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House of Burgesses
First elected legeslative assembly in the New World established in the colony of Virginia in 1619, representative colony set up by England to make laws and levy taxes. -
Mayflower compact
This was the first governing document in Plymouth. The document was wrote and signed while on their voyage to what would one day be America. The puritans established and signed this to prevent being ruled by England. All the puritans wanted was religious freedom and to be ruled by no one. -
Navigation Acts
Regulated trade in order to benifit the British economy. Certain products from the colonies such as sugar, tobacco, and indigo, could only be shipped to England, The act restricted trade between England and its colonies to English or colonial ships. -
Half-Way Covenant
The Puritan Church began to lose all political power over the new people. In order to keep the Church in power the Puritans created a “political deal” called the Half-Way Covenant which was partial church memberships. -
Second Treatise of Government
John Locke explains the rights that all people should have like the right to life, liberty, and property. Says that the government exists to protect those rights. Affects the American Consitution. -
Albany Congress
7 northern and middle colonies met to discuss their policies about further westward settlement and concerning the natives. The representatives couldn't agree on main points, so the Governor of VA sent George Washington to stop the French construction in PA. Washington was defeated there, and native tribes decided to support the French. This was one of the events that led to teh Seven Years War. -
Sugar Act
This act was passed by Grenville because the colonies were importing large amounts of French molasses. It ensured that colonists would pay the British a duty for all molasses brought into the colonies. The post-war economy was already suffering, and Grenville's acts only made it worse. -
Stamp Act
This act required a purchased stamp on all printed material purchased in the colonies like newspapers, wills, official documents, etc. It was the first time Parliament directly taxed the colonies because before it was self-imposed. The other purpose of this act was to raise revenue for the British troops in America. -
Quartering Act
This act made it possible for British soldiers go into peoples houses without the permisssion of the residents. This angered the colonist because they were paying for the troops that were there to control the colonies. -
Townshend Acts
Charles Townshend decided to propose new duties on glass, paper, and tea in an attempt to extract more income for the government from colonial trade and the goods were coming from Britain. -
Tea Act
This act gave American colonies cheap tea, but at the same time would force the colonists to admit that Parliament had a right to tax them. This caused the Boston Tea Party. -
Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British passed these acts to punish the colonies. The port of Boston was closed except for military ships and ships permitted by British customs officials. It also prohibited local meetings within the colonies, and put the Quartering Act into effect again. -
Articles of Confederation
This document established the first government of the US and in return the federal government was given limited powers and the states were given much power. Since the national government could not tax, they printed large amounts of paper money called Continentals which caused inflation and economic distress. -
Treaty of Paris
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War. Great Britain agreed to give Americans independence and gave Americans the territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. -
3/5 Compromise
This was created by Madison and the idea was that each slave would count as three fifths of a person in a population count of each state for representation. -
Electoral College
This was created after the Great Compromise. The Electoral College voted for the chief executive of the national government, and membership to it would be chosen by individual states. This diminished fears of the federal government's massive power. -
Northwest Ordinances
These bills authorized the sale of lands in the Northwest Territory to raise money for the federal government. -
Great Compromise
This was the Connecticut plan that stated that one house of the Congress would be based on population while in the other house states would have equal representation. -
Bill of Rights
These are the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, protecting the freedoms of speech, press, right to bear arms, and other basic rights of American citizens. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Settlers in the Ohio territory refused to pay federal excise taxes on whiskey and attacked tax officials who were supposed to collect these taxes. Large numbers of whiskey rebels threatened to attack Pittsburgh and other cities. President Washington was forced to send in federal troops to put down the rebellion. -
Alien & Sedition Acts
These laws were proposed by John Adams and threatened the rights of Americans as a way of tightening security within the US.This act gave the president the right to deport any immigrant who was felt to be dangerous to the peace and safety of the US.
Sedition: This act stated that the administration could prohibit any attacks on the president of Congress that were deemed to be malicious. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory which ranged from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, from Napoleon for $15 million. This purchase made westward expansion possible for a number of Americans.Jefferson felt it was essential to US growth. -
Embargo of 1807
This was passed by President Jefferson, and it banned all American trade with Europe. American ships could not enter the seas until England and France stopped their actions against American shipping. Jefferson hoped the embargo would force both European countries to respect American neutrality. -
Second National Bank
This bank was established under President Madison as a way to increase national economic growth after the War of 1812. After an economic downfall in 1818, the bank decreased the amount of currency available for loans, an act that helped to create the economic collapse of 1819. -
Tariff of 1816
This raised tariff rates to nearly 22%, providing more than adequate protection for American business interests and revenues for improvements in the internal transportation system of the US. -
Missouri Compromise
Created by Henry Clay to keep the number of slave states and free states equal. Missouri entered the Union as a slave state and Maine entered as a free state. Any states north of the 36'30 parallel would enter as free states. -
Monroe Doctrine
This proclamation stated that countries in the Western Hemisphere were off-limits to European control. -
Removal Act of 1830
This Congressional act authorized the removal of all Native American tribes east of the Mississippi to the west. The Trail of Tears and other forced migrations caused the deaths of thousands of natives. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This was part of the Compromise of 1850. It made special rules in Northern states to determine if an accused runaway slave really was one. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act was created by Stephen Douglas and allowed the settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide if those territories would be slave or free. -
Anaconda Plan
This plan was created by Winfield Scott. It was an important plan of the Union to win the Civil war. -
The Homestead Act
The federal government wanted to prevent slavery from expanding to the west so they created this law. It gave 160 acres to farmers who wanted to build homes and improve the land for crops. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This was created by Lincoln that abolished slavery in the Confederate states. Freed slaves in Southern territories were controlled by the Union army. -
Gettysburg Address
Speech made by Lincoln at a dedication ceremony for a cemetery for Union soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln said that freedom should exist in the US for all men. -
Civil Rights Act
Granted freedmen all the benefits of federal citizenship and promised that federal courts would uphold these rights. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery in all of US territories. -
Reconstruction Act
Placed the Southern states under military rule, with the South being divided into five regions and a military general in control of each region. -
14th Amendment
Stated that all persons born or naturalized in the US were citizens. -
15th Amendment
Stated that a person could not be denied the right to vote because of the color of their skin or condition of servitude. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Limited the immigration of Chinese immigrants in the United States until 1943. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This act which prohibits monopolies or any business that prevented fair competition. The federal government was beginning to limit the power of corporations. -
Homestead Strike
Strike at the Carnegie steel plant in Pittsburgh caused by angry workers because of pay cuts, government sent in Pinkerton detectives. The strikers fought back, killing some of the detectives, and forcing others to surrender. -
The Panic of 1893
Recession that affected both the farmers and the urban dwellers of America. -
Annexation of Hawaii
Hawaiin residents were granted US citizenship -
Pullman Strike
President Cleveland sends in the Army to break up the strike at the Pullman Company, his reason being that mail delivery was being disrupted. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Segregation is battled in this Supreme Court case and the idea of "seperate but equal" facilities is introduced. The government did not do much for civil rights for blacks at this time. -
Roosevelt Corollary
Extension of the Monroe doctrine that stated that the United States of America was in control and was the dominant force within the western hemisphere -
16th Amendment
This amendment allows Congress to levy an income tax. -
17th Amendment
Direct election of senators -
Federal Reserve Act
Banks gave the public more control even though they were owned by institutions. Increased amount of money in circulation. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act gave the federal government power by censoring what the public said or did against the war. Anyone found guilty of criticizing the government war policy or participating in anti-war groups could be arrested. -
18th Amendment
This amendment prohibited the sale and transport of alcohol in the United States. -
19th Amendment
This amendment gave women the right to vote -
The New Deal
The New Deal were government programs designed after the Great Depression, during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. The New Deal centered around three main ideas Relief, Recovery and Reform. -
Federal Emergency Relief Act
Federal Government distributes hundrends of millions of dollars in aid. -
21st Amendment
The 21st Amendment ends prohibition. -
The Second New Deal
Roosevelt promised to make the New Deal better in his second term. It was like the first New Deal but it included more social benefits, stricter control over business, stronger support for Unions, and higher taxes on the rich, -
Social Security
The social security act was put in action to help give the retired a secure retirement. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman established the Truman Doctrine, which gave $400 million to Turkey and Greece because they were in threat of communism. -
Containment Policy
George Kennan states that the US needes to implement long term military, economic, and diplomatic strategies in order to contain the spread of communism. -
Marshall Plan
The Us lends $12 billion to Europe to help them reconstruct. -
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance between the US and Western European countries. It was created to prevent a third World War and to stop the spread of communism. -
Warsaw Pact
Military pact formed between the Soviet Unioncountries in Eastern Europe as a counterract to the formation of NATO. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
Stated that the US would send military aid and/or troops to the Middle East to prevent the spread of communism. -
Great Society
LBJ put a plan in action to improve the lives of many struggling Americans called “Great Society”. His goals were to end poverty, provide job training to young people, improve education, end the “Quota System” on immigration, and provide medical care for the elderly and the poor. -
Civil Rights Act
Outlawed racial discrimination in public facilities, in employment, and in voter registration. -
Voting rights Act
Authorized the attorney general to appoint officials to register voters. -
Nixon Doctrine
Stated that all allied nations were partners, not protectors, and that each allied nation was in charge of their own security, but when necessary the US would act as a nuclear umbrella. -
SALT I
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks was an agreement between the Soviet Union and the US, Both agreed not to produce any more ballistic missiles and to reduce their arsenals of antiballistic missiles to 200 per side. -
Watergate Affair
A break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate complex in DC. Nixon announced that he was not involved in it but really was. Nixon refused to reveal his tapes and resigned before he was impeached. -
Boycotts Olympics
President Jimmy Carter stated that if Soviet troops did not withdraw from Afghanistan within one month the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympics in summer 1980. -
Wall torn down
President Regan gives speech to motivate the people of Berlin to tear down the wall of Berlin and help bring together both sides. -
NAFTA
he North American Free Trade Agreement is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. -
Oklahoma City bombing
Domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. -
9/11 Attacks
Al Quada attacks twin towers by crashing 2 planes into the buildings causing them to collapse. This event increased the national security at airports and was toughened up. -
Presidential Election
George Bush elected president against Al Gore. Thought to have cheated because of Jebb Bush as governer or Florida, the state that had to recount votes but cancelledcdue to time loss. -
2008 Recession
Many homes were lost due to the banks giving out less loans and people buying house they could not affort without these loans.
