US History- Semester 1 Study Guide
Name: ________________________period:______
ERA 1: Three Worlds Meet (Pre-Columbian to 1620) - Chapter
1: Three Worlds Meet (Sections 1,2, & 5)
1.1: Comparative characteristics of societies in the Americas, Western Europe, and Western Africa that increasingly interacted after 1450.1.2:
How early European exploration and colonization resulted in cultural and ecological interactions among previously unconnected peoples.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Who are the North American “Three Sisters”?
Were the Americas diverse prior to European contact? Yes or no? explain
Define the purpose of the Treaty of Tordesillas
What is meant by the Columbian Exchange?
List 3 things that were introduced to the Americas by Europeans
List 3 things that were introduced to Europeans by Native Americans
ERA 2: Colonization & Settlement (1585-1763) - Chapter
2: English Colonies Emerge
2.1 Why the Americas attracted Europeans, why they brought enslaved Africans to their colonies, and how Europeans struggled for control of
North America and the Caribbean.2.2 How political, religious, and social institutions emerged in the English colonies2.3: How the values and
institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies, and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the Americas
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
What happened to the colonists at Roanoke?
What year was Jamestown founded?
What role did Captain John Smith play in the development of Jamestown?
What is the true story behind Pocahontas?
Who introduced tobacco to Jamestown colony? Why is this significant?
What is the nickname given to the Middle Colonies? Why?
What European nation originally controlled modern day New York? Which European nation gained control
in 1664?
14. What happened in Salem in 1691?
ERA 3: Revolution & A New Nation (1754-1820) – Chapter 4: The War for Independence/Chapter 6: Launching a
New Nation (#27,#28 section 1,2)
3.1: The causes of the American Revolution, the ideas and interests involved in forging the revolutionary movement, and the reasons for the
American victory 3.2: The impact of the American Revolution on politics, economy, and society 3.3: The institutions and practices of
government created during the Revolution and how they were revised between 1787 and 1815 to create the foundation of the American
political system based on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
How did the Sugar Act cause tension between colonists and Britain?
How did the colonists respond to the Stamp Act and the Townsend Acts?
What was the cause of the Boston Massacre? How many people died?
How did colonists respond to the passage of the Tea Act?
What was the purpose of the Intolerable Acts? What do you think King George III set out to achieve when
he disciplined Massachusetts?
What is considered the first battle of the Revolutionary war?
Who wrote Common Sense and what was this pamphlet about?
Who prepared the final draft of the Declaration of Independence? What does this document state?
What European nation did the American colonies gain their independence from?
Define: Loyalist, Patriot
25.
26.
27.
28.
Why is the Battle of Saratoga considered a turning point in the war?
What was the final battle of the American Revolutionary war? What year did the War end?
List the Three Branches of Government
What are the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution called?
ERA 4: Expansion & Reform (1801-1861)- Chapter 6: Launching a New Nation (section3,4)/ Chapter 7 Section 3:
The Age of Jackson ( #40,-#41)/ Chapter 9: Section 3,4: Expansion in Texas, War with Mexico
4.1: United States territorial expansion between 1801 and 1861, and how it affected relations with external powers and Native
Americans4.2: How the industrial revolution, increasing immigration, the rapid expansion of slavery, and the westward movement changed the
lives of Americans and led toward regional tensions 4.3: The extension, restriction, and reorganization of political democracy after 1800
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
Who was elected President in the year 1800?
How much money did Thomas Jefferson originally offer Napoleon for the Louisiana territory?
What is the significance of the Louisiana Purchase? What year did this transaction take place?
List the two reasons Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis & Clark on their expedition
How long did the Lewis & Clark expedition last? What was significance of the Lewis & Clark expedition?
List two causes of the War of 1812
List the two countries that fought during the War of 1812
In your own words, explain what happened as the British troops descended upon Washington D.C.
List two things Dolly Madison “saved” before she fled Washington D.C.
What happened on December, 1814?
Which President authorized the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830? What impact did this
legislation have on Native American tribes living in the south?
Identify: Trail of Tears
The Mexican government originally welcomed _______________ into _____________ territory.
List the three conditions the Mexican Government placed on American settlers in Texas.
The __________________was established in 1836. A free, independent nation neither under American or
Mexican rule.
Who coined the term “manifest destiny” in 1845?
Why did President Polk send John Slidell to Mexico? What was the Mexican response?
Mexican officials insisted BORDER with U.S. was located at _____________
Polk insisted border was located at ___________________
What was the official cause of the Mexican –American War? What year did the war begin? What year did
it end?
Why did Irish immigrants switch sides during the Mexica-American war (from U.S. Army to Mexican
Army)?
List 2 things agreed upon during the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
What was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California in 1848-1849?
U.S. History – Semester I Timeline –Match the event to its corresponding year.
A. The Louisiana Purchase B. Jamestown 1st colony is founded C. The Revolutionary war begins
D. The Declaration of Independence in signed E. Christopher Columbus Sails the ocean blue
1._____________ 1492
2.___________ 1607
3.___________1775
4.___________1776
5.___________1803
A. The Gold Rush begins in California B. the Indian Removal Act is passed
B. The Mexican-American War D. The Trail of Tears E. The War of 1812
1.____________ 1812-1814
2.____________1830
3.____________1838
4._____________1846-1848
5._____________1849