U. S. History 1st Semester Study Guide - Chs. 2-12
Create your own study guide that focuses on the following chapters (key events, main
ideas, people, acts, and terms):
Chapter Two:
 Section Two – English Settlement at Jamestown
 Section Three – Puritan New England
Chapter Three:
 Section One – England and Its Colonies
 Section Three – The Commercial North
 Section Four – The French & Indian War
Chapter Four:
 Section One – The Stirrings of Rebellion
 Section Two – Ideas Help Start a Revolution
 Section Three – Struggling Toward Saratoga
Chapter Five: Shaping a New Nation
 Section One – Experimenting with Confederation
 Section Two – Drafting the Constitution
 Section Three – Ratifying the Constitution
o For this chapter look at what was right and what was wrong with the
Articles of Confederation, know what was meant by the Great
Compromise, what was and what was the significance of: Shays
Rebellion, the Bills of Rights and Checks & Balances, know the difference
between anti-federalist and federalist.
Chapter Six: Launching the New Nation
 Section Two - Foreign Affairs Trouble the Nation
 Section Three – Jefferson Alters the Nation’s Course
 Section Four – The War of 1812
o For this chapter what was and the significance of : the Whiskey Rebellion
and Marbury v. Madison; know about Tecumseh and what he tried to do;
War of 1812: know who, what why, when and where, also the British did.
o Essay: compare and contrast the presidencies of John Adams and
Thomas Jefferson. Look at the economy, supreme court, foreign and
domestic policy
Chapter Seven: Balancing Nationalism and Sectionalism
 Section Two – Nationalism at Center Stage
 Section Four – States’ Rights and the National Bank
o For this chapter what was and what is the significance of: the Monroe
Doctrine, the Tariff of Abominations, the factory system, and the Whig
Party; Look at the Presidency of Andrew Jackson (spoils system, pet
banks); Look at John C. Calhoun and what he supported (2 things).
o Essay: describe two factors of feelings of Nationalism and two factors of
feelings of Sectionalism. Make sure you know the difference.
Chapter Nine: Expanding Markets & Moving West
 Section Two – Manifest Destiny
 Section Three – Expansion in Texas
 Section Four – The War with Mexico
o Know what “54-40 or fight”! refers to; the events leading up to the
annexation of Texas; Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; what were the effects
of the Mexican-American War on Mexico
o Essay: What factors lead to economic growth in the U.S. between 18201850? Which of the factors do you think were most important and why.
Look at the development and advances of technology, transportation and
communication.
Chapter Ten: The Union in Peril
 Section One – Divisive Politics of Slavery
 Section Two – Protest, Resistance, and Violence
 Section Three – Birth of Republican Party
 Section Four – Slavery and Secession
o What was and what was the significance of: the Compromise of 1850,
Wilmot Proviso, Fugitive Slave Act, Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Southern
Economy, John Brown, Lincoln’s position on slavery and the 1856
presidential election (results and effects)
Chapter Eleven: The Civil War
 Section Two – The Politics of War
 Section Four – The North Takes Charge
 Section Five – The Legacy of the War
o What was and what is the significance of: Habeas Corpus, Re-election of
1864, Union Strategy, Confederate Strategy, Battle of Gettysburg,
Emancipation Proclamation and the strategy of Union Generals Grant and
Sherman.
o Essay: Discuss the course of the Civil War from its beginnings in 1861 to
its conclusion in 1865. What strategies did each side use? What finally
brought the war to an end? In your discussion, identify at least three key
battles and explain why they were significant. (strategies and leaders on
both sides might help here).
Chapter Twelve: Reconstruction and its Effects
 Section One – The Politics of Reconstruction
 Section Two – The Collapse Reconstruction
o What is and what was the significance of: the 14th Amendment, Radical
Republicans, Reconstruction Act of 1867, Lincoln’s plan of reconstruction,
President Johnson’s plan of Reconstruction. Who was Hiram Revels and
why is he important, Where did the Democratic Party get its support,
Republican governments had trouble with whom and who sent troops into
the south and why.
o Essay: Summarize the changes that occurred in the lives of former
slaves during Reconstruction. How did they begin to take control of their
lives? How did they take advantage of their new rights? What obstacles
stood in the way of their achieving economic and political advances?
(look at sharecropping, family life and education and political participation)