Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
100 U.S. Facts
100 U.S. History Facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| First permanent English settlement in U.S. | Jamestown |
| Year of the first permanent English settlement in the U.S. | 1607 |
| Date of the signing of the Declartion of Independence | July 4, 1776 |
| Year the U.S. Constitution was written | 1787 |
| President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in what year | 1803 |
| Years of the Civil War | 1861-1865 |
| The first shots of the American Revolution were fired here | Lexington |
| Site of the first battle of the American Revoltion | Conord, Massachusetts |
| The turning point of the American Revolution | Battle of Saratoga |
| Location of the British defeat by George Washington's troops which signaled the end of the American Revolution | Yorktown, Virginia |
| Fort Sumter | First shots of the Civil War where fired her in South Carolina |
| Battle of Gettysburg | turning point in the civil war for the north where confederate troops were forced to retreat adn ever invaded the north again |
| Capture of Vicksburg Mississippi | effectively split the Confederacy in two and gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union |
| Appomattox Court House | small town in Virginia where Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army to Ulysses S. Grant ending the Civil War |
| Mercantilism | is an economic theory that a country's strength is measured by the amount of gold is has, that a country should sell more than it buys and that the colonies exist for the benefit of the Mother Country |
| Abolitionist | person who wanted to end slavery in the United States |
| Tariff | tax on goods brought into a country |
| Protective Tariff | a tax placed on goods from another country to protect the home industry |
| Manifest Destiny | belief that the United States should own all of the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans |
| Temperance Movement | was a campaign against the sale or drinking of alcohol |
| Representative Government | is a system of government in which voters elect representatives to make laws for them |
| Republic | is a nation in which voters choose representatives to govern them |
| House of Burgesses | was the first representative assembly in the new world |
| Three Branches of Govnerment | Legislative, Executive, Judical |
| Checks and Balances | a system set up by the Constitution in which each branch of the federal government has the power to check, or control, the actions of the other branches |
| Free Enterprise | the freedom of private businesses to operate competively for the profit with minimal government regulation |
| Federalism | the sharing of power between the states and the national government |
| Separation of Powers | a system in which each branch of government has it's own powers |
| Popular Sovereignty | refers to a democratic system of government in which the people hold supreme power |
| Amend | means to change |
| Unalienable Rights | rights that cannot be given up, taken away or transferred. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness |
| Tyranny | cruel and unjust government |
| Democracy | form of government that is run for and by the people, giving people the supreme power |
| Ratify | means to approve by vote |
| Judicial Review | the right of the Supreme Court to judge laws passed by Congress and determine whether they are constitutional or not |
| Civil Disobedience | the refusal to obey a government law or laws as a means of passive resistance because of one's moral conviction or belief |
| Federalists | these were supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong national government |
| Antifederalists | were people opposed to the Constitution, preferring more power to be given to the state governments than to the national government |
| Nullification | the idea of a state declaring a federal law illegal |
| Primary Sources | the original records of an event. They include eyewitness reports, records created at the time of an event, speeches, and letters by people involved in the event, photographs and artifacts |
| Secondary Sources | the later writings and interpretations of historians and writers. Often secondary sources, like textbooks and articles, provide summaries of information found in primary sources |
| Republicanism | was an attitude toward society in the late 1700's based on teh belief that the good virtue and morality of the people was essential to sustain the republican form of government |
| Industrial Revolution | the era in which a change from houshold industries to factory production using powered machinery took place |
| Magna Carta | signed in 1215 by King John, was the first document that limited the power of the King |
| English Bill of Rights | protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights |
| Declaration of Independence | document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the colonies independence from England |
| Articles of Confederation | first American Constitution. It was a very weak document that limited the power of the Congress by giving states the final authority over all decisions |
| Constitution of the United States | set out the laws and principles of the government of the United States |
| George Washington's Farwell Address | advised the United States to stay "neutral in its relations with other nations" to avoid "entangling alliances" |
| Monroe Doctrine | foreign policy statement by President James Monroe stating that 1) the U.S. would not interfere in European affairs, and 2) that the western hemisphere was closed to colonization and/ or interference by European nations |
| Treaty of Paris of 1763 | ended the French and Indian War and effectively kicked the French out of North America |
| Treaty of Paris 1783 | ended the American Revolution and forced Britian to recognize the United States as an independent nation |
| Northwest Ordinance | a policy of establishing the principles and procedures for the orderly expansion of the United States |
| Mayflower Compact | an agreement signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, to consult each other about laws for the colony and a promise to work together to make it succeed |
| Federalist Papers | a series of essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton, defending the Constitution and the principles on which the government of teh United States was founded |
| Common Sense | a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to convince colonists that it was time to become independent from Britian |
| Bill of Rights | first ten amendments to the Constitution and detail the protection of individual liberties |
| Gettysburg Address | short speech given by Abraham Lincoln to dedicate a cemetary for soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is considered to be a profound statement of American ideals |
| Emancipation Proclamation | Abraham Lincoln issued this on January 1, 1863, setting all slaves in the Confederate states free |
| Lincoln's First Inaugural Address | stated that, "no state...can lawfully get out of the Union," but pledged there would be no war unless the South started it |
| Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address | was meant to help and restore the country after four year of Civil War |
| Great Compromise | created two houses of Congress. One based on population, the other gave equal representation to each state |
| Sam Adams | was a member of the Sons of Liberty who started the Committee of Correspondence to stir public support for American independence |
| Ben Franklin | was an inventor, statesman, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Indpendence and delegate to Constitutional Convention |
| King George III | was the King of England who disbanded the colonial legislatures, taxed the colonies, and refused the Olive Branch Petition leading to the final break with the colonies |
| Thomas Jefferson | wrote the Declaration of Independence, became the 3rd President of the United States and purchased the Louisiana territory, doubling the size of the United States |
| Thomas Paine | wrote pamphlets like Common Sense and The Crisis to encourage American independence and resolve |
| George Washington | was the leader of the Continental Army who became the first President of the United States |
| Andrew Jackson | was the leader of the original demorcatic party and a "president of the people." He was responsible for the Trail of Tears, which forced Native Americans west of the Mississippi River |
| John C. Calhoun | was a South Carolina Congressman and Senator who spoke for the South before and during the Civil War |
| Henry Clay | powerful Kentucky Congressman and Senator who proposed the American System and the Compromise of 1850 |
| Daniel Webster | a Massachusetts Congressman and Senator who spoke for the North and the preservation of the Union |
| Jefferson Davis | the President of the Confederacy during the Civil War |
| Ulysses S. Grant | General of the Union Army and was responsible for winning the Civil War for the North |
| Robert E. Lee | was teh General for the Confederate Army |
| Abraham Lincoln | 16th President of the United States who successfully put the Union back together only to be assassinated 5 days after the Civil War ended |
| Alexander Hamilton | leader of the Federalists, first Treasurer of the United States, creator of the Bank of the U.S. and killed in a duel by the Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr |
| Patrick Henry | passionate patriot who became famous for his fiery speeches in favor of American independence. His most famous quote included the words, "Give me liberty or give me death" |
| James Madison | is considered the "Father of the Constitution" |
| Frederick Douglass | former slave who became the best-known black abolistionist in the country |
| James Monroe | author of the Monroe Doctrine, which shut down the western hemisphere to European expansion or interference |
| Harriet Tubman | an escaped slave who became a Conductor of the Underground Railroad and helped over 300 slaves to freedom in the North |
| Elizabeth Cady Stanton | organized the Seneca Falls Convention creating the Women's Rights Movement in the United States |
| 1st Amendment | states that "Congress shall make no law" restricting freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition |
| 2nd Amendment | guarantees the right of states to organize militias, or armies, and the right of individuals to bear arms |
| 3rd Amendment | forbids the government to order private citizens to allow soldiers to live in their homes |
| 4th Amendment | requires that warrants be issued if property is to be searched or seized (taken) by the government |
| 5th Amendment | protects an accused person from having to testify against him or herself (self-incrimination); bans double jeopardy, and guarantees that no person will suffer the loss of life, liberty, or property without due process of law |
| 6th Amendment | guarantees the right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury; the right to a lawyer; the right to cross examine witnesses; and the right to force witnesses at a trail to testify |
| 7th Amendment | guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil suits |
| 8th Amendment | prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail or fines |
| 9th Amendment | states that the people have rights other than those specifically mentioned in the Constitution |
| 10 Amendment | states that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states |
| 13th Amendment | abolished slavery |
| 14th Amendment | guarantees citizenship and rights to all people born or naturalized in the United States |
| 15 Amendment | guarantees the right to vote to all citizens regardless of race |
| Marbury v. Madison | was the 1803 Court decision that gave the Supreme Court the right to determine whether a law violates the Constitution. It set up the principal of judicial review |
| Dred Scott v. Sanford | was the Supreme Court decision that said slaves were property and not citizens |
| Cotton Gin | an invention by Eli Whitney that speeded the cleaning of cotton fibers and in effect, increased the need for slaves |
| Steamboat | Robert Fulton revolutionized the transportation system and trade in the United States with this |
| Marquis de Lafayette | 19 year old French nobleman who volunteered to serve in Washington's Army. Called the "soldiers friend" he used his own money to buy warm clothing for his ragged troops. |
| 3/5 Compromise | the Constitutional Convention's agreement to count three-fifths of the state's slaves as population for purposes of representation and taxation |
| Virginia Plan | Plan proposed by Edmund Randolph that proposed a government with three branches and a two house legislature in which representation would be based on a state's population or wealth |
| New Jersey Plan | a plan of government proposed at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that called for a one-house legislature in which each state would have one vote. |
| Dorthy Dix | helped fight for the cause of the mentally ill |
| Horace Mann | committed himself to a life of bettering humanity. President of Antioch College where he committed himself to education for both women and men and equal right for African Americans |
| Grimke Sisters | Two sistes who were daugters of a slave holding family. They spoke publically against slavery when women were not allowed to speak in public |
| Economic Reasons for Colonization | European investors hoped to make huge profits; colonists came to obtain their own land and opportunity |
| Political Reasons for Colonization | England's Rulers wanted wealth and power |
| Religious Reasons for Colonization | Many groups founded colonies to freely practice their religion: Pilgrims, Pruitans, Catholics, Quakers |
| Limited Government | the principle that requires all U.S. citizens , including government leaders, to obey the law |
| Individual Rights | a personal liberty and privilege guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the Bill of Rights |
| Proclamation of 1763 | an order in which Britian prohibited its American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains |
| Crispus Attucks | African American who was the first to die at the Boston Massacre |
| Committees of Correspondence | group of people in the colonies who exchanged letters on colonial affairs |
| Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation | No power to tax, No amry, No national executive, no court system, all 13 states had to agree to amend |
| Strengths of the Articles of Confederation | kept nation united during revolution, passed the Northwest Ordinance |
| John Paul Jones | founder of the U.S. Navy "I have not yet begun to fight" |
| John Marshall | He was the one who ruled in the Marbury v Madison trial that the federal courts had the power to determine whether or not congressional legislation was constitutional (judicial review) |
| William Penn | established the colony of Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers |
Created by:
jhardcastle@mckinney
Popular U.S. History sets