FLASHCARD DEFINITIONS FOR TAKS TERMS
COLONIZATION ERA - GREEN
1. 1607- founding of Jamestown, Virginia
2. Free-Enterprise System- government plays a limited role in business
3. 1st Great Awakening- religious movement-increased # of denominations
4. House of Burgesses- 1st representative assembly (legislature) in N. Amer
5. Limited Government - principle of U.S. Constitution saying gov’t only had powers the Constitution gives
6. Magna Carta- English constitution, written in 1215
7. Religious Freedom - the right to choose to or not to practice a religion
8. Mercantilism- a nation’s strength comes from controlling trade
9. Catholics- moved to Maryland for religious freedom
10. Town Meetings- New England example of pure democracy
11. Middle Colonies – NY, PA, DE, NJ…aka…breadbasket colonies for producing grain
12. Southern Colonies – MD, VA, NC, SC, GA…economy relied on cash crops like tobacco, rice
13. New England Colonies – MA, NH, RI, CT…economy relied on fishing, shipping, trade
14. Puritans- moved to Massachusetts for religious freedom
15. Fundamental Orders -1st written constitution in North America
16. Quakers - moved to Pennsylvania for religious freedom
17. Mayflower Compact - signed before reaching Plymouth-male pilgrim got vote
18. Thomas Hooker - founded Connecticut and wrote Fundamental Orders
19. Roger Williams - founded Rhode Island to separate church and state
20. Triangular Trade- trade route-West Indies-Boston-Africa
REVOLUTIONARY ERA - RED
21. French and Indian War - war between French and British 1754-1763
22. General George Washington - Commander of the Continental Army during Revolution
23. King George III - led Britain up to and during the American Revolution
24. Tariff - tax on imports
25. Sugar Act - tax on molasses and sugar
26. American Revolution - war taking place between 1776-1783
27. Patrick Henry -“Give me liberty, or give me death!”
28. Boston Massacre -1770 conflict between British troops and colonists
29. Boston Tea Party -1773 protest over tea that led to the Intolerable Acts
30. Lexington and Concord - towns were first bullets of the Revolution were fired
31. Benjamin Franklin - writer, inventor, and member of Declaration committee
32. Thomas Paine - author of Common Sense
33. Declaration of Independence – 1776---started the Revolution
34. Thomas Jefferson - author of the Declaration of Independence
35. Patriot - supporter of the American Revolution
36. Loyalist - Tory---against fighting Great Britain
37. Samuel Adams - leader of the Son’s of Liberty
38. Saratoga - turning point battle of the Revolution
39. Yorktown - site of British surrender---ended the Revolution
40. Treaty of Paris, 1783 - peace agreement ending the Revolution
41. Articles of Confederation -1st U.S. constitution
42. Northwest Ordinance - article setting up procedure for admitting new states
EARLY REPUBLIC ERA – BLUE
43. 1787 - U.S. Constitution was written
44. Federalists - group in favor of ratifying the U.S. Constitution
45. Anti-Federalists - group that was against ratification of the U.S. Constitution
46. Alexander Hamilton - one author of the Federalists Papers, 1st Secretary of Treasury
47. James Madison - principle author of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, & #4
48. Federalist Papers - written to persuade Americans to ratify U.S. Constitution
49. George Mason - Virginian NOT in favor of a new constitution
50. Republic - gov’t where citizens elect representatives to govern them
51. Virginia Plan - large state plan…called for proportional representation
52. New Jersey Plan - favored by small states, it called for equal representation
53. Great (Connecticut) Compromise - agreement on representation of states in U.S. Congress
54. 3/5 Compromise - agreement on counting slaves in state populations
55. Legislative Branch - writes the laws (Congress)
56. Executive Branch - enforces the law (President)
57. Judicial Branch - determines constitutionality of laws (Supreme Court)
58. Separation of Powers - prevents abuse of power-DIVIDE powers among 3 branches
59. Checks and Balances - prevents abuse of power…each branch watches the others
60. Popular Sovereignty - right of the people to alter or abolish an abusive gov’t
61. Marbury v. Madison - court case that established Judicial Review
62. Monroe Doctrine - told European nations NOT to interfere in Latin America
“Big 8” Presidents (Color according to Era)
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
16
NAME
Washington
Adams
Jefferson
Madison
Monroe
JQ Adams
Jackson
Lincoln
Event
Neutrality Proclamation
XYZ Affair
Louisiana Purchase
War of 1812
Era of Good Feelings
Erie Canal
Nullification Crisis
Gettysburg Address
Event
Farewell Address
Alien and Sedition Acts
Embargo Act
Battle of New Orleans
Monroe Doctrine
Indian Removal Act
2nd Inaugural Address
EXPANSION ERA – YELLOW
71. Louisiana Purchase – Thomas Jefferson’s 1803 land acquisition that doubled the size of U.S.
72. Manifest Destiny - Americans have the duty to expand to the Pacific Ocean
73. Henry Clay - helped get Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850 through Congress
74. Nullification Crisis - SC refused to enforce Tariff—Jackson threatened force
75. Sectionalism - loyalty to one’s region, or section, over one’s country
76. Trail of Tears - forced removal of the Cherokee to Indian Territory
78. Industrial Revolution - gradual process of moving from man to machine power
79. American System - Clay’s policies to stimulate growth of economy
80. Bessemer Steel Process - way to make steel stronger and cheaper
81. Cotton Gin - machine that cleaned seeds from cotton
82. Gibbons v. Ogden - court ruling on interstate commerce
83. McCullough v. Maryland - court’s said states couldn’t interfere w/federal institutions
84. Transcendentalism – belief that important truths go beyond reason
85. Elizabeth Cady Stanton - writer of the Declaration of Sentiments
86. Harriet Beecher Stowe - author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
87. Temperance Movement - movement that worked to ban use of alcohol
88. Frederick Douglass - writer and speaker for Abolitionists and Black suffrage
89. Harriet Tubman - conductor on the Underground Railroad
90. Sojourner Truth -“Ain’t I a Woman!” speaker for Women and Blacks
91. Declaration of Sentiments - women’s Declaration of Independence
92. Dorothea Dix -. woman who reformed care for mentally ill and disabled
93. Oregon Trail -2000 mile trail from Independence to Portland
94. Mexican War - conflict between U.S. and Mexico over boundary dispute in Texas
95. California Gold Rush -‘49ers headed west to find their fortune
96. Compromise of 1850 - agreement bringing California in as a free state
97. Fugitive Slave Act - U.S. law making it a crime to help runaway slaves
98. Abolitionist Movement - movement against slavery
99. Dred Scott v. Sanford - courts said slaves couldn’t sue because they weren’t citizens
100. State’s Rights - belief that state’s could limit federal power
CIVIL WAR – BLACK
101. Abraham Lincoln - President of the United States during the Civil War
102. Confederate States of America - government formed by seceding states
103. Civil War -1861-1865
104. Fort Sumter - site of the first shot of the Civil War
105. Jefferson Davis - President of the Confederate States of America
106. Robert E. Lee - Commander of the Confederate Army in Civil War
107. Gettysburg Address - famous Lincoln speech given to dedicate cemetery
108. Battle of Vicksburg - battle giving control of the Mississippi R. to Union
109. Ulysses S. Grant - Commander of Union Army in Civil War
110. 13th Amendment - outlawed slavery---making African-Americans free
111. 14th Amendment - made all African-Amer. born in U.S. citizens
112. 15th Amendment - gave African-American males the right to vote