American History I Final Exam Review
The following items, taken in sets of 25 from each unit of the course, are critical to know for the
final exam. Review your old study guides for additional important information.
Unit 1 (Colonization of America)
1. Agricultural Revolution—when people could raise crops for food, civilizations began to
grow
2. Columbian Exchange—transfer of plants, animals, diseases, etc. between the “Old World”
and “New World,” starting in 1492
3. Fall of the Spanish Armada—this opened America to be settled by England, not just Spain
4. Southern colonies—had a warm, fertile environment and economy based on agriculture,
especially tobacco
5. Jamestown—the first English settlement in America, located in Virginia, almost collapsed
during the “starving time”
6. Tobacco—saved Jamestown from collapse, it was initially harvested by indentured
servants and later by slaves
7. House of Burgesses—the first representative government in the colonies, located in
Jamestown, Virginia
8. Headright System—gave wealthy planters land for bringing indentured servants to
America, but helped cause Bacon’s Rebellion
9. Indentured Servants—worked for wealthy planters 4-7 years in exchange for transportation
to America
10. Bacon’s Rebellion—caused wealthy southern planters to turn from indentured servants to
slaves as a source of labor
11. New England colonies—valued religion, had a cold, rocky climate, and had economy
based on fishing and shipbuilding
12. Mayflower Compact—agreement between Pilgrims at Plymouth to create a government
that used majority rule
13. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut—the first written constitution in the American
colonies, it foreshadowed the United States Constitution
14. Massachusetts Bay colony—founded as a place for Puritans to practice their religion and
be a “city upon a hill,” a Christian example to the world
15. Roger Williams—forced to leave Massachusetts Bay because he disagreed with Puritan
leaders and believed in freedom of religion
16. King Philip’s War—fought largely over desire for land, this victory for colonists
represented the last resistance of Native Americans in New England
17. Quakers—non-violent religious group in Middle colonies that believed in religious
freedom and equality between races, sexes, and with Native Americans
18. Triangular Trade—network of trade that occurred between the Caribbean (West Indies),
Africa, and the American colonies
19. Mercantilism—a country’s policy to gather more wealth to itself and become powerful,
which England used with the colonies
20. Navigation Acts—mercantilist laws that controlled colonial trade to benefit England that
caused many colonists to smuggled, creating tension
21. Great Awakening—time period of religious revival in the English colonies in the 1700s
22. The Enlightenment—movement that emphasized science, reason, logic, and natural
rights; many of its ideas helped cause the American Revolution
23. John Locke—Enlightenment thinker who wrote about natural rights—life, liberty, and
property
24. Compact Theory—the idea that if government does not protect its citizens’ natural rights,
they have a right to abolish it
25. Zenger Trial—newspaper editor is found not guilty after criticizing the government,
setting precedent for freedom of the press
Unit 2 (American Revolution and the Creation of the United States)
1. Declining colonial loyalty to England—caused by non-English immigration, fewer
English-born Americans, the Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, and English policies after
the French and Indian War
2. French and Indian War—expensive war that changed England’s relationship with the
colonies after it led to the passage of higher taxes and regulations
3. Albany Plan of Union—represented the first time the colonies considered joining together,
happened during French and Indian War
4. Salutary neglect—this English “hands off” approach to the American colonies ended after
the French and Indian War and raised tension
5. Proclamation of 1763—this law stated colonists could not pass the Appalachian Mountains
after Pontiac’s Rebellion
6. Quartering Act—law requiring American colonists to house and feed British troops
7. Stamp Act—first direct tax on colonists that applied to most printed materials, leading to
protests
8. Sons of Liberty—vigilante group formed against the Stamp Act that held protests and
terrorized tax collectors
9. Nonimportation agreements—action of colonists in which they boycotted British products
10. “No Taxation without Representation”—slogan of colonists that felt England could not
tax them if they were not given a voice in government
11. Boston Massacre—killing of five Boston colonists by British troops after the Townshend
Acts had raised tension
12. Boston Tea Party—event in which colonists reacted to the Tea Act by dumping British
tea into the Boston Harbor
13. Intolerable Acts—Britain’s response to the Boston Tea Party that involved more British
troops and shutting down the Boston Harbor
14. Lexington and Concord—the “shot heard ‘round the world,” considered the first battles
of the American Revolution
15. Second Continental Congress—group of colonial delegates that tried to reconcile with
England but ultimately declared independence
16. Thomas Paine—wrote Common Sense, which convinced many Americans that
independence from Britain was necessary
17. Olive Branch Petition—last-ditch effort of Second Continental Congress to make peace
with England, rejected by King George III after the Battle of Bunker Hill
18. Declaration of Independence—document asserted that Britain had violated the natural
rights of the colonists and no longer had authority over the colonists
19. Battle of Saratoga—turning point battle of the American Revolution that convinced
France to help the United States
20. Battle of Yorktown—last major battle of the American Revolution and a victory for the
United States
21. Treaty of Paris of 1783—ended the American Revolution and recognized the United
States’ independence
22. Abigail Adams—wife of John Adams who pushed for women’s rights by asking her
husband to “remember the ladies”
23. Articles of Confederation—first constitution of the United States that created a weak
confederate government
24. Northwest Ordinance—law passed to organize land into territories and states and banned
slavery in the Northwest Territory
25. Shays’ Rebellion—violent outbreak that exposed the weakness of the Articles of
Confederation and led to their replacement
Unit 3 (Early United States through the War of 1812)
1. The Federalist Papers—essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John
Jay to gain support for the Constitution
2. Federalism—dividing government into federal and state levels; caused tension that later
led to the Civil War
3. Tariff—tax on imports that protected American businesses and funded the government, but
was hated by the South
4. Hamilton’s Financial Plan—created a Bank of the United States, covered state debts,
created tariffs, and put excise taxes on citizens
5. Federalist Party—led by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong federal government, and
supported the Bank of the United States
6. Democratic-Republican Party—led by Thomas Jefferson, wanted stronger state
governments, and opposed the Bank of the United States
7. Whiskey Rebellion—violent outbreak stopped by President Washington, proving the
strength of the Constitution
8. Neutrality—Washington’s foreign policy that said the United States should not get
involved in world affairs
9. Jay’s Treaty—agreement with Britain that allowed impressment to continue and angered
Americans
10. Pinckney’s Treaty—agreement with Spain that gave the United States ACCESS to the
Mississippi River and New Orleans
11. Washington’s Farewell Address—Washington’s message to Americans promoting
neutrality and warning against political parties and sectionalism
12. Sectionalism—loyalty to needs of region rather than country, existed between North and
South, and later led to the Civil War
13. XYZ Affair—incident where French officials demanded bribes from Americans and
caused the Quasi-War
14. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions—argued that the Alien and Sedition Acts were
unconstitutional and should be nullified
15. Nullification—idea that states could cancel federal laws, caused tension that later led to
the Civil War
16. Election of 1800—this “revolution” was a peaceful transition of power from Federalists
to Democratic-Republicans, showing the Constitution worked
17. Marbury v. Madison—established judicial review, the power of the Supreme Court to
determine if laws are constitutional
18. Louisiana Purchase—action by Jefferson, not authorized by the Constitution, that
doubled the size of the country and gave OWNERSHIP of the Mississippi River and New
Orleans
19. Lewis and Clark Expedition—mission to explore the Louisiana Territory and seek a
water route to the Pacific Ocean
20. Chesapeake Affair—event in which American resisted British impressment and were
attacked, raising tension with Britain
21. Embargo Act of 1807—action by Jefferson that stopped trade with Europe to avoid
impressment but hurt the American economy
22. Tecumseh—Native American who allied with Britain after the United States violated
Treaty of Greenville
23. War of 1812—military conflict between America and Britain that was the result of
impressment, conflict with Native Americans, and the election of war hawks
24. Battle of New Orleans—major victory in the War of 1812 that created nationalism and
made Andrew Jackson a hero
25. Hartford Convention—meeting of Federalists to criticize the War of 1812, which made
them look unpatriotic and “killed” the party
Unit 4 (The Era of Good Feelings and the Return of Sectionalism)
1. Antebellum Period—time period in American history before the Civil War
2. Nationalism—feeling of strong patriotism, was high during the Era of Good Feelings and
overshadowed sectionalism
3. Era of Good Feelings—time of nationalism and economic growth in the United States after
the War of 1812
4. Hudson River School—group of American landscape painters whose work reflected
nationalism
5. John Marshall—Supreme Court chief justice whose rulings reflected nationalism and
strengthened the federal government’s power
6. McCulloch v. Maryland—said states could not tax the Bank of the United States,
increasing the federal government’s power
7. Gibbons v. Ogden—strengthened the federal government’s power by saying it controlled
interstate commerce
8. Adams-Onis Treaty—agreement with Spain that gave Florida to the United States
9. Monroe Doctrine—foreign policy that declared the Americas off-limits to European
powers
10. American System—Henry Clay’s economic plan to create a NATIONAL economy that
could also expand west
11. Internal Improvements—roads, canals, and railroads whose construction helped develop
the national economy
12. Steel plow and mechanical reaper—inventions that encouraged farmers to build larger
farms in the West
13. Cotton gin—invention that made cotton profitable and increased the South’s need for
slavery
14. First Industrial Revolution—occurred before the Civil War, involved growth of factories,
textiles, cities, and immigration in the North
15. Erie Canal—connected western New York farms with eastern cities, increasing western
settlement
16. Market Revolution—development of a NATIONAL interdependent economy based on
new inventions, transportation, and industrialization
17. Urbanization—growth of cities caused by industrialization and immigration but led to
overcrowding, crime, and sanitation issues
18. Lowell Mill System—textile mills that employed, housed, and heavily controlled young
female workers
19. Cotton Kingdom—nickname for the South that reflected that its economy was based on
slaves and cotton
20. Slave codes—laws meant to keep slaves in control by restricting their freedom,
education, and ability to assemble
21. Sectionalism—increased due to debate over slavery and westward expansion, increased
federal power, and competing visions for the country
22. Missouri Compromise—created by Henry Clay to keep slave and free states equal and
reduce sectionalism as the country expanded west
23. Corrupt Bargain—Andrew Jackson’s term for the Election of 1824 because he felt John
Quincy Adams and Henry Clay stole the election
24. Universal White Male Suffrage—expansion of voting to poorer classes that led to more
election participation, campaigning, and mudslinging
25. Election of 1828—won by Andrew Jackson due to universal white male suffrage,
ushering in the “Era of the Common Man”
Unit 5 (The Jacksonian Era)
1. Era of the Common Man—time period in which average citizens had more influence in
politics, religion, and reform
2. Spoils system—started by President Jackson, this practice awarded government job in
exchange for political loyalty, not merit
3. Alexis de Tocqueville—wrote “Democracy in America,” commenting on the equality he
saw between different classes in America
4. Nullification Crisis—event in which South Carolina challenged the federal government’s
“Tariff of Abominations, ” causing President Jackson to threaten force
5. Webster-Hayne Debates—series of talks in the Senate over whether or not states could
nullify federal laws
6. Indian Removal Act—law passed during Jackson’s presidency that authorized moving of
Native Americans west of the Mississippi River
7. Worchester v. Georgia—Supreme Court case giving Cherokee the right to stay on their
land but ignored by President Jackson, leading to the “Trail of Tears”
8. The Bank War—event in which President Jackson eventually killed the Bank of the United
States by putting its money in state “pet banks”
9. Old Immigrants—mainly Germans and Irish who came to America during the Antebellum
Period who experienced nativism
10. Nativism—feeling of strong hostility toward foreigners
11. Know-Nothing Party—formally the “American Party,” it formed due to nativism mainly
toward Catholic immigrants
12. Second Great Awakening—movement that gave the “common man” more influence in
religion and motivated people to reform “sins” in society
13. Mormons—religious group founded by Joseph Smith, then led by Brigham Young west
to escape religious persecution
14. Transcendentalism—philosophical movement that opposed materialism and emphasized
intuition and nature
15. Utopian communities—groups such as Brook Farm, the Shakers, and Oneida that formed
to create ideal societies
16. Dorothea Dix—reformer who sought to improve conditions for the mentally ill
17. Horace Mann—reformer who sought to create public, required, tax-supported education
18. Temperance—reform movement that sought to reduce alcohol consumption in the United
States
19. Separate spheres—idea that men and women have specific roles in society where men
work outside the home and women raise families inside the home
20. Seneca Falls Convention—led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this event started the
organized women’s rights movement in the United States
21. Abolitionism—reform movement that sought to IMMEDIATELY end slavery in the
ENTIRE United States
22. William Lloyd Garrison—white abolitionist who started the newspaper, The Liberator,
promoting violence if necessary to end slavery
23. Frederick Douglass—black abolitionist who wrote a famous autobiography and promoted
using politics and government to end slavery
24. Harriet Tubman—famous “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, an informal
organization that smuggled slaves out of the South
25. Nat Turner’s Rebellion—event in which a slave preacher killed over 50 whites, leading to
stricter slave codes
Unit 6 (Tension between the Mexican-American War and the Civil War)
1. Manifest Destiny—idea that Americans had a God-given right to conquer and civilize
North America
2. Annexation of Texas—action that increased tension over slavery and also created tension
with Mexico
3. Fifty-four Forty or Fight—slogan of Americans who wanted the entire Oregon Territory
and did not want to share it with Britain
4. Mexican-American War—conflict that brought new land into the United States and
increased tension over slavery
5. Wilmot Proviso—failed idea to make land won in the Mexican-American War free from
slavery
6. Popular Sovereignty—idea of letting states decide on slavery for themselves, failed in
Kansas
7. Free-Soil Party—political group that formed to keep slavery from expanding west
8. California Gold Rush—this eventually caused tension over slavery because it led to
California requesting to become a free state
9. Compromise of 1850—created by Henry Clay, it admitted California as a free state and
created the Fugitive Slave Act
10. Fugitive Slave Act—this law increased sectionalism because it forced the North to help
the South return runaway slaves
11. Uncle Tom’s Cabin—this book increased sectionalism because it negatively portrayed
slavery
12. Gadsden Purchase—this act obtained land from northern Mexico in order to build a
transcontinental railroad
13. Kansas-Nebraska Act—law that tried using popular sovereignty in the Midwest and led
to “Bleeding Kansas”
14. Republican Party—political group that formed to oppose the expansion of slavery and
promote business growth
15. Bleeding Kansas—conflict between pro- and anti-slavery people that involved John
Brown and led to the caning of Charles Sumner
16. Dred Scott v. Sandford—Supreme Court case that ruled that slaves were not citizens and
that slavery could not be banned in the West
17. Lincoln-Douglas Debates—series of public discussions that increased Abraham Lincoln’s
popularity
18. Raid on Harpers Ferry—John Brown’s failed attempt to start an armed slave rebellion
19. Election of 1860—event that made Abraham Lincoln president and caused southern
states to start seceding from the United States
20. Fort Sumter—site where Confederate forces attacked a federal fort, which started the
Civil War and caused upper South states to secede
21. Border States—President Lincoln sometimes “stretched” the Constitution to keep these
states from seceding, especially Maryland
22. Federal power—sectionalism over this issue involved states’ rights and nullification and
led to the Civil War
23. Vision for Country—sectionalism over this issue involved the North desiring a
manufacturing economy and the South desiring a slavery-based economy, leading to the
Civil War
24. Westward Expansion—sectionalism over this issue involved whether or not slavery could
exist in new states, leading to the Civil War
25. Preservation of the Union—this was President Lincoln’s primary purpose for the Civil
War
Unit 7 (The Civil War and Reconstruction)
1. Anaconda Plan—North’s strategy to win the Civil War by blockading the southern coast
and capturing the Mississippi River to cut off trade
2. New York Draft Riots—violent outbreak of mainly Irish immigrants who resented
conscription and free blacks
3. Battle of Bull Run—first battle of the Civil War, won by the South, and showed the war
would be long and bloody
4. Battle of Antietam—this battle caused Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation
Proclamation and make England lean against helping the Confederacy
5. Emancipation Proclamation—said that slavery in rebelling states was over, which boosted
northern morale and kept England from helping the Confederacy
6. Siege of Vicksburg—turning point in the Western Theater, this helped capture the
Mississippi River and split the Confederacy
7. Battle of Gettysburg—turning point in the Eastern Theater and biggest battle of the Civil
War that inspired a famous speech from President Lincoln
8. Andersonville—site of Confederate war prison where thousands of POWs died of disease
and starvation
9. Sherman’s March to the Sea—land campaign that split the Confederacy and used “total
war” to destroy everything of value in the South
10. Battle of Appomattox Court House—ended the Civil War with General Lee surrendering
to General Grant
11. 13th Amendment—abolished slavery nationwide
12. 14th Amendment—established black citizenship and equal protection under the law for all
citizens
13. 15th Amendment—established black suffrage
14. Reconstruction—time period in which the federal government readmitted and rebuilt the
South and addressed the issue of freedmen’s rights
15. Radical Republicans—congressmen who wanted to forcibly punish and revolutionize the
South, not reconcile with it
16. Freedmen’s Bureau—federal agency set up to help freedmen adjust to freedom in the
South by providing food, shelter, and education
17. Military Reconstruction Act—law passed by Radical Republicans that placed the South
under military control and forced southern states to respect black rights
18. Andrew Johnson—impeached by Radical Republicans but not convicted, showing that
presidents should not be impeached just for political reasons
19. Carpetbaggers—corrupt northerners who moved south to gain economic and political
influence, helped by southern “scalawags”
20. Ku Klux Klan—secret organization formed to fight against northern influence and black
rights by using intimidation and force
21. Compromise of 1877—political deal that ended Reconstruction so Rutherford Hayes
could become president
22. New South—inaccurate term for the South after the Civil War that described changes
such as industrialization but ignored continued oppression of blacks
23. Sharecropping—system similar to slavery in which blacks farmed land, then shared a
high percentage of the crops with the white land owners
24. Plessy v. Ferguson—Supreme Court case that upheld segregation using the “separate but
equal” argument, preventing true racial equality in the South
25. Disenfranchisement—taking away voting rights, which was done to freedmen through
poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses
Unit 8 (The Beginning of the Gilded Age and Closing of the Western Frontier)
1. Gilded Age—time after the Civil War in which society looked good on the outside but
experienced many problems
2. Second Industrial Revolution—time after the Civil War of high industrial growth, large
factories, new technology, and big businesses led by “captains of industry”
3. John Rockefeller—captain of industry who made money in the oil business with
monopolistic practices
4. Cornelius Vanderbilt—captain of industry who many money in the railroad business,
greatly expanding trade in the United States
5. Andrew Carnegie—captain of industry who made money in the steel business, which was
used to construct railroads and skyscrapers
6. Social Darwinism—idea that applied “survival of the fittest” principles to justify the gap
between rich and poor as natural
7. Chinese Exclusion Act—this law was an example of nativism toward “new” immigrants
and banned Chinese immigration
8. Thomas Nast—he brought down Boss Tweed’s corrupt political machine using political
cartoons
9. Credit Mobilier Scandal—event in which congressmen were bribed to let a railroad
construction company to overcharge and steal taxpayer money
10. Pendleton Act—law that reformed the spoils system after President Garfield was shot for
not giving out a government job
11. Unions—formed by workers who wanted higher pay, fewer work hours, and safer
working conditions
12. Yellow-dog contracts and blacklisting—examples of strategies employers used to restrict
union power
13. Great Railroad Strike of 1877—nationwide event in which workers violently protested
but were stropped by the federal government, hurting union power
14. Robber barons—corrupt businessmen, especially railroad owners who got free land
grants from the government and then overcharged farmers for shipping
15. Homestead Act—law that encouraged settlement in the West by giving settlers 160 acres
of land for $10
16. Transcontinental Railroad—built mostly by Chinese and Irish immigrants, this connected
the West to the East and accelerated settlement
17. Cattle drive—event in which cowboys guided cows to railroads; they were later
slaughtered and transported east on refrigerator cars
18. Barbed wire—invention that led to settlers claiming and fighting over land in the West
19. Buffalo—resource hunted nearly to extinction, which hurt Native Americans and made
them easier to control
20. Reservations—land Native Americans were forced on, where they were separated from
whites and encouraged to behave as Americans
21. Battle of Little Bighorn—Native American victory over General Custer’s troops that led
to increased force from the federal government
22. Chief Joseph—led Nez Perce over 1,500 miles before surrendering with a speech in
which he said, “I will fight no more forever”
23. Dawes Act—failed law that meant to cause Native Americans to assimilate and break up
their tribes by giving them 160 acres of lead each
24. Wounded Knee Massacre—last major Native American resistance to the United States
that involved the death of Sitting Bull and 200 unarmed Native Americans
25. Frontier Thesis—the idea that the West had been a “safety valve” that provided new
opportunity for Americans, but was now closed