AP US History
Period 1
European Countries Exploring the Americas:
Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands.
Differences in interaction with Native Americans:
Spain: Conquered and converted; often violent.
France: Allied with Native tribes, focused on fur trade.
England: Settler colonialism; often led to conflict over land ownership.
Netherlands: Primarily focused on trade, limited settlement.
Motives for Exploration:
Gold, glory, and God: Pursuit of wealth, national prestige, and spread of Christianity.
Colonization Methods:
Different approaches included forced conversions, trade relationships, and displacement of natives.
Columbian Exchange:
Exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between the Old World and the New World.
Triangular Trade:
Trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving slaves, raw materials, and manufactured goods.
Middle Passage:
The brutal sea journey taken by enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Emergence of Slave Trade:
Demand for labor in plantations led to systemic enslavement of Africans.
Indentured Servants:
Laborers who worked for a set number of years in exchange for passage to America.
Dominion of New England:
A 1686 administrative union of English colonies in the New England region.
Mercantilism:
Economic policy aimed at maximizing exports and minimizing imports to build wealth for the mother country.
13 Colonies:
Regions: New England, Middle, Chesapeake, and Southern. Differences include:
Culture: New England had Puritan roots; Southern colonies more diverse with plantations.
Economy: New England focused on trade and small farms; the South relied on cash crops like tobacco and cotton.
Middle and Chesapeake Colonies:
Culture:
The Middle Colonies were characterized by a mix of ethnicities and religions, including Quakers in Pennsylvania.
The Chesapeake Colonies, primarily Virginia and Maryland, had a mix of settlers but were predominantly Anglican.
Economy:
Middle Colonies: Focused on a combination of agriculture (grains), trade, and small-scale manufacturing.
Chesapeake Colonies: Relied heavily on cash crops like tobacco, which created a plantation economy.
Differences from New England and Southern Colonies:
New England Colonies:
Primarily Puritan roots.
Economy focused on trade, fishing, and small farms due to less fertile land.
Strong community focus with town meetings and direct democracy.
Southern Colonies:
Generally more diverse with large plantations.
Heavily depended on slave labor for cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo.
Social structure reflected a plantation elite, with significant inequalities in wealth.
/
Period 2
King Philip's War:
Conflict between Native Americans and English colonists in New England (1675-1678).
The war was characterized by brutal fighting and significant casualties on both sides, ultimately leading to the defeat of the Native American forces and further expansion of English colonial settlements.
Bacon’s Rebellion:
1676 rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon against colonial government in Virginia.
The movement was fueled by discontent among settlers regarding issues such as high taxes, lack of protection from Native American attacks, and the perceived favoritism of the colonial elite in land distribution. The rebellion highlighted the growing tensions between frontier settlers and the established government.
Religions, Immigrants, Cultures:
Different regional practices from Puritans in the North to Quakers in Pennsylvania.
Navigation Acts:
Laws that restricted colonial trade to England and its colonies. These acts were intended to increase revenue for the British crown and ensure that profits from colonial trade benefited England.
Stono Rebellion:
Slave uprising in South Carolina in 1739, leading to stricter slave codes.
Slavery in the Colonies:
Institutionalized labor system, primarily in the South.
Division Between North and South:
Cultural and economic differences exacerbating tensions.
Northwest Ordinance:
Laws establishing a method for admitting new states from the Northwest Territory. Prohibited slavery in new territories.
Period 3
French and Indian War/Seven Years War:
Conflict between Britain and France in North America; led to British debt and colonial unrest. Part of 7 years war
Enlightenment:
An intellectual movement influencing political thoughts in the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority. Key figures, such as Benjamin Franklin, contributed to ideas regarding human rights, governance, and personal freedom, advocating for rational thought as a means to improve society.
Causes of American Revolution:
Taxation without representation, British interference in colonial affairs. Desire for self-governance
American Revolution:
Key figures: Washington, Adams, Jefferson; key battles: Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown; effects included independence.
Role of Women During Revolution:
Women took on roles traditionally held by men, contributed to economic and social change.
First Great Awakening:
Religious revival in the 1730s and 40s emphasizing personal faith. It encouraged individual religious experiences over established church practices and led to increased religious diversity and the establishment of new denominations.
Articles of Confederation:
The first governing document of the United States, later replaced by the Constitution due to weaknesses. It established a weak central government that lacked the power to tax or regulate trade, ultimately proving ineffective.
Constitution:
Established the framework of the U.S. government; created a federal system that balanced power between national and state governments. It outlines the structure of government, the powers of different branches, and the rights of citizens.
Federalist vs Anti-Federalist:
Federalists supported a strong central government; Anti-Federalists advocated for states' rights.
⅗ Compromise:
Agreement during the Constitutional Convention counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation.
Chief Justice John Marshall:
Influential Supreme Court Chief Justice known for establishing judicial review.
McCulloch vs Maryland:
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1819 that established federal supremacy over state law. The case involved the state of Maryland attempting to tax the Second Bank of the United States, which the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional, asserting that states cannot tax federal entities. This decision reinforced the doctrine of implied powers and the authority of the federal government.
Period 4
Andrew Jackson:
7th President, known for populism and Indian removal policies. He played a significant role in the formation of the Democratic Party and is often associated with the expansion of executive power during his presidency. His administration implemented the Indian Removal Act, which facilitated the relocation of Native Americans from their ancestral lands, leading to events such as the Trail of Tears.
Development of the Democratic Party:
Emerged as a major political party under Jackson. The party appealed to the common man and advocated for broader participation in government, promoting policies that favored the agricultural South and West, as well as opposing the banking interests and economic elitism associated with the Whig Party, which had formed in opposition to Jackson's policies.
Indian Removal Act / Trail of Tears:
Legislation facilitating the relocation of Native Americans from their lands.
Whigs:
Political party formed opposing Jackson; favored protectionist policies. The party attracted various groups, including those in favor of internal improvements and a national bank, and positioned itself against the Democratic Party's populist approach.
Cotton Industry in the South:
Became a staple of the Southern economy, driving demand for slave labor.
Henry Clay/American System:
Economic plan promoting internal improvements and protectionist tariffs. Clay was instrumental in the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, aiming to ease sectional tensions between the North and South.
Abolitionist Movement:
Movement to end slavery in the United States.
Women’s Rights Movement/Seneca Falls:
Early feminist movement, marked by the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.
Market Revolution:
Transformation of the economy via industry and transportation improvements. Key factors that led to the Market Revolution include advancements in technology, such as the cotton gin and textile machinery, improvements in transportation infrastructure, including canals and railroads, and changes in labor systems, with increased reliance on wage labor and the rise of factories.
Second Great Awakening:
Religious revival that prompted social movements including abolition and temperance.
Joseph Smith/Mormonism:
Founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
Nullification Crisis:
Conflict between South Carolina and federal government over tariff laws. Southern opposed tariffs
John C. Calhoun:
Advocate for states' rights, known for his role in Nullification. 7th VP.
Worcester v. Georgia:
Supreme Court case ruled that Georgia’s laws couldn’t be enforced on Cherokee lands. Only federal government had authority over Native Americans not individual states.
Missouri Compromise:
Agreement to maintain the balance of free and slave states. Maine was free, Missouri allowed slavery. Established the 36°30’ line to separate slave and free states.
Period 5
Election 1850s-1860:
Political shifts leading up to the Civil War, defining issues included slavery.
1856 - Buchanan won and tensions escalated
1860 - Lincoln, a Republican, elected, triggering Southern succession and start of Civil War
Lincoln and the Rise of the Republican Party:
Lincoln’s election marked a shift in national politics. Rose to oppose slavery
Manifest Destiny:
Belief in the westward expansion of the U.S. as justified and inevitable.
Mexican-American War:
Conflict between U.S. and Mexico resulting in territorial acquisitions. Started when U.S. wanted to annex Texas. U.S. won Cali and SW through Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Compromises: 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act aimed at resolving tensions over slavery.
Kansas-Nebraska Act: created 2 new territories and allowed settlers to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty which overturned Missouri compromise. This led to violence between pro and anti slavery groups known as Bleeding Kansas.
Bleeding Kansas:
Violent conflict in the Kansas Territory over slavery issues.
Nativism/Know-Nothings:
Anti-immigrant movement in the 1850s focused on preserving American values.
Caning of Charles Sumner:
Incident illustrating intense political conflict over slavery. Senator Sumner gave anti-slavery speech and Andrew Butler’s cousin beat him with a came
Highlighted growing violence over slavery in the U.S.
Free-Soil Party:
Political party opposing the expansion of slavery into the territories.
Merged into the Republican party in the 1850s
Gettysburg Address:
Lincoln's speech emphasizing national unity and human equality.
Honored those who died in Battle of Gettysburg and called for a renewed purpose of war which was to ensure a nation based on the principles of liberty and democracy
Emancipation Proclamation:
Executive order freeing slaves in Confederate states during the Civil War.
Reconstruction:
Period post-Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves; involved establishment of Black Codes and KKK, sharecropping, and the Great Migration.
Radical Republicans During the Civil War and Reconstruction:
Faction pushing for strong measures to secure rights for formerly enslaved people.
13th, 14th, 15th Amendments:
Constitutional amendments abolishing slavery, granting citizenship, and ensuring voting rights for African American men.