Untitled Flashcards Set

Here’s a brief definition for each term:

1. French and Indian War: A conflict (1754–1763) between Britain and France in North America, part of the global Seven Years’ War.

2. The Stamp Act of 1765: British tax on paper goods that sparked colonial protests over “taxation without representation.”

3. The Declaratory Act: 1766 British law asserting Parliament’s authority to make laws binding the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

4. Common Sense: 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for American independence from Britain.

5. Continental Congress: Assembly of delegates from the colonies that acted as the governing body during the American Revolution.

6. Sons of Liberty: Secret group that organized protests and resistance against British policies, like the Stamp Act.

7. Intolerable Acts: British punitive laws (1774) in response to the Boston Tea Party, which closed Boston’s port and restricted colonial self-government.

8. Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation: 1775 promise of freedom to enslaved people who joined the British during the Revolutionary War.

9. The Battle of Yorktown: 1781 decisive American victory where British General Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

10. The Articles of Confederation: America’s first constitution (1781–1789), creating a weak central government.

11. Shays’ Rebellion: 1786–87 uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting taxes and economic hardships.

12. Federalist v Anti-Federalist: Debate over ratifying the Constitution; Federalists favored a strong central government, Anti-Federalists opposed it.

13. The Bill of Rights: First 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, protecting individual freedoms.

14. Monroe Doctrine: 1823 U.S. policy opposing European colonization or intervention in the Americas.

15. The Election of 1824: Controversial election decided by the House of Representatives; John Quincy Adams won despite Andrew Jackson’s popular vote lead.

16. Marbury v Madison (1803): Landmark case establishing judicial review, giving courts power to rule laws unconstitutional.

17. The Missouri Compromise: 1820 agreement allowing Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, banning slavery north of the 36°30′ line.

18. Indian Removal Act (1830): Law authorizing forced relocation of Native Americans west of the Mississippi River.

19. Worcester v Georgia (1832): Supreme Court ruling that Native American nations were distinct communities, but it was ignored by Andrew Jackson.

20. James Henry Hammond: Southern politician and defender of slavery, known for his phrase “Cotton is King.”

21. The Second Middle Passage: The large-scale domestic slave trade within the U.S. during the 19th century.

22. The Planter Class: Wealthy Southern elites who owned large plantations and enslaved people.

23. Cotton is King: Phrase highlighting the economic dominance of cotton in the Southern economy and global markets.

24. Franklin & Armfield: One of the largest and most profitable slave-trading firms in the U.S.

25. The Amistad: Slave ship seized in a rebellion in 1839; Africans were freed after a Supreme Court ruling.

26. The Liberator: Abolitionist newspaper published by William Lloyd Garrison advocating for the immediate end of slavery.

27. James K Polk: 11th U.S. president (1845–1849), known for expansionist policies like annexing Texas and winning the Mexican-American War.

28. Nat Turner: Enslaved preacher who led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831.

29. William Lloyd Garrison: Abolitionist leader, editor of The Liberator, and advocate of immediate emancipation.

30. Moral Suasion: Abolitionist strategy using moral arguments to convince the public of slavery’s immorality.

31. American Colonization Society: Group advocating for the relocation of free African Americans to Africa, leading to Liberia’s founding.

32. The Peculiar Institution: Euphemism for slavery in the Southern United States.

33. David Walker: Abolitionist who wrote Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, urging enslaved people to resist oppression.

34. Elijah Lovejoy: Abolitionist newspaper editor killed by a mob in Illinois in 1837.

35. Free Soil Party: Political party opposing the expansion of slavery into western territories.

36. The Wilmot Proviso: Proposed legislation banning slavery in territories acquired from Mexico; it failed to pass.

37. Compromise of 1850: Series of laws admitting California as a free state and strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act.

38. Anthony Burns: Enslaved man whose capture and trial in Boston under the Fugitive Slave Act caused public outrage.

39. Know-Nothing Party: Nativist political party opposing immigration and Catholic influence in the 1850s.

40. Kansas-Nebraska Act: 1854 law allowing settlers to determine if territories would allow slavery, overturning the Missouri Compromise.

41. Bleeding Kansas: Violent clashes in Kansas over whether it would become a free or slave state.

42. John Brown: Radical abolitionist who led attacks like the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859.

43. Election of 1856: Presidential election where Democrat James Buchanan defeated Republican John C. Frémont.

44. Preston Brooks: Southern congressman who attacked Senator Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor in 1856.

45. Uncle Tom's Cabin: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential novel (1852) depicting the horrors of slavery and fueling abolitionist sentiment.

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