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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Jamestown, VA |
1607, first English settlement, motived by economics, failed to prepare for winter months |
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Pilgrims (Puritans in England) |
austere religious group landed in Plimouth in 1619 |
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Mayflower Compact |
agreement whereby all signatories would follow rules established by majority vote; first constitution ratified in colonies; symbol of democracy |
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13 Original Colonies |
Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia |
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French and Indian War (1754-1763) |
British had to contend with other European powers interested in American conquest; British fought French and their allies for control of N. Am.; Britain kept control |
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Treaty of Paris 1763 |
Ended French and Indian War; Britain's purse drained and colonists' sense of dependence on Britain decreased |
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Salutary Neglect |
wartime policy whereby colonies operated relatively unsupervised while Britain was fighting war |
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Stamp Act of 1765 |
imposed tax on documents to help support cost of British troops; protested by colonists; repealed (gave confidence and desire for self-rule) |
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Townshend Act |
"Indirect" taxes imposed on colonists (taxes on imports); opposition widespread; boycotts of goods and protests organized |
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Boston Massacre |
1770; colonists fired upon; created martyrs (including Crispus Attucks) |
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Boston Tea Party |
1773; colonists threw imported tea overboard in Boston Harbor; symbolic and incendiary act |
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Coercive Acts (a.k.a. Intolerable Acts to patriots) |
imposed by British; closed harbor until tea had been paid for, increased power of royal officials in MA and allowed for quartering of British troops anywhere |
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First Continental Congress |
1774; called for repeal of Intolerable Acts and gathering of local militias |
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First Battle of Revolution |
April 1775; Lexington/Concord |
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Second Continental Congress |
1775; American independence declared, Declaration of Independence adopted 1776 |
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Declaration of Independence |
"when in the course of human events....we hold these truths to be self-evident..."; largely attributed to the work of Thomas Jefferson; based on John Locke's philosophy that govt inherits powers from the people |
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Constitution |
Written in 1777 but allowed too much freedom for states. Rewritten and ratified after 1787 |
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Shay's Rebellion |
1786; poor farmers revolted against existing conditions in w. MA |
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Federalist Papers |
written to support for Constitution in colonies by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay |
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Bill of Rights |
1791; enumerated the rights of citizens; appended to Constitution |
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Louisiana Purchase |
1803 - purchased Louisiana Territory from France; ambitious agenda of territorial expansion; guaranteed uninhibited exploration beyond Mississippi River |
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Lewis and Clark |
Set off in 1804; govt-funded expedition of new territory in name of scientific and geographic research |
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War of 1812 |
Conflict with the British; caused by: desire for northwest expansion, impressment of sailors by Navy, British support of Am. Indian tribes, etc. D.C. burned by British. |
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Treaty of Ghent |
Ended War of 1812; restored relations between two nations |
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Monroe Doctrine |
1823; James Monroe issued; asserted that new nation's dominance in Western Hemisphere and instructed European nations to cease their interference on American continents |
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Manifest Destiny |
19th century belief; divine justification for moving westward into new lands; focus on expanding boundaries for sake of economy and clout of the nation |
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Missouri Compromise of 1820 |
agreement passed to regulate slavery in new states; Missouri accepted as slave state, Maine as free; drew imaginary line dividing Louisiana Territory into two, free above, slavery below |
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Compromise of 1850 |
law allowed new territories to decide matter of slavery themselves |
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Civil War Origins |
Pro vs. Anti Slavery in new territories; southern concern for inevitability of Northern control; Fugitive Slave Act; Dred Scott Case; etc. 1861: 11 southern states seceded |
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Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 |
Required citizens to capture and return escaped slaves under penalty of fine; outraged abolitionists |
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Dred Scott Case of 1857 |
Supreme Court ruled that slaves who resided temporarily in free states were still slaves, and Congress did not have authority to exclude slavery from a territory; can only be free citizen through birth or naturalization |
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Battle of Gettysburg 1863 |
Confederate Army sustained crippling loss of manpower |
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Emancipation Proclamation (1863) |
issued by Lincoln; declared all slaves residing with Confederacy would be free; after this African American soldiers free to enlist |
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Grant and Sherman |
Union generals |
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Lee |
Confederate general; surrendered at Appomattox in 1865 |
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Reconstruction |
1865-77; Johnson carried out Lincoln's plans after assassination; aimed at re-invigorating economy of country as a whole, improving plight of former slaves, reorganize southern states |
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Industrialization |
by 1900, 200,000 miles of railroad track; increased trade and supported growing economy; factory jobs increase |
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U.S in WWI (in five phrases of less) |
WW1 breaks out in 1914; Americans favor neutrality until brutal U-boat attacks; Wilson lobbies to enter war; 3 million US troops deployed (1917); War ends 1918 |
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Great Depression |
Stock Market Crash of 10/29/1929. By 1932, 24% of Americans unemployed. |
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New Deal |
Franklin Roosevelt enacted these reforms including agricultural and business regulation, public works projects, farm relief, establishment of Social Security system |
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Pearl Harbor |
December 7, 1941 -- after Pres. Roosevelt led U.S. into war (before -- isolationism) |
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
August 6, 1945 - atomic bomb dropped first, Japan refuses to surrender, second atomic bomb dropped. Japan surrenders. |
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Domino Theory |
if one country in a region falls to communism, neighbors will as well; justified Vietnam War |
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CONSTITUTION |
"we the people..."; highest law in U.S.; framework for government; 27 amendments so far (?); written in 1787; establishes system of checks and balances between three branches of govt. |
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BILL OF RIGHTS |
First 10 amendments to Constitution; 1791; free speech, right to bear arms, protection from quartering, due process, protection from unreasonable search and seizure; trial by jury; etc. |
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"the rule of law" |
no individual, organization, or govt body is above the law; our duty to follow and understand the law |
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Process of Creating a Law |
representatives writes and introduces a bill; goes to a House of Rep committee and discussed/edited; debated and voted on in House; same thing then done in Senate. Committee blends House and Senate law and both have to approve final version. Then goes to president to be signed into law. Pres can sign, veto or ignore. If ignored and Congress is in session, after 10 days it becomes a law. |
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Massachusetts Constitution |
Ratified in 1780. Oldest functioning constitution in the world. Protects rights of individual citizens and principles of federalism and popular sovereignty. Cities and Towns responsible for most govt. services. |
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Mayors and City Councils in MA |
govern the cities, but towns are usually government by selectmen. |
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Board of Selectmen in MA |
Usually elected for one- or two-year term. |
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Town Meeting in MA |
tradition from Colonial times, still held regularly, allows direct participation in democratic process |
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Capitalist System |
encourages innovation, competition, and an entrepreneurial spirit with aim of increased productivity and profit |
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Israel |
great contribution is monotheism; area colonized (?) by Great Britain; modern state of Israel declared in 1948 |
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Ancient Greece |
lasting influence in science, philosophy, politics, games, literature, etc.; elements of democracy developed there; Draco - law belongs to all citizens; first democracy founded in Athens in approx. 500 BCE |
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Ancient Rome |
conquered Greek dynasty; became regional power; conquered much of "known world"; Caesar - military conqueror and established calendar system; peace led to flourishing of arts and higher learning; began declining in third century |
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Pax Romana |
First and second centuries CE - no major wars or internal conflicts; development of architecture, extensive road system, postal system; Roman law - fairness and constancy |
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Middle Ages (a.k.a. Dark Ages) |
Post-Roman empire; church and feudal system exert power; political instability; Crusades - Christians vs. Muslims; Plague in 14th century |
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Feudal system |
Nobles ruled over serfs (peasants); Serfs worked the land; Less powerful nobles (vassals) swore loyalty to powerful nobles, provided military protection |
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Renaissance |
beginning of modern era - 1450; began in Italy; flourishing of arts and creativity; printing press in mid-15th century; Shakespeare; 14th-17th century |
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Renaissance HUMANISM |
humanists would study ancient texts in the original, and appraise them through a combination of reasoning and empirical evidence |
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Reformation |
Occurred during Renaissance: challenged dominance of Roman Catholic church/papal authority; Luther - 95 Theses in 1517; Humanism/Renaissance played direct role in sparking Reformation |
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Enlightenment |
18th century (post-Renaissance); reason advocated as source of legitimacy and authority; question tradition; Locke - rights of natural people; Voltaire - supporter of social reform, human rights |
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French Revolution 1789 - 1804 |
Before - individual citizens' rights didn't exist; king/nobles/clergy in charge; rich vs. poor - HUGE separation; only poor taxed; France in trouble financially; people starving; Enlightenment ideals inspired revolutionaries; stormed the Bastille (symbol of nobility); absolutely monarchy soon gone; revolutionaries fought amongst themselves and executed many (Reign of Terror); war declared on France by other European nations; ended with Napoleon declaring himself Emperor of France |
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Estates-General |
name of assembly of leaders of three estates -- nobility, clergy, commoners; met in May 1789 - to draft new tax policy; Third Estate (commoners) decided to declare itself the National Assembly and planned to create new constitution |
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French Rev. vs. Amer. Rev. |
American Revolution officially began with a document, the Declaration of Independence; French Revolution officially began with an action, the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. The most obvious difference was that the American Revolution resulted in the newly independent United States, whereas the French Revolution overthrew its own government. However, the French people were greatly impressed with the ideals of freedom and democracy sought by the new United States, and these greatly influenced their thinking. |
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Industrial Revolution - 18th to 19th century |
began in Great Britain; major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the times (wiki); intro of steam power |
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World War I causes |
competition over resources in overseas colonies; Austria-Hungary vs. Serbia; Ferdinand assassination in 1914; other countries chose sides - Axis vs. Allies; began in 1914; Wilson tried to stay out; then sinking of Lusitania (128 U.S. died); Germany tried to get Mexico to join war and reclaim land from U.S.; U.S. joined in 1917; draft - 3 million people; ended in 1918 |
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Treaty of Versailles |
$33 billion in reparations from Germany to Allies; must accept blame for war (partly to blame for WWII); Germany lost land and all overseas colonies |
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World War II causes |
Germany economically poor; bitter over loss of war; inflation high; high unemployment; govt. didn't have support of the people; Depression affected the world; rise of nationalism; turned to Hitler -- Nazis and Fascism; started building strong army (vs. Treaty of Versailles); Germany invaded Poland and war was declared by GB and France (1939); Japan on Germany's side; US stopped trading with Japan...then Pearl Harbor; |
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Fascism |
power is concentrated in a single dictator; reject individualism; extreme patriotism; celebrates military strength and brute force; individual freedoms gone; strong countries have right to invade and conquer weak ones; Nazism unique brand of Fascism that involved biological racism and antiSemitism |
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Appeasement - 1937-39 |
policy of letting Hitler do what he wanted building his army and invading Czechoslovakia despite being vs. Treaty of Versailles; allowed Germany to grow too strong |
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Cold War |
the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition existing after World War II (1939–1945) between the Communist World – primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies – and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States and its allies (wiki) |
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Marshall Plan |
U.S. plan to aid in post-war European recovery |
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Perestroika ("restructuring") - mid-1980s |
Gorbachev becomes more concerned with economic reform than arms race |
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Glasnost ("openness") |
reduce corruption in Communist party and encourage increased contact with Western world |
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Decolonization |
process where formerly European and U.S. colonies rejected foreign rule and protested further interference |
