Midterm History

AMERICAN HISTORY MIDTERM EXAM REVIEW SHEET

Foundational Documents:

John Winthrop; Puritans; City Upon a Hill: Winthrop’s sermon emphasized the Puritans’ mission to create a model society in the New World, which he referred to as the "City Upon a Hill"—a shining example of Christian righteousness.
The Declaration of Independence: Declared the American colonies’ independence from Britain, asserting natural rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Articles of Confederation: The first constitution of the U.S., creating a weak central government that struggled to unify the states, leading to its replacement by the Constitution.
Constitution; Bill of Rights; executive branch; legislative branch; judicial branch: The Constitution outlines the structure of government. The Bill of Rights protects individual freedoms. The branches have distinct powers to ensure checks and balances.
Federalists: James Madison & Alexander Hamilton: Advocated for a strong central government and the ratification of the Constitution. Hamilton promoted economic policies that strengthened the federal government.
Anti-Federalists: Thomas Jefferson; Patrick Henry; Democratic-Republicans: Opposed the Constitution, fearing it granted too much power to the federal government. Jefferson favored states’ rights and individual liberties.
George Washington’s Presidency; Farewell Address: Washington set many presidential precedents and warned against political parties and foreign alliances in his Farewell Address.
Thomas Jefferson; First Inaugural Address: Jefferson’s address emphasized unity, reducing government power, and expanding American values of liberty and agrarianism.

Westward Expansion:

Andrew Jackson’s Presidency; Trail of Tears (Cherokee): Jackson’s policies led to the forced relocation of the Cherokee and other tribes, resulting in the Trail of Tears.
Monroe Doctrine: A statement warning European nations against interfering in the Western Hemisphere, asserting American dominance in the region.
Manifest Destiny; John O’Sullivan; Nationalism; Imperialism: The belief that it was America’s destiny to expand across North America. John O'Sullivan coined the term to justify territorial expansion.
Mexican-American War (1846-8); James Polk: The war between Mexico and the U.S. resulted in the U.S. acquiring vast territories, including California and New Mexico, under President Polk.

National Expansion:

Industrialization: costs and benefits; infrastructure; American System: The rise of factories and mass production spurred economic growth but led to poor working conditions. The American System promoted national economic integration.
Lowell Mills; union: Factories in Lowell, Massachusetts, employed young women in harsh conditions. The formation of unions sought better wages and working conditions.
Horace Mann; reformers: Mann led education reforms, promoting public schooling as essential for democracy and social mobility.
Panic of 1819 OR Panic of 1837: Economic crises caused by speculation, bank failures, and falling agricultural prices.
Declaration of Sentiments; Seneca Falls Convention; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Lucretia Mott; suffrage: A key document for women's rights, calling for equal rights and suffrage, highlighted at the Seneca Falls Convention, led by Stanton and Mott.
Gender roles: The societal expectations of men and women during this period, with women mainly tasked with domestic duties.
Immigration; nativism; naturalization, Know-Nothing Party: Immigration increased, causing nativist backlash. The Know-Nothing Party sought to limit immigrant rights, especially targeting Irish and German Catholics.

Antebellum America:

Middle Passage: The transatlantic slave trade route that forcibly brought Africans to the Americas in brutal conditions.
Eli Whitney; cotton gin: Whitney’s invention revolutionized cotton production, increasing demand for slave labor.
John C. Calhoun: A leading South Carolina politician who advocated for states’ rights and slavery, notably during the Nullification Crisis.
Abolitionists (gradual emancipation; immediate abolition): Advocated for the end of slavery, with differing views on how it should be achieved—gradually or immediately.
Frederick Douglass; Sojourner Truth; William Lloyd Garrison; Harriet Beecher Stowe: Prominent abolitionists who fought for the emancipation of enslaved people. Douglass was a former slave and eloquent speaker, Truth was a former slave and women’s rights advocate, Garrison published The Liberator, and Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Missouri Compromise of 1820; Compromise of 1850; Fugitive Slave Act: Attempts to balance slave and free states. The Fugitive Slave Act required escaped slaves to be returned, fueling abolitionist sentiment.
Dred Scott; John Brown; Kansas-Nebraska Act; popular sovereignty; Harpers Ferry: Dred Scott’s case ruled that African Americans could not be citizens. John Brown’s violent actions in Kansas and at Harper's Ferry aimed to end slavery.
Abraham Lincoln: President during the Civil War, known for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and leading the Union to victory.

Civil War:

Secession; South Carolina: Southern states, led by South Carolina, seceded from the Union, leading to the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln’s position on slavery and evolution during the Civil War: Initially focused on preserving the Union, but over time, Lincoln became an advocate for abolition.
Emancipation Proclamation (1863); 13th amendment: Lincoln’s order to free enslaved people in Confederate states, followed by the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
Confederacy; Richmond; Jefferson Davis; Robert E. Lee: The Confederate States of America, with Richmond as its capital, led by President Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee.
Union: strategies, strengths, weaknesses (blue): The Union had more resources, a larger population, and industrial capacity but faced challenges with military leadership and the length of the war.
Confederacy: strategies, strengths, weaknesses (gray): The Confederacy relied on defensive strategies and strong military leaders but faced resource shortages and lack of international recognition.
Battle of Bull Run (1861); Battle of Antietam (1862); Battle of Gettysburg (1863); Gettysburg Address; Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address: Key battles in the Civil War. The Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s second inaugural speech focused on healing and unity.
William Tecumseh Sherman; March to the Sea (1864): Sherman’s brutal march through Georgia, destroying infrastructure and resources to cripple the Confederate war effort.
Appomattox Court House (1865); Ulysses S. Grant: The site of General Lee’s surrender to General Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Reconstruction:

Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson: Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction was moderate, but Johnson’s lenient policies towards the South angered Congress.
Radical Republicans: A group that pushed for harsher measures to reconstruct the South and secure rights for freedmen.
Freedmen’s Bureau: An agency designed to help formerly enslaved people transition to freedom by providing education, healthcare, and employment assistance.
Reconstruction Acts of 1867: Laws that divided the South into military districts and required Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment before rejoining the Union.
Carpetbaggers/scalawags: Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction and Southern whites who supported Reconstruction, respectively.
Black Codes: Laws aimed at restricting the freedoms of African Americans in the South post-Civil War.
13th, 14th, 15th Amendments: Amendments that abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and gave voting rights to African Americans.
Ku Klux Klan and other reactions to Reconstruction: White supremacist groups that sought to reverse Reconstruction and intimidate African Americans.
Election (Compromise) of 1876: The disputed election that ended Reconstruction, with a compromise granting the presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.