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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
An English rebellion against King John due to the heavy taxation and foreign policies created this document in which limited the power of the king. This document created the foundation for the English system of common law. -
Salutary Neglect
The unofficial policy in which the British enforced upon the colonies that meant to keep colonial allegiance while allowing Britain to foucus on European policies. This caused the American Revolutionary War because the colonies were frightened and panicing without Britain until they discovered that they could become their own country. -
Plantation System
A term describing the division of land into smaller units under private ownership in which started in Virginia and spread to the New England colonies. Tobacco, rice, sugar cane, and cotton were all products of this system and the work done to produce these goods were very labour intensive. -
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English Civil War
Caused by conflict between Charles I and Parliament over an Irish insurrection in which the first portion was settled with Cromwell's victory for the Parliament at the Battle of Naseby in 1645. The second section was settled with Charles' defeat and was executed in 1649. -
Navigation Acts
A series of laws were created in order to restrict trade using foreign ships between Britain and the colonies. These acts were created in an attempt to regulate trade and for England to collect taxes. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Known as a rebellion by the settlers of Virginia in which were led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of William Berkley who was the governor. Berkley had failed to garuntee the safety of the colonists so the colonists restricted Bacon's trade eith the Native Americans as a way to inspire others to fight for their safety. -
Glorious Revolution
A union of English Parliamentarians along with the Dutch stadholder William III of Orange overthrew King James II of England, VII of Scotland, and II of Ireland. This event created the ida of powerful parliament over the monarchy. -
Great Awakening
Religious revival within the British American colonies. It concerned Protestanats and Roman Catholics within England and it spread in to the colonies with the migration and settlement of the former British. -
Enclosure Movement
A movement in which was created to create a balanced system by taking all land in which was formerly owned by all citizens and seperated them into multiple sections. This was successfull because this plan included walls and fences as well as transformed this land into privately owned land. -
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French and Indian War
War fought between Great Britain and France and is also known as the Seven Years' War. This war caused great territorial gains for Great Britain within North America but also caused discontent within the colonies. -
Industrial Revolution
Time period in which rural socities in Europe and America became industrial and urban. This event marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories, and mass production. Systems of transportation, banking, and communication were greatly improved due to this revolution. -
Committees of Correspondence
Formed throughout the colonies in order to plan future actions against Great Britain before the Revolutionary War. This organization represented the leading men of each colony and was very similar to the Sons of Liberty as well as other governmental associations. -
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American Revolution
This war began in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and was an effect of the tensions between Great Britain and the colonies due to taxation without representation. France entered this war on the side of the colonists in order to help them be successful as well as build an alliance. -
Constitutional Convention
Met in Philadelphia in order to address the problems with the old and weak Constitution. Over the course of 2 years, a new Constitution was created as well as a very much improved federal system that made the lifes of Americans much more equal and fair. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The second Continental Congress created and supported a government for the northwest territory as well as a system for admitting new states into the country. This event also provided a new bill of rights for the northwest teritory that would run the inhabitant's lifes and government. -
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Geroge Washington
He was within the Federalist party and was one of the founding-fathers of the United States as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. -
Judiciary Act of 1789
This act was signed by President George Washington and is also known as " An Act to Establish the Judiciary Courts of the United States. This act also created the position of attorney general as well as built the structure for the federal court system. -
Hamiltonian Policy
An economic plan proposed by Alexander Hamilton in which created a centralized bank, imposed trade tarrifs, and had the federal government assume all of the states' debt. This policy created the political party known as the whigs and soon transformed into the republican party. -
Whiskey Rebellion
This rebellion threatened the stability of the United States and forced President Washington to lead the United States miltia westward in order to stop the rebels. This rebellion was caused by a tax on whiskey in which was proposed by Alexander Hamilton. -
Bill of Rights
A collection of the first 10 amendments in which were ratified on December 15, 1791 and states all the basic rights that every American citizen will be granted. The Bill of Rights is also kn own as the original amendments and were proposed due to the fear of the anti-federalists. -
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John Adams
This president was a member of the Federalist party as well as a Founding Father and lead America into independence from Great Britain. -
Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798
These acts consisted of four laws that were passed by Congress and were signed by President John Adams. These acts restricted speech against the government and increased the requirement to become a citizen from five years to fourteen years. -
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Thomas Jefferson
He was a part of the Democratic-Republican party and was also a Founding Father as well as an author of the Declaration of Independence. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased 828,000 square miles from France. Soon after the land was obtained, the United States sent Lewis and Clark to lead the Corps of Discovery Expedition. -
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James Madison
A member of the Democratic-Republican party and was also a political theorist. -
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War of 1812
The United States took on Great Britain because of the British attempts to restrict U.S.trade as well as America's desire to expand it's territory. The Treaty of Ghent was ratified on Feburary 17, 1815 and ended the War. -
Protective Tarrif
The Tariff of 1816 is known as the first passed by Congress in which was created to protect U.S. manufactured items from foreign competition. In order to protect U.S. goods, this tariff places a tax on imported items from foreign countries. -
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James Monroe
He was a member of the Democratic-Republican party as well as the last Founding Father and President from the Virginian dynasty. -
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John Quincy Adams
A member of the Democratic-Republican party and also served as a Senator and a member within the House of Representatives. -
Tariff of 1828
Passed by the Congress of the United States, this tariff was a protective tariff and was intended to protect industry within the north. The results of this tariff raised the cost of an average life in the south because of the new tax put on foreign goods. -
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Andrew Jackson
He was a member of the Democrat party and had a goal as to represent the common man while holding the position as president. -
Telegraph
Developed by Samuel Morse as well as other inventors in which revolutionized long-distance communication by transmitting electrical signals through a wire. Samuel Morse also invented a code known as Morse Code in order for people to learn and use to communicate through the telegraph. -
Texas Revolution
This revolution began with the Battle of Gonzales in 1835 and ended with the battle of San Jactino in 1836. Colonists of early America had misunderstood the Mexicans and had hoped to take over the Texas territory. -
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Martin Van Buren
He was a member of the Free-Soil Party and the Democratic-Republican Party and he was also an American politician. -
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William Henry Harrison
He was a member of the Whig party and was the first Presidnet to die in office as well as the last President born as a British subject. -
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John Tyler
He was an independent politician and became the 10th President whenthe current Presidnet, Wlliam Henry Harrison, died in 1841. -
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James K. Polk
He was a member of the Democratic party and was not very well known as a President, although some people believed he provoked the war with Mexico. -
Manifest Destiny
A phrase in which encouraged the idea of territorial expansion within the United States and was an indirect cause of the Mexican-American war. This quote first appeared in a magazine known as the United States Magazine and Democratic Review. -
Mexican War
This war was fought between America and Mexico and took place on Mexican land. The cause of this war was the desire for expansion of the United States and it ended in 1848. -
Free Soil Party
Political party active within the United States during the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections and was founded in Buffalo, New York. This party was created during the pre-Civil War time period in order to oppose the spreading of slavery into the western territories -
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Zachary Taylor
He was a member of the Whig Party and served in the United States Army as Major General before his presidency. -
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Millard Fillmore
He was a member of the Whig Party and is the last president to not have any affiliation with the Democratic or Republican Parties. -
Compromise of 1850
Composed of five different laws that concerned the issue and debate over slavery. The compromise was proposed by Henry Clay after California requested to join the Union as a free state in which caused an inbalance between the slave and free states. -
Fugitive Slave Act
A set of federal laws in which allowed the capture and return of runaway slaves within the United States. This act created very harsh punishments to anyone whom interfered with their capture and return. -
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Franklin Pierce
He was a member of the Democrat Party and saw the abolitionist movement that took place during his presidency as a potential threat to the unity of the nation. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
A bill was created to allow the settlers of any new territory to decide whether or not they would allow slavery within the states borders. This bill was proposed by Stephen A. Douglass and over powered the Missouri Compromise's rules of latitude. -
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James Buchanan
He was a member of the Democratic party and served immediately prior to the Civil War. -
Secession
Term in which describes the action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state.
This term also describes the withdrawal of eleven southern states from the Union in 1860 in which directly caused the Civil War. -
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Abraham Lincoln
He was a member of the National Union Party and lead the Union during the fight against slavery as well as wrote the Emancipation Proclomation. -
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Civil War
Fought over the future of America as a nation by questioning whether it was to become a confederation of sovereign states or a nation with an individual government. This war was also fought over the future of slavery within America and whether or not it will continue to exist and affect the southern states. -
Homestead Act
This act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln and stated that if anyone that was 21 years or older, or the head of the house, could file an application to gain a federal land grant, This act could also affect the lives of anyone whom has ever fought against the U.S. government or freed any slaves at any point of thier life. -
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Andrew Johnson
He was a member of the Democratic Party and was Vice President during President Lincoln's assassination. -
KKK
Founded in Virginia in 1866 and spread into almost every southern state by 1870 in which southerners used it as a way to express their resistance to the Republican Party's Reconstruction-era policies. This group was formed out of pure racism toward the African Americans after they begsn to earn some human rights after the Civil War. -
Sharecropping
A system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land. Began during the post-Civil War time period because freed slaves still needed jobs so tenants allowed them to work on their land for small pay. -
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Ulysses S. Grant
He was a member of the Republican party and, as commanding general, worked closely with Lincoln during the Civil War on the side of the Union. -
Naturalization Act of 1870
Congress passed this act as a response the growing fear of Asians within the American society simply because of the compitition for jobs and other opportunities. This act stripped Asians of their citizenship and restricted all immigration in to the United States. -
Suffrage
A term meaning the right to vote in political elections in which women began to fight for very seriously on the election day in the year 1920. The fight lasted a good 100 years until August 26, 1920 when the 19th amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified. -
The Peculiar Institution
A book in which describes slavery in which was a term meaning to take African Americans as slaves and forcing them to endure heavy labor and was written by Kenneth M. Stampp. This book represents one of the most important and proactive works on Southern history to appear within the generation.
