Midterm Flashcards
(29 cards)
Cahokia
Who: Indigenous people with a socially structured society, 10,000 people in the city
What: A huge city with ceremonial mounds (burial mounds, mass graves, pottery)
Where: Present day St. Louis, Illinois
When: 900-1250 CE
Why: It was evidence of a complex society in the New World, and it was largest structure north of Mexico in pre-colonial world.
Mercantilism
Who: European thinkers and statesmen
What: It’s a theory that colonies practiced:
- Only a fixed amount of wealth in the world
- Colonies are a source of wealth
- Take wealth from others to gain more wealth
- Colonies are a market for raw materials
Where: Traveled from Europe to the New World colonies
When: 17th-18th Century
Why: This idea boosted competition between nations all around the world, each one trying to gain more wealth than the others. It also increased the importance and power of colonies. These nations now depended on their colonies to provide them with the raw materials they need to sell and make money.
Coureurs de bois
Who: Indigenous and French fur traders
What: A fur trading network between agents for the Algonquins and the Hurons (who were the principal fur traders among the Indians of the region) and adventurous French fur traders.
Where: The New World, wilderness near indigenous people
When: 1608-1609
Why: Not only did this trading network cause an expansion of trade for the French colonists, it lead to the mixing of European and indigenous cultures. These partnerships even resulted in interracial marriages. This is also an example of the middle ground in action.
Anne Hutchinson
Who: Religious dissenter
What: She challenged religious authority in Boston particularly about gender roles in religion
Where: Boston → Rhode Island
When: 1637 (her trial)
Why: She raised debates about the roles of women in religion. Male clergy against her started to restrict women’s religious activities even more, causing many of her followers to leave Boston and move to New Hampshire and Maine.
The “middle ground”
Who: Historians → colonial Europeans, Africans, and indigenous people
What: A theory about the interaction between the Europeans, African slaves, and the natives. The emphasis of the contributions made by the African slaves and indigenous people to help the Europeans in the New World. With the influence of these other cultures, it caused the Europeans to innovate and improvise new ways to survive in the New World.
Where: interior regions of the New World (the Great Lakes)
When: 17th-early 19th Century
Why: These interactions helped create “the New World” by having these very different societies trading and mingling with each other. Even though there was still inequality with these interactions, both sides were learning about the other, and even married each other. There were unequal power relationships and negotiations between the different groups.
Bacon’s Rebellion
Who:
William Berkley (Virginia governor)
- Defensive strategy
- Build new forts = new taxes
- Restrictions on fur trade
Nathaniel Bacon
- Offensive strategy
- Without authorization, he attacked Susquehannocks with Occoneechee help
- After arrest and release, with the help of landless men, servants, and African slaves, he lead an expedition to slaughter other indigenous groups
What: A civil war between two groups of people on how to deal with the indigenous people.
Where: Virginia
When: 1676-1677
Why: It exposed the tension between classes (landowners and landless men; east coast colonies and more inland colonies; white and black working class men). This is the beginning of racism and discrimination towards black people. For example, after this rebellion, a white man can kill a black slave without punishment, black men have no say in court, and blacks and whites will go to jail if they marry each other.
Indentured servitude
Who: European immigrants (young men and women)
What: The system of temporary servitude in the New World. Young men and women bound themselves to masters for a fixed amount of time (usually 4-5 years). After their service, their passage, room, and board would be paid for, and they would receive land.
Where: New World, the Chesapeake area
When: 17th Century
Why: This was a major source of labor with the colonies’ large labor shortage. Despite the promised rewards after their service time was over, many former indentured servants wandered the land in search of work. This created social unrest particularly in the Chesapeake. Since the former servants would create chaos, landowners turned to slavery like the southern states, which could lead to more slavery throughout the colonies.
Navigation Acts
Who: Created by Parliament, implemented on the colonies
What:
1651: Asian and African goods can only be imported to Britain Isles or colonies on England owned ships with at least half the crew English
1660: All colonial trade must be carried on English ships, ¾ crew English, sugar and tobacco can only be shipped to England
Staple Act (1663): products from Europe or Asia have to go through England before heading to the colonies
Where: England, Africa, Asia, American colonies
When: 1650s-1660s
Why: It’s an example of Mercantilism in practice. It increased the importance of the colonies, and encouraged them to create an important shipbuilding industry of their own. It boosted both the British and American colonies’ economies and it increased the development of American production of goods that the British needed.
French and Indian War
Who: France, Britain, and indigenous people
What: A war, French and indigenous allies (most tribes) vs. Britain and indigenous allies (Iroquois)
Where: Europe, America, Asia
When: 1754-1763
Why: It destroyed the French’s navy and reduced their empire. Britain gained supremacy not only in Europe but also claimed many of the French’s colonies in the New World. This led to a massive expansion of British North America. It also gave Britain an excuse to increase taxes on colonies for protection.
Stamp Act
Who: The Grenville ministry → the American colonies
What: An act that made it law for all contracts, licenses, anad most legal documents must have an official stamp on them (the stamp of course cost money to get).
Where: American colonies
When: 1765
Why: It caused tension in the American colonies because now they were being taxed on their internal affairs instead just on their exports for trade. It made the colonists question why they don’t have representation in Parliament, and how much power is too much power in the hands of the British.
Nullification
Who: Colonists - elites and artisans
What: Making a law void (Stamp and Tea Act); don’t pay taxes, boycott, violence and intimidation, public protest
Where: cities (Boston, etc)
When: 1765-1770s
Why: It was partially successful since the Stamp Act was repealed. It caused colonial unrest and Britain’s continuing tax pressure was beginning the tension that would eventually result in the Revolutionary War
Committees of Correspondence
Who: Assemblies of prominent colonial men
What: They would write documents to distribute (handwritten or printing pamphlets) spreading their opinion that Britain is a threat to all
Where: made in cities and sent to the countryside
When: 1760s-1770s
Why: They wanted to control the narrative and make the other colonists to think what they want them to think. They wanted to mobilize people to their cause, and despite this bad way of doing it, it was early unity among the colonies leading up to the Revolutionary war.
Republican motherhood
Who: Abigail Adams, colonial elite women
What: teaching children values (sacrifice, patriotism, public service); take care of finances; women need to be educated to educate their kids = good citizens.
Where: America
When: late 18th - early 19th century
Why: It increased women’s role in politics and the educating of their children. More women were allowed to receive education so they could properly educate their kids for the benefit of their family and nation.
Northwest Ordinance
Who: Congress, white settlers
What: process from moving from territory → statehood
Need 60,000 settlers, and a written Constitution
Has to have freedom of religion, trial by jury, no slavery
Where: West territories, north of Ohio river
When: 1787
Why: This caused further westward settlement, creating more tension with the indigenous people. This process also set a pattern for statehood.
Battle of Saratoga
Who: British, American colonies, French
What: A battle during the Revolutionary war when the colonists won over the British
Where: Saratoga, New York
When: October 17, 1777
Why: The British had been winning many battles in New York, but when they surrendered at Saratoga, the world including the French, realized that the United States could win the war. This battle victory led to an alliance of the United States and France.
Checks and balances
Who: James Madison, Constitutional Convention
What: A concept in the Constitution where the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary branch can “check” each other to make sure they are enacting constitutional laws. Congress would have two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives, which will be elected different ways and for different terms. Both parts would have to check each other, both approving before a law could be passed. The president has the power to veto any laws passed by Congress, and the federal courts could rule a law passed by Congress and the president unconstitutional if necessary.
Where: Philadelphia → applies to the US
When: 1787 (when the Constitution as signed)
Why: This concept prevents any branch of the government from gaining too much power and controlling the government. This also prevents an unconstitutional law being passed which could be bad for the American citizens. This idea in the Constitution protects the American citizens from that possibility to this day.
Connecticut compromise
Who: Large and small states
What: A compromised deal where they decided that the number of representatives and amount direct taxation in the House of Representatives for a state would be determined on population (with slaves counting as ⅗ of a person), and the Senate would be set at 2 members per state.
Where: Philadelphia
When: 1787
Why: This compromise helped calm the conflict between large and small states, and helped each be closely represented in Congress. This affects the country to this day to make sure no state has more power than the others in the process of creating laws.
Federalists
Who: A political party including Washington and Hamilton
What: Consisted of Cosmopolitans (merchants, common farmers, urban artisans, and professionals), wanted ordered liberty, and promoted a strong federal government. The often aligned with many of Britain’s concepts and ideas.
Where: United States
When: late 17th - early 18th century
Why: They were one of the main two political parties in America. Many Americans agreed that international trade and “big picture” were important. Also, the debate about having a strong federal government or not was shaping how much influence the federal government would have on its citizens.
Marbury v. Madison
Who:
William Marbury: Justice of Peace, federalist
James Madison: Secretary of State under Jefferson, democratic republican
John Marshall: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
What: Supreme Court case that declares principle of judicial review
Where: D.C.
When: 1803
Why: Due to this court case, the Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional (judicial review). It helps establish the Supreme Court as a branch of government, and gives the Supreme Court power to a “check and balance” on Congress.
Louisiana Purchase
Who: The United States, France, Lewis and Clark, and Sacajawea (guide, interpreter, and diplomat)
What: The U.S. would pay the French government $15 million to gain commercial privileges to France in the port of New Orleans, and the U.S. would gain the territory of Louisiana (would occupy the same extent as it had when the French and Spanish owned it).
Where: Territory of Louisiana, mid-west of the continent
When: 1803
Why: It was a massive expansion to the United States. It also made Washington question his beliefs; he always believed the Constitution should be followed exactly, but nowhere in the document does it say that the nation could acquire new territory. Jefferson’s advisers convinced him that his treaty-making power would justify his decision. This decision created the ability for the president to buy new territory for the nation under the idea of it creating a treaty with another country.
American System
Who: Henry Clay: influential politician What: Creation of U.S. Bank ✔ Protective tariffs (high tariffs on imports) ✔ Federal investments in transportation X Where: D.C. → applies to the U.S. When: 1816 Why: It shifted the national attitude towards to the power of a strong central government and its increased role in economic development and social/regional harmony. Many people started to like the Federalist view even more when they saw that Marshall and the Supreme Court supported the concept.
Missouri Compromise
Who: Henry Clay
What: Missouri - slave state, Maine - free state, no slavery north of the Missouri’s southern border to Spanish territory, opened Arkansas territory to slavery, no slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory.
Where: Created in D.C. → applies to Missouri, Maine, and the Louisiana Territory
When: 1820
Why: This compromise helped to temporarily settle the issue of slavery in the U.S. Although since it was a compromise, no one was really happy about the result → early talk of disunion (foreshadowing Civil War).
Father Paul le Jeune
Who: Jesuit religious leader, used to be a professor of rhetoric and a superior of the Jesuit House at Dieppe before coming to the American colonies
What: Wrote an account of his experience living amongst the natives, called “Encounter with the Indians”
Where: French North America
When: 1634 (primary source written)
Why: His personal account of the Indians gave the French a view of how the Indians were and how they treated visitors. His time spent with the Indians is also evidence of the “middle ground.” The French are trying to form relations with the Indians to see if their societies and cultures could interaction.
Olaudah Equiano
Who: an Ibo prince who was kidnapped and sold into the slave trade when he was 11 years old
What: He wrote an account of what it was like to be a slave in the slave trade, it was called “The African Slave Trade.”
Where: West Africa → Virginia
When: 1789 (primary source written)
Why: Equiano’s story one of the most important personal accounts of how horrible the African slave trade was. His story was also the pioneering narrative of the journey from slavery to freedom, and it encouraged many more ex-slaves to share their inspiring stories.
