G's Flashcards
Gadsden Purchase
the acquisition by President Pierce of a strip of land in what is now southern New Mexico and Arizona along the Gila River for the purpose of providing a good route for a transcontinental railroad across the southern part of the country
Gag Rule
a resolution that Southern members pushed through the U.S. House of Representatives in 1836 that forbade any discussion on the question of slavery on the floor of the House; the rule remained in effect until 1844
Gang System
On large plantations growing cotton, sugar, or tobacco, the practice of white overseers directing black drivers, who in turn supervised large groups of workers in the fields, all performing the same operation
Georgia
A colony founded by British philanthropist trustees in 1732 that was intended to be both a buffer between South Carolina and Spanish-held Florida and a refuge for the poor who could not manage to make a living in Great Britain
Sir Humphrey Gilbert
An English nobleman who obtained a charter in 1578 that allowed him to found a colony in North America with his own funds and guarantee prospective colonists all the rights of those born an residing in England, thus setting an important precedent for future colonial charters
General Ulysses S. Grant
First, the overall commander of Union forces in the West, then commander of all Union armies, and then the president of the United States
Great Awakening
a series of religious revivals that occurred throughout the American colonies from the 1720s to the 1740s
Great Compromise
A plan facilitated by Benjamin Franklin that provided for a presidency, a Senate with all states represented equally (by two senators each), and a House of Representatives with representation according to population
Great Migration
The movement of about 20,000 Puritans from England to Massachusetts between 1629 and 1642
Greenback Party
A party formed by disgruntled proponents of inflation that ran a presidential candidate in the 1876 election
Greenbacks
Paper money not backed by gold
Nathaniel Greene
General George Washington’s most able subordinate, whose brilliant strategy led to a crushing victory over the British at Cowpens, South Carolina, and a near-victory at Guilford Court House, North Carolina, in 1781
George Grenville
The strongly anti-American Prime Minister of Great Britain who took office in 1763 and set out to solve some of the empire’s more pressing problems, including the large national debt and the cost of defending the American frontier
Guerrilla Bands
American militia that again gained control of areas in the South after the British army left and that were able to deal with those who had expressed loyalty to Britain in the prescnce of Cornwallis’s army
