US and the World Midterm Review

Question 1

central state A group of people or region that has control over peripheral states within an empire.
peripheral states Groups of peoples or regions within an empire that have less power than the central state.
feudalism A social system in Europe developed due to fear of attacks from invaders. Under it, people were given land and protection by people of higher rank, and worked and fought for them in return. People could not change their ranking/position under this system.
emperor the ruler of an empire who may have gained his/her power through hereditary rule
hereditary rule The practice of passing leadership down through a family
Silk Road a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe.
culture the customs, arts, social institutions, of a particular group of people.
Mongol Empire led by their first emperor, Genghis Khan, this society gained control of territory from China to Eastern Europe. This was the largest contiguous (touching) land empire in history.
Genghis Khan Founder of the Mongol Empire.
Pax Mongolica Also known as the mongol peace. A time when global trade expanded due to the political stability provided by mongol rulers.
Indian Ocean Trade Network Sea based trade routes that connected Africa, the Middle East, and Asia
merchants people who buy and sell goods; traders
Trans-Saharan Trade Routes gold-salt trade; linked North and West Africa; across Sahara Desert; spread Islam; land trade
Sahara Desert the world’s largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern Africa
Black Death a global pandemic (when a disease spreads over a whole nation or world) in the 1300s when the Bubonic Plague (a disease) killed between 75 and 200 million people!
mercantilism An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by selling more goods than they bought and obtaining large amounts of gold and silver.
Christopher Columbus An Italian explorer who was paid by Spain to discover a faster sea route to Asia. In 1492 he inadvertently “discovered” the New World.
Columbian Exchange the exchange of diseases, ideas, food, crops, and populations between the New World and the Old World that occurred after 1492.
Great Dying the devastation of Native American populations by diseases brought over from Europe through the Columbian Exchange.
colony A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.
planatation A large farm where cash crops were grown. These were often worked by farms.
Atlantic Slave Trade System The system used to trade African slaves across the Atlantic oceans to the Americas
New World North and South America
Old World Europe, Asia, Africa
Ferdinand Magellan Portuguese navigator who led the Spanish expedition of 1519-1522 that was the first to sail around the world.
Ibn Battuta Moroccan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits across Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia
cash crops crops, such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton, raised in large quantities in order to be sold for profit
Middle Passage A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies; part of the Triangular Trade Network
Revolution A sudden and dramatic change to something significant within a society. In the fields of history and political science, it is a radical change in the established order, usually the established government and social institutions.
Enlightenment A a period of time between the 17th and 18th centuries when people began to emphasize reasoning. People questioned why everything was the way it was. For example, what basic rights do people have, what style of government is best, why do we have a king? etc…
Reasoning is a statement or fact that explains why something is the way it is, why someone does, thinks, or says something, or why someone behaves a certain way.
Salons meetings of people who discussed new ideas emerging from the Enlightenment.
natural rights the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, property, and the freedom to find happiness.
social contract An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed. Citizens agree to obey a set of rules, and the government agrees to protect citizens’ rights.
consent of the governed Enlightenment belief that governments only exist when people agree to create them. Within this context, if a government does not protect the citizens rights as per the social contract, society is justified in overthrowing the government.
republicanism the idea that a country’s leader should be chosen by the citizens in a general election
Seven Years War War that involved the empires of Great Britain and France. Won by Great Britain. Both empires fell into tremendous debt as a result which later led to the American and French Revolutions.
American Revolution the revolution of the thirteen American colonies against Great Britain in response to taxation without representation in government.
French Revolution The revolution that began in response to the unfair class system (1st/2nd/3rd estates) under the French monarchy. It was partially inspired by the American Revolution.
Haitian Revolution Revolution that began in the former French colony of Saint Domingue when slaves revolted after the newly created French government had outlawed slavery). It was led by Toussaint Louverture. This revolution set up the first black government in the Western Hemisphere and the world’s second democratic republic (after the US).
Industrial Revolution A period of rapid growth in the use of machines in manufacturing and production that began in the mid-1700s in England.
John Locke Enlightenment thinker who believed that people were born with natural rights, that the purpose of government was to protect the natural rights of the people, and that if the government failed to protect the rights of the people, the people were justified in overthrowing the government
Baron de Montesquieu Enlightenment thinker who called for the separation of powers in a government into an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch
Voltaire Enlightenment thinker who called for people to have freedom of speech and for the separation of church and state
Sugar Act British tax on goods imported into the colonies; passed to try to raise money to pay off debt from Seven Years War
Boston Tea Party A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Native Americans dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.
Declaration of Independence this document declared the colonies as independent and that all mankind had natural rights; adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776
United States of America name of the independent democratic nation that gained its independence from Great Britain following victory in the American Revolution
first estate under the Old Regime in France, the social class that was made up the clergy of the Catholic Church; had special rights and privileges and did not have to pay taxes
second estate under the Old Regime in France, the social class that was made up of the nobles; had special rights and privileges and did not have to pay taxes
third estate under the Old Regime in France, everyone else besides the clergy and the nobility, including peasants, merchants, farmers, shopowners, etc.; responsible to pay all the taxes
King Louis XVI king of France at the start of the French Revolution who was put on trial for treason, found guilty, and executed
Estates-General An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France; called into session in 1788 by Louis XVI for the first time in 175 years
Bastille fortress in Paris used as a prison; French Revolution began when Parisians stormed it in 1789
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen Statement of fundamental political rights adopted by the French National Assembly at the beginning of the French Revolution; declared that all citizens were equal before the law and had individual rights
Marie Antoinette French queen at the start of the French Revolution who was executed during the Reign of Terror
Saint Domingue Haiti half of island of Hispaniola; where the Toussaint L’Overture revolt occurred
Toussaint L’Ouverture Was an important leader of the Haïtian Revolution and the first leader of a free Hait
Haiti Name that revolutionaries gave to the former French colony of Saint Domingue; the 2nd democratic republic in the world
republic a form of democracy where the citizens hold the power and elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf
Articles of Confederation 1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)
Constitutional Convention Meeting in 1787 of the elected representatives of the thirteen original states to write the Constitution of the United States.
U.S. Constitution The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.
Legislative Branch The part of the United States government that creates laws. It is made up of two houses - The Senate and The House of Representatives.
Executive Branch The branch of the U.S. Government that enforces laws. It is madeup of the President, Vice President, Cabinet, and the executive departments.
Judicial Branch Branch of the U.S. government that interprets laws. It is made up of the Supreme Court and the national courts.
Congress the legislature of the United States government
separation of powers Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Checks and Balances A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
Commander in Chief term for the president as commander of the nation’s armed forces
President the leader of the executive branch of the United States government
Supreme Court The highest federal court in the United States. It’s main job is to determine whether or not laws/actions are constitutional or not.
Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the Constitution that protected citizens natural rights
Napoleon Bonaparte a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and who overthrew the French Republic and became emperor in 1799
Coup d’etat a sudden overthrow of the government
Napoleonic Code A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon. It eliminated many injustices in France but also took away many rights from women and restored slavery in French colonies.
Battle of Waterloo The final battle lost by Napoleon, ending his rule of French emperor.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines Haiti’s first president who declared himself emperor before being assassinated.
Thomas Hobbes Enlightenment thinker who believed that people were born selfish and needed a strong central authority; he first created the idea of a social contract
Shay’s Rebellion Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.
Continental System Napoleon’s policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy Great Britain’s economy.
Peninsular War A conflict, lasting from 1808 to 1813, in which Spanish Rebels, with the aid of British forces, fought to drive Napoleons French troops out of Spain.
Invasion of Russia A conflict, in which Napoleon invaded Russia, but lost 310,000 troops to the cold and low supplies.
Scorched Earth Policy the practice of burning crops and killing livestock during wartime so that the enemy cannot live off the land

Question 2

Empire

Answer 2

A complex political organization where a dominant central state controls weaker peripheral (outer) states.

Question 3

Central state

Question 4

Peripheral state

Question 5

Feudalism

Question 6

Emperor

Question 7

Hereditary rule

Question 8

Silk Road

Question 9

Culture

Question 10

Mongol Empire

Question 11

Genghis Khan

Question 12

Pax Mongolica

Question 13

Indian Ocean trade network

Question 14

Merchants

Question 15

Trans-Saharan trade routes