US HISTORY

Grade 11 U.S. History & Government Regents Review

1. Colonial Foundations & American Revolution

Colonial Regions

New England Colonies

• Economy: fishing, shipbuilding, trade

• Small farms because rocky soil

• Towns centered around churches

• Strong Puritan influence

Middle Colonies

• Diverse population and religions

• Good farmland

• Trade and farming economy

• Examples: New York, Pennsylvania

Southern Colonies

• Plantation economy

• Cash crops: tobacco, rice, indigo

• Relied on enslaved labor

• Rural society

Important Vocabulary

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies existed to benefit the mother country.

Salutary Neglect

Britain loosely enforced colonial laws before the Revolution.

Enlightenment

Movement promoting reason and natural rights.

Natural Rights

Rights all people are born with: life, liberty, property.

Social Contract

Idea that government gets power from the people.

Popular Sovereignty

Government power comes from citizens.

Key People

• John Locke — natural rights/social contract

• Thomas Paine — wrote Common Sense

• Thomas Jefferson — wrote Declaration of Independence

Causes of the American Revolution

French and Indian War

• Britain gained land

• Britain went into debt

• Taxes increased on colonies

Tax Acts

• Stamp Act

• Townshend Acts

• Tea Act

“No Taxation Without Representation”

Colonists believed Britain could not tax them without colonial representatives in Parliament.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers killed colonists.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

Punishment laws after Boston Tea Party.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Main ideas:

• Natural rights

• Equality

• Right to overthrow unfair government

2. Constitutional Foundations

Articles of Confederation

Weaknesses

• No president

• No national court

• Could not tax

• Weak central government

Constitutional Convention (1787)

Created the Constitution.

Great Compromise

• Senate: equal representation

• House: representation by population

3/5 Compromise

Enslaved people counted as 3/5 for representation.

Vocabulary

Federalism

Power shared between national and state governments.

Separation of Powers

Government split into 3 branches.

Checks and Balances

Each branch limits the others.

Judicial Review

Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional.

Amendment

Change to Constitution.

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments protecting freedoms.

Branches of Government

Legislative

Makes laws.

Executive

Enforces laws.

Judicial

Interprets laws.

Important Cases

Marbury v. Madison

Established judicial review.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Federal power stronger than states.

3. Early Republic & Expansion

George Washington

• Set precedents

• Neutrality

• Two-term tradition

Political Parties

Federalists

• Strong national government

• Supported by Alexander Hamilton

Democratic-Republicans

• Strong state governments

• Supported by Thomas Jefferson

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

• Bought land from France

• Doubled U.S. size

War of 1812

Causes:

• British impressment

• British support for Native Americans

Effects:

• Increased nationalism

Westward Expansion

Manifest Destiny

Belief U.S. should expand coast to coast.

Oregon Trail

Route settlers traveled west.

Trail of Tears

Forced removal of Native Americans.

Reform Movements

Abolition

Movement to end slavery.

Suffrage

Right to vote.

Temperance

Movement against alcohol.

4. Sectionalism, Civil War & Reconstruction

Causes of Sectionalism

North

Industrial economy.

South

Agricultural/slavery economy.

Vocabulary

Secession

Leaving the Union.

States’ Rights

States believed they had more power than federal government.

Abolitionist

Person against slavery.

Important Events

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Balanced free/slave states.

Compromise of 1850

Included Fugitive Slave Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Popular sovereignty on slavery.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Ruled enslaved people were not citizens.

Civil War (1861–1865)

Union

North.

Confederacy

South.

Emancipation Proclamation

Freed enslaved people in Confederate states.

Reconstruction Amendments

13th Amendment

Ended slavery.

14th Amendment

Citizenship/equal protection.

15th Amendment

Voting rights regardless of race.

Jim Crow Laws

Segregation laws in the South.

Segregation

Separation by race.

Poll Tax

Tax to vote.

Literacy Test

Voting test used to discriminate.

5. Industrialization & Gilded Age

Big Business

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership.

Monopoly

One company controls industry.

Trust

Companies combine to reduce competition.

Important People

• Andrew Carnegie — steel

• John D. Rockefeller — oil

Labor Unions

Union

Workers organized for better conditions.

Strike

Workers stop working.

Collective Bargaining

Negotiating as a group.

Immigration & Urbanization

Tenement

Crowded apartment building.

Political Machine

Organization controlling local politics.

Boss Tweed

Corrupt NYC political leader.

Progressive Era

Muckrakers

Journalists exposing corruption.

Initiative

Citizens propose laws.

Referendum

Citizens vote directly on laws.

Recall

Citizens remove officials.

6. Imperialism & World War I

Imperialism

Stronger nation controls weaker areas.

Spanish-American War (1898)

Causes:

• Yellow journalism

• USS Maine explosion

Effects:

• U.S. gained Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines

Panama Canal

Connected Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

World War I

Causes

MAIN:

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

Neutrality

Staying out of conflict.

Zimmerman Telegram

Germany encouraged Mexico to attack U.S.

Treaty of Versailles

Ended WWI.

League of Nations

International peace organization.

U.S. Senate rejected treaty.

7. 1920s, Great Depression & New Deal

1920s

Consumer Culture

People bought more goods.

Harlem Renaissance

African American cultural movement.

Jazz Age

Popularity of jazz/music.

Nativism

Preference for native-born Americans.

Great Depression

Stock Market Crash (1929)

Major economic collapse.

Unemployment

People without jobs.

Hooverville

Shantytowns during Depression.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

& New Deal

New Deal

Programs to help economy.

Relief

Immediate help.

Recovery

Economic improvement.

Reform

Prevent future depressions.

Important Programs

Social Security

Retirement benefits.

FDIC

Protected bank deposits.

CCC

Jobs/environmental work.

8. World War II & Early Cold War

Causes of WWII

• Hitler’s expansion

• Appeasement

• Invasion of Poland

Important Vocabulary

Fascism

Dictatorship with extreme nationalism.

Totalitarianism

Government controls all aspects of life.

Holocaust

Murder of 6 million Jews.

Genocide

Attempt to destroy a group of people.

Pearl Harbor (1941)

Japan attacked U.S. naval base in Hawaii.

Home Front

Rationing

Limiting goods.

War Bonds

Money lent to government.

Japanese American Internment

Korematsu v. United States

Court upheld internment.

United Nations

International peace organization after WWII.

Cold War

Containment

Stopping spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

Aid to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

Economic aid to Europe.

NATO

Military alliance against Soviet Union.

Korean War

North Korea invaded South Korea.

Ended in stalemate.

9. Postwar America & Civil Rights

Postwar America

Suburbanization

Growth of suburbs.

Baby Boom

Large increase in births after WWII.

Civil Rights Movement

Vocabulary

Civil Disobedience

Peaceful protest against unfair laws.

Segregation

Racial separation.

Integration

Combining races equally.

Important Events

Brown v. Board of Education

Ended school segregation.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against segregated buses.

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Ended segregation discrimination.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Protected voting rights.

Important People

• Martin Luther King Jr.

• Rosa Parks

• Malcolm X

Women’s Rights

Feminism

Movement for women’s equality.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed equal legal rights amendment.

10. Vietnam, Watergate & Modern Conservatism

Vietnam War

Domino Theory

Fear countries would fall to communism.

Draft

Required military service.

Antiwar Movement

Protests against war.

Great Society

Programs by Lyndon B. Johnson to reduce poverty and inequality.

Watergate

Political scandal involving Richard Nixon.

Watergate Scandal

Break-in and cover-up.

Resignation

Nixon resigned in 1974.

War Powers Act

Limited president’s military powers.

Reagan Era

Conservatism

Smaller government/lower taxes.

Reaganomics

Economic policies favoring tax cuts.

11. Contemporary America

End of Cold War

Fall of Berlin Wall (1989)

Symbolized Cold War ending.

Collapse of Soviet Union (1991)

Ended Cold War.

Globalization

Countries becoming economically connected.

Terrorism & 9/11

September 11 attacks

Terrorist attacks on U.S.

Patriot Act

Expanded government surveillance.

Homeland Security

Department protecting against terrorism.

Modern Issues

Immigration

Movement into country.

Technology Revolution

Growth of internet/computers.

Government Power vs Civil Liberties

Debates over privacy and security.

SUPER IMPORTANT VOCAB TO MEMORIZE

Important Regents Themes

Constitutional Principles

• Federalism

• Checks and balances

• Separation of powers

Change & Continuity

How America changed over time.

Foreign Policy

How U.S. deals with other countries.

Government Power

Debates over how much power government should have.

MUST-KNOW SUPREME COURT CASES

Here’s a clear, exam-ready breakdown of all the topics you listed. This is exactly the kind of content Regents questions come from.

🇺🇸 ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION (1781–1789)

What it was

First U.S. government after independence.

Key idea

Very weak national government on purpose (fear of tyranny like Britain).

Structure

• No president

• No national court

• One-house legislature (Congress)

Powers of national government

Very limited:

• Could declare war

• Make treaties

• Run foreign affairs

Major weaknesses

• ❌ Could NOT tax

• ❌ Could NOT regulate trade

• ❌ No enforcement power (no army)

• ❌ No strong national unity

Result

• Economic problems

• Shays’ Rebellion showed government was too weak
  → Led to Constitutional Convention

📜 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (1776)

What it is

Document that declared colonies independent from Britain.

Author

Thomas Jefferson

Key ideas

1. Natural Rights

People are born with rights:

• Life

• Liberty

• Pursuit of happiness

2. Social Contract

Government exists to protect rights.

3. Right to Revolt

If government violates rights → people can overthrow it.

Purpose

Justified breaking away from Britain.

🇺🇸 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (1787)

What it was

Meeting to fix the weak Articles of Confederation.

Location

Philadelphia

Goal

Create a stronger national government.

Key result

U.S. Constitution replaced Articles of Confederation.

⚖ GREAT COMPROMISE

Problem

States disagreed about representation in Congress.

• Big states wanted population-based representation

• Small states wanted equal representation

Solution

Bicameral legislature:

• House of Representatives → based on population

• Senate → 2 senators per state

🏛 CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES

These are the CORE ideas of U.S. government:

1. Federalism

Power divided between national and state governments.

2. Separation of Powers

3 branches:

• Legislative → makes laws

• Executive → enforces laws

• Judicial → interprets laws

3. Checks and Balances

Each branch limits the others.

4. Limited Government

Government can only do what Constitution allows.

5. Rule of Law

Everyone must follow the law (even leaders).

6. Popular Sovereignty

People are the source of government power.

🇺🇸 NATIONAL GOVERNMENT POWERS

Expressed (Enumerated) Powers

Written in Constitution:

• Tax

• Declare war

• Regulate trade

• Coin money

Implied Powers

Not written, but allowed:

• Based on “Necessary and Proper Clause”

Inherent Powers

Basic powers of any sovereign nation:

• Control borders

• Diplomatic relations

⚖ LIMITED GOVERNMENT

Meaning

Government power is restricted by law and Constitution.

Purpose

Protect citizens from tyranny.

Example

Bill of Rights limits government actions.

🟦 FEDERALISTS VS ANTI-FEDERALISTS

Federalists

Wanted STRONG national government

Beliefs:

• Articles of Confederation failed

• Strong central government needed

Supported Constitution:

Yes

Leaders:

• Alexander Hamilton

• James Madison

• John Jay

Anti-Federalists

Wanted STRONG state governments

Beliefs:

• Fear national government would become tyrannical

• Constitution gave too much federal power

Opposed Constitution unless Bill of Rights added

Key idea:

Protection of individual rights

Outcome

Anti-Federalists agreed after Bill of Rights was promised.

🏛 FEDERALISM (VERY IMPORTANT)

Definition

Power is SHARED between:

• National government

• State governments

National Government powers

• War

• Foreign policy

• Currency

• Interstate trade

State Government powers

• Education

• Local police

• Driver’s licenses

• Elections

Shared powers

• Taxes

• Courts

• Law enforcement

Why federalism matters

Prevents one level of government from becoming too powerful.

📜 MONROE DOCTRINE (1823)

President

James Monroe

Main idea

Europe should NOT interfere in the Western Hemisphere.

Key points:

• No new European colonization in Americas

• U.S. will stay out of European wars

• Any interference = threat to U.S.

Purpose

Protect U.S. influence in the Americas.

🌍 TREATY OF VERSAILLES (1919)

Ended

World War I

Key leader involved

Woodrow Wilson

Main terms:

• Germany blamed for war (War Guilt Clause)

• Germany pays reparations

• League of Nations created

U.S. outcome:

• Senate rejected treaty

• U.S. did NOT join League of Nations

Why rejected:

Fear it would drag U.S. into future wars.

🔥 HOW THESE ALL CONNECT (REGENTS TIP)

• Articles of Confederation → too weak → Constitution created

• Constitution → created strong but LIMITED government

• Federalists vs Anti-Federalists → debate over power

• Federalism → compromise between national + state power

• Monroe Doctrine → U.S. foreign policy independence

• Treaty of Versailles → U.S. avoids foreign alliances