AP United States History Cheat Sheet

Periods One and Two

• Timeline

  • 1492 - Columbian Exchange begins with Columbus’s discovery of the New World

    • Christopher Columbus

    • Hernan Cortes

    • Francisco Pizzaro

  • 1512 - Encomienda System Created

  • 1520 - Smallpox begins to decimate Native Population

  • 1552 - Bartolome De las Casas popularizes the ideas of the “Black League”

    • Bartolome De las Casas

  • 1607 - Establishment of Jamestown

    • John Rolfe

  • 1609 to 1613 - Anglo-Powhatan War

    • Powhatan

  • 1618 - Headright System Created

  • 1619 - Virginia House of Burgesses Created

  • 1620 - Plymouth Established

    • Mayflower Compact

    • John Winthrop

  • 1632 - Colony of Maryland Established

    • Lord Baltimore

  • 1636 - Rhode Island was Formed

    • Roger Williams

    • Anne Hutchinson

  • 1638 - Fundamental Orders

  • 1643 - New England Confederation was established

  • 1651 - Navigation Laws/Mercantilism

  • 1676 - Bacon's Rebellion

    • Nathanial Bacon

  • 1686 - Dominion of New England

  • 1693 - Salem Witch Trials

  • 1730s to 1740s - Great Awakening

  • 1733 - Zenger Trial

• Main Topics

  • Global Trade

    • Expansion of European markets and exploration of new trade routes, particularly in the Americas

    • Triangular Trade and the Expansion of Slavery

  • Religion

    • Puritans

      • Strict

      • Massachusetts

      • Purification of the Anglican Church

    • Pilgrims

      • Based upon Separatists

      • Mayflower Compact

        • One of the first Charters of the New World

      • Founded Plymouth

    • Quakers

      • Pennsylvania

      • Very Tolerant

    • Religious Tolerance was a big issue in early America, as settlers sought a place to practice their beliefs freely, leading to the establishment of various colonies with diverse religious practices

      • Many Colonies were one religion only

  • Exploration

    • The New World was being Divided

      • France

        • Established a strong presence in Canada and the Mississippi River Valley, focusing on fur trading and building alliances with Native American tribes

      • Germany

        • Slower to colonize, primarily settling in Pennsylvania and seeking religious freedom, contributing to the diverse cultural landscape of the early American colonies

      • Spain

        • Established colonies in the Southwest and Florida, heavily involved in missionary work and the development of trade networks, while also competing with other European powers for territorial claims in North America.

      • Britain

        • Established colonies along the Atlantic Coast, encouraged agriculture and commerce, and created a framework for representative government that would influence the future United States

      • Portugal

        • Established trading posts along the coast of Brazil and in Africa, focusing on the sugar trade and positioning themselves strategically against Spain and other European rivals

        • Didn’t have a colony presence, but a very heavy trade presence

Period Three

• Timeline

  • 1754 - Ben Franklin publishes “Join or Die” Cartoon

    • Ben Franklin

  • 1754 - Albany Congress

  • 1754 to 1763 - Seven Years War

    • Britain and France

  • 1763 - Proclamation of 1763

    • 1764 - Sugar Act

    • 1765 - Stamp Act

  • 1766 - Declaratory Act

  • 1767 - Townshend Acts

  • 1770 - Boston Massacre

  • 1774 - Boston Tea Party

  • 1774 - First Continental Congress

  • 1775 - Battles of Lexington and Concord

  • 1776 - Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

    • Thomas Paine

  • 1776 - Declaration of Independence

    • Thomas Jefferson

    • James Madison

  • 1776 to 1777 - Victories at Trenton and Princeton

  • 1777 - Battle of Saratoga

  • 1777 - Articles of Confederation

  • 1777 to 1778 - Winter at Valley Forge

  • 1781 - Battle of Yorktown

  • 1787 - Northwest Ordinance

  • 1787 - Shay’s Rebellion

    • Daniel Shays

  • 1787 to 1788 - Federalist Papers Published

    • John Jay

    • Alexander Hamilton

  • 1788 - Ratification of the Constitution

    • George Washington

  • 1790 - Hamilton’s Economic Plan

  • 1792 - 2-Party System Begins

  • 1794 - Whiskey Rebellion

  • 1795 - Jay’s Treaty

  • 1796 - Washington’s Farewell Address

  • 1797 - The Adams Presidency

    • John Adams