American Civil War Overview

The belief that the United States should expand its territory from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

This compromise, which sought to appease both pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups, included admitting California as a free state, creating a Fugitive Slave Act, and allowing popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in New Mexico and Utah.

A landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that slaves were not considered citizens and therefore had no legal rights.

This event, in which the Kansas-Nebraska Act sparked violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, exposed the depth of sectional tensions over the issue of slavery.

This speech by Abraham Lincoln, delivered after the Battle of Gettysburg, redefined the Civil War as a fight for the preservation of the Union and the ideals of liberty and equality.

The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, diseases, and ideas between the Old World (Europe, Asia, and Africa) and the New World (the Americas) following Christopher Columbus's voyages in 1492. This exchange had significant, long-lasting impacts on both sides of the Atlantic.

In the Chesapeake region, early colonists struggled to survive and often faced shortages of food and resources. 'Starving Time' refers to a particularly brutal period of famine in Jamestown during the winter of 1609, where many colonists perished due to starvation and disease.

The Puritans were a group of English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England from what they believed were Catholic practices. They believed in a strict moral code and emphasized the importance of personal piety and Bible study. The Puritans played a significant role in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and influenced the development of New England society.

John Winthrop was a leading Puritan figure who played a key role in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He delivered a famous sermon in 1630, where he expressed his vision for the colony as a 'city upon a hill,' meaning that it should be a model of Godly virtue and an example for the world to see. This idea emphasized the Puritans' ambition to establish a community based on religious principles and serve as a beacon of righteousness.

Anne Hutchinson was a religious leader in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who challenged Puritan orthodoxy. She preached against the established church's authority and emphasized the importance of each individual's relationship with God. In response to her controversial views, she was banished from the colony. Roger Williams was another prominent religious dissenter who advocated for religious freedom and the separation of church and state. He was also banished from Massachusetts for his challenging views.

Mercantilism was a theory of economics popular in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It advocated for the government's active role in promoting national wealth, often through policies that favored exports, encouraged domestic production, and protected national industry. England implemented mercantilist policies to control trade and economic activity in its colonial possessions, enacting laws like the Navigation Acts, which aimed to restrict colonial trade with other nations and require that exports be transported on English ships.

The triangular trade involved a complex network of trade routes that connected Europe, the Americas, and Africa. European goods, such as manufactured products, were traded to Africa for enslaved people, who were then transported across the Atlantic to the Americas via the Middle Passage. In the Americas, raw materials like sugar, tobacco, and cotton were produced using slave labor and shipped back to Europe to complete the triangular trade route. This cruel and exploitative system resulted in the horrific suffering of enslaved people during the Middle Passage, a transatlantic journey marked by inhumane conditions and immense loss of life.

The Enlightenment was a period of intellectual and philosophical change in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It emphasized reason, logic, and individual rights, challenging traditional authority and advocating for individual liberty and self-governance. John Locke was a prominent Enlightenment thinker who developed the concept of the social contract theory, which proposed that government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed. Locke's ideas about natural rights, such as the rights to life, liberty, and property, influenced the American colonists' thinking about political and social justice.

The First Great Awakening refers to a period of intense religious revivalism that swept through the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s. It was characterized by passionate preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, who emphasized individual religious experience, emotional conversion, and a direct relationship with God. This movement had a significant impact on American society, promoting religious fervor, contributing to a spirit of social reform, and ultimately helping to pave the way for the American Revolution.

Salutary neglect was a British policy toward its American colonies during the early 18th century. It meant a period of relatively lax enforcement of British regulations and laws in the colonies. This policy allowed the colonies to develop a degree of self-governance and economic autonomy. However, it also contributed to a growing sense of independence among the colonists, which eventually led to the American Revolution.

The French and Indian War (1754-1763) was a major conflict between Great Britain and France that marked the final colonial war between the two powers in North America. The conflict encompassed a vast geographic area, involving native American alliances and competing claims over territory and resources. The war ultimately resulted in a British victory, but it also sowed the seeds of discontent and contributed to the tensions that would eventually lead to the American Revolution. The conflict significantly impacted colonial relations, contributing to increased British oversight, taxation, and a sense of frustration among colonists.

The Stamp Act was a British law passed in 1765 that imposed a tax on all printed materials in the American colonies. The tax, which required colonists to purchase special stamps for newspapers, legal documents, and other printed items, sparked widespread protests and resistance among colonists, who argued that it was a violation of their rights and a form of taxation without representation. The Sons of Liberty, a group of patriotic colonists, formed to oppose the Stamp Act and other British policies. They organized boycotts of British goods and protests against the Stamp Act, which ultimately led to its repeal in 1766. This marked an early turning point in the growing tensions between Britain and its colonies, which would eventually culminate in the American Revolution.

The Boston Tea Party was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution. It involved a group of colonists disguised as Native Americans who boarded British ships docked in Boston Harbor in 1773 and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the water. This act of defiance was in protest against the British Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company a virtual monopoly on the tea trade in the colonies. The colonists viewed this as another attempt by the British government to impose unfair taxes and restrict their economic freedom. The Boston Tea Party enraged British authorities and ultimately led to the passage of the Intolerable Acts, a series of punitive measures aimed at punishing the city of Boston and suppressing colonial dissent.

Thomas Paine was a revolutionary writer and political activist who played a crucial role in inspiring the American Revolution. His influential pamphlet, 'Common Sense,' published in 1776, eloquently argued for American independence from British rule and for the creation of a new republic based on principles of self-governance and popular sovereignty. Paine's writings swayed public opinion in favor of independence and resonated with colonists' growing sense of dissatisfaction with British policies. He also wrote 'The Crisis,' a series of pamphlets published during the Revolution, which encouraged colonists to persevere in their fight for freedom. Thomas Jefferson was a prominent leader of the American Revolution and a Founding Father. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a landmark document that declared that all men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence provided a moral justification for the American Revolution and articulated core American values that would continue to shape the nation's identity.

The Battle of Saratoga (1777) was a pivotal turning point in the American Revolution. The Continental Army, led by General Horatio Gates, defeated a British force commanded by General John Burgoyne, resulting in a significant victory for the Americans. This victory was a major morale booster for the American cause and influenced France to officially recognize the United States as an independent nation. The victory also convinced European powers like Spain and the Netherlands to ally with the Americans against Britain, shifting the balance of power in the war in favor of the Americans.