Super STAAR Facts
Colonial Era #7
Northern (New England) Colonies #16
Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Maine
- Cold climate, rocky soil
- Trade, shipbuilding, fishing
-
Middle Colonies #45
-
New York, Pennslyvania, New Jersey, Delaware
Fertile soil, milder climate than New England
Diverse, tolerant
Quakers
Breadbasket Colonies (produced grains, etc.)
Southern Colonies #18
Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, Georgia
- Warm climate, pleasant soil
- Farming and agriculture
- Tobacco, Rice, and Indigo
-
Carolina,
South
Jamestown, Virginia - Founded in 1607 by the VA Company; colony saved by tobacco
Plymouth, Massachusetts – Founded-1620 by Pilgrims for religious freedom
Pennsylvania – Founded in 1680 by William Penn; ideas of tolerance and equality; Quakers
Georgia – Founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as a debtors’ colony
Colonial Governments
Mayflower Compact – Document written by Pilgrims to pledge loyalty to England and promise
to obey the laws of the colony; formed “a civil body politic, for our better ordering and
preservation”; form of self-government- #42
House of Burgesses – Created in Virginia in 1619; first representative government in the
colonies
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut – First written constitution in America
Representative Government – Citizens are represented by elected leaders #47
French and Indian War 1754 - 1763
Results:
George Washington gained national prominence
England had more land to control
War costs plunged England into debt
Proclamation of 1763 stated colonists could not settle beyond Appalachian Mountains #12
Treaty of Paris of 1763- ended French and Indian war-kicked French out of N.A.
The Revolutionary Era
George Washington #25
Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He was also the 1 st President of the United
States. Farewell address - warned against foreign alliances & political parties.
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence and 3 rd President of the United States.
Benjamin Franklin
Publisher and inventor; respected statesman who guided colonies toward independence; convinced France to support
America during revolution
Samuel Adams
Patriot; member of the Sons of Liberty; organized Committees of Correspondence
Patrick Henry
Patriot; “Give me liberty or give me death”
Thomas Paine
Author of Common Sense; convinced colonists to support the revolution against Britain
King George III
Ruler of Great Britain during the American Revolution
Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams, famous for letters about women’s rights “remember the ladies”.
James Armistead
Slave who enlisted as a Patriot spy, worked as double agent for U.S., got important British secrets and helped us win
war, Marquis de Lafayette helped him earn freedom
Crispus Attucks
Former slave, first civilian shot at Boston Massacre, started Revolutionary War
Wentworth Cheswell
Important town leader whose interests revolved around the betterment of America
Marquis de Lafayette
French officer who helped train American soldiers to fight against British, helped secure help of France during the war
Bernardo de Galvez
Governor of Louisiana territory, helped us buy Spanish weapons, gunpowder, and supplies
Mercy Otis Warren
Writer who wrote plays, poems, and essays for independence from Britain
Haym Solomon
Helped finance the Revolutionary War
John Paul Jones #37
Was a naval hero of the American Revolution, Congressional Medal of Honor
Causes of the Revolution #2
Proclamation of 1763- stop colonial movement onto Indian lands west of the Appalachian Mountains
(prevent conflicts) #12
The British taxed the colonies for revenue to pay for the French and Indian War.
“No taxation without Representation!” – Colonists resented being taxed without having a voice in
Parliament.
Tax acts include the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and Tea Act.
The Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party
The Intolerable Acts
The American Revolution (1775-1783)
Lexington and Concord – First battle of the revolution; “Shot heard ‘round the world”
The Battle of Saratoga – The turning point in the Revolution. The French entered the war as allies to the
Colonists.
The Battle of Yorktown – Major British defeat that effectively ended the war.
Treaty of Paris (1783) – The British recognize American independence.
Revolution Era Vocab
Tariff – tax on imports and exports
Mercantilism – a nation’s power depended on its wealth; “more money, more power”; regulation of
colonial trade (Navigation Acts)
Grievance – is the wrong doing by England and King George III to the colonists
Tyranny- is a cruel and unjust government
Loyalists – Americans who supported Great Britain during the revolution.
Patriots – Americans who favored independence from Great Britain during the revolution.
Declaration of Independence –Written by Thomas Jefferson; Lists grievances against King George III and
justifies the colonies breaking away from England.
Unalienable Rights – Rights that cannot be taken away: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
First Constitution: Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation (1781) – First form of government established by the thirteen states#48
Shay’s Rebellion- proved the Articles needed revision #34
Replaced by the U.S. Constitution because it had a weak central government (no court system, no power to
tax, no executive branch)
The United States Constitution
Influences:
Magna Carta 1215 - Limited the king’s powers (placed limits on government); provided trial by jury
English Bill of Rights (1687) – Influenced the Constitution by forbidding cruel and unusual punishment;
granting the right to bear arms; laws must be passed by the legislative branch; taxes must be approved by the
legislative branch.
Declaration of Independence (1776) – The Bill of Rights and the Constitution address grievances from the
Dec. of Ind. Unalienable rights: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.
- “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Important Facts on the Constitution
1787- Constitutional Convention: Delegates from twelve states drafted the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia.
This is known also as the Philadelphia Convention.
George
Washington
1st Pres. under new
constitution, inherited
debt from Am. Rev #6
John Adams
James Madison
Alexander
Hamilton
2nd President of the
US; help negotiate
Treaty of Paris,
ending the Am Rev
4th President of the
US; wrote U.S. Cons;
Pres. during the War
of 1812
Wrote Federalist
Papers; First Sec. of
Treas. under
Washington
Constitution Vocab
Alexander Hamilton- author of the Federalist Papers along with John Jay and James Madison
The Preamble- Is the introduction of the Constitution that states its purpose. “We, the people . . .”
Northwest Ordinance of 1787- #10
- Established an orderly expansion of western territory; a means for new states to join Union
- First attempt by the US to stop the spread of slavery
- New states would be given the same rights as previous states
Anti-Federalists – Opposed ratification of the Constitution; supported a Bill of Rights (George Mason, Patrick Henry)
#24, #43
Federalists – Supported a strong national government and ratification of the Constitution; James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
Ratify – to approve
Federalist Papers (1787-1788) – Essays written to encourage ratification of the Constitution. The authors
include Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.
Constitutional Compromises
Great Compromise – Representation: All states get 2 votes in the Senate; number of seats in the House of
Representatives depends on the population of the state--VA and NJ Plans #3
Three-Fifths Compromise – Slavery: Each slave counts as 3/5 a person for taxation and representation
The United States Constitution
Principles of the U.S. Constitution
Separation of Powers – Divides the powers of the government into
three branches (influenced by writings from Montesquieu)
Legislative Branch- makes the laws
Executive Branch – executes the laws
Judicial Branch – interprets the laws
Federalism – Power is shared between the states and national
government. #26
Republicanism – A system where people vote for elected
representatives to run the government.
Individual Rights – Basic liberties and rights of all citizens are
guaranteed in the Bill of Rights
Checks and Balances – Makes sure no branch of
government becomes too powerful. #51
Example: The President can veto a bill and Congress has
the power to override the veto.
Limited Government – Power of the govt. is restricted by
the U.S. Constitution. “No one is above the law.”
Popular Sovereignty – The people hold supreme power.
Addressed in the preamble…“We the people…”
Democracy – Form of government that gives power to the
people
Political Parties- established in the 1790’s due to political differences between Thomas Jefferson & Alexander Hamilton #44
The United States Constitution: Grievances Stated in Declaration of Independence
Addressed in Articles of Confederation and U. S. Constitution
Grievances of the Declaration of
Independence
Centralized power in England left
minimal say by colonists over taxation
and trade
Articles of Confederation: weak
central government
Weak central government and strong
state government: confederation
Corrections by the
U. S. Constitution
Established federal system with strong central
government but shared powers with states.
Established checks and balances
Disliked control by monarch and
Parliament
No executive branch to enforce laws
Separation of power and checks and balances
Strong Parliament with no
representation by the colonists,
especially on issues of taxation.
Congressional power limited with
only one vote per state. Congress had
no power to collect taxes nor to settle
disputes between states.
Central control of court system
No national court system which led to
inability to deal with grievances
between states and individuals
Separation of powers and checks and balances
with House of Representatives based on
population and Senate based on equal state
representation. Federal government able to
collect taxes and able to settle disputes
between states.
Set up national and state court system with the
Supreme Court serving as the highest
authority on constitutional issues
Troops quartered in homes
Troops could not be quartered in
homes
3rd amendment protected citizens from
quartering troops
Many colonists believed that
individual rights not protected and that
property could be taxed and taken
away without representation
Individual rights protected through
strong state governments that were
closer to “home” with citizens having
the right to vote.
Bill of Rights added to the U. S. Constitution
to protect individual rights. Propertied men
could vote.
Court Cases:
Marbury v. Madison (1803) - established judicial review: Supreme Court has the authority to decide whether a law is
constitutional #29
Dred Scott v. Sanford – Supreme Court decision stating Dred Scott (a slave) was considered property, not a citizen,
and had no right to bring a lawsuit asking for his freedom; declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutionalopening the western territories to slavery
McCullough v. Maryland - federal government overrides state governments
Gibbons v. Ogden - regulate trade between states—Interstate commerce
Worcester v. Georgia - upheld the Cherokee’s right to lands in Georgia #14
The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the Constitution
Protect individual rights and liberties
The Bill of Rights was necessary in order for some states to ratify the Constitution
Due Process – Amendments 4 – 8 prohibit government officials from taking away a person’s life, liberty, or
property without fair and reasonable procedures. #9
1st Amendment – Freedom of speech, religion, and press; right to assemble; right to petition #32
2nd Amendment – Right to bear arms
3rd Amendment – No quartering of soldiers during peace time
4th Amendment – No unlawful search and seizure
5th Amendment – No double jeopardy; cannot be compelled to be a witness against himself
6th Amendment – The right to a fast and public trial #15
7th Amendment – Trial by jury
8th Amendment – No cruel or unusual punishment
9th Amendment – Rights reserved to the people
10th Amendment – Powers reserved to the states #26
War of 1812
Causes: Impressment, Britain interfered with U. S. trade, attacks on Amer. ships, encouraged Indians to attack
Americans on frontier #41
Result: Launched the nation into the Industrial Revolution period; growing nationalism and pride
British attack Washington DC and set the capital on fire
British retreat from Fort McHenry in Balitmore ; Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled BannerAndrew Jackson
wins in the Battle of New Orleans
Era of Good Feelings #46
Monroe Doctrine – States the United States will not interfere with any existing European colonies in the Americas
but will fight any new ones
Free Enterprise Economy – A system by which people can conduct business free of government control except for
reasonable regulations made for the public good. #39
Jacksonian Democracy
Andrew Jackson: leader of original Democratic Party, “People’s President”
- Beginning of the Democratic Party; favored states’ rights and opposed a strong central government
- Indian Removal Act- Policy that removed Cherokee from eastern homeland
- Trail of Tears – Forced removal of Cherokee Indians from their homes to resettle in Oklahoma
- Jackson withdrew all government funds from the Bank of the United States, forcing the Bank to close
Westward Expansion
Manifest Destiny – the belief that the United States should stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans; land
acquisition through the 1860s #5
Louisiana Purchase—1803—doubled the size of the U. S.—purchased from France for
15 million
Texas (1845) – Joined the US as the 28th state #20
Mexican Cession (1848) – California and New Mexcio sold to US for $15 million after
the Mexican War #1
Utah Territory (1850) – Established as a territory; Brigham Young becomes governor
Gadsden Purchase (1853) – Bought from Mexico for $10 million
Oregon Territory (1859) – Becomes the 33rd state
Railroads- encouraged settlement in the west, created thousands of jobs, & open new
markets for goods #52 (Bessemer Steel Process #49)
Sectionalism- a strong sense of loyalty to a state or section, not the whole country
Mormons- a religious group that moved west and settled in Utah during Manifest Destiny to escape religious persecution.
Led by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young
REFORMERS
Abolitionist – Person who fights to end slavery
Harriet Tubman – Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Frederick Douglas – Influential speaker and writer
Sojourner Truth – Spoke about her experiences as a slave
Suffrage – women’s right to vote
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Worked for women’s rights; wrote Declaration of Sentiments @ Seneca Falls Convention in
New York state #31
- Susan B. Anthony-campaigned for women’s suffrage
Temperance- campaign against the sale or drinking of alcohol #23
Civil Disobedience- refusal to obey government law as a means of resistance – Henry David Thoreau
Industrial Revolution:
Era of change from cottage industries to factory production using machines
Inventions & Transportation:
Cotton gin (1793) – invented by Eli Whitney; removed seeds from cotton; increased the demands for slaves
Steamboat (1807) – invented by Robert Fulton; improved transport of goods and people
Erie Canal (1825) – decreased shipping costs from the midwest to the east #22
Vocab:
Urbanization – Population begins to shift from farms to cities as a result of the factory system #35
Protective Tariff – tax placed on goods from another country to promote American economy
Interchangeable Parts – Identical machine-made parts for a tool or instrument #40
Lowell Girls- textile workers who moved from rural areas #8, #27
StateS’ rightS
States’ rights – Belief in local government close to the people; each state should be able to decide issues for themselves
Plantation System – economic system in which slaves provided labor necessary to plant and harvest cash crops #50
Capitalism – an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners, not
the federal government
Henry Clay
From the West;
“Great
Compromiser”
Daniel Webster
John C. Calhoun
Senator from the
North; opposed
slavery
Senator from the
South; supported
slavery
Nullification- idea of a state declaring a federal law illegal
Nullification Crisis – Argument between South Carolina and the federal govt. over the role of the national government. #17
- South Carolina opposed a high tariff (tax on imports) implemented by the national govt.
- South Carolina claimed that states had the right to reject any national law that was to its disadvantage.
- The federal govt. disagreed and threatened military action.
- A compromise was reached through Henry Clay.
Missouri Compromise (1820)
- Maine enters United States as a free state and Missouri enters as a slave state
- 36/30 line divided free and slave territory
Compromise of 1850
- California admitted as a free state
- Remainder of Mexican Cession would use popular sovereignty as a means to decide on issue of slavery
- New border between Texas and Mexico
- Slave trade, but NOT slavery, banned in Washington DC
- Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) – popular sovereignty - Resulted in violence between anti & pro-slavery groups #28
the civil War & Reconstruction
Civil War– War between the North and South from 1861-1865
Causes of the Civil War
-
Sectionalism (tariffs, bank, internal improvements, etc.)
Differences between the North and South over slavery and states’ rights.
Manufacturing economy v. agricultural economy
Increase of anti-slavery sentiment in the North.
Lincoln is elected President.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin #11
Civil War
Capital
President
General
North
Washington DC
Abraham Lincoln
Ulysses S. Grant
South
Richmond, VA
Jefferson Davis
Robert E. Lee
Abraham Lincoln – President of the United States during the Civil War. Lincoln was the first Republican President;
election encouraged South to secede from the Union; assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865.
1st Inaugural Address-secession was illegal, would not interfere with slavery where it already existed, if war started, it
would be the South that would be responsible. #38
2nd Inaugural Address- “With malice toward none . . .”
Gettysburg Address (1863) – Two minute speech uniting Americans and expressing what the war was about:
“…Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Emancipation Proclamation (1863) – Document declaring that all of the slaves in the South were free.
Civil War Battles 1861 – 1865
Fort Sumter (April 12 - 14, 1861) – Confederate forces attack US fort in South Carolina: first battle
Gettysburg (July 1 - 4, 1863) – Surprise battle in Pennsylvania; Lee retreats: turning point
Vicksburg (July 1863) – Confederates surrender; Union gains control of Mississippi River: turning point (splits the
Confederacy in two)
Appomattox Court House (April 19, 1865) – Lee surrenders to Grant; Grant shows mercy #30
Results of the Civil War
Supremacy of federal government established.
- Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse and the South loses the war.
- Abraham Lincoln is assassinated five days after the war.
- The Southern economy is devastated while the Northern economy becomes stronger than before the war.
Reconstruction begins.
Reconstruction (1865-1877) – The period after the Civil War in the United States when the the southern states were
reorganized and reintegrated into the Union; 1865-1877
Black Codes - Restricted/limited rights of free blacks #4
Reconstruction Amendments
13th Amendment – Abolished slavery. #13
14th Amendment – Made former slaves citizens and gave equal protection for all citizens. #19 (reversed Dred Scott
decision)
15th Amendment – African-American males are given the right to vote.
Free Citizen to Vote
Important Economic systems
Free Enterprise Economy – A system by which people can conduct business free of government control except for
reasonable regulations made for the public good.
Subsistence Agriculture – The farmer produces just enough to support himself and his family with nothing left for
purchasing manufactured goods.
Market-oriented Agriculture – Agricultural goods are produced in mass quantities with the intention of selling them
on the market.
Immigration- Movement of people into a country from another country.
Migration- Movement of persons from one location to another. (ie. Irish immigrants- potato famine #21)
Columbian Exchange- The exchange of crops, animals, disease, and ideas of different cultures after Europeans landed
in the Americas
Quiz yourself…
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Notes: