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Feb 17, 1215
Magna Carta
A charter of liberties to which the English barons forced King John to give his assent in June 1215. -
Mar 4, 1394
Prince Henry the Navigator
Important figure in 15th century Portuguese politics and started the first school for oceanic navigation. He sent many expiditions down Africa's west coast, but didn't go on them himself. They were sent to create maps, to spread religion, and to establish trade routes. -
May 17, 1440
Middle Passage
The stage of the triangular trade in which millions of Africans were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade -
May 16, 1470
Montezuma
Aztec emperor. Gave Cortes gold. Aztecs stoned him to death -
Dec 4, 1476
Renaissance
a period of rebirth in Europe from the 14th to 17th century after the plague that was considered the bridge between the middle ages and modern history -
May 16, 1500
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, colonizer and citizen of the Republic of Genoa. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean -
Aug 16, 1500
Mestizo
Term traditionally used in Spain and Spanish America to mean a person of combined European and Amerindian descent. -
Dec 2, 1500
Hernan Cortes
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland. -
Dec 16, 1500
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route connecting the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. -
Jun 16, 1550
Columbian Exchange
Refers to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds. Exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life -
Aug 16, 1550
Presidio
A presidio is a fortified base established by the Spanish in areas under their control or influence. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile Native Americans, and colonists from enemy nations -
Cabinet
A body of advisers to the president, composed of the heads of the executive departments of the government. -
John Smith
John Smith, Admiral of New England, was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, and his friend Mózes Székely -
Conquistadors
a conqueror, especially one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century. -
House of Burgesses
the first democratically-elected legislative body in the British American colonies -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the first English Separatists, known today as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth to the New World in 1620 -
Puritan
Puritans were a group of English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England from all Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England was only partially reformed. -
Habeus Corpus
A legal action by which one of detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment. -
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -
English Bill of Rights
A British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1689 that declared the rights and liberties of the people and settling the succession in William and Mary following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. -
mercantilism
Emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. It was heavily influenced by 17th-century philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, and Newton, and its prominent exponents include Kant, Goethe, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Adam Smith. -
Salutary Neglect
British Crown policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep American colonies obedient to England. -
Joint Stock Co.
A joint-stock company is a business entity where different stocks can be bought and owned by shareholders. -
Alexander Hamiliton
A Founding Father of the United States, chief staff aide to General George Washington, one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution. -
Migrate
Europeans moved/migrated to the America's -
Adobe
Native American homes -
Iroquois League
Allies with William Pitt. The 5 Iroquios nations including the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. Then in 1772 the Tuscarora joined. -
Tariff
A tariff is a tax on imports or exports. Alex Hamiliton urged to raises taxes. Without tariffs the new world might be broke. -
Loose Constuction
A broad interpretation of a statute or document by a court. Without these documents we have no freedom. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during the presidency of George Washington. -
Cotton Gin
A cotton engine that helped Southern farmers sell short stable cotton, invented by Eli Whitney so farmers in the South can profit from short staple cotton. -
Alien and Sedition Act
Four bills passed by the Federalist dominated 5th United States Congress, and signed into law by Federalist President John Adams in 1798. -
Judicial Review
The doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with judicial review power may invalidate laws and decisions that are incompatible with a higher authority, such as the terms of a written constitution. -
Marybury v. Madison
Alandmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court formed the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the Constitution. -
Louisiana Purchase
A land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
Enlightement
Historians and theologians identify three or four waves of increased religious enthusiasm occurring between the early 18th century and the late 19th century. -
Impressment
"The press" or the "press gang", refers to the act of taking men into a navy by force and with or without notice. Navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. -
War Hawks
A person who clamors for war, especially a jingoistic American favoring war with Britain Stood up against war and against our greatest enemies -
Hartford Convention
A series of meetings from December 15, 1814 – January 5, 1815 in Hartford, Connecticut, in which the New England Federalist met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 and the political problems arising from the federal government's. -
Treaty of Ghent
Signed on December 24, 1814 in the city of Ghent, was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. -
Missouri Compromise
An effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. -
Lone Star Republic
Chamber of Commerce, Huntsville, TX. Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas. At the time Spain granted independence to Mexico in 1821, the land now comprising the state of Texas was very sparsely populated. -
Monroe Doctrine
A U.S. foreign policy regarding domination of the American continent in 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention -
American System
This system consisted of three mutually reenforcing parts, a tariff to protect and promote American industry, national bank to foster commerce, and federal subsidies for roads, canals, and other "internal improvements" to develop profitable markets for agriculture. -
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a canal in New York that originally ran about 363 miles from Albany, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, at Lake Erie. It was built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. -
Henry Clay
An American lawyer, politician, and skilled orator who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. He served three non-consecutive terms as Speaker of the House of Representatives and was also Secretary of State from 1825 to 1829 -
Jacksonian Democracy
Jacksonian democracy is the political movement during the Second Party System toward greater democracy for the common man symbolized by American politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters. -
Interchangeable Parts
They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type. -
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States. He was born near the end of the colonial era, somewhere near the then-unmarked border between North and South Carolina. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress on May 28, 1830, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The law authorized the president to negotiate with southern Indian tribes for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their ancestral homelands. -
Nullification
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis in 1832–33, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, which involved a confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government. -
Abolition Movement
Was designed to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican War (1846-48). Soon after the war began. -
California Gold Rush
A period in American history which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. -
Treaty of Guadalupe
Entitled the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits and Settlement between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic, is the peace treaty signed on February 2, 1848. -
Seneca Falls
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention. It advertised itself as "a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman". Held in Seneca Falls, New York, it spanned two days over July 19–20, 1848. -
Utopian Community
A community or society possessing highly desirable or near perfect qualities. The word was coined by Sir Thomas More in Greek for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean -
Popular Soverighty
The sovereignty of the people's rule is the principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives. -
Bull Run
There were approximately 30,000 Union soldiers and 30,000 Confederate soldiers. It took place in Bull Run, Virginia. Ended in a Confederate victory. After the battle, Abe Lincoln replaced Gen. McDowell with Maj, Gen. McClellan. Thre were 4000 casualties between the two after the first battle, but over 18,000 after the second battle. The Union blamed themselves and each other for the loss, while the South gained another morale boost. -
The Battle of Shiloh
The replacement generals brought over 23,000 more troops to the fight and with their combined forces, they forced the Confederates back and reconquered all the land they had lost the previous day. The Union had forces well over 20,000 more than the Confederates and had only 3,000 more casualties than the confederates(10,700). Lasted until April 7th. -
Batttle of Antietam
A battle between the Union and the Confederacy in Maryland near a creek called Antietam. McClellan found Lee's battle orders prior to the battle and was given an advantage. Lasted until September 18 and ended in a draw. -
Battle of Fredricksburg
Lasted until December 15. Ended in a Confederate victory. The Union consisted of over 100,000 soldiers while the Confederstes only had a little over 70,000. The Union suffered more than 12,000 casualties, but the Confederates only suffered 5,000 casualties. General Burnside was relieved of his command a month after. This win was a huge morale boost for the South. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Lasted until May 6 1863. The Confederates won and there were approximately 1600 casualties on each side, and was considered the bloodiest battle of it's time. The Confederates found Hazel Grove and were given an advantage due to the higher ground. -
Battle of Vicksburg
Casualties totaled 37,000 with 4,800 for the Union and around 33,000 for the Confederacy -
Battle of Gettysburg
Only battle fought in the North, There were a high amount of casualties with over 3,000 Union casualties. Marched and fought in a two-rank line. Used Pickett's charge, an order from Confederate general Robert E. Lee. This battle ended a few days later on July 3rd -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Lasted until December 21. The idea was to frighten Georgia's civillian population. It was a 285 mile journey and weren't trying to destroy anything along their journey, but would burn the barns of people who fought back. 10,000 defending soldiers fled, giving the North an easy win and destroying the Souths morale -
Cash Crops
An agricultural crop which is grown for sale to return a profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. -
Strict Construction
In the United States, strict constructionism refers to a particular legal philosophy of judicial interpretation that limits or restricts judicial interpretation. -
Elizabeth Stanton
An American suffragist, social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early women's rights movement. Her Declaration of Sentiments, presented at the Seneca Falls Convention held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. Stanton was president of the National Woman Suffrage Association from 1892 until 1900. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century enslaved people of African descent in the United States in efforts to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. -
Bacon's Rebellion
An armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.
