STAAR-101 Facts
Concord, Massachusetts
The site of the first battle of the American Revolution
Battle of Saratoga
1777, was the turning point of the American Revolution.
Abolitionist
A person who wanted to end slavery
Representative Government
A system of government in which voters elect representatives to make laws for them
Tariff
A tax on goods brought into a country
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, setting all slaves in the Confederate states free.
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Captured by the North in 1863, effectively split the Confederacy in two and gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union.
Treaty of Paris 1783
Ended the American Revolution and forced Britain to recognize the United States as an independent nation.
Treaty of Paris of 1763
Ended the French and Indian War and effectively kicked the French out of North America
Third Amendment
Forbids the government to order private citizens to allow soldiers to live in their homes.
First Amendment
states that "Congress shall make no law" restricting freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
Ninth Amendment
states that people's rights are not limited to just those listed in the Constitution.
Tenth Amendment
states that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states.
Three Branches of Government
Legislative, Executive, Judicial branch
Louisiana Territory 1803
President Thomas Jefferson purchased the _____ from France in ____
Eighth Amendment
Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail or fines.
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.
Yorktown, Virginia
The British defeat in ________ by George Washington's troops signaled the end of the American Revolution.
Fort Sumter
The firsts shots of the Civil War were fired at _____, in South Carolina.
Civil War 1861-1865
The _________ was fought from _________
Lexington, Massachusetts
The first shots of the American Revolution were fired in April 1775
Steamboat
The successful use of the _________ by Robert Fulton revolutionized transportation and trade in the United States.
Harriet Tubman
was an escaped slave who became a conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped over 300 slaves to freedom in the North.
Cotton Gin
was an invention by Eli Whitney that speeded the cleaning of cotton fibers and in effect, increased the need for slaves.
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.
Thirteenth Amendment
abolished slavery
George Washington's Farewell Address
advised the United States to stay "neutral in its relations with other nations" and to avoid "entangling alliances"
Secondary Sources
are the later writings and interpretations of historians and writers. Often secondary sources, like textbooks and articles, provide summaries of information found in primary sources.
Primary Sources
are 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.
Great Compromise
created two houses in Congress; one based on population (Virginia Plan) and the other gave equal representation (new Jersey Plan) to each state.
Mayflower Compact
first form of self-government
Fourteenth Amendment
guarantees citizenship and rights to all people born or naturalized in the United States.
Second Amendment
guarantees the right of states to organize militias, or armies, and the right of individuals to bear arms.
Seventh Amendment
guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil suits
Sixth Amendment
guarantees the right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury; the right to a lawyer; the right to cross examine witnesses; and the right to force witnesses at a trial to testify.
Fifteenth Amendment
guarantees the right to vote to all citizens regardless of race.
Tyranny
is a cruel and unjust government.
Democracy
is a form of government that is run for and by the people, giving people the supreme power.
Republic
is a nation in which voters choose representatives to govern them.
Sectionalism
is a strong sense of loyalty to a state or section instead of to the whole country.
Separation of Powers
is a system in which each branch of government has its own power.
protective tariff
is a tax placed on goods from another country to protect the home industry.
Mercantilism
is an economic theory that a country's strength is measured by the amount of gold it has, that a country should sell more than it buys and that the colonies exist for the benefit of the Mother Country.
James Madison
is considered to be the "Father of the Constitution"
Manifest Destiny
is the belief that the United States should own all of the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Bill of Rights
is the first ten amendments to the Constitution and detail the protection of individual liberties.
Free Enterprise
is the freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal government regulation.
Nullification
is the idea of a state declaring a federal law illegal.
Popular Sovereignty
is the practice of allowing each territory to decide for itself whether or not to allow slavery.
civil disobedience
is the refusal to obey a government law or laws as a means of passive resistance because of one's moral conviction or belief.
judicial review
is the right of the Supreme court to judge laws passed by Congress and determine whether they are constitutional or not.
Federalism
is the sharing of power between the states and the national government.
Appomattox Court House
is the small town in Virginia where Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army to Ulysses S. Grant ending the Civil War.
Ben Franklin
was an inventor, statesman, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence and delegate to Constitutional Convention.
Ratify
means to approve by vote.
Amend
means to change
The Constitution
of the United States was written in 1787
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
organized the Seneca Falls Convention creating the Women's Rights Movement in the United States.
English Bill of Rights
protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights.
Fifth 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.
Fourth Amendment
requires that warrants be issued if property is to be searched or seized (taken) by the government.
Unalienable Rights
rights that cannot be given up, taken away or transferred. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, are some of those rights.
Constitution of the United States
sets out the laws and principles of the government of the United States.
Magna Carta
signed in 1215 by William and Mary of England, was the first document that limited power of the ruler.
Jamestown
the first permanent English settlement, was founded in 1607
Daniel Webster
was a Massachusetts Congressman and Senator who spoke for the North and the preservation of the Union.
John C. Calhoun
was a South Carolina congressman and Senator who spoke for the South before and during the Civil War.
Temperance Movement
was a campaign against the sale or drinking of alcohol.
Declaration of Independence
was a document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the colonies independence from England.
Monroe Doctrine
was a foreign policy statement by President James Monroe stating that 1) the US would not interfere in European affairs, and 2) that the western hemisphere was closed to colonization and or interference by European nations.
Frederick Douglass
was a former slave who became the best-known black abolitionist in the country.
Sam Adams
was a member of the Sons of Liberty who started the Committee of Correspondence to stir public support for American independence.
Common Sense
was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to convince colonists that it was time to become independent from Britain.
Patrick Henry
was a 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!"
Northwest Ordinance
was a policy of establishing the principles and procedures for the orderly expansion of the United States.
Henry Clay
was a powerful Kentucky Congressman and Senator who proposed the Missouri Compromise & the Compromise of 1850.
Gettysburg Address
was a short speech given by Abraham Lincoln to dedicate a cemetery for soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is considered to be a profound statement of American ideals.
Republicanism
was an attitude toward society in the late 1700s based on the belief that the good virtue and morality of the people was essential to sustain the republican form of government.
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
was meant to help heal and restore the country after four years of civil war
Declaration of Independence (1776)
was signed on July 4, 1776
Abraham Lincoln
was the 16th President of the United States who successfully put the Union back together only to be assassinated 5 days after the Civil War ended.
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 principle of judicial review.
Robert E. Lee
was the General of the Confederate Army.
Ulysses S. Grant
was the General of the Union Army and was responsible for winning the Civil War for the North.
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.
Jefferson Davis
was the President of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
was the Supreme Court decision that said slaves were property and not citizens.
Mayflower Compact
was the 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.
James Monroe
was the author of the Monroe Doctrine, which shut down the western hemisphere to European expansion or interference.
Industrial Revolution
was the era in which a change from household industries to factory production using powered machinery took place.
Articles of Confederation
was the 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.
House of Burgesses
was the first representatives assembly in the new world.
George Washington
was the leader of the Continental Army who became the first President of the United States.
Alexander Hamilton
was the leader of the Federalist Party, 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.
Andrew Jackson
was the leader of the original Democratic Party and a "President of the people". He was also responsible for the Trail of Tears, which forced Native Americans west of the Mississippi River
Battle of Gettysburg
was the turning point in the Civil War for the North. Confederate troops were forced to retreat and never invaded the North again.
Federalist Papers
were a series of essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton, defending the Constitution and the Principles on which the government of the United States was founded.
Antifederalists
were people opposed to the Constitution, preferring more power be given to the state governments than to the national government.
Federalists
were supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong national government.
Thomas Paine
wrote pamphlets like Common Sense and The Crisis to encourage American independence and resolve.
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.
