U.S. History Semester One Review

Mr. Webster’s Class

Geography Vocabulary

• map – a flat drawing of all or part of the earth’s surface

• globe – a round model of the earth• equator- a line of latitude that divides

the northern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere

• prime meridian – a line of longitude that divides the eastern hemisphere from the western hemisphere

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Primary sources are descriptions or illustrations of an event by someone who actually saw or lived through that event.

• Secondary sources are descriptions or illustrations of an event by someone who was not present for that event.

Christopher Columbus

• In 1492, Christopher Columbus “discovered” America while searching for a new route to Asia.

• Columbus first sighted landed in the present-day Bahamas.

• As a result of Columbus’s voyage, Spain conquered vast territories throughout the American continents.

Early Exploration Milestones

• 1492 – Columbus “discovers” America.• 1501 – The first African slaves are sent to the Caribbean.• 1502 – Amerigo Vespucci concludes that America is a

separate continent.• 1513 – Vasco Nunez de Balboa “discovers” the Pacific Ocean.• 1513 – Juan Ponce de Leon “discovers” Florida.• 1521 – Hernan Cortes conquers the Aztec Empire in Mexico.• 1533 – Francisco Pizarro conquers the Incan Empire in Peru.• 1564 – A group of French settlers establish in colony in

Florida in present-day Jacksonville. • 1565 – The Spanish settle St. Augustine and drive out the

French. (St. Augustine is the oldest settlement in the present-day U.S.)

Protestantism

• In 1517, Martin Luther nailed a list of complaints on the door of a local Catholic church and sparked the Protestant Reformation.

• In 1533, King Henry VIII of England leaves the Catholic Church and creates the Church of England.

Roanoke – The Lost Colony• In 1587, a group of English

colonists arrived in Roanoke to establish a colony.

• Three years later, the colony is found abandoned, and all of its settlers have vanished.

• The only clues come from the word “Croatoan” carved into a fencepost and “Cro” carved into a tree.

• To this day, the fate of the Roanoke colonists remains a mystery.

Jamestown

• Jamestown was settled in 1607, and was a part of the Virginia Colony.

• Jamestown is the oldest permanent English settlement in America.

• During the winter of 1609-1610, the colony experienced a period of starvation known as “the starving time.”

• Tobacco ultimately helped Jamestown become successful.

Pocahontas• Pocahontas was the daughter of

the Powhatan chief. The Powhatans lived in the area surrounding Jamestown.

• According to an account by John Smith, Pocahontas risked her own life to save his.

• Although there is no historical proof, Pocahontas is often romantically linked to John Smith.

• Pocahontas eventually married planter John Rolfe, and in 1616, Pocahontas traveled to London and met the king of England.

The Pilgrims

• The people we now know as Pilgrims originally came from Scrooby, England.

• In 1607, the Scrooby Separatists decided to relocated to Holland.

• In 1620, the Pilgrims decided to relocate to America.

Mayflower Compact / First Thanksgiving

• While still aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrims created the Mayflower Compact to ensure their new settlement would have an orderly, democratic form of government.

• The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth (MA) in December 1620. The following year, they took part in a celebration that is now known as the First Thanksgiving.

Slavery

• By the time Europeans began sailing to the Americas, slavery was widely practiced in West Africa.

• Many West African slave traders sold captives gained through wars and raids.

• Europeans bought African slaves to work on plantations and to perform other manual labor duties.

Salem Witch Trials

• The Salem Witch Trials was a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft.

• They occurred in 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts Colony.

• It is one of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria in America.

• Overall, 19 people were hanged, 1 person was pressed to death, and others died in jail while awaiting trial.

The Great Awakening & The Enlightenment

• In the 1730s and 1740s, a religious revival called the Great Awakening swept through the colonies.

• By the mid-1700s, many educated colonists were influenced by the Enlightenment.

• This movement spread the idea that knowledge, reason, and science could improve society.

The French and Indian War

• In 1754, the French and the British went to war as they both desired the same piece of land.

• Most Native Americans sided with the French as they generally distrusted the British.

• The British won the war, but afterwards, they were deeply in debt.

Timeline of American Independence

• 1765 – The English Parliament passes the Stamp Act, which requires all printed materials to be taxed. Many American colonists protest the act, and eventually it is repealed.

• 1770 – The Boston Massacre occurs when a group of English soldiers fire their guns into a crowd of angry American colonists.

• 1773 – The Boston Tea Party occurs when a group of colonists dump hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor.

Timeline of American Independence Cont.

• 1774 – In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passes a series of laws. Colonists call them the Intolerable Acts.

• 1775 –War breaks out between Britain and the American colonies. George Washington is chosen as Commander-in-Chief of the American forces.

• 1776 – The book Common Sense convinces many colonists they should declare independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson is chosen to draft such a declaration, and it is adopted by Congress on July 4.

The American Revolution Begins

• The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, in Lexington, Massachusetts.

• Once fighting begins, the Continental Congress chooses George Washington to become Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

• Those who sided with Britain were known as Loyalists.

• Those who sided with the rebels were known as Patriots.

The Declaration of Independence

• In 1776, the Continental Congress chose a committee to draft a declaration of independence.

• Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft, and the Declaration of Independence is formally approved on July 4, 1776.

The American Revolution – Misc. Facts

• On Christmas night 1776, Washington crossed the Delaware and surprise attacked the British at Trenton.

• Betsy Ross is given credit for making the first American flag.

• Many African Americans fought in the American Revolution. Those who fought had their own reasons for doing so.

• During the winter of 1777-1778, Washington and his troops suffered through the winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Victory at Yorktown

• In 1781, Washington secretly sent his force to Yorktown, Virginia, to catch the British by surprise.

• There they were joined by a French fleet, and together, they surrounded the British.

• It was in Yorktown that the Americans achieved the final victory of the war!

Articles of Confederation / Shays’s Rebellion

• In 1777, the Articles of Confederation became the first constitution of the United States of America.

• It created a weak central (or national) government, and allowed the states to retain most of their powers.

• Under the AOC, Congress could not tax. This weakness ultimately brought about an armed uprising known as Shays’s Rebellion.

The Constitutional Convention

• Shays’s Rebellion made it clear that the Articles of Confederation was a weak form of government.

• In the spring of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles.

• During the convention, James Madison presented the Virginia Plan, which featured a strong, national government.

• The delegates ultimately decided to create an entirely new plan of government, and the result was the United States Constitution.

Ratification of the U.S. Constitution

• On September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was adopted and signed by the Constitutional Convention.

• Before the U.S. Constitution could take effect, at least 9 of the 13 states had to ratify it.

• The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware.

• The 13 states in order of ratification:

1. Delaware – Dec. 7, 17872. Pennsylvania – Dec. 12, 17873. New Jersey – Dec. 18, 17874. Georgia – Jan. 2, 17885. Connecticut – Jan. 9, 17886. Massachusetts – Feb. 6, 17887. Maryland – Apr. 28, 17888. South Carolina – May 23, 17889. New Hampshire – June 21, 178810. Virginia – June 25, 178811. New York – July 26, 178812. North Carolina – Nov. 21, 178913. Rhode Island – May 29, 1790

Parts of the Constitution

• The Constitution has three main parts:

• The Preamble (or introduction)

• The 7 Articles (or main parts)

• The 27 Amendments (or changes)

U.S. Constitution - Branches of Government

• Article I – Legislative branch– Senate– House of Representatives

• Article II – Executive branch– President and Vice President– Cabinet, executive

department, and agencies

• Article III – Judicial branch– Supreme Court– Other federal courts

Bill of Rights

• The first ten amendments, or Bill of Rights, became a part of the Constitution in 1791. They guarantee basic freedoms including:– Freedom of religion– Freedom of speech and

press– Freedom of assembly – The right to bear arms

The First President of the United States

• George Washington was the first President of the United States.

• He was inaugurated in New York City, the nation’s first capital.

• His vice president was John Adams.

• Washington set the standard for how long a president should serve and for how the nation should relate to other nations.