Term
| Columbian exchange (1491-1607) |
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Definition
| Exchange of crops, animals, diseases, and ideas between Europe and colonies of the Western Hemisphere that developed in the aftermath of the voyages of Columbus |
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Term
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Definition
| Group of religious dissidents who came to the New World so they would have a location to establish a "purer" church than the one that existed in England |
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Term
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Definition
| Religious group that also opposed the Church of England; this group first went to Holland, and then some went on to the Americas. |
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Term
| Indentured servants (1607-1650) |
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Definition
| Individuals who exchanged compulsory service for free passage to the American colonies. |
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Term
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Definition
| Economic system practiced by European powers in the late seventeenth century stating that economic self-sufficiency was crucial; as a result, colonial empires were important for raw materials. |
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Term
| Navigation Acts (1650-1750) |
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Definition
| Acts passed by the British Parliament increasing the dependence of the colonies on the English for trade; these acts caused great resentment in the American colonies but were not strictly enforced. |
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Term
| Triangular trade system (1650-1750) |
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Definition
| Complex trading system that developed in this era between Europe, Africa, and the colonies. |
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Term
| Middle Passage (1650-1750) |
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Definition
| Voyage taken by African slaves on overcrowded ships from Africa to America |
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Term
| Salutary neglect (1650-1750) |
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Definition
| early eighteenth-century British policy relaxing the strict enforcement of trade policies in the American colonies. |
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Term
| First Great Awakening (1650-1750) |
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Definition
| A movement in which ideas questioning religious authority took place. The Great Awakening reinforced the idea that the questioning of political authority was also acceptable. |
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Term
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Definition
| And act which tightened British control over colonial trade. |
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Term
French and Indian War (1750-1775)
(7 years war) |
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Definition
| A conflict between the British and the French that also involved Native Americans and colonial militias. French defeat in this war greatly decreased their influence in the colonies. |
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Term
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Definition
| An act that dictated that all legal documents in the colonies had to be issued on officially stamped paper. This act created strong resentment in the colonies and was later repealed. |
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Term
| Townshend Acts (1750-1775) |
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Definition
| British legislation that forced colonies to pay duties on most goods coming from England. |
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Term
| Sons of Liberty (1750-1775) |
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Definition
| Radical group that organized resistance against British policies in Boston in the 1760's and 1770s. |
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Term
| Boston Tea Party (1750-1775) |
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Definition
| a response to British taxes on tea, in which Boston radicals disguised as Native Americans threw chests of tea into Boston Harbor; important symbolic act of resistance to British economic control of the colonies. |
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Term
| First Continental Congress (1750-1775) |
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Definition
| Meeting in Philadelphia at which colonists vowed to resist further efforts to tax them without their consent |
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Term
| Second Continental Congress (1775-1787) |
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Definition
| Meeting that authorized the Creation of a Continental army; many delegates still hoped that conflict could be avoided with the British. |
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Term
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Definition
| Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine attacking the system of government by monarchy. |
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Term
| Battle of Yorktown (1775-1787) |
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Definition
| Defeat of the British in Virginia, ending their hopes of winning the Revolutionary War. |
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Term
| Treaty of Paris (1775-1787) |
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Definition
| Treaty ending the Revolutionary War; by this treaty Great Britain recognized American independence. |
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Term
| Articles of Confederation (1775-1787) |
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Definition
| Document establishing the first government of the United States; the federal government was given limited power and the states much power. |
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Term
| Northwest Ordinances (1775-1787) |
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Definition
| Bills authorizing the sale of lands in the Northwest Territory to raise money for the federal government. |
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Term
| Virginia Plan (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| Plan proposing a bicameral legislature with representatives determined by proportional representation. |
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Term
| New Jersey Plan (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| Plan proposing one legislative body for the country with each state having one vote. |
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Term
| Great Compromise (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| Plan that stated that one house of the Congress would be based on population (the House of Representatives) while in the other house all states would have equal representation (The Senate). |
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Term
| Electoral College (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| Procedure for electing the president and vice-president of the United States as outlined in the Constitution. |
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Term
| Three-Fifths Compromise (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| as the Constitution was being created, the plan that stated that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a free person. |
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Term
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Definition
| party in the first years of the republic that favored a larger national government; was supported by commercial interests. |
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Term
| Alien and Sedition Acts (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| an act that gave the president power to expel "dangerous' aliens and outlawed "scandalous" publications against the government |
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Term
| Declaration of Neutrality (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| A document which allowed American merchants to prosper by trading with both sides. |
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Term
| Whiskey Rebellion (1787-1800) |
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Definition
| Rebellion inspired by the French Revolution, opposing a tax placed on distilled alcohol, which reduced the profits made on Whiskey |
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Term
| National Bank (1787-1800) |
|
Definition
| A bank that could provide loans to developing industries; proposed by Alexander Hamilton. |
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Term
| Marbury v. Madison (1800-1820) |
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Definition
| Supreme Court decision that established the principle of judicial review, stating that the Supreme Court has the right to review all federal laws and decisions and declare whether or not they are constitutional |
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Term
| Louisiana Purchase (1800-1820) |
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Definition
| Purchase from Emperor Napoleon of France that doubled the size of the United States. |
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Term
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Definition
| War between the British and the Americans over British seizure of American ships, connections between the British and Native American tribes, and other tensions. The treaty ending the war merely restored diplomatic relations between the two countries. |
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Term
| American System (1800-1820) |
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Definition
| Plan proposed to make America economically independent by increasing industrial production in the United States and by creating a second national Bank. |
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Term
| Missouri Compromise (1800-1820) |
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Definition
| Political solution devised to keep the number of slave states and free states equal. |
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Term
| Judiciary Act (1800-1820) |
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Definition
| Act creating a large number of new federal courts. |
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Term
| Monroe Doctrine (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| Proclamation that countries of the Wester Hemisphere are not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European Powers. |
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Term
| Removal Act of 1830 (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| Congressional act that authorized the removal of all Native American tribes east of the Mississippi to the west. |
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Term
| The Liberator (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| Abolitionist newspaper began by WilliamLloyd Garrison in 1831. |
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Term
| Spoils system (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| System used most during the presidency of Andrew Jackson where political supporters of the winning candidate are given jobs in the government. |
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Term
| Nullification (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| A process by which individual states could rule on the constitutionality of federal laws. |
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Term
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Definition
| Political party that emerged in the 1830s in opposition to the Democratic party; Whigs favored policies that promoted commercial and industrial growth. |
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Term
| Temperance Movement (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| Movement developed in this period, urging the working class to not drink in excess. |
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Term
| Abolitionist movement (1820-1845) |
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Definition
| Group that considered slavery to be a sin. |
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Term
| Manifest Destiny (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| Concept stating that it was the God-given mission of the United States to expand westward. |
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Term
| Mexican-American War (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| War fought over possession of Texas, which gave the United States the northern part of the Texas territory and the territories of New Mexico and California. |
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Term
| Compromise of 1850 (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| Act temporarily ending tensions between the North and the South. |
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Term
| Fugitive Slave Act (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| part of the Compromise of 1850, legislation that set up special commissions in northern states to determine if accused runaway slaves were actually that. Many northern state legislatures attempted to circumvent this law. |
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Term
| Kansas-Nebraska Act (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| Compromise that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to vote to decide if they would enter the Union as free states or slave states. |
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Term
| Dred Scott Case (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| Supreme Court ruling that stated that slaves were property and not people; as a result they cuold not seek a ruling from any court. The ruling also stated that Congress had no legal right to ban slavery in any territory. |
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Term
| Uncle Tom's Cabin (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| Written by Harriet Beecher, this was written as a response to the Fugitive Slave Act. Stowe demonstrated the immorality of slavery in her novel. |
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Term
| Know Nothing Party (1835-1860) |
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Definition
| Party that developed in response to the rising immigration from Ireland and Germany, which had begun in the late 1840s. Strongly Nativist party. |
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Term
Reconstruction Era
(1865-1877) |
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Definition
| Period after the Civil War during which Northern political leaders created plans for the governance of the South and a procedure for former Southern states to rejoin the Union. |
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Term
Radical Republicans
(1865-1877) |
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Definition
| Congressional group that wished to punish the South for its secession from the Union. |
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Term
| Reconstruction Act(1865-1877) |
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Definition
| Act placing Southern states under military rule and barring former supporters of the Confederacy from voting. |
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Term
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Definition
| Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction Era. |
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Term
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Definition
| Group founded in Tennessee in 1866; their violent actions during the Reconstruction Era represented the resentments felt by many Southern whites toward changing political conditions. |
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Term
| Conpromise of 1877(1865-1877) |
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Definition
| Political compromise ending the disputed presidential election of 1876, |
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Term
| Homestead Act (1860-1895) |
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Definition
| Bill that did much to encourage settlers to move west. |
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Term
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Definition
| Act designed to break up Native American tribes by offering individual Native Americans land to be used for either farming or grazing. |
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Term
| Farmers' Alliances (1860-1895) |
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Definition
| Organization that united farmers at the statewide and regional levels; policy goals of this organization included more readily available farm credits and federal regulation of the railroads. |
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Term
| Populist party (1860-1895) |
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Definition
| Formed in 1892 by members of the Farmers' Alliances, this party was designed to appeal to workers in all parts of the country. Populists favored a larger role of government in American society, a progressive income tax, and more direct methods of democracy. |
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Term
| Turner Thesis (1860-1895) |
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Definition
| Thesis by the historian Frederick Jackson Turner suggesting that the innovations practiced by western settlers gradually became ingrained into the fabric of American society; democracy and self improvement were also central to western expansion. Turner suggested that many of the characteristics of the "American character" were created by westward expansion. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Following management practices of the industrial engineer Frederick Taylor, the belief that factories should be managed in a scientific manner. |
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Term
| Horizontal integration (1870-1910) |
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Definition
| Strategy of gaining as much control over a single industry as possible (ex: John D. Rockefellar) |
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Term
| Vertical integration (1870-1910) |
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Definition
| Strategy of gaining as much control over a single industry as possible by controlling the production, marketing, and distribution of the finished product. (Ex: Andrew Carnegie) |
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Term
| Gospel of wealth (1870-1910) |
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Definition
| Philosophy of Andrew Carnegie who believed that wealthy industrialists had an obligation to help local communities and philanthropic organizations. |
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Term
| Knights of Labor (1870-1910) |
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Definition
| Established in the 1880's this was the major union of that decade. It was made up of unions of many industries and accepted unskilled workers |
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Term
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Definition
| Depiction of late nineteenth-century America that emphasizes a surface of great prosperity hiding problems of social inequality and cultural shallowness |
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Term
| American Federation of Labor (1870-1910) |
|
Definition
| National labor union formed with the goal of organizing skilled workers by craft. |
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Term
| Pendleton Civil Service Act (1870-1910) |
|
Definition
| Federal act that established a civil service system at the federal level. Not all government jobs would be political appointments |
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Term
|
Definition
| Political machine that ran New York City Democratic and city politics beginning in 1870. |
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Term
| Open Door policy (1890-1913) |
|
Definition
| Policy supported by the United States beginning in 1899 that stated that all major powers, including the United States, should have an equal right to trade with China. |
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Term
| Social Darwinism(1890-1913) |
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Definition
| Philosophy used to justify the vast differences between the rich and the poor in the late nineteenth century. |
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Term
| Spanish-American War(1890-1913) |
|
Definition
| War that began in 1898 against the Spanish over treatment of Cubans by Spanish troops that controlled the island. As a result of this war, the United States annexed the Philippines, making America a major power in the Pacific. |
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Term
| Yellow Journalism (1890-1913) |
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Definition
| Method of journalism that utilized sensationalized accounts of the news to sell newspapers. This approach helped to whip up nationalistic impulses that led to the Spanish American war. |
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Term
|
Definition
| U.S. naval ship that sank in Havana harbor following an explosion. The incident was used to increase calls for war against Spain. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Canal across Panama that enabled America to expand its economic and Military influence. |
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Term
| Roosevelt Corollary (1890-1913) |
|
Definition
| Policy that warned Europeans against intervening in the affairs of Latin America and that claimed the rights of the United States to intervene in the affairs of Latin American nations if "Wrong doing" was taking place. |
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Term
| Dollar Diplomacy (1890-1913) |
|
Definition
| Foreign policy supported by William Howard Taft and others that favored increased American investment in the world as a way of increasing American influence. |
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Term
| Social Gospel movement (1895-1914) |
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Definition
| Movement originating in the Protestant church that aimed to help the urban poor; many Progressives were influenced by this movement. |
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Term
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Definition
| Writers who exposed unethical practices in both government and business during this era; newspaper editors discovered that these types of stories increased circulation |
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Term
| Initiative process (1895-1914) |
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Definition
| This progressive-supported process allowed any citizen to propose a law. If enough supporters' signatures could be procured, the proposed law would appear on the next ballot. |
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Term
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Definition
| Settlement house in Chicago founded by Jane Addams; Hull house became a model for settlement houses around the country. |
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Term
| National American Woman Suffrage Association (1895-1914) |
|
Definition
| Created in 1890 by a merger of two women's suffrage organizations; was instrumental in demanding women's rights to vote |
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Term
| Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1895-1914) |
|
Definition
| Fire in NYC that killed 150 Female factory workers. It was later found that the workers had been locked in the factory; as a result, many factory reforms were enacted. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Novel writted by Upton Sinclair that highlighted numerouse problems of the meatpacking industry and inspired the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. |
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Term
| American Expeditionary Force (1914-1921) |
|
Definition
| American force that landed in France in June 1917. Both women and blacks served in the American army during the war, although black units were segregated and usually had white officers. |
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Term
| War Industries Board (1914-1921) |
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Definition
| Board that regulated American industry during World War 1; it attempted to stimulate war production by allocating raw materials to factories that aided the war effort. |
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Term
| Committee on Public Information (1914-1921) |
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Definition
| Agency created during the war whose mission was to spread pro Allied propaganda through the press and through newsreels; newspapers were asked to print only articles that were helpful to the war effort |
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Term
| Fourteen Points (1914-1921) |
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Definition
| Plan for the postwar world that Woodrow Wilson brought to the Paris Peace Conference; Wilson's plan proposed open peace treaties, freedom of the seas, arms reductions, and a League of Nations. |
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Term
| League of Nations (1914-1921) |
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Definition
| World body proposed by Woodrow Wilson. The League was created but without the participation of Germany, the Soviet Union, and the USA. The League was relatively ineffective. |
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Term
|
Definition
| After World War 1, the fear of the spread of communism in the United States. |
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Term
|
Definition
| As part of the Red Scare, thousands of Americans not born in the United States were being arrested. |
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Term
| National Origins Act (1920) |
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Definition
| Anti Immigration federal legislation that took the number of immigrants from each country in 1890 and stated that immigration from those countries could now be no more than 2 percent of that. Immigration from Asia was also halted. |
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Term
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Definition
| Trial of teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution. Teachings of evolution vs the Bible. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Images of the 1920s that emphasized the more relaxed social attitudes of the decade. |
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Term
|
Definition
| "New Women" of the 1920s who were pictured as having bobbed hair, a shorter skirt, and liberated sexual attitudes. Flappers were mostly in Urban areas and were hard to find in small towns. |
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Term
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Definition
| Group of post World War 1 writers who in their works expressed deep dissatisfaction with mainstream American culture. |
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Term
| Harlem Renaissance (1920) |
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Definition
| 1920s black literary and cultural movement that produced many works depicting the role of blacks in contemporary American society. |
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Term
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Definition
| Settlements of shacks found of the outskirts of many American cities beginning in the early 1930s |
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Term
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Definition
| Name given to regions where severe drought and poor farming practices caused massive dust storms. By the end of the decade, nearly 60 percent of all farms there were ruined or abandoned. |
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Term
| Hawley Smoot Tariff (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| Tariff Act that imposed severe tariffs on all incoming goods; European countries responded with their own high tariffs. Most historians say this tariff did little to help the American Economy. |
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Term
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| Federal agency established during the "First Hundred Days" of the New Deal in 1933 in an effort to halt panic over bank closings. |
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Term
| Civilian Conservation Corps (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| the CCC eventually provided jobs for 2.5 million young Americans in forest and conservation programs. |
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Term
| National Industry Recovery Act (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| New Deal legislation requiring owners and labor unions in various industries to agree upon hours, wages, and prices; as a result, wages did go up for many workers. |
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Term
| Works Progress Administration (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| New Deal program that employed nearly 8 million Americans. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Critical piece of New Deal legislation that protected the right of workers to form unions and utilize collective bargaining. |
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Term
| Social Security Act (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| New Deal legislation providing pensions for workers reaching retirement age. Both workers and employers pay into the fund that provides this benefit. |
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Term
| New Deal Coalition (1929-1939) |
|
Definition
| The political coalition created by FDR that, by and large, kept the Democratic Party in power from the 1930s through the 1960s. |
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