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Period: Apr 22, 1400 to
politics
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Apr 21, 1452
Ferdinad and Isabella
The leaders of Spain at this time that funded Columbus to make discoveries. This is important because without this Columbus may have never of stumbled acrossed the land. -
Apr 21, 1492
Christopher Columbus
He was responsible for the European founding of North America. This is big becuase North America could have never of grown without him. -
Apr 21, 1497
John Cabot
A navigator who sailed to Canada and was the first European since the Vikings to explore the mainland of North America and the first explorer to search for the Northwest Passage. This was important because people had been searhcing for new passageways and he attempted to find a new one. -
Apr 22, 1503
Encomienda
These were licenses given to Spanish colonists that gave them control over the land and labor. This was important because it was the Spanish way of trying to define the status of the Natives in the American colonies. -
Apr 21, 1519
Herdinand Cortes
A conquistador that led the Mexicans to take over the Aztech Empire, the dieseases they brought led to the fall of the empire. This is big because the Aztechs were a major power in previous eras. -
Apr 21, 1540
Fransisco Coronado
A Spanish soldier and commander who was the first European to discover the Grand Canyon, he led an expedition north from Mexico into Arizona, founded the Adobe pueblo. He is important because he founded land that had never been thought of. -
Powahtan Confederacy
A group of seven Indian tribes that controlled Virginia. It was led by Powhatan and was an agricultural based group. These groups are important because they allowed for the Europeans to live. -
indentured servants
Poor people who came to the new land and worked with no pay in exchange for transportaion, protection, and training needed in the new land. This was important becuase it was a new form of work that was not slaves and it also allowed more people to settle in the colonies. -
Jamestown
The colony was located in Virginia, this is important becuase it was the first successful settlement. It had a harsh way of lifem but it grew to be a sucessful shipping port due to the face it joined the Joint Stock Virginia Company. -
Salutory Neglect
A Policy used by British towards the colonists. This lasted until the French and Indian War. This left the colonies alone to govern themselves because they thought that it would benefit the colonies and stimulate commerce. The importance of this, is that it pushed the colonists to want to have there own rights and form of government because Britain was not a good motherland. -
Headright systems
This system allowed 50 acres for each person. This was important because it encouraged family migration and the indentrued servants. -
Mayflower Compact
the first governing document of Plymouth Colony made by those who came across on the Mayflower searching for religious freedom. This was important because this was one of the first documents that related to a sort of freedom. -
Merchantilism
This was important because it led to cause of colonization and Navigation Acts. This was the belief that wealth was never ending and that one country should hold as much wealth as possible. This also meant that they did not want to trade with foreign countries, because that gave their money to other countries. But once the colonies began trading with foreigners, they decided to create the Navigation Acts. -
Navigation Acts
The acts restricted trade between england and its colonies to English or colonial ships, it required certain colonial goods to pass through England before export, provided subsidies for the production of certain raw goods in the colonies, and banned colonial competition in large-scale manufacturing. This important because it overall only benefitted the British. -
Salem Witch Trials
This was a series in which people were being accused of being witches and were being killed or jailed because of it. This is important becuase it showed the flaws of the government. -
French and Indian war
This was a war between Britain and France for dominance particulally of Ohio Valley. The Iroquois were with the English and other Indians were with the French. This is important because it led to a turning point in relationship between Britain and colonies. -
Peace Treaty of Paris
The Treaty that ended the French and Indian war. This is important because French gave land east of Mississippi, Canada, West Indies, and India to English, and gave New Orleans and land west of Mississippi to Spain. -
Proclomation of 1763
This disallowed colonists to move beyond Appalachian mountains to avoid conflicts with Indians and keep land for hunting. This is important because Indians were happy, but Colonists moved anyways and they attempted to move the line but colonists kept moving past it, which led to further conflict between colonists and the Natives and home front. -
Sugar Act
A tax on sugar that would raise the revenue that Britain was recieving. This is important because it angered the colonist and led to a more forceful push to independence. -
Atlantic Slave Trade Outlawed
The outlaw of the Atlantic Slave Trade was important because it influenced more domestic slave trade. This also led to slaves being moved from Northern cities into Southern ones to support the Cotton Kingdom, which resulted in the disruption of families. -
Hartfor Convention
A meeting of Federalists near the end of the War of 1812 where the party listed it's complaints against the ruling Republican Party. This is important because the actions were largley viewed as traitorous to the country and lost the Federalist much influence. -
American System
A program made by Henry Clay that included support for a national bank, high tariffs, and internal improvements. This was important becuaseit emphasized strong role for federal government in the economy. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
This was when the remainder of Florida was sold by Spain to US. This is important because it finally defined the boundary of Mexico. -
Election of 1840
This was important becuase it displayed two major shifts in American politics:, the election led to triumph of populist democratic style and the formation of the two-party system. -
Annexation of Texas
America annexed the Republic of Texas and it entered the Union with no slave as the 28th state.This is important because it led to the American-Mexican War, which expanded the nation's borders to the Pacific Ocean. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This is important because it gave slavery a legal protection by the federal government. It became a federal crime to help runaway slaves, and escaped slaves could still be arrested even in a free state they had to be returned to their masters. -
Free Soil Party
A political party which was formed out of Republican ideology. The party wish for free man to work instead of slaves because they felt that it was morally right and better money wise. This is important because they brought northern beliefs of liberty, equality and opportunity into politics again. -
Dred Scott Decision
A slave from Missouri sued his owner for his freedom because t the northern part of the Louisiana Territory had become free land because of the Missouri Compromise, but the U.S. Supreme Court deemed that Scott was not a citizen so he had no right to sue for freedom. This led to an increase in the fighting for freedom movements. -
Reconstruction
The rebuilding of the nation after the Civil War. This was important becuase it involved reviving the nation economically, rebuilding southern governments, freeing the slaves, and reintegrating the south back into the Union. -
KOL
This is important because it was the first nationwide labor organization to protect the rights of workers. -
Social Darwinism
This was a belief that said the rich were rich and the poor were poor due to natural selection in society. This was important because it led to the basis of many people who promoted a laissez faire style of economy. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This excluded Chinese immigrant workers for ten years and denied U.S. citizenship to Chinese nationals living in the United States. This wasimportants because the chinses were good workers. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
This was important becuase it was the first law to limit monopolies in the United States. The goal was to create a fairer competition in the workforce and to limit any take-over's of departments of merchandise. -
Populist Party
A political group who gained much support from farmers who turned to them to fight political unfairness. This was important because it called for more government intervention. -
Muckrackers
A group of writers, journalists, and critics who showed the world corporate malfeasance and political corruption. This was important because it led to many health and reform movements. -
social gospel
A religious beliefe that the rich should help the poor. This was important because it led to heated debates on how the rich and poor should be dealt with. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs. This was important because it gave the government alot of power to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs. -
18th Amendment
This prohibited the non-medical sale of alcohol, which is important due to the fact it led to smuggling. -
19th amendment
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections. This is important because womens suffrage was finally acheived. -
Cuban missile crisis
When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and decided on a naval blockade of the island. This was significant because the us got the Soviets to back down peacefully as long as they did not invade cuba. -
Great Society
LBJ's policies of fighting poverty and racial injustice. This is important because it was one of the first policies that helped the poor and minority groups. -
civil rights act
There was no discrimination on color, race, religion, sex, or national origin, this is important because is got minority groups closer to their equality. -
black panthers
A militant Black political party founded to end political dominance by Whites. This was important because they believed that they were the superior race. -
voting rights act
This outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the lack of votes from blacks. This is important because they could now have easier access to voting. -
Star Wars
This was a plan to have lasers to destroy enemy missles. This was important because it proved that the tensions were not at ease and that the country had to spend more on the defense budget. -
iran Contra Affair
Reagan kept secrets from public, sold weapons to Iran against Iraq in exchange for release of American prisoners . This was important because it led to a lot of mistrust. -
NAFTA
north american free trade agreement that was signed by Clinton. This was important because it led to a support system that helped countries stay free of communism. -
Bush Doctrine
Stated that old policies of containment and deterrence no longer effective in world of stateless terrorism. This was important because it led to the war on terror. -
9/11
American support of Israel, occupation in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Muslim extremists view of Jihad led to the attack on the Twin Towers. This led to the patriotss act and the war on terror.
