Midterm Flashcards
(27 cards)
Land Bridge Theory (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
refers to the scientific idea that during the last ice age, a land bridge existed between Asia and North America that allowed humans to travel across it.
significant because it implies that Native Americans are not actually FROM North America and therefore they don’t really have a true right to the land.
Reconquista (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a series of military campaigns waged by Catholic Spain in order to reclaim territory from Muslim individuals and kick them out of the country (15th century)
significant because it played an important role in shaping the national identity of Spain into one very focused on the rule of Catholicism
Doctrine of Discovery (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
legal concept created by Europeans during colonization, in which when they “discovered” land previously unknown to THEM they had the right to lay ownership to it. Non-Christian land was thought to be empty and therefore claimed by another
significant because it was used to legitimize the dispossession of indigenous populations across the Americas (& other colonized regions)
Las Castas (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a Spanish caste system in place during colonial times, which was built around categorizing people based on their racial lineage and assigned them a social status from that within the hierarchy (Spanish on top, literally anyone else on the bottom)
significant because it was one of the first instances of race being created (as a social construct) and used to build a hierarchy
Black Legend (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
essentially a smear campaign by other (mostly Protestant) colonial powers that portrayed the Spanish empire during the colonial period as excessively cruel & exploitative. While some atrocities accused, this portrayal was widely exaggerated in order to undermine Spanish rule and demonize them
heavy emphasis on the religious conflict. its significance was that it was used as a justification by other colonial powers to further their own colonization and limit Spain (who was a great power at the time)
The Middle Ground (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a historical concept, primarily associated with the Great Lakes region in North America, where Native American tribes and European colonizers maintained a complex, sometimes mutually beneficial relationship, neither side fully dominating the other, creating a space of cultural exchange and accommodation between their distinct societies (primarily around the 17th & 18th centuries)
significant bc of its cultural exchange, trade networks, and diplomacy portrayed on both sides (shared power in a way that allowed both groups to survive and thrive for a time)
Elizabeth Key Grinstead (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
one of the first Black people in the American colonies to successfully sue for her freedom from slavery, winning her case in Virginia in 1656, which is considered a landmark case in the early development of slavery laws in the United States; she based her argument on the fact that her father was a white Englishman and she was baptized Christian, challenging the prevailing notion of inherited slave status at the time
significant because Grinstead’s case marked an early challenge to the institution of slavery in colonial Virginia (set a legal precedent for Race and slavery); laws regarding race and slavery became a LOT more strict after this
Bacon’s Rebellion (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
armed rebellion in 1676 against Virginia governor, sparked from Gov’s refusal to take action against Nat Am’s attacks on frontier settlements. ended in the burning of Jamestown, the colonial capital.
significant due to it being considered one of the first major colonial rebellions in America (showcased tension between colonial elite and farmers); foreshadowed later revolution against the British rule, though this was ultimately unsuccessful
Cockacoeske (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
she was the leader of the Pamunkey during the late 1600s. she’s known for striving for peace with the British.
significant for her role in the treaty of 1677. also known as the Treaty of Middle Plantation, it was signed between several Native tribes and the English crown after Bacon’s Rebellion. Cockacoeske in particular used the treaty to assert her leadership over other tribes that had once been apart of the Powhatan confederacy (securing some level of security for her people in Virginia from the British)
Salem Witch Trial (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a series of hearings and prosecutions that took place in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693, where hundreds of people were accused of practicing witchcraft, leading to numerous executions by hanging.
significant as it exemplifies the feverous nature of religion at the time and how it destroyed the community of Salem (literally everyone was throwing each other under the bus, how could you trust your neighbors after that?)
The Pueblo Revolt (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a successful uprising by the indigenous Pueblo people against Spanish colonizers in New Mexico, marking the only instance in North America where Native Americans successfully drove out a European colonizing power.
- what is now New Mexico
- Spain wanted to convert them into Christians and impose harsh labor systems
significance lies in its preservation of Pueblo culture and traditions by forcing the Spanish to temporarily withdraw from the region (an instance where Nat Ams. won, and were able to at least temporarily maintain their religion and culture).
Consumer Revolution (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
here was a significant increase in the consumption of goods by people from various social classes, marking a shift from a culture of frugality towards a more widespread buying of luxury items and consumer products, often facilitated by improvements in manufacturing and credit availability (18th century)
significant bc. it represented a major social and economic transformation. it heavily impacted social status markers through the goods people were able to purchase (what was once a luxury became common)
Benjamin Lay (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a Quaker dwarf who became one of the first ever to demand the total, unconditional emancipation of all enslaved Africans around the world. he would lay directly outside the doorsteps of Quarker churches (force people to need to step over him) and yell at them about the abolition of slavery)
significant due to his impact on how the Quaker community viewed slavery. He had a very uncompromising stance against slavery, and quite literally would not shut up about it despite it having a negative impact on his reputation at times.
Great Awakening (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a series of religious revivals throughout colonial America during the mid-18th century. characterized by very passionate preaching that emphasized a renewed dedication to Christianity (at this point, we were several generations into living in N. America and many felt they had lost their way).
significant bc of its impact on American religious landscape, and how it contributed to a growing sense of shared identity among the colonists (due to the shared religious experience & sparking political aspirations for liberty & equality).
Seven Years War (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
also known as the French & Indian War (began in 1754) that began primarily from the struggle between France & Britain for global dominance (& territorial claims in N. Am.). it was a global war, but within the colonies they often fought native am. allies of the French.
significant bc. it was the end of French colonial power (as they lost the war), and it set the stage to the Rev. War from the hearty financial burden Britain was facing. Parliament then implemented the Stamp Act and Sugar Act, which were deeply unpopular in the colonies, to pay off debt. Colonies believed they were being unfairly taxed.
The Stamp Act of 1765 (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
required colonists to pay a tax (represented by a stamp) on various forms of paper including: documents, playing cards, etc
significant bc. it directly affected ALL of the colonists, and unlike other acts this was specifically aimed at raising revenue from the colonies themselves to pay off debt. “No taxation without representation”, and sparked a level of unified colonial resistance that had not been seen before (colonists began to boycott British goods)
Boston Massacre (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
“deadly” riot that accused on March 5, 1770 in which colonists were throwing snowballs (some with rocks and chunks of ice in them) at British soldiers, and ended in the soldiers firing at colonists killing 5 and wounding 6
GREATLY contributed to the unpopularity of the British regime before the Rev. War, and a popular picture distribute by Paul Revere (whom he stole from someone else) portrayed a very different, much more violent series of events
- soldiers were seen as acting a coordinated attack on innocent civilians for literally no reason
Homespun (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
refers to fabric that is hand-spun and woven at home
significant because it was a way for colonial women to participate in events leading up to the Rev. War in which many colonists boycotted British goods. demonstrated their patriotism by the domestic production instead of importing textiles
The Dirty Compromise (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a deal made at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 where Northern states, particularly New England, agreed to protect the transatlantic slave trade for 20 years in exchange for Southern states supporting the Commerce Clause, which gave Congress broad power to regulate trade
significant bc. it continued the practice of slavery and highlighted already growing tensions between Northern and Southern states (planting seeds that would eventually grow into the Civil War)
Whiskey Rebellion (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
was a violent protest by farmers in western Pennsylvania during the early years of the United States, primarily against a federal excise tax placed on whiskey, which was a key part of their livelihood. thousands of Americans, across classes, came together to protest.
it marked one of the first major tests of the new federal government’s authority to enforce laws within states, leading to President Washington sending troops to quell the rebellion and assert federal powe
Gabriel’s Rebellion (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
planned slave uprising in Richmond, Virginia, in 1800, led by an enslaved blacksmith named Gabriel, where the goal was to seize control of the city and force the government to abolish slavery; although the rebellion was thwarted before it could occur due to information being leaked
historically significant as one of the most ambitious slave revolts ever planned in the United States, highlighting the tensions and potential for widespread resistance against slavery at the time, and leading to stricter laws against enslaved people in Virginia following the failed plot
War of 1812 (Identify/define, explain the historic significance; when it happened & where)
a conflict between the United States and Great Britain, primarily fought over British interference with American trade, the practice of “impressment” where British sailors forcibly took American seamen from ships, and disputes over territorial expansion in North America
historically significant because it solidified American national identity by proving the young nation could stand up to a powerful European power like Britain, even though the war largely ended with no major territorial changes and is often seen as a “second war of independence” for the United States
How would you characterize European colonization in the Americas? Please provide
examples from THREE different colonizer countries in terms of their specific activities to
support your answer (formatted in a 5-paragraph essay)
How did imperial European powers view and treat Indigenous peoples during colonization?
Be sure to discuss at least THREE different European nations and include specific examples
as evidence to support your argument. (formatted in a 5-paragraph essay)
