Mercantilism

European government policies of the 16th-18th centuries designed to promote overseas trade between a country & its colonies and accumulate precious metals by requiring colonies to trade only with their motherland country.

Jamestown(1607)

First permanent English settlement in the New World located in Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay/James River; settled by the Virginia Company of London. History: Original settlers suffered from disease (especially malaria), internal strife, & starvation.

Leaders: John Smith - Demanded that "He who does not work, will not eat." John Rolfe - Introduced tobacco to the colony.

Plymouth (1620)

The first permanent English settlement in New England; established by religious separatists seeking autonomy from the church of England.

Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)

Home to many Puritans who left England because of the persecution they faced from the Anglican Church.

History:

Developed into a theocracy in which the church was central to all decisions; became the first English colony to establish the basis for a representative government.

Leaders:

John Winthrop - Envisioned the colony as a "City upon a Hill."

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

Rebellion of discontent former landless servants led by Nathaniel Bacon.

Historical Significance:

Led to a move from indentured servants to African slaves for labor purposes.

First Great Awakening

Religious revival movement during the 1730s and 1740s; stressed the need for individuals to repent and urged a personal understanding of truth.

Leaders: George Whitefield

Jonathan Edwards - "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Historical Significance:

Reduced the number of church leaders and led to a schism within the Protestant Church.

French & Indian War (1754-1763)

The name for the North American theater of the Seven Years War & was a successful attempt to move the French out of the Ohio Valley & to stop Indian raids on frontier settlements.

Historical Significance:

Colonists gained pride in their own military strength, felt more disconnected from Britain, & were left without fear of French a invasion.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin that sought to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies & the Crown.

Salutary Neglect

Prime Minister Robert Walpole's policy in dealing with the American colonies. He was primarily concerned with British affairs & believed that unrestricted trade in the colonies would be more profitable for England than would taxation of the colonies.

Proclamation of 1763

Forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains & required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Stamp Act (1765)

Taxed all printed material in the colonies, including - but not limited to stamps, legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, etc.

Historical Significance:

Led to the formation of colonial organizations such as the Stamp Act Congress, Sam Adams's Loyal Nine, & the Sons of Liberty & the suggestion that a complete break with Britain was essential to the colonies' future.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Provisions:

Imposed a tax - to be paid at American ports - on items produced in Britain & sold in the colonies, including paper, glass, lead, paint, & tea.

Suspended the New York Assembly for refusing to provide British troops with supplies.

Established an American Board of Customs & admiralty courts to hear cases of smuggling.

Issued Writs of Assistance.

Historical Significance:

Led to a boycott of British goods, the Circular Letters, John Dickinson's "Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer," and unrest in Boston.

Massachusetts Circular Letters

A statement written by Samuel Adams & passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives; argued that the Townshend Acts were unconstitutional because the colony of Massachusetts was not represented in Parliament.

Historical Significance:

Led to the dissolution of the Massachusetts Assembly & the occupation of Boston.

Boston Massacre (1770)

An incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were teasing and taunting them; five colonists were killed.

Historical Significance:

Boston's radicals used to incident to wage an Anti-British propaganda war

Committees of Correspondence

A system of communication between patriot leaders in New England & throughout the colonies, providing the organization necessary to unite the colonies in opposition to Parliament; organized by Sam Adams.

Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) (1774)

British response to the Boston Tea Party

Provisions:

Boston Port Act - Closed the port of Boston and relocated the customs house so that some important supplies could enter Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Government Act - Limited town meetings and replaced the Massachusetts judiciary and council members with Crown appointees.

Administration of Justice Act - Required that trials of royal officials accused of serious crimes in the colonies be held in Britain.

Quartering Act - Required all colonists to house British troops when ordered.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Met to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts; adopted the Declaration and Resolves in which they: Declared the Intolerable Acts null and void.

Recommended that colonists arm themselves and that militias be formed.

Recommended a boycott of British imports.

Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)

First major battle of the American Revolution; ended in colonial defeat.

Historical Significance:

The British suffered heavy casualties, including a notably large number of officers.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Adopted by the Continental Congress in an attempt to avoid a full blown war with Great Britain.

Provisions:

Affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and entreated the king to prevent further conflict.

Historical Significance:

Rejected and the colonies were formally declared in rebellion.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Written by Thomas Jefferson; influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers of his day.

Provisions:

Part 1 - Explains the necessity of independence for the preservation of basic laws and rights.

Part 2 - Lists a series of "abuses and usurpations" by the king and his government; Jefferson claimed that this treatment violated the social contract the British monarch had with the his colonies, thereby justifying the actions his American subjects felt compelled to take.

Part 3 - Ends with what is tantamount to a formal declaration of war.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Decisive colonial victory in upstate New York; considered to be the turning point of the American Revolution.

Historical Significance:

Caused France to openly support the colonies with military forces in addition to the supplies and money already being sent.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the American Revolution

Terms:

Britain recognized U.S. independence, The boundaries of the U.S. were established.

American fishing ships were given unlimited access to the waters off Newfoundland.

The U.S. government agreed it would not interfere with British creditors and merchants seeking to collect debts owed to them by Americans.

The U.S. government agreed to compensate Loyalists whose property had been confiscated during the war.

Articles of Confederation

Major Features:

A unicameral legislature No authority for Congress to impose taxes One vote in Congress for each state No national court system No provision for a uniform national currency No chief executive A requirement that 9 of the 13 states approve passage of certain legislation Unanimity for amendments to the Articles of Confederation No authority for Congress to regulate either interstate or foreign commerce

Shays' Rebellion (1786-87)

An armed uprising that took place in central and western Massachusetts protesting mortgage foreclosures.

Historical Significance:

Highlighted the need for a strong national government.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Provisions:

The Northwest Territory would be divided into 3-5 separate territories.

A methodical process would advance each territory to statehood.

Unorganized territories would be overseen by officials appointed by Congress. Once the population of the territory reached 5000 it could be organized as a territory where residents would elect members to a state legislature and send a delegate to Congress.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Provisions:

Three-fifths of a state's slave population would be counted for purposes of taxation and representation.

A fugitive slave law required that runaway slaves who escaped to a free state must be returned to their owners.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Leaders:

Washington, Hamilton, Madison, Franklin

Characteristics:

Support came mainly from coastal and urban areas and the upper class.

Ideas:

Favored a strong central government to maintain peace and stability.

Leaders:

Patrick Henry, John Hancock, George Mason

Characteristics:

Support came mainly from the backcountry and agricultural areas and debtors.

Ideas:

Opposed a central government that did not guarantee protection of individual rights.

Bank of the United States

Institution proposed by Alexander Hamilton in order to stabilize and improve the nation's credit, and to improve handling of the financial business of the U.S. government under the newly enacted Constitution.

Historical Significance:

Highlighted the growing political rivalry between Hamilton (Federalist) and Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) and the debate concerning the scope of the federal government.

Whiskey Rebellion (1791)

American uprising over the establishment of a federal tax on liquor; was quickly ended by George Washington and 13,000 troops.

Historical Significance:

Demonstrated that the new national government had the willingness and ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws.

Jay Treaty (1794)

US & Great Britain

Terms:

Stopped the search and seizure of American ships by the British, made America pay pre-revolutionary debts, and opened British ports.

Election of 1796

The first contested American presidential election.

Candidates:

John Adams (Federalist) vs. Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)

Results:

Adams was elected president while his opponent, Jefferson, was elected vice-president.

Historical Significance:

Led to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804.

Federalists Party

Leaders:

Alexander Hamilton

Major Ideas:

Represented the interests of the capitalist class.

Favored expansion of the federal government's power and a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

Held that the future of the nation was dependent on developing manufacturing and industry.

Favored Great Britain.

Democratic-Republican Party

Leaders:

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison

Major Ideas:

Represented the interests of the common man, the farmer.

Was anti-capitalistic.

Favored limitations on the power of the federal government and a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Held that the future of the nation was dependent on maintaining an agrarian society.

Favored support of France.

XYZ Affair (1797)

Incident that precipitated an undeclared war with France when three French officials demanded that American emissaries pay a bribe before negotiating disputes between the two countries.

Historical Significance:

Led to the Quasi-War with France; convinced John Adams to strengthen the U.S. navy.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1799)

Jefferson and Madison's response to the Alien and Sedition Acts; promoted the states' right to nullify federal laws they considered to be unconstitutional.

Historical Significance:

Established the Nullification Doctrine.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

A territory in the west central U.S. purchased from France for $15 million; extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.

Historical Significance:

Protected trade access to the port of New Orleans and free passage on the Mississippi River; contributed to the growing slavery debate in the U.S.

Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-06)

The first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States.

Goals:

To study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to discover how the region could be exploited economically.

Hartford Convention (1814-1815)

Event at which New England Federalists met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 and the political problems arising from the domination of the Federal Government by Presidents from Virginia.

Historical Significance:

Led to the collapse of the Federalist Party.

Era of Good Feelings (1815-1825)

A period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans; closely associated with Monroe's presidency.

American System

Henry Clay's plan for a profitable domestic market to be used to knit the country together economically and politically.

Provisions:

Support for a high tariff to protect American industries and generate revenue for the federal government.

Maintenance of high public land prices to generate federal revenue.

Preservation of the Bank of the United States to stabilize the currency and rein in risky state and local banks.

Development of a system of internal improvements (such as roads and canals) which would knit the nation together and be financed by the tariff and land sales revenues.

Monroe Doctrine

Statement delivered by President James Monroe stating that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention.

Historical Significance:

Persisted with only minor variations for almost two centuries.

Election of 1824 (The Corrupt Bargain)

Candidates:

John Q. Adams vs. Andrew Jackson vs. William H. Crawford vs. Henry Clay

Results:

No candidate won the required number of electoral votes, throwing the election into the House of Representatives where Clay offered his support to Adams who was elected on the first ballot. Refers to the claim from the supporters of Andrew Jackson that John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay had worked out a deal to ensure that Adams was elected president by the House of Representatives in 1824.

Whig Party (1833-1856)

Formed in opposition to the policies of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party.

Leaders:

Henry Clay, Daniel Webster

Major Ideas:

Supported the supremacy of Congress over the presidency and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism.

Election of 1828

Candidates:

John Q. Adams (National Republican) vs. Andrew Jackson (Democrat)

Results:

Jackson won a landslide victory.

Historical Significance:

Marked the beginning of modern American politics, with the decisive establishment of democracy and the formation of the two-party system.

Spoils System

A practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory and as an incentive to keep working for the party.

Nullification Crisis (1828-33)

John C. Calhoun

Events

Tariff of 1828 - The "Tariff of Abominations." Tariff of 1832 - Reduced tariffs to remedy the conflict created by the Tariff of 1828.

Ordinance of Nullification - Declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the state borders of South Carolina.

Force Bill - Authorized the president to use whatever force necessary to enforce federal tariffs.

Tariff of 1833 - Proposed gradually reducing tariffs back to their 1816 rates.

Indian Removal Act (1830)

Ordered the removal of Indian Tribes still residing east of the Mississippi to newly established Indian Territory west of Arkansas and Missouri; those resisting eviction were forcibly removed by American forces, often after prolonged legal or military battles.

Pet Banks

State banks selected by the U.S. Department of Treasury to receive surplus government funds in 1833; also known as "Wildcat Banks."

Historical Significance:

Flooded the country with paper currency which became so unreliable that Jackson issued the Specie Circular in 1836.

Samuel Slater

Known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" and "Father of the American Factory System"; escaped Britain with the memorized plans for the textile machinery; oversaw construction of the nation's first successful water-powered cotton mill.

Eli Whitney

Best known for inventing the cotton gin; pioneered the use of interchangeable parts in the manufacture of muskets.

Historical Significance:

Made cotton a profitable crop, strengthening the economic foundation of slavery.

Lowell Mills

Textile mills located in a factory town in Massachusetts; employed mostly women between the ages of 16 and 35 known as Lowell Mill Girls.

Historical Significance:

Workers actively participated in early labor reform by circulating legislative petitions, forming labor organizations, contributing essays and articles to a pro-labor newspaper, and participating in "turn-outs" or strikes

Know-Nothing Party (1845-1860)

Formed in response to the increase in Irish and German immigration.

Leaders:

Few prominent leaders

Major Ideas:

Characterized by political xenophobia, anti-Catholic sentiment, and occasional bouts of violence against the groups the nativists targeted.

Antebellum Reform Movements

Major Reform Movements:

Penitentiary and Mental Health Reform - Dorothea Dix Temperance Movement - Frances Willard Educational Reform - Horace Mann Women's Movement - Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton Abolition Movement - William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

An early and influential women's rights convention at which the push for women's suffrage first gained national prominence.

Leaders:

Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Accomplishment: Declaration of Rights and Sentiments

Manifest Destiny

Term coined by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan; implied that it was a God-given right and inevitability for the U.S. to spread its Protestant religion, capitalist economy, and democratic-republican political system across the continent.

Historical Significance:

Served to rationalize American foreign policy, create national unity, and counter criticisms raised by other nations.

Texan Independence (1835-36)

Major Events:

The newly formed Mexican government offered immigrants the opportunity to own land.

Thousands of Americans, including Stephen Austin, migrate into Mexico.

The Mexican government required all settlers to convert to Catholicism and end slavery - American settlers ignored the law.

General Santa Ana proclaimed himself the dictator of Mexico.

The American settlers declared themselves independent from Mexico and selected Sam Houston as the commander of the Texas military.

The Texans fought for - and won - their independence in spite of such early defeats as the Battle of the Alamo.

Mexican-American War (1846-48)

Major Events:

The U.S. annexed Texas and sought to acquire the California-New Mexico region.

The U.S. declared war on Mexico after 16 soldiers were killed near the disputed territory.

The American forces - led by Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott - took control of the entire southwest.

Historical Significance:

Taylor emerged as a war hero; contributed to the growing slavery debate in the U.S.

Wilmot Proviso (1846 and 1847)

Proposal to ban slavery in the territories as a result of the Mexican American War; failed in the Senate.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Agreement designed to establish a line between the admission of free and slave states in the western territories.

Leaders:

Henry Clay

Provisions:

Missouri entered the union as a slave state, Maine entered the union as a free state, prohibited slavery north of latitude 36˚ 30' within the Louisiana Territory.

Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831)

Virginia slave revolt that resulted in the deaths of sixty whites and raised fears among white Southerners of further uprisings.

Historical Significance:

Led to new legislation making it unlawful to teach slaves, free blacks, or mulattoes to read or write.

Compromise of 1850

Agreement designed to ease tensions caused by the expansion of slavery into western territories.

Leaders:

Henry Clay

Provisions:

California entered the Union as a free state.

The Fugitive Slave Law was strengthened.

The slave trade was banned in Washington, DC.

Land taken from Mexico would be divided into two new territories New Mexico and Utah - with the slavery question determined by popular sovereignty.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Law that established the Kansas and Nebraska territories with the slavery question determined by popular sovereignty.

Leaders:

Stephen Douglas

Historical Significance:

Led to the Bleeding Kansas conflict (1854-61).

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Ruled that no person descended from an American slave could ever be a U.S. citizen and that slavery could not legally be excluded from U.S. territories.

Historical Significance:

Strengthened Northern slavery opposition; divided the Democratic Party while strengthening the Republican Party; encouraged secessionist elements among Southern supporters of slavery to make bolder demands.

Election of 1860

Candidates:

Abraham Lincoln (Republican) vs. John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democrat) vs. John Bell (Constitutional Union) vs. Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat)

Results:

Lincoln carried the North, winning with less than 40% of the popular vote nationwide.

Historical Significance:

Prompted the South Carolina's secession, followed by six other Deep South states.

Battle of Fort Sumter (1861)

Marked the beginning of the American Civil War.

Historical Significance:

Seen as a military victory in the South and a political victory for the Lincoln administration because the South had opened hostilities.

Anaconda Plan

Union war plan devised by General Winfield Scott to blockade the South and restrict its trade to win the war.

Battle of Antietam (1862)

Single bloodiest day of the American Civil War; Union victory that turned back a Confederate invasion of the North.

Historical Significance:

Allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation proclaiming the freedom of slaves in the ten states then in rebellion and shifting the war objectives of the North.

Battle of Gettysburg (1863)

Largest and bloodiest battle of the American Civil War; Union victory; considered - when coupled with General Ulysses S. Grant's victory in Vicksburg the next day - to be the turning point of the war.

Historical Significance:

Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address.

Siege of Vicksburg (1863)

Union victory; considered - when coupled with Robert E. Lee's surrender in Gettysburg the previous day - to be the turning point of the war.

Historical Significance:

Gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, effectively cutting the Confederacy in half.

Ten Percent Plan (1863)

Abraham Lincoln's proposed plan for Reconstruction; introduced before the end of the War allowing Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas to establish fully functioning governments by 1864.

Provisions:

Called for states to be reintegrated into the Union when 10% of their 1860 voters had taken an oath of allegiance to the U.S. and pledged to abide by emancipation.

Freedmen's Bureau (1865-69)

Reconstruction agency established to protect the legal rights of former slaves and to assist with their education, jobs, health care, and landowning.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states at the end of the Civil War to control the labor, migration and other activities of newly-freed slaves.

Radical Republicans

A loose faction of Republicans who sought to punish the South for the American Civil War and demanded civil rights for freedmen; engaged in a bitter struggle with President Johnson.

Leaders:

Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws mandating de jure racial segregation in Southern states.

Major Characteristics:

Political restrictions - such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and the grandfather clause - were imposed to circumvent the Fifteenth Amendment.

Blacks were denied access to many public and municipal facilities such as parks, theaters, housing, and mass transit.

Various economic sanctions were placed on blacks in order to maintain their status.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad line that linked the eastern railroad system with California's railroad system; constructed by the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads; completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah.

Historical Significance:

Established a mechanized transcontinental transportation network that revolutionized the population and economy of the American West.

Homestead Act (1862)

Encouraged westward expansion by allowing a settler to acquire as much as 160 acres of land by living on it for 5 years, improving it, and paying a nominal fee of about $30.

Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Legislation that allotted each head of household 160 acres of land; land deemed to be "surplus" beyond what was needed for allotment was opened to white settlers with the proceeds invested in education programs; designed to encourage the breakup of the tribes and promote the assimilation of Native Americans into American society.

Historical Significance:

Native Americans lost about 90 million acres of treaty land.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

The last major encounter between Native Americans and the U.S. Army.

Historical Significance:

Remembered today as one of the great injustices perpetrated against Native Americans by the U.S. government.

Panic of 1873 (1873-1879)

A severe international economic depression triggered by overproduction of railroads, mines, factories and farm products.

Historical Significance:

Led to the Railroad Strike of 1877.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Created the Civil Service Commission to ensure that hiring of federal employees was based on examinations and merit rather than political patronage.

Historical Significance:

Significantly reduced federal patronage from powerful office-seekers thus forcing politicians to look increasingly to corporations for campaign funds.

National Grange

Formed to educate its members about new developments in agriculture and to create a social and culture bond among farmers.

Historical Significance:

Led to the passage of "Granger Laws" regulating the railroads and grain elevator operators; challenged in a series of landmark Court decisions.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

Law that was designed to regulate the railroad industry; created the Interstate Commerce Commission to railroads and ensure that they complied with the new regulations.

Laissez-Faire Economics

Economic philosophy described by Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations; based on the principle that business and the economy would run best with no interference from the government.

Social Darwinism

The application of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to the business world; used by industrialists and social conservatives to discourage any government regulation in society.

National Labor Union

The first large-scale U.S. union; founded to organize skilled and unskilled laborers, farmers, and factory workers.

Knights of Labor

The largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s; promoted the social and cultural uplift of the workingman, rejected socialism and radicalism, demanded the eight-hour day, and promoted the producers ethic of republicanism.

Haymarket Square Riot (1886)

Chicago labor protest organized to protest the treatment of workers at the McCormick Harvester Company as well as methods used by police in dealing with protestors; ended abruptly when an unknown assailant threw a bomb that killed 7 police officers; 8 anarchists were convicted of conspiracy.

Historical Significance:

The public blamed trade unions for the violence.

Settlement Houses

Neighborhood centers established to provide help to needy families, combat juvenile delinquency, and assist recent immigrants in learning English and in becoming citizens.

Leaders:

Jane Addams of the Hull House Settlement in Chicago

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal."

Yellow Journalism

Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.

Leaders:

William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer