Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Joint Stock Companies - Businesses that were financed by multiple people investing in
people to go and settle in America.
Proprietary Colonies - Colonies under the authority of individuals granted charters of
ownership by the King.
Royal Colonies - Colonies owned by the British monarch, but ran by a governor
appointed by the King.
Charter Colonies - Colonies that were self-governed by the people where the King did
not have power.
Puritans - A religious group who wanted to purify the Church of England. They came to
America for religious freedom and settled Massachusetts Bay.
Pilgrims - The first Puritans to come and settle Plymouth.
Separatists - A tiny group of extreme puritans who vowed to break away from the
Church of England.
Congregationalists - The term that Puritans used to define themselves.
Quaker - A branch of Protestants that believed that in the eyes of God, all men and
women were equal and both could speak freely during religious meetings, a concept
rare and new for the time.
Deism - The belief that God created the universe, the stepped back to just chill and
watch. Denies supernatural revelation. Deists believed that humans need to create
technology, science and government based on reason.
Interaction with Natives (Virginia) - The colonists of Virginia traded with the native
Americans, but also killed them for land.
Motivation (Virginia) - Many went to spread Christianity, some went to escape religious
persecution, start a new life, or for all the land.
Early Setbacks (Virginia) - The early settlers were dumb and forgot to bring farm
animals, didn't have enough food, and didn't want to work.
Nathaniel Bacon/Bacon's Rebellion - A rebellion led by Bacon who was pissed at the
government for trying to be nice and negotiate with the Indians for land. He wanted
more land, an Indian genocide and killed off some Indians then burned Jamestown. The
rebellion resulted in new lands opening up to the colonists and all the wealthy planters
became more cooperative.
John Smith - A colonist of Jamestown, who saved the colony during the harsh winter by
being extremely strict and forcing all the colonists to work and farm.
John Rolfe - An English settler in Jamestown and the husband of Pocahontas. He
discovered how to successfully grow tobacco, which became a huge source of wealth
for the colonists.
Pocahontas - The daughter to Powhatan who helped develop Native American and
colonist relations, by marrying John Rolfe and creating peace between the two groups
for a time.
Powhatan - An Indian chief who led Powhatan's Confederacy, an alliance of Indian
tribes, and made peace with the colonists once his daughter, Pocahontas, married John
Rolfe.
Tobacco - Great source of wealth in the colonies and it sold excellently in Britain, despite
King James I's hatred of it.
Maryland Colony - A colony founded by Calvert, who intended it to be a catholic refuge.
Plymouth - A colony founded by separatists looking for religious freedom.
Mayflower - The boat that carried the settlers of Plymouth to the new world in 1620. On
board they signed the Mayflower Compact.
Anne Hutchinson - A puritan dissenter who didn't like the way the Puritan church was
running. She believed in the idea of predestination and was exiled and eventually killed
by Indians.
Thomas Hooker - Founded Connecticut.
History of Slavery - Slavery started from indentured servants, and briefly there was the
slavery of native americans. Then a Dutch ship brought the first African slaves over, and
slavery became more and more common.
Indentured Servants - Colonists who received free passage to America in exchange for
working without pay for usually 7 years.
Women in the colonies - They had very busy lives and ran the households.
Unfortunately, they were not given much power at all and always remained under the
authority of their husbands. They could not vote, preach, hold property or make
contracts.
New England women vs. Virginia women - Both had basically no rights, but southern
women could own property if they were widows.
Triangle Trade - A phrase used to describe the trade route between England, Africa, and
America. England gave manufactured goods, America gave raw products, and Africa
gave slaves. The other triangle trade was between America, Africa, an West indies.
Mercantilism - An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth
and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than
they bought.
Salem Witch Trials - An odd event in 1692, in which several girls claimed to be
possessed and the people began to hang "witches". Interestingly, the hangings were not
by a mob, but the accused women would go through court processes to be proclaimed
as a witch. Often these accused women were simply women who did not fit to the roles
in which they were supposed to be confined.
The Enlightenment - A movement in which freedom of thought, freedom of expression,
and rationalism over religion become common.
John Locke - A philosopher whose idea that people had the right to rebel against unfair
or unjust governments was strongly felt in America. He also said people had a natural
right to life, liberty and property.
Ben Franklin - An Enlightenment thinker who prized reason over religion. He helped
write the Albany Plan and was active in the revolutionary movement.
Thomas Jefferson - A quiet and well-liked Virginian who wrote the draft of the
Deceleration of Independence.
The Great Awakening - An event when a large number of the common people thought
they were becoming too far from God, so they become even more religious. It had an
emphasis on individual relationships with God and led to the creation of many colleges.
George Whitefield - The catalyst of the Great Awakening. He was a super enthusiastic
preacher who wanted to make sermons less boring and more appealing.
Jonathan Edwards - A very passionate Puritan, whose writings like "Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God" helped inspire people to renew their Puritan faith.
The Impact of the Glorious Revolution - Most colonies became royal colonies and
resulted in the policy of salutary neglect. Also started the idea that you had the right to
rebel against crappy governments.
Salutary Neglect - An English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies.
Contributed to American self-government
Navigation Acts - A series of acts that required all colonial exports to go through
England first, more taxes to be paid, and 3/4 of a ship's crew had to be British. Since
this was hard to enforce and the colonists obviously hated it, the British created the Lord
of Trade to monitor and enforce this.
Habit of Self-Government - Colonists were used to governing themselves, transforming
self-government from a habit to a perceived right
Spanish colonization - Sucked pretty badly because they were too focused on gold and
Lexington and Concord - British soldiers wanted to take the American militia supply
depot, so they began to march to Concord to seize it. Militia heard about it and came to
confront them. Someone shot a bullet and then everyone started firing, with the
colonists sending the British back through a road filled with colonist ambushes.
Militia/minuetemen - Relatively unorganized and violent group of men that was very
different from the army. The minutemen were a more organized militia before the war
had actually began and they were known to be "ready to fight in a minutes notice".
Bunker Hill - A very costly battle for both sides, that ultimately resulted in a British win.
The Americans had the advantage of being uphill, and having the British seriously
underestimate them. British were more cautious in late fights.
Howe British leadership - A British general that seized New York but failed to capture it.
He also missed several opportunities to quickly end the rebellion and resigned after
Saratoga.
Burgoyne British leadership - A relatively wealthy British general that was extravagantly
dressed, and a bit too cocky, shown by the fact that he had the supply wagon carry
around champagne. He was defeated when he pulled back to Saratoga, where he and
his troops were surrounded by Gates' men.
Cornwallis British leadership - The British general in charge of the troops in the south.
When he surrendered to Washington's troops in Yorktown the war was ended.
George Washington - Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. He had previously
started the French and Indian war and he was an excellent commander. He used a
strategy of continually wearing down the British (attrition) and with his leadership he
turned his initially sucky army into something strong and formidable.
Battle of Long Island - A British victory where Washington's troops faced an army too
large to fight and they suffered a humiliating defeat. The only reason they could retreat
was a very well timed storm.
Trenton - On Christmas night, 1776, Washington led 2,400 men across the Delaware
River to attack the drunken Hessians who were sleeping. The win was a great boost to
American morale.
Loyalists - American colonist who remained loyal to Britain during the Revolutionary
War. They had it pretty rough and were treated poorly for their siding, often having
property seized or plundered.
Moderates - Colonists who took a more moderate approach to the conflict between
Americans and British. John Dickinson and Thomas Jefferson were both moderates.
Patriots - American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American
independence was won.
Saratoga - American forces led by Horatio Gates, surrounded British general Burgoyne
in Saratoga, forcing him and his men to surrender. It was also a turning point in the war,
as Lord North then realized the war could not be won. However the king refused to let
him surrender/negotiate.
French Intervention - The French officially joined the war after Saratoga, and they took
the side of the Americans. French help was a crucial point in the American victory.
Paying for the war - The army often had to seize colonists' possessions and property to
pay for the war, which they all promised to pay back after the war.
Thomas Paine - Author of the widely successful pamphlet, "Common Sense", that was
super important in swaying the public opinion of favoring the war.
"Common Sense" - A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, in words the common man
could understand, to persuade the american population to support the war. It worked
and printed more than 150,000 copies and gave the army a much-needed morale boost.
War in the South - The British began to focus their attention in the south because they
believed a strong Loyalists presence here would help them fight. Unfortunately for them,
the loyalists force wasn't too strong and the British forces behaved so bad that the
Loyalists didn't even like them. The loyalists and patriots frequently clashed here as well.
Battle of Yorktown - The battle that ended the Revolution. Washington's troops along
with French troops surrounded the British led by Cornwallis. His surrender ended the
Revolution.
After-War Negotiations - They were made awkward by the fact that America was sworn
to fight until France stopped, and France was sworn to keep fighting until Spain got
Gibraltar, which the British didn't want to give up.
Treaty of Paris - The Treaty that settled the agreements for peace after the
Revolutionary War. America was recognized by Britain as independent, and a boundary
line of the Mississippi river was used in the West.
government cannot take your life, liberty, or property without due cause.
15th Amendment - (1870) The government cannot restrict your voting because of race
or previously being a slave.
16th Amendment - (1913) The federal government can tax your income.
17th Amendment - (1913) Senators now have to be elected by voters, as opposed to
being elected by state governors.
18th Amendment - (1919) Prohibition of Alcohol.
19th Amendment - (1920) Women get the right to vote! Yay!
21st Amendment - (1933) Repeal of the prohibition.
22nd Amendment - (1951) Limits the presidential term to two terms of 4 years each.
26th Amendment - (1917) The voting age is now 18.
Expressed/"enumerated" powers - Listed powers
Implied Powers - Powers that are not stated, but are "necessary and proper" to carry out
the mission of the constitution.
Inherent Powers - Powers that the government has because it is a government.
Federalism - A system in which power is divided between the national and state
governments.
Exclusive Powers (Federalism) - Powers only the federal government has.
Reserved Powers (Federalism) - Powers only the state governments hold.
Concurrent Powers (Federalism) - Powers that both federal and state governments
have.
Alexander Hamilton - Hamilton was a politician who grew up with nothing and ended up
with being super successful, being the first secretary of treasury, establishing a national
bank, having the idea of national debt instead of state debt, and he was a strong
capitalist and federalist, advocating anything that helped the economy of America grow.
Thomas Jefferson - Third president of the United States who was originally very
republican, but when he became president he appealed to the federalists. He made the
Louisiana Purchase as well.
George Washington - The first president of the United States. He was super nervous
about his job and started the tradition of presidents having a cabinet formed of intelligent
people to advise him.
James Madison - "Father of the Constitution" He was a young and shy guy who was the
central figure in the Constitutional Convention. He proposed the Virginia Plan as well.
Patrick Henry - The "give me liberty, or give me death!" guy. He also disproved of the
Constitutional Convention, and stated "I smell a rat".
Ben Franklin - A writer, scientist, diplomat, and a political philosopher. He was influential
in the American Revolution, Continental Congress and Declaration of independence.
John Adams - 2nd President of the United States who was a federalist, made the Alien
and Sedition act, and prevented war with France after XYZ affair.
Aaron Burr - Vice president who was kinda crazy with his killing of Hamilton in a duel
and his conspiracy to make the newly acquired land of Louisiana his own country to be
headed by him.
John Marshall - A chief justice on the supreme court who held very federalist views and
introduced the idea of judicial review.
James Monroe - President known for the Monroe Doctrine (that he didn't write).
Annapolis Convention - A convention that was supposed to be just to talk about
interstate trade, but it was where Hamilton expressed he wanted a real convention in
Philadelphia to discuss the constitution.
recruit Americans for his side. Once power changed hands in France he couldn't go
back so he had to become a citizen of U.S.
Jay's Treaty - Treaty between U.S. and Britain that had Britain agree to give up it's
western lands.
Alien and Sedition Acts - Changed the minimum years of residency for citizenship from
5 years to 14 years and made it illegal to criticize this. People didn't like this at all, and
said it violated the First Amendment.
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (nullification) - States declared that they could nullify
federal laws if they felt it was unconstitutional.
XYZ Affair - Instead of France sending the French ambassador, they sent three officers,
who were then referred to as X Y and Z due to their unimportance. This pissed the
Americans off, especially when France said they'd only send the ambassador for
$250,000.
Haiti - Napoleon wanted to take Haiti, but he underestimated the awesomeness of
Toussaint Louverture.
Election of 1800 - A super tense period where Federalist vs Republican tensions got
kinda high.
Louisiana Purchase - The purchase of the entirety of the Louisiana territory, owned by
Spain. Jefferson got Napoleon to sell the U.S. this for only $15 million dollars, and its
purchase doubled the size of the United States.
Barbary Pirates - Jefferson originally refused to bribe them to not attack merchants, then
fought a small naval war with them and ending up paying the bribe anyways, just a little
cheaper.
Impressment - British practice of taking American sailors and forcing them into military
service, claiming they were runaway British sailors.
Embargo Act of 1807 - Prohibited any American ships from leaving port, in response to
war between France and Britain, with both sides taking American ships that traded with
either of them.
War of 1812 - Madison declared war on British in officially in response to Britain
supporting and supplying Indians (Violating Treaty of Paris) and attacking U.S. ships.
However, the real motives for the war were likely for land and conquest. It was a
"Western war with Eastern labels".
John Quincy Adams - Man who was really good at negotiating treaties, like the Treaty of
Ghent, and who also wrote the Monroe Doctrine.
Monroe Doctrine - Stated that American continents were not "subject for further
colonization" and that the U.S. would not "interfere in the internal concerns" of European
Nations.
Marbury v. Madison - Madison didn't deliver his paperwork to Marbury, who sued
claiming he needed it, but supreme court said no. This court case established the
judicial branch as equal with the legislative branch.
McCulloch v. Maryland - Maryland taxed the national bank, which was ruled
unconstitutional as states cannot tax federal institutions.
Gibbons v. Ogden - Ogden has new York boating monopoly, and Gibbons has federal
license. Establishes that federal government can determine how interstate commerce
works.
Dredd Scott - Scott was a slave, purchased in a slave state, then lived in a free state,
and claimed he was now a free man. Court said they couldn't help him as he isn't
technically a citizen.
Plessy - Plessy said racial segregation in railway cars in unconstitutional but the court
rules that it's fine as long as it's equal.
Brown v. Board of education - Brown family said segregated schools could never be
equal and court agreed and said separate but equal is now no longer constitutional.
Mapp v. Ohio - Mapp doesn't let police enter her house without a warrant, so they get a
fake one and arrest her for having a ton of porn. Results in the court stating that
iron, increasing their protection greatly. Both sides got this technology about the same
time, so it wasn't any major advantage.
Guns (technology) - Muskets were used in the beginning of the war, but they really
sucked, so the North switched over to making rifles, which also could fire Minie bullets
which were better as well. The south couldn't manufacture them, so they had to import
rifles or just continue to use muskets.
Telegraph (technology) - A technology invented by Samuel Morse that was mainly held
in Union hands, as the South had a lack of materials. North used these lines for
communicating military information and had 90% of all the lines.
North Economic Policies/Success - Homestead Act: Gave 160 acres to settlers that
would work the land for 5 years.
Internal Revenue Act: created the IRS
Morrill Land Grant Act: Gave federal aid to state colleges teaching agriculture and
mechanic arts.
Legal Tender Act: Authorized printing $450 million in "greenback" cash.
Selling bonds generated $2 billion.
South Economic Problems - Printed way too much money which caused inflation and
created a poorly enforced property tax.
Environmental Impact - Unsurprisingly, war isn't very good for the environment.
Jefferson Davis - The Confederate president who was known to be an extremely
stubborn man. He was originally popular due to his military success, but that plummeted
once people realized he could lead a nation about just as well as a squirrel could. He
was also a huge jerk and he tried to flee when he thought things were going bad, but he
was captured.
Abraham Lincoln - President of the United States. He was super tall, a great leader, and
nice to a fault. He often gave people too many chances, and his forgiveness over
McClellan's first screw up may have indirectly caused thousands of deaths. He had his
cabinet be a group of his rivals, so they weren't afraid to question him.
Copperheads - Pro-Confederate extremists that contributed to Lincoln suspending
Habeas Corpus.
Republicans - ...
Democrats - Supported McClellan during the election of 1864.
Radical Republicans - ...
Suspension of Habeas Corpus - Lincoln said this was a time of internal rebellion so he
could suspend Habeas Corpus, and he did, and arrested thousands of Pro-Confederate
supporters, like the copperheads. He did all this to protect Maryland from seceding,
which would have trapped DC in the Confederacy.
Emancipation Proclamantion - Issued by Lincoln, this freed slaves in the North, gave a
huge boost for morale, gave a moral cause to their side, and forever ended any
prospects of diplomatic alliances of the south and Britain/France, as this made the war a
war against slavery.
13th Amendment - Ratified shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation, when 3/4 of
states approved it. Abolished slavery and freed slaves.
Election of 1864 - An election between Lincoln and McClellan, which initially looked grim
for Lincoln, until the great success of Sherman's seizure of Atlanta revived support for
Lincoln.
Ulysses S Grant - The main Union General after the battle of Chattanooga, where his
talents were recognized by Lincoln. His nickname was "The Butcher" for sending 2,000
soldiers to their deaths on a failed full-frontal assault on Lee's army.
Robert E. Lee - Main Confederate general, who was an absolute genius when it came to
war. Had an emotional time choosing which side to fight for, decided on Confederacy
when he decided to put his home (Virginia) before his country.
Ambrose Burnside - An unfortunately awful Union commander who also suffered from
being too cautious. He turned down leading twice before becoming a general, as he
himself didn't believe he was fit for the job, and that become apparent after he lost the
battle of Fredericksburg.
the battle the most bloody day in US history. Turning point in the war, as it revived
northern morale and led Lincoln to issue to Emancipation Proclamation.
Monitor vs. Merrimack - A naval battle between the Southern ironclad ship, the
Merrimack/Virginia and the Monitor, a Northern ironclad ship. Ended in a draw.
Anaconda - The Union's strategy to beat the South. It consisted of (1) Defense of DC
and constant pressure on Richmond (2) Navy blockade of Southern ports to screw up
their economy (3) Invade the south through rivers.
Siege of Vicksburg - A Union victory, led by Ulysses S Grant.
Battle of Shiloh - Costly battle where Grant's mistake of troop placement led to a horrible
slaughtering of his troops in their sleep, but they then took the offensive the next day
and drove back Confederate troops. Sucked for everyone though. Shiloh means "Place
of Peace" in Hebrew.
Battle of Gettysburg - A giant battle that eventually ended in a Union victory. The Union
general was George Meade and he may have possibly been able to end the war right
there if he had chased Lee down when he retreated. Lee made his biggest mistake at
this battle, where he sent General Rickett's entire division to their deaths.
Sherman's March to the Sea - Union General Sherman and his army marched their way
to the sea, going across Georgia. This march was designed to inspire terror into the
south, and show them that the war was not worth fighting anymore. Troops actually
behaved very well and didn't screw with civilians too much.
Appomattox Court House - The court house where Lee surrendered to Grant, ending
the war. They were both very respectful about it, Lee requesting that his troops be
allowed to keep their sidearms and horses, and Grant allowing them too. Troops from
either side saluted one another in silence.
Jawhawkers - A vigilante unit of the Union army that used terror tactics and guerrilla
warfare to attack Confederates. They also opposed William Quantrill. Name originated
during the Bloody Kansas conflict.
Bushwhackers - A Confederate solider in the American Civil War who employed the use
Music. - Music was initially inspired by religious awakenings, and then it became a way
to boost morale and a sense of nationalism on booth sides of the war. Some songs were
even made to try and justify their cause (ex: The song "God will defend the Right").
Food/drink in the Civil War - The Union had a huge advantage over the south in that
they had much more crops that was for eating, as opposed to the cash crops of the
south. Union also blocked the southern ports, so basically Union had tons of food and
coffee, while Confederacy had little.
Surgery - ...
Medicine - ...
Clara Barton - Civil war nurse who later went on to found Red Cross and furthered the
roles of women in society greatly.
Dorothea Dix - Superintendent of army nurses.
Nathan Bedford Forrest - Helped create the KKK and the became the grand wizard (yes,
it's called that), or leader, of it and was a symbol of the racism towards African
Americans.