Download History Facts 1. 1607—The year Jamestown was founded as the first

History Facts
1. 1607—The year Jamestown was founded as the first permanent English
settlement in the Americas
2. 1620—The Mayflower Compact helps establish the idea of self-government and
majority rule in the Americas
3. 1676—Bacon’s Rebellion is the earliest rebellion of colonists against English
colonial control
4. 1776—The year the Declaration of Independence was created and signed
5. 1787-1788—The time period when the constitution was written and ratified
6. 1794—The Whiskey Rebellion takes place and allows the National government
to prove that it has the power to enforce the law
7. 1803—The year when the United States obtains the Louisiana Purchase from
France and doubles the size of the country
8. 1820—The year the Missouri Compromise was passed which preserved the
balance between free and slave states
9. 1823—The year that the Monroe Doctrine was written to establish that Europe
should stay out of the Americas
10. 1861-1865—The time period of the Civil War
11. Magna Carta—signed in 1215 by King John I of England and was the first document that
limited power of the ruler--gave the power of Trial by Jury
12. English Bill of Rights—1689, English agreement that guaranteed certain rights
to all Englishmen...influenced the American Bill of Rights
13. Limited Government—A system in which everyone, even elected officials, must
obey the laws
14. Republicanism—The idea that government should be based on the consent of
the governed
15. Mercantilism—An economic system in which England controlled the trade of the colonies
16. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut—Puritan plan of government in Connecticut adopted in
1639 as the first written constitution in North America
17. Anne Hutchinson—Banished from the Massachusetts colony she became the
first Puritan woman minister and co-founder of Rhode Island
18. William Penn—Quaker leader and founder of Pennsylvania
19. Great Awakening—A series of religious revivals in the early 1700’s in America.
20. King George III—British king during the American Revolution
21. Sam Adams—Colonial leader who was successful in getting others to oppose
the British during the American Revolution, organizer of the Committees of
Correspondence
22. Thomas Jefferson—author of the Declaration of Independence and 3rd President
of the United States
23. Declaration of Independence—Announced the separation of the colonies from
England
24. Benjamin Franklin—Author, publisher, inventor, and diplomat
25. Alexander Hamilton—Secretary of the Treasury who supported the National
Bank System
26. John Paul Jones—Father of the American Navy who said, “I have not yet begun
to fight.”
27. Patrick Henry—A Virginia Patriot and an important person in the American
Revolution who said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
28. Marquis de Lafayette—French hero of the American Revolution and trusted
advisor to George Washington.
29. Battle of Saratoga—1777, turning point of the American Revolution when
France joined the side of the colonists.
30. Battle of Yorktown—1781, last major battle of the American Revolution
31. Articles of Confederation—First U.S. government; it was eventually a failure
because it created a weak national government
32. Northwest Ordinance—1787, established a government for the Northwest
Territory and described rules that a territory would follow in order to become a
state
33. Federalist Papers—Series of essays about the nature of government by
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
34. Federalism—A system of sharing power between the states and the national
government
35. Anti-Federalists—People who opposed ratification of the Constitution
36. Federalists—People who supported the ratification of the Constitution
37. Henry Clay—Politician known as “The Great Compromiser”
38. Great Compromise—Agreement reached during the constitutional convention
that created the American system of government (a 2 house congress with the
lower house based on population and the upper house with equal
representation)
39. Three-Fifths Compromise—Agreement at the constitutional convention that
allowed slaved to count as 3/5th of a white person
40. Executive Branch—The branch of government that enforces the laws made by
congress and is led by the President of the United States
41. Legislative Branch—The branch of government responsible for making laws and is
comprised of the Senate and the House of Representatives
42. Judicial Branch—The branch of government that is responsible for interpreting
the law for its constitutionality and is comprised of the Supreme Court and
lesser courts
43. Checks and Balances—Each of the three branches of government limits the
power of the others
44. Separation of Powers—The division of authority among the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of the U.S. Government
45. Electoral College—A group of voters chosen by each state to elect the President
and Vice-President
46. James Madison—Father of the American Constitution
47. George Mason—Insisted on the protection of individual rights in the
Constitution leading to the creation of the Bill of Rights
48. Individual Rights—Those rights given to all under the Bill of Rights that cannot
be taken away
49. George Washington’s Farewell Address—Given at his retirement from public life; he urged
America to always remain neutral to other countries
50. Alien and Sedition Acts—1798, placed restrictions of immigrants in the country
and restricted freedom of speech and the press
51. Edgar Allen Poe—A famous writer of short stories and poems—the father of the
American detective novel
52. States’ rights—The idea that the power of the states should not be trampled on
by the national government
53. John C. Calhoun—Vice President of the United States, creator of the Doctrine of
Nullification, strong supporter of states’ rights
54. South Carolina Exposition—Written by John C. Calhoun, outlined the Doctrine of
Nullification
55. Doctrine of Nullification—The idea that states had the right to reject any law
passed by Congress
56. Eli Whitney—Inventor of the cotton gin which made the production of cotton
cheaper and created a larger demand for slaves—introduced interchangeable
parts as well
57. John Marshall—Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court who handed
down the decision in the case of Marbury vs. Madison
58. Marbury vs. Madison—1803, Supreme Court case that established the idea of
Judicial Review
59. Judicial Review—The power of the Supreme Court to review laws and
determine if they are constitutional or unconstitutional
60. Robert Fulton—1807, Launched the Clermont, the first commercial steamboat
61. James Monroe—5th President of the United States and author of the Monroe
Doctrine
62. Daniel Webster—Massachusetts senator who favored a strong national
government and opposed the idea of states’ rights
63. Andrew Jackson—7th President of the United States who opposed a system of
National Banks proposed by Alexander Hamilton
64. Jacksonian Democracy—The idea that as many people as possible should be
able to vote (not limiting suffrage to only the wealthy or well educated)
65. American System—1815 plan to make the U.S. economically self-sufficient
66. Adams-Onis Treaty—1819, Spain gave Florida to the U.S. for $5 million
67. McCulloch vs. Maryland—1819, Supreme Court case that said a state could not
tax a national bank thus increasing the power of the national government
68. Gibbons vs. Ogden—1824, Supreme Court case that said the federal
government, not the states, had the power to regulate trade between the
states
69. Indian Removal Act—1830, Indians east of the Mississippi River were to be
moved to new lands in the West
70. Trail of Tears—Forced journey of the Cherokee Indians in 1838-1839 from their
lands in the east to the west
71. Henry David Thoreau—Author of the book Walden, who believed in
transcendentalism and civil rights
72. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—Most popular American poet of the 19th century
with works like Song of Hiawatha and Paul Revere’s Ride
73. Elizabeth Cady Stanton—leader of movement to give women the right to vote
74. Seneca Falls Convention—1848, women’s right meeting which proclaimed “all
men and women are created equal”
75. Popular Sovereignty—Government in which the people have the power
76. Abraham Lincoln—16th President of the United States (during the Civil War)
77. Frederick Douglass—Former slave and important abolitionist, also printed The
North Star, a newspaper
78. Sojourner Truth—Former slave, abolitionist, first black woman to speak out for
women’s rights
79. Manifest Destiny—Idea that America had a right to all of the land between the
east and west coasts
80. Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago—Ended the war with Mexico and the U.S. acquired
the Mexican Cession
81. Gadsen Purchase—1853, gave the U.S. more land that had been northern
Mexico and completed the acquisition of land that makes up the present-day
borders of the continental U.S.
82. Dred Scott Decision—1857, said that African Americans were not citizens of the
U.S. and said that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
83. Jefferson Davis—The President of the Confederate States of America during the
Civil War
84. Emancipation Proclamation—Executive order given by Abraham Lincoln that
freed the slaves in the Confederacy
85. Firing on Fort Sumter—The event that began the Civil War
86. Ulysses S. Grant—Final commander of the Union Army, 18th President of the
United States
87. Robert E. Lee—The commander of the Northern Army of Virginia, an part of the
Confederate Army
88. Battle of Vicksburg—1863, a battle in which the south lost control of the
Mississippi river
89. Battle of Gettysburg—1863, a battle which proved to be the turning point of the
Civil War in the North’s favor
90. Appomattox Court House—1865, town where Lee surrendered to Grant ending
the Civil War
91. Assassination of Lincoln—The first President to be assassinated; leading to
years of reconstruction in the South after the Civil War.
92. Civil Rights Act—1866, Said that everyone born in the United States was citizen
and entitled to equal rights regardless of race
93. Reconstruction Acts—Imposed military control over the southern states and
said that they had to ratify the 14th Amendment and allow all former slaves to
vote
94. 13th Amendment—The Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished
slavery
95. 14th Amendment—The Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that established
civil rights for all
96. 15th Amendment—The amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gave black
Americans the right to vote
97. Plessy vs Ferguson—1896, said that the idea of “separate but equal” was
allowed by the Constitution allowing segregation to spread in the South.
98. Brown vs Board of Education—1954, said that the idea of “separate but equal”
was unconstitutional and made segregation in schools illegal
99. Primary sources—Letters, diaries, journals, speeches, government documents,
business records, and autobiographies that give a first hand account of
historical evidence
100. Secondary Sources—The retelling of an event by someone who was not
present at the time the event took place
101. Wentworth Cheswell- He fought at the Battle of Saratoga; became the first elected African
American in New Hampshire
102. Mercy Otis Warren- Stirred colonists against British policies with her writings; she is
considered the “First Lady” of the American Revolution.
103. James Armstead-An African American who became the first double spy in the American
Revolution
104. Bernardo de Galvez-Led Spanish armies against the British from taking the Mississippi
River.
105. Crispus Attucks-African American who was the first person killed at the Boston Massacre
106. Haym Salomon-Jewish financier who gave money to support the Continental Army during
the American Revolution
107. Valley Forge-The place where General Washington spent the winter (1776)
108. William Carney- Took part in attack on Fort Wagner. First African American to receive the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
109. Philip Bazaar- Hispanic seaman who aided in Union victories, was a recipient of the
Congressional Medal of Honor
110. Hiram Rhodes Revels- Was first African American to be elected to Congress
111. Homestead Act-Made cheap land available to settlers
112. Dawes Act-Removed Indians from their lands to gov’t reservation
113. Morrill Act-Set up agricultural and mining colleges to help settle the west
114. Harriet Tubman--an escaped slave who became a Conductor on the Underground Railroad
and helped over 300 slaves escape to freedom in the North
115. John James Audubon-Artist known for drawing birds, plants, and animals as well as other
subjects from nature.
116. Constitutional Republic- Current form of government in United States, elected officials
exercise power limited by constitution.
117. John Quincy Adams- Was the son of John Adams (2nd President of US), elected as 6th
President, but his presidency is considered a failure because of his inability to understand
the needs of the “common man.”
118. Abigail Adams--wife of John Adams (2nd President) and mother of JQ Adams (6th
President); women’s rights advocate--”Remember the Ladies” letter to her husband John
119. Thomas Paine--wrote Common Sense and The Crisis to encourage American independence
120. House of Burgesses--first representative assembly in the colonies (Virginia)
121. Transcendentalism- Belief that people are born with an inner sense that enables them to
recognize moral truths.
122. Bessemer Process--an easier process for making steel developed by Henry Bessimer
123. Temperance Movement--a campaign against the sale or drinking of alcohol
124. Sectionalism--a strong sense of loyalty to a state or section instead of to the whole country
125. 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
126. Tariff--tax on imported goods (goods brought into the country)
127. Protective Tariff--tax placed on goods from another country to protect American
manufacturers
128. Free Enterprise--the freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with
minimal government regulation
129. Unalienable rights--rights that cannot be given up, taken away, or transferred...Life, liberty
and the Pursuit of Happiness are some of those rights
130. tyranny--a cruel and unjust government
131. Democracy--a form of government that is run for and by the people, giving people the
supreme power
132. Amend--to change
133. Ratify--to pass
134. Bill of Rights--the first ten amendments to the Constitution and detail the protection of
individual liberties
135. Spoils system--the practice of giving government jobs to political supporters
136. Monroe Doctrine--Monroe’s warning to European countries to stay out of the Americas
137. Lowell System--placed all stages of manufacturing under one roof
138. Double jeopardy--being tried twice for the same crime (the fifth Amendment prevents this)
139. eminent domain--the power of the government to take personal property but they must give
“reasonable compensation”
140. indictment--a formal accusation by a court before a person is arrested (when the grand jury
determines that there is enough evidence to have a trial)
141. 1st Amendment— Freedom of Speech, Religion, Press, Right to Assemble Peacefully, and the
Right to Petition
142. 2nd Amendment— Right to Bear Arms
143. 3rd Amendment— No Quartering of Soldiers in Private Homes during times of Peace
144. 4th Amendment— No Unlawful Search or Seizure
145. 5th Amendment— Right to Remain Silent/Rights of the Accused
146. 6th Amendment— Right to a Free and Speedy Trial by Jury
147. 7th Amendment— Jury Trial in Civil Court
148. 8th Amendment— No Cruel or Unusual Punishment/Bail and Punishment
149. 9th Amendment— Powers Reserved for the People
150. 10th Amendment—Powers Reserved for the States