in the southern territories. It was rejected by Congress.
20. Dawes Severalty Act
A law passed in 1887 aimed at assimilating Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots. It led to the loss of Native American land and further undermined tribal sovereignty.
21. Declaration of Independence
The document adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress, declaring the American colonies' independence from Great Britain. It outlined the philosophical justification for the colonies' separation.
22. Declaration of Sentiments
A document signed in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention, outlining the grievances and demands of the early women's rights movement, modeled after the Declaration of Independence.
23. Dred Scott
A landmark 1857 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be American citizens and that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in U.S. territories.
24. Emancipation Proclamation
An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that declared the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate-held territory.
25. Enlightenment
An intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of authority. It influenced the political and philosophical foundations of the American Revolution.
26. Farewell Address
A speech given by President George Washington in 1796, in which he advised the nation to avoid entangling alliances and political parties.
27. Federalists
Supporters of the U.S. Constitution during its ratification debate, advocating for a strong central government. Key figures included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
28. Fort Sumter
The site in South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861. The Confederate attack on the federal fort marked the beginning of the conflict.
29. French and Indian War
A conflict (1754–1763) between Great Britain and France in North America, with Native American tribes aligned with both sides. The war was part of the larger Seven Years' War and led to British territorial gains in North America.
30. Fugitive Slave Act
A law passed in 1850 that required the return of runaway enslaved people to their owners, even from free states. It increased tensions between the North and South.
31. George Washington
The first president of the United States (1789–1797) and a key leader during the American Revolution. He is often called the "Father of His Country."
32. Gettysburg
A major battle of the Civil War, fought in 1863 in Pennsylvania. The Union victory was a turning point in the war, and President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address reaffirmed the principles of equality and liberty.
33. Ghost Dance
A religious movement among Native American tribes in the late 19th century, promising to restore Native American lands and ways of life. It was suppressed by the U.S. government, culminating in the massacre at Wounded Knee.
34. Grandfather Clauses
Laws passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that allowed white citizens to bypass literacy tests and poll taxes, while disenfranchising African Americans from voting.
35. Harriet Beecher Stowe
An American author best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), which portrayed the horrors of slavery and helped galvanize the abolitionist movement.
36. Henry Clay
A prominent American statesman who played a key role in crafting important compromises, such as the Missouri Compromise (1820) and the Compromise of 1850, to ease tensions over slavery.
37. Homestead Act
A law passed in 1862 that granted 160 acres of public land to settlers who would farm it for at least five years. It encouraged westward expansion.
38. John Burgoyne
A British general during the American Revolution, whose surrender at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 was a turning point in the war, leading to French support for the American cause.
39. John Jay
A Founding Father, co-author of the Federalist Papers, and the first Chief Justice of the United States. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris (1783), ending the American Revolution.
40. John Marshall
The fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, who played a key role in shaping the judicial system and establishing the principle of judicial review in Marbury v. Madison.
41. Joseph Smith
The founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism) in the early 19th century. He claimed to have translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text for the church.
42. Judicial Review
The power of the U.S. Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of the government unconstitutional. Established by the Marbury v. Madison case in 1803.
43. Kansas-Nebraska Act
A law passed in 1854 that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise and leading to violent conflict in Kansas.
44. Laws of Primogeniture
Legal traditions in which the firstborn son inherited the family estate, common in European feudal systems. These laws were largely abolished in the U.S. after independence.
45. Literacy Tests
Exams administered to test the reading and writing skills of potential voters, often used in the South to disenfranchise African Americans after Reconstruction.
46. Little Big Horn
A battle in 1876 in which the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes defeated the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry, led by General George Armstrong Custer. It is one of the most famous Native American victories.
47. Louisiana Purchase
The 1803 acquisition of French territory by the U.S. under President Thomas Jefferson, which doubled the size of the nation and provided land for westward expansion.
48. Loyalists
Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, opposing independence. Many fled to Canada after the war.
49. Manifest Destiny
The 19th-century belief that the United States was destined by God to expand across North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
50. Marbury v. Madison
A landmark 1803 Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, giving the courts the authority to review and invalidate government actions that are unconstitutional.
51. Mercantilism
An economic theory that emphasizes the accumulation of wealth through trade, particularly by maintaining a favorable balance of trade, and was practiced by European powers in the early modern period.
52. Mexican Cession
Territory ceded by Mexico to the U.S. following the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), including parts of present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
53. Mexican-American War
A war between the U.S. and Mexico (1846–1848) that resulted in the U.S. acquiring a vast amount of territory from Mexico, known as the Mexican Cession.
54. Mormons
Followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, founded by Joseph Smith. The Mormons faced persecution in the U.S. before eventually settling in Utah.
55. Nativism
A political policy that favors the interests of native-born citizens over those of immigrants, often associated with anti-immigrant sentiments.
56. Navigation Acts
A series of British laws in the 17th and 18th centuries that restricted colonial trade to benefit England, contributing to colonial dissatisfaction and eventually the American Revolution.
57. Nullification Crisis
A 1832–1833 confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government over the state's attempt to nullify federal tariffs, which threatened secession.
58. Old World
A term referring to Europe, Asia, and Africa, particularly before the discovery of the Americas by Europeans.
59. Poll Taxes
Taxes imposed on voters as a prerequisite for voting, often used to disenfranchise African Americans and poor white voters after Reconstruction.
60. Popular Sovereignty
The doctrine that the people of a territory should decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, used as a justification in the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
61. Plessy v. Ferguson
An 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, which was later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.
62. Reconstruction
The period (1865–1877) after the Civil War during which the U.S. worked to reintegrate the Southern states and extend civil rights to freed African Americans.
63. Republican Motherhood
The idea that women played a vital role in educating future citizens and instilling republican values in their children, particularly after the American Revolution.
64. Sand Creek
The site of a massacre in 1864, where U.S. Army troops attacked a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho village, killing over 100 Native Americans, mostly women and children.
65. Second Great Awakening
A religious revival movement in the early 19th century that emphasized individual piety, reform, and the spread of Christian values, influencing social movements such as abolition and women's rights.
66. Seneca Falls
The site of the first women's rights convention in 1848, where the Declaration of Sentiments was adopted, calling for equal rights for women.
67. Sharecropping
An agricultural system in which landowners allowed tenants to use their land in exchange for a share of the crops produced. It became widespread in the South after the Civil War, often leading to economic dependency and poverty for African Americans.
68. Stephen Douglas
A U.S. senator from Illinois and a key figure in the 1850s, known for his debates with Abraham Lincoln and his role in passing the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
69. Sumner-Brooks Incident
An 1856 event in which Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the Senate after Sumner gave an anti-slavery speech. The incident symbolized the increasing sectional violence.
70. Thomas Jefferson
The third president of the United States, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and advocate for limited government and states' rights. He is also known for the Louisiana Purchase.
71. Thomas Paine
An influential political thinker and writer whose pamphlets, especially Common Sense, helped spark support for American independence.
72. Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The forced transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas, primarily between the 16th and 19th centuries, as part of the triangular trade.
73. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1852, that portrayed the brutal realities of slavery and helped fuel abolitionist sentiment in the North.
74. Whigs
A political party active in the 19th century, formed in opposition to President Andrew Jackson's policies. The Whigs advocated for a strong federal government and economic modernization.
75. Wounded Knee
The site of a massacre in 1890 in South Dakota, where U.S. soldiers killed over 150 Lakota Sioux, marking the end of armed Native American resistance to U.S. expansion.