STAAR Study Guide
Why were the 13 colonies established?
What is the significance of 1607?
Who were the Puritans?
Who were the Pilgrims?
Who were the Quakers?
What products were produced in the New
England Colonies? (NH, CT, RI, MA)
What products were produced in the
Middle Colonies? (NY, NJ, PA, DE)
What products were produced in the
Southern Colonies? (GA, VA, NC, SC, MD)
Why did the plantation system develop in
the Southern Colonies?
What is the Mayflower Compact?
Who was William Blackstone?
Who was Thomas Hooker?
Who was William Penn?
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Name: _________________________________
Quiz on _________
Profit - colonies were expected to send natural resources to England and
buy English products
 Religious freedom - Pilgrims, Puritans, and Quakers founded colonies to be
able to freely practice their religion
 Available land
 Better life
Jamestown, Virginia was founded - first permanent English settlement in North
America. Profitable with slaves and tobacco.
A group of Protestants (Separatists) who were persecuted in England for their
religious beliefs and moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to freely practice
their religion.
Like the Puritans, considered Separatists, left England to escape discrimination by
the king for their religious practices which did not follow the rules of the English
church. Starving time led to the Squanto teaching them how to farm.
A group of Protestants that settled in Pennsylvania under the leadership of William
Penn.
 Practiced religious tolerance
 Believed in the equality of all people
 Fish
 Lumber
 Furs
 Shipbuilding
 Grain (wheat, barley, rye), corn, livestock
 Handcrafted goods - watches guns, etc.
 Metal products - tools, kettles, nails, etc.
 Tobacco
 Rice
 Indigo
 Cotton
The crops grown in the Southern colonies required both large amounts of fertile
land and labor. The area also had a warm, moist climate.
An agreement signed by all the men aboard the Mayflower setting up a voluntary
system of self-government for their new colony.
 First example of self-government in the colonies - strengthening the
English tradition of representatives
 Early example of a social contract
He wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England which contributed to the
development of self-government in the colonies.
 Was used by the Supreme Court due to lack of U.S. legal traditions
 Used to write Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and The
Federalist Papers
Modern system of American law schools are based on his writings.
Puritan leader who founded Connecticut and contributed to the development of
self-government in the colonies.
Founded Pennsylvania and contributed to the development of self-government in
the colonies.
 Freedom of religion and democracy
 Tax-paying males could vote
 Bicameral (two-house)legislature
STAAR Study Guide
What was the Virginia House of
Burgesses?
What is mercantilism?
Which colony did not practice religious
tolerance?
Why were colonial cities like Philadelphia,
New York City, and Charleston important?
What was the French and Indian War
fought over?
What is the Treaty of Paris written in
1763?
What is the Proclamation Line of 1763?
Why is George Washington significant?
What was the main cause of the American
Revolution?
Who was King George III?
What was the Boston Massacre?
Who was John Adams?
What was the Boston Tea Party?
Who were the Loyalists?
Who were the Patriots?
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Quiz on _________
The first colonial representative assembly (legislature). Males in Jamestown were
elected and called Burgesses.
An economic theory from the 1500-1600s that says a colony's trade should benefit
its mother country.
 The colonies should provide England with raw materials and provide a
market for England's finished products.
Massachusetts
Their location on rivers and near the coast made them popular centers of colonial
trade and transportation.
Britain and France fought over the land and natural resources of the Ohio River
Valley. Indians fought with the British.
 Signed by Britain and France ending the French and Indian War
 marked the end of French power in North America
 Britain gained Canada and land east of the Mississippi River
 Spain gains Florida
King George III declared an imaginary line along the Appalachian Mountains that
the American colonists were not supposed to move past in order to not upset the
Indians.
 Colonist from Virginia that led attack on the French during the French and
Indian War
 Continental Congress appointed him commander of the Continental Army
during the American Revolution
 President of the Constitutional Convention
 Founding Father
 First President of the U.S. - served two terms
England taxed the colonies to help pay their debt from the French and Indian War.
The colonists were angry because they had no representation in Parliament. "No
Taxation Without Representation" - elected delegates were not consulted.
British King during the Revolutionary Era that taxed the colonists. He was also
singled out in the Declaration of Independence as the cause of the American
Revolution.
A rebellion by colonists against English soldiers. English soldiers fired into the
crowd of colonists and killed 5 including Crispus Attucks. The event was used as
propaganda to stir anti-English sentiments.
 Younger cousin of Samuel Adams that believed everyone should have a
fair trial
 Defended the British soldiers in the Boston Massacre
 Helped write the Declaration of Independence
 Helped write the Treaty of Paris, 1783
 Vice President of George Washington
 2nd President of the U.S. and served one term
 Founding Father
A protest of the new tax on tea (Tea Act) led by the Sons of Liberty. They boarded
English ships dressed as Mohawk Indians and dumped 342 crates of tea into
Boston Harbor.
 England responded with the Intolerable Acts which restricted the freedom
of Boston colonists and cut off trade.
American colonists who remained loyal to King George III and England.
American colonists who chose to fight against King George III and England.
STAAR Study Guide
Who were the Neutralists?
Who were the Minutemen?
What was the effect of the English law like
the Stamp Act, the Navigation Act, and the
Tea Act?
What was Benjamin Franklin's role in the
American Revolution?
What was Samuel Adam's role in the
American Revolution?
Who was Thomas Paine?
What is the Declaration of Independence?
What are unalienable rights?
Who was Thomas Jefferson?
Who was John Locke?
Who was Abigail Adams?
Who was Mercy Otis Warren?
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Quiz on _________
American colonists who chose not to take a side in the conflict between the
colonies and England.
Militia (Patriots) who were ready to fight at a minute's notice.
Created a distrust of the English government in the colonies because these laws
interfered with colonial economy. Each new law pushed the colonists closer to
war.
 Created the "Join or Die" cartoon after the Albany Plan failed
 Delegate to the Continental Congress - influenced others to declare
independence from England
 Sent to France to get help (money and soldiers)
 Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris at the end of the war
 Formed the Sons of Liberty
 Started Committees of Correspondence to organize protests against British
policies and laws
 Leader of the Boston Tea Party
 Serves in the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress
 Signs the Declaration of Independence
 Wrote Common Sense - pamphlet designed to encourage Americans to
support independence from England, criticizing the British monarch.
 Wrote The American Crisis - read to the soldiers at Valley Forge to
encourage them to keep fighting
Document in which the colonies declare themselves to be free from England
 Said the purpose of government was to protect people's "unalienable
rights"
o Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
o All men are created equal
 People should overthrow an oppressive government
 Listed colonial grievances against King George III
o Taxation without representation
o Quartering of troops in citizens homes
o Cutting off trade
o Kept large numbers of standing armies among the colonies
o King deprived colonists of their right to a jury trial
Rights that people are born with and that cannot be taken away by the
government without due process of law.
 Served in the Virginia House of Burgesses
 Member of the Continental Congress
 Main author of the Declaration of Independence
 Vice President for John Adams
 Democratic-Republican
 3rd President - justified the Louisiana Purchase
Believed that people have certain unalienable rights - basic human rights that
cannot be taken away. He believed it was the job of the government to protect
these rights of citizens. His theory of government was used in the Declaration of
Independence.
Wife of Patriot leader John Adams (mother of John Q. Adams). She wrote letters to
her husband asking him to "Remember the Ladies" when he was at the Continental
Congress and was writing the Declaration of Independence. Wanted women's
rights to be included in the new government.
Patriot writer of plays, books, and poetry. Wanted John Adams to include women's
rights in Declaration of Independence. Wrote rude things about John Adams
ending the friendship with his wife, Abigail Adams.
STAAR Study Guide
Why did the British march to Lexington?
Why is the Battle of Lexington and
Concord significant?
Which battle was the turning point of the
American Revolution?
Who was Wentworth Cheswell?
Who was Patrick Henry?
Who was Marquis de Lafayette?
Who was Haym Salomon?
Who was James Armistead?
Who was John Paul Jones?
Who was Bernardo de Galvez?
Which battle ended the American
Revolution?
Which treaty ended the war between
England and America?
What were the Articles of Confederation?
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
What is the Northwest Ordinance?
What was Shay's Rebellion?
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Quiz on _________
They wanted to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock
They were looking for weapons and ammunitions stored there by the
colonists
First battle of the American Revolution and known as "the shot heard 'round the
world"
Battle of Saratoga - British surrender after stretching their supply lines. After this
battle, France agreed to send money, weapons, and soldiers to help the
Americans.
Grandson of a black slave that was the first African American elected to public
office. He signed documents pledging to resist the British during the American
Revolution, risking his life and his fortune. Helped defeat the British at Saratoga.
 A Patriot that represents Virginia in the First Continental Congress who
made a speech and declared "Give me Liberty or Give Me Death!"
 Anti-Federalist - opposed Constitution as he felt it made the states weak
Wealthy French nobleman who joins the American cause. Serves under George
Washington during the winter at Valley Forge. Helped get French aid to colonies
fighting the British.
Jewish immigrant to America that helped finance the American Revolution and
gave interest-free loans to Congress. British believed he was a spy and arrested
him, but he escaped several times. He died penniless when he was never repaid
for loans.
Slave during the American Revolution that spied on British troops by acting as a
runaway slave. His reports helped defeat the British at Yorktown.
Captain and founder of the U.S. Navy with a ship named Bonhomme Richard and
as he was urged by the British to surrender, he said "I have not yet begun to fight!"
Spanish military leader that aided the colonies during the American Revolution. He
led smuggling operations to supply the colonists since many ports were blocked.
Battle of Yorktown - the Americans and French cornered the British on a small
peninsula and bombarded them with cannon fire until they surrendered.
Treaty of Paris, 1783
 U.S. became an independent country that is "free and sovereign"
 Mississippi River would be the western boundary of the U.S.
 U.S. gave up claim to Canada
 Florida would be returned to Spain - due to Galvez helping
 Signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay
The first constitution of the U.S. - created a loose alliance of the 13 states.
The government was too weak - unicameral Congress, took all 13 states to amend.
 No power to tax
 No Executive branch (no President)
 No Judicial branch (court system)
 No common system of currency (money)
 Could not regulate trade between the states
The law that set up the government for the Northwest Territory:
 Established the process for territories to become states - accelerated
westward expansion
 New states would be equal to old states
 Became OH, IN, IL, MI, WI
Conflict between Massachusetts farmers and the government over taxes. Proved
that the Articles of Confederation were weak and ineffective and needed to be
fixed.
STAAR Study Guide
Why is the year 1787 significant?
Which historical documents were used by
the Founding Fathers for ideas when
writing the Constitution?
What was the Magna Carta?
How did the Magna Carta influence the
U.S. government?
What is the English Bill of Rights?
How did the English Bill of Rights influence
the U.S. government?
What is the Constitutional Convention?
Who was James Madison?
What is the Great Compromise?
What is the 3/5 Compromise?
Who is Baron Charles de Montesquieu?
What is federalism?
What is limited government?
What are checks and balances?
Page 5
Quiz on _________
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of
Confederation. Abandoned the idea and drafted the Constitution. George
Washington was chosen to be President of the Convention and Rhode Island did
not send a delegate.
 Magna Carta
 English Bill of Rights
 Mayflower Compact
 Declaration of Independence
An agreement signed by the King of England in 1215 that limited the power of the
King. Gave people the idea they had political rights.
 First example of limited government
Convinced the Founding Fathers that government should be limited and should
not have absolute power.
 Idea of the right to a trial by jury
A document that protected the rights of English citizen
 Idea of freedom of speech
 Elections of members of Parliament
Convinced people of the importance of freedom of speech and the right of
representative government.
A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 where colonial leaders met to revise the Articles
of Confederation and ended up writing the Constitution.
 Wrote the Virginia Plan
 Came well prepared to the Constitutional Convention
 Known as "Father of the Constitution"
 Federalist that supported ratification of the Constitution and wanted a
strong federal government
 4th President of the U.S. - during War of 1812
The deal that resolved the dispute between the large (VA) and small states (NJ)
over determining representation in Congress
 Created a bicameral (two-house) legislature
o House of Representatives - number of representatives would be
based on population
o Senate- equal representation (2 per state)
Deal that settled the dispute between northern and southern states about
whether or not to count slaves as part of the population when determining a
states' population (for tax and representative purposes)
 3 out of every 5 slaves would count
 Northern states must return fugitive slaves
 Congress will come back to slave trade in 20 years
Political philosopher of the Enlightenment. Feels government can be preserved
from corruption by separation of powers. Constitution is based on his beliefs.
Power is divided between the national and state governments. The national
government is supreme.
Government's power is limited by the Constitution and the government only has
the power that its citizens give to it.
Each branch of the government can "check" the powers of the other branches so
that no branch is stronger than another. Creates a strong central government
while maintaining strong state governments.
STAAR Study Guide
What is separation of power?
What is popular sovereignty?
What is republicanism?
What are individual rights?
What is a republic?
What does ratification mean?
What were the people that supported the
ratification of the Constitution called?
Who was Alexander Hamilton?
What was someone called who opposed
the ratification of the Constitution? Why
did they oppose the Constitution?
What rights are protected by the 1st
amendment?
What right is protected b y the 2nd
amendment?
What right is protected by the 3rd
amendment?
What rights are protected by the 4th
amendment?
What rights are protected by the 5th
amendment?
What rights are protected by the 6th
amendment?
What rights are protected by the 8th
amendment?
How are amendments added to the
Constitution?
What was the Proclamation of Neutrality?
Page 6
Quiz on _________
The principle of the Constitution that divides power equally between the 3
branches of government:
 Executive - enforces the laws (President, Vice President, and Cabinet)
 Legislative - writes the laws (Congress - Senate and House of
Representatives)
 Judicial - interprets the laws (Supreme Court, Federal and District judges)
The idea that the government gets its power from the people - the people rule or
hold final authority. This is exercised by voting.
A government in which people elect representatives to make decisions.
Citizens were worried about unalienable rights being violated. The first 10
amendments to the Constitution protect these rights and freedoms.
A government in which elected representatives make the laws.
Formal approval - to pass something and then put it into effect.
Federalists - The Federalist Papers were written to help convince people that the
Constitution was a good system of government and allowed for a strong, federal
government. John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison were Federalists.
Later, this will become a political party.
 Founding Father
 Supporter of the free enterprise system
 Secretary of Treasury in Washington's cabinet that planned for economic
stability including a national bank, whiskey tax, and combining the state
and federal debt
Anti-Federalists argued that:
 The federal / national government would be too strong and would ignore
people's individual rights (just like the King did)
 The nation was too large to be controlled by a central government
 They wanted a Bill of Rights added to protect people's individual rights
 George Mason and Patrick Henry were Anti-Federalists
RAPPS - Freedoms of religion, assembly (to gather to protest), press (newspaper),
petition(ask the government to fix things that are wrong), and speech.
Right to bear arms
No quartering of soldiers in citizens homes without their consent.
Prohibits unreasonable search and seizure. Requires police to have a warrant for a
search.
Prohibits self-incrimination (don't have to testify against yourself), double jeopardy
(can't be tried twice for the same crime), and requires that you be informed of
your rights when you are arrested.
Right to an attorney, right to a fair and speedy trial, and right to a jury trial.
Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Requires that the punishment fit the
crime.
Proposed by:
 2/3 vote of both the Senate and the House of Representatives OR
 2/3 vote of state legislatures
Ratified by:
 3/4 votes of the state legislatures OR
 3/4 of the states
Washington's statement that the U.S. would remain neutral in a war between
France and England. Wanted to keep America out of further wars and hold the
new nation together.
STAAR Study Guide
What was the message of Washington's
Farewell Address?
Where did American political parties
originate (begin)?
Who was Alexander Hamilton?
What is the XYZ Affair?
What is the Alien Act?
What is the Sedition Act?
What is a free market economy? What is a
free enterprise system?
Why is the year 1803 significant?
What is the significance of the Louisiana
Purchase?
Who was sent to explore the Louisiana
Purchase?
Who was John Marshall?
What is the significance of the Supreme
Court case Marbury v. Madison?
What is free enterprise?
What were the causes of the War of
1812?
What was the result of the War of 1812?
Who was James Monroe?
Who was Henry Clay?
What is the Monroe Doctrine?
Page 7
Quiz on _________
Avoid permanent alliances with other countries, stay out of war, and do not add
debt.
They began in President Washington's cabinet. Hamilton (Federalist - believed in
loose interpretation of the Constitution) and Jefferson (Democratic-Republican
believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution) disagreed on many issues mainly on how strong the federal government should be.
The first Secretary of the Treasury and leader of the Federalist Party.
 Believed that the U.S. needed a national banking system.
Americans went to France to get France to stop attacking American ships. Three
French agents (X, Y, and Z) demanded a bribe from the U.S. (big scandal)
Law that said the President could expel foreigners thought to be dangerous.
Law that said people could be fined and/or jailed for criticizing the government,
especially John Adams. He wanted to strengthen the federal government.
Economic system in which private businesses are free to compete for profit with
little government regulation or interference.
It was the year President Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for
$15 million.
It doubled the size of the U.S.
Lewis and Clark were sent by President Jefferson and they met Shoshone Indian,
Sacagawea along the way. The group claimed the Oregon Territory.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that was appointed by John Adams. Set
precedent of judicial review.
Due to Adam's "midnight appointments" , established the Supreme Court's power
of judicial review - the power of the Supreme Court to review laws passed by
Congress to decide whether or not it agrees with the Constitution.
 Strengthened the federal government and the Supreme Court
 Example of checks and balances
People are free to produce what they can and to buy what they can afford.
 Laissez-faire - belief the government should not interfere in the economy
unless it is to protect private property and maintain peace.
 Entrepreneurship - people who risk their own money to start a business
and have the freedom to select occupation, own, and compete.
Conflict between the U.S. and Britain:
 Britain violated America's neutral rights
 English impressments of American sailors
 England's aid to Native Americans (gave them weapons and ammunition)
 War Hawks
 Increased feelings of unity and pride in America (nationalism)
 Opened new areas in the West for settlement
 Increased American manufacturing
 Treaty of Ghent was signed ending the war
5th U.S. President, two terms are known as the "Era of Good Feelings"
War Hawk for War of 1812. Known as the Great Compromiser. Wrote the Missouri
Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.
President Monroe's foreign policy statement in which he told European nations to
stay out of North and South America and America would stay out of European
business.
 Said that Europe should not consider North and South America as "subject
for future colonization"
STAAR Study Guide
Who was John Quincy Adams?
What is the "Corrupt Bargain"?
What was the Nullification Crisis?
Who was John C. Calhoun?
Who was Daniel Webster?
What does nullify mean?
What is a tariff?
What is a protective tariff?
Which region of the country favored high
tariffs?
Who was Andrew Jackson?
What is the significance of Worcester v.
Georgia?
What is civil disobedience?
Who is Henry David Thoreau?
What is the significance of the Supreme
Court case McCulloch v. Maryland?
What is the significance of the Supreme
Court case Gibbons v. Ogden?
What is the Industrial Revolution?
What is manufacturing?
Page 8
Quiz on _________
Son of President John Adams. Did not win the popular or electoral college votes in
the Election of 1824. Only serves one term. Lowers debt and makes internal
improvements.
When Jackson accused John Q. Adams and Henry Clay of "cheating" in the Election
of 1824 because Clay got the House of Representatives to vote Adams for
President and Clay was named Secretary of State.
Conflict between Andrew Jackson and South Carolina over the protective tariff.
South Carolina wanted to nullify the tariff and threatened to secede. Jackson sent
the army.
South Carolina Senator who supported states' rights and the southern way of life.
Resigned as Jackson's Vice President and started the Nullification Crisis in order to
nullify the federal tariff of 1832.
A Massachusetts Senator who believed that the Union (federal government) must
be more powerful than the states and that the Union must be preserved (saved).
Opposed South Carolina's attempt to nullify the federal tariff law.
To cancel.
A tax on imports (goods coming into the United States).
A tax on imports that is designed to encourage people to buy goods produced in
the U.S.
The North - there were more factories in the North so it was their products that
people were being encouraged to buy.
7th U.S. President:
 Hero of the Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)
 First Democrat elected
 "Spoils System" - reward supporters with government positions
 Destroyed the Bank of the United States
 Convinced Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act (he could make
treaties with Indians for land)
 Sent the army to remove the Indians (Trail of Tears - 4,000 died)
 Paid off all national debt
 Passed the Tariff of 1832 which began the Panic of 1837
 Jacksonian Democracy - beginning of modern Democratic Party
Cherokee Native Americans fought in the Supreme Court against the Indian
Removal Act. The Supreme Court sided with the Cherokee, but President Jackson
ignored the decision.
Disobeying a law believe you believe that it is unjust (unfair).
 It is a form of peaceful protest. You are punished for breaking the law
o Example is refusing to pay your taxes.
Abolitionist that refused to pay local tax collector due to opposition of MexicanAmerican war and slavery. Wrote Civil Disobedience.
It strengthened the power of the federal government. Said that a state could not
interfere with a federal institution (bank). States did not have the power to tax the
federal government and stressed "implied powers" of Congress.
Stated that only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce
(business that crosses state lines). Made the federal government stronger.
The change brought about by the invention and use of machines to do work
formerly done by hand. First began in England in the late 1700s and then spread to
America and the rest of Europe in the early 1800s.
Making things in a factory including interchangeable parts that made production of
goods cheaper and easier by speeding up the manufacturing process.
STAAR Study Guide
What caused the rapid industrialization
and urbanization of the United States
following the War of 1812?
What was the effect of the invention of
the steamboat?
What was the effect of the invention of
the cotton gin?
What was the impact of the invention of
the telegraph machine?
What was the effect of the invention of
the railroad?
Why did John Quincy Adams feel internal
improvements were significant?
What is Manifest Destiny?
Who is John James Audubon?
What is sectionalism?
What is the significance of the Second
Great Awakening?
What was the goal of the Women's Rights
Movement?
Who was Elizabeth Cady Stanton?
Who was Susan B. Anthony?
What was the Labor Movement?
What is Education Reform?
What is the Temperance Movement?
What is Prison Reform?
How was care of the disabled reformed?
Who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Page 9
Quiz on _________
During the War of 1812, Britain blockaded American ports, cutting the U.S. off
from trade with foreign countries. Americans were forced to learn how to make
these goods themselves. American manufacturing soon began to grow and
immigrants moved to cities to work in the factories that could produce more goods
at a lower price. The effect of urbanization is that there was a shift from an
agrarian society (agriculture) to an urban society (cities).
Transportation (movement of goods and people) became faster, cheaper, and
easier. Linked rural farming areas to urban population centers.
 Increased the production of cotton because it did the work of 1,000 men
 Created a boom in the Southern economy and the South becomes "Cotton
Kingdom"
 Led to an increased demand for slave labor to plan and pick cotton
Improved communication (faster, cheaper, easier) to communicate over wires
using Morse Code. Linked rural farming areas to urban population centers.
Introduced at the end of the Industrial Revolution and assisted with trade to and
from the interior of the states.
Improvements made to roads, canals, and railroads would allow for the
transportation of people and goods faster, cheaper, and easier.
Belief that the U.S. had the right and duty to expand from coast to coast - bringing
progress and democracy with them.
Studied birds and learned birds returned to the same nesting site each year. Began
conservation which slows down or stops the destruction of bird habitats. This is all
related to Manifest Destiny as we are tearing down trees to build canals and
railroads.
Strong interest in and devotion to a single region rather than the nation as a whole
(North, South, or West)
Religious experience that caused behavior to change and made people feel that
individuals could amend their lives. Prompted many to advocate emancipating
slaves and caused the reform movements.
To obtain the right to vote for women (suffrage).
Women's rights leader that helped write the "Declaration of Sentiments" at the
Seneca Falls Convention. Demanded equal rights for women.
Involved in anti-slavery movement and wanted women's right to vote because she
felt no one would take women seriously in politics unless they were able to vote.
Grew out of the need to protect workers with better wages, safer conditions,
reasonable hours, health benefits, aid to workers who were injured, and to stop
child labor.
Movement to give better schools to all children instead of the one room school
house that might produce illiterate kids. State schools began and colleges began to
train teachers.
A movement aimed at ending alcohol abuse. Taught that drinking was immoral and
causes poverty , job performance, and mental instability. Men would get drunk
and abuse women and children.
Reformers believed that crime was a result of childhood neglect and trauma. Felt
that instead of confining criminals, they must be rehabilitated in order to stop
violent and immoral tendencies.
Individuals with mental illnesses underwent great suffering and were viewed as
demon-possessed and seen as animals. The reform promoted humane treatment
of those with mental illness but conditions were still far from ideal.
Harriet Beecher Stowe and the book convinced many Americans that slavery was
cruel and sparked the abolitionist movement.
STAAR Study Guide
Who was Frederick Douglass?
What is an abolitionist?
What started the Mexican-American
War?
What agreement ended the MexicanAmerican War?
What piece of land did the U.S. acquire as
a result of the Mexican-American War?
What was discovered in California in 1849
that lured thousands of Americans across
the country?
Why was the Compromise of 1850
significant?
What is the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
What is Bleeding Kansas?
What is the significance of the Supreme
Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford?
What is the significance of the Gadsden
Purchase?
Who was John Brown?
What happened from 1861-1865 and
why?
Who was president of the U.S. during the
Civil War?
Who was president of the Confederacy
during the Civil War?
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Quiz on _________
A former slave who became an abolitionist. Popular Speaker who was out against
slavery and eventually fought for women's rights.
Someone who works to end slavery. The Abolition movement was popular in
churches and politics.
It started as a boundary dispute between Mexico and the U.S. after the
annexation of Texas. Mexico claimed the boundary was the Nueces River and the
U.S. said that it was the Rio Grande. Beliefs in Manifest Destiny also fueled this
war.
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
 Southern border of Texas would be the Rio Grande River
 U.S. would get land from Mexico in exchange for $15 million
U.S. got land to the Pacific Ocean and achieved Manifest Destiny - land would
eventually become all or parts of CA, UT, WY, NM, AZ, NV, and CO
Gold - people that rushed west were called "forty-niners". Over 300,000 people
settled California and this resulted in Indians being removed from their lands.


California became a free state
Territories bought from Mexico would use popular sovereignty to decide
whether or not to have slavery
 Pay Texas for the land taken for the boundary of New Mexico Territory
 A strict Fugitive Slave Law was put into place requiring all states help
return runaway slaves to their owners
 Abolish slave trade in the District of Columbia
A law that repealed the Missouri Compromise that said the Kansas and Nebraska
territories could use popular sovereignty to decide whether to have slaves or be
free territories. Violated the Missouri Compromise and led to a bloody conflict.
A period of bloody conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups in Kansas
and Nebraska.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney ruled that slaves were property and were not
citizens so the Constitution did not protect them.
Last territorial acquisition in the continental U.S. that was purchased for a
southern railroad. Purchased from Mexico for $10 million and is now present-day
southern Arizona and New Mexico.
An abolitionist who led a raid on the federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia in
order to start an armed slave revolt. He was caught and hung. Became a hero in
the North.
States seceded from the Union causing the Civil War
 Lincoln's election caused states to secede
 States' rights
 Slavery
 Economics / tariff
 Way of life
Abraham Lincoln - wanted to keep the U.S. together as a Union
Jefferson Davis
STAAR Study Guide
How do Lincoln's inauguration, the
Gettysburg Address, and Jefferson Davis'
inauguration differ towards liberty,
equality, the union, and government?
Where was the 1st battle of the Civil
War?
Why is the Battle of Antietam significant?
Why was the Battle of Gettysburg
significant?
Why was the Battle of Vicksburg
significant?
Where did the South surrender, ending
the Civil War?
Who was the Commander of the
Confederate Army?
Who was the Commander of the U.S.
Army?
What is the significance of Thomas
"Stonewall " Jackson?
Who is Philip Bazaar?
Who is William Carney?
Who is Hiram Rhodes Revels?
Who is Clara Barton?
What is the Emancipation Proclamation
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Quiz on _________

Lincoln's Inaugural Address
o Appealed for the preservation of the Union
o Called for compromise
o Promised he would not initiate force to maintain the Union or
interfere with slavery in the states in which it already existed
o Promised that the Union would not give up control of federal
territory
 Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
o Reiterated the principles of human equality found in the
Declaration of Independence
o Proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the
Union caused by the secession crisis
o democracy would remain
o Creating a nation in which states' rights were no longer dominant
 Jefferson Davis' inauguration
o Separation from the Union was a necessity, not a choice
o Compared secession to the from the U.S. to the American
Revolution
o Not given the inalienable rights promised to all American people
and sought to fix that, just as the colonists had before them.
o Independence must be pursued, but appeal to arms must be the
last solution
Fort Sumter, South Carolina
First major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Union soil (near
Maryland). It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history.
It was the turning point of the Civil War.
The winner of the battle would control the Mississippi River and therefore control
the flow of supplies up and down the river. The North won.
Appomattox Court House
Robert E. Lee
Ulysses S. Grant - later becomes the 18th President.
Confederate General during the Civil War. Earned the term "Stonewall" during the
Battle of Bull Run. Accidentally shot during a battle and had arm amputated, only
to die a few days later of pneumonia.
Chilean, who was a Navy seaman and was awarded the highest military decoration
for valor in combat during the Civil War. Bazaar bravely entered a fort in the
assault and accompanied his party in carrying dispatches at the height of the
battle.
Slave that escaped through the Underground Railroad in order to enlist as a soldier
during the Civil War. Received the Medal of Honor for saving the American flag
after being wounded during a battle.
Black minister and politician that organized two black regiments during the Civil
War. Senator from Mississippi during Reconstruction.
Woman that founded the American Red Cross during the Civil War. She it was her
duty as a Christian to help the soldiers and is known as the "Angel of the
Battlefield".
A speech made by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed the slaves.
STAAR Study Guide
Which amendment ended slavery?
Which amendment made former slaves
U.S. citizens?
Which amendment gave former male
slaves the right to vote?
What is significant about the legislation
under the Radical Reconstruction
Congress?
What is the Homestead Act?
What is the Dawes Act?
What is the Morrill Act?
What is a primary source?
What is a secondary source?
What is bias?
What years are covered in the 18th
century?
What years are covered in the 17th
century?
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Quiz on _________
13th amendment
14th amendment
15th amendment
Gained almost complete control over policymaking in Congress after the Civil War
and had the power to override any potential vetoes by President Andrew Johnson.
Favored harsh treatment of the South and quick incorporation of the freemen into
citizens including voting rights for all African Americans.
U.S. law enacted after the Civil War during Reconstruction to break a cycle of debt
during. Intended to end sharecropping and tenant farming so that blacks and
whites could afford to buy land. This law was repealed.
In order to assimilate Indians into American society by owning land, the President
of the U.S. could survey Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments for
individual Indians while at the same time giving them U.S. citizenship. Excess lands
could be sold to non-Indians. This law had the opposite effect.
Provided each state with 30,000 acres of Federal land for each member in their
Congressional delegation. The land was then sold by the states and the proceeds
used to fund public colleges that focused on agriculture and the mechanical arts.
A first-hand account of an event. An eyewitness account of what happened.
 Diary / journal
 Photograph
 Original text of a speech
Second-hand information. Something that summarizes what happened.
 Textbook
Showing favoritism or showing your opinion about an issue. Sometimes bias is
subtle and hard to see and sometimes it is obvious.
1700-1799
1800-1899