america Flashcards
who was the first president of america ?
George Washington
what are territories ?
areas of land without settlers or stability to become a state.
each territory was ruled by a territorial govenor appointed by congress.
what are states ?
well populated and had a settled form of government which was elected by people living in the state.
make their own laws as long as they did not go against the constitution.
could vote in national elections and send representatives to congress
over 60,000 people to be a state
who were white settlers ?
families who had come to America from Europe or Britain.
claim to be citizens of USA if they were free, white and good character
voting rights depending on owning property
who were Native Americans/plains indians ?
before Britain gained control of 13 colonies there were many Indian tribes living in America.
white settlers often came into conflict with them if they tried to take their land.
Indians were allowed to vote only if they paid taxes to the US.
who were African Americans ?
vast majority of African Americans lived as slaves in the southern states and had no right to vote.
they would be ‘owned’ by white settlers and forced to complete manual labour.
what was the battle of fallen timbers ?
The US defeated the threat of the Native Americans in the Northwest territory
what was the treaty of Greenville ?
The Native American leaders were forced to sign the treaty of greenville giving up land in the territories, these territories soon became states
when was the battle of fallen timbers and treaty of greenville ?
1794
what did the treaty of Greenville lead to ?
It forced the Native Americans to move further west over the Mississippi river to land owned by Native Indians which caused conflict.
what was the 230 million acres of land called that Britain gave to the US ?
The Northwest and Southwest territories
What happened to the 13 colonies after the Wars of independence ?
They became the first US states
who was the third president of america ?
President Jefferson
what did President Jefferson do ?
He encouraged settlers to move west. he wanted to sell land quickly so he divided it into 640 acre plots.
what were land speculators ?
They bough Jeffersons plots and sold them off in smaller sections for a profit .
who were squatters ?
People who could not afford to buy land of speculators moved anyway and began living on this land illegally.
what was the Louisiana purchase ?
In 1800 the french claimed the colony of Louisiana as their own however they were fighting with the british in europe and needed more money.
In 1803 Jefferson made a deal to buy the colony of Louisiana for 15 million.
who were Lewis and Clark ?
They were sent out by Jefferson in 1804 to explore new lands in the west.
Their exploration led to further expansion in the fur trade and encouraged other trades to head west.
how was it possible for the US to expand so quickly ?
The Louisiana Purchase
Colonial expansion into Native American land
The expedition of Lewis and Clark
where did the government allow slavery ?
It was allowed in the Southwest territory but was banned in the Northwest territory
what were the divisions over slavery ?
religious differences
political differences
economic differences
why was the forced movement of the enslaved to new territories a factor for the growth of slavery ?
The climate and the fertile land in the Southwest territory was perfect for growing cotton.
This increased the demand so slave traders purchased many enslaved people and marched them to the South. Traders made vast profits
why was the cotton gin engine a factor for the growth of slavery
The cotton gin engine removed the seeds by machine and greatly increased the speed of production.
It allowed plantations to start growing cotton on a massive scale ?
when was the cotton gin engine made ?
In 1793 Eli Whitney created the cotton gin engine
why was the pushing system a factor for the growth of slavery ?
Plantations owners developed the pushing system which pushed workers to work as fast as possible.
They put the fastest pickers on the front of the line and expected them to set the pace for the rest of the workers and were forced to keep up.
why was the Louisiana purchase a factor for the growth of slavery ?
The Louisiana purchase acquired vast areas of land that was perfect for cotton growing.
By 1819 the land west of the Mississippi river became 3 new states, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi.
This land along with Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina became known as the cotton kingdom.
How much exports in the US were cotton ?
By 1820 over 42% of all US exports were cotton.
why was the Missouri compromise a factor for the growth of slavery ?
In 1819 there was a disagreement whether new states should allow slavery.
They wanted to keep the number of slaves and free states equal.
The agreement said that Missouri and any states to the south could be slave states and any to the north and west would be free states.
what were the five civilised tribes ?
cherokee
chickasaw
choctaw
creek
seminole
when was the declaration of independance ?
4th july 1776
who opposed slavery ?
Abolitionists, quakers
why was opposition to slavery unsuccessful before 1838 ?
divisions amongst abolitionists
growing dependency on slaves
growing power from slaves
charles deslondes rebellion
what did the experiment of civilising Native Americans lead to ?
It led to conflict with plantation owners who tried to take plains Indians land. The planters were often challenged by groups of Indians as they had no where else to go.
what was the trail of tears ?
Most cherokee people refused to move west.
In 1838 US army forced the remaining 18,000 to march west which led to over 400 dying of cold, hunger or disease.
what were the attempts to civilise Indian tribes ?
George Washington saw Native Americans as biologically equal but their society as inferior- tried to persuade them to be more civilised
Choctaws, Chicksaws and Seminoles all opened schools and churches.
what was the attack on the creeks ?
White settlers started to build plantation across Seminole and Creek land in the south east.
This led to the White army led by Jackson defeating the Creeks and pushing them off their land.
