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Super STAAR 130 Facts
Just the Facts!
1. Mercantilism is an economic system in which the mother country controls the trade of its
colonies.
2. The following colonies were established for religious freedom:
 Massachusetts - John Winthrop (Puritans)
 Pennsylvania – William Penn (Quakers)
 Rhode Island - Roger Williams (exiled by Puritans for dissention)
 Maryland - Cecillius Calvert (Catholics)
3. Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement, was founded in 1607 for
economic reasons.
4. The Transatlantic Slave Trade (triangular trade) was started due to labor shortages in
Virginia, resulting in the first slaves being brought to the Southern colonies.
5. The Mayflower Compact is an agreement signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth. It
was the first English attempt at self-government in America.
6. The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first English representative assembly in the
new world.
7. Thomas Hooker wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the first (debatable)
written constitution in America. It is one of the first examples of a representative
democracy.
8. The 13 colonies were divided into three regions: New England, Middle, and Southern
Colonies
9. The French & Indian War involved England and the 13 colonies fighting against France
and the Native Americans for control of the Ohio River Valley. It resulted in increased
taxation and violation of certain rights.
10. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War. The debt from the war led
to increased British taxation of the colonies.
11. Ben Franklin wrote the Albany Plan of Union. Its slogan, “Join or Die!” encouraged
colonists to unite against the French during the French & Indian War.
12. The Proclamation of 1763 prevented colonists from expanding west of the Appalachian
Mountains.
13. These Acts following the French & Indian War ticked off the colonists and eventually led
to the Revolution: Sugar, Stamp, Tea, Quartering, Townshend, Coercive
14. King George III of England offended the colonists with his taxes and abuses of their
rights as Englishmen.
15. The Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea Party to protest the Tea Act. England
passed the Intolerable Acts as punishment.
16. Everybody’s Revolution:
 Crispus Attucks – African American killed at the Boston massacre who was the
first colonist to die for American independence.
 James Armistead – First African American double spy whose information helped
defeat the British at the Battle of Yorktown.
 Haym Salomon – Jewish immigrant and American spy who helped finance the
American Revolution.

Mercy Otis Warren – woman who wrote plays such as The Group and The
Blockheads which were critical of the British government’s actions.
 Bernardo de Galvez – Spanish governor of Louisiana and general who won many
battles against the British in present day southeastern U.S.
 Marquis de Lafayette – commander of the French forces in the 13 colonies, and
instrumental in American victory at Yorktown.
17. John Adams was the second president of the U.S., first vice president, signed the
Declaration of Independence, and served as Ambassador to England during the
Revolutionary War. His wife, Abigail Adams, was a pioneer for women’s rights.
18. Sam Adams, a member of the Sons of Liberty and leader of the Boston Tea Party, stirred
public support for American independence.
19. The first battle of the American Revolution was at Lexington and Concord in April
1775.
20. Common Sense : a pamphlet by Thomas Paine that convinced many colonists to support
independence from Great Britain.
21. The fiery orator, patriot, and Anti-Federalist Patrick Henry called for American
independence and later opposed the Constitution because it did not protect individual
liberties.
22. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army who later became the first
president of the United States.
23. A patriot is someone who supported American independence during the Revolution.
24. A loyalist is someone who supported maintaining British rule over the colonies during the
Revolution.
25. The Declaration of Independence, a list of grievances against King George III, was
written by Thomas Jefferson and made public on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. It declared
the colonies independent from England.
26. Unalienable rights are rights that cannot be given up, taken away or transferred. Life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness are some of those rights.
27. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the American Revolution (French entered
the war).
28. Valley Forge was where George Washington’s troops camped during the winter of
1777. More than 1/5 of his soldiers died of disease and malnutrition.
29. George Washington’s troops’ defeat of the British in 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia
signaled the end of the American Revolution.
30. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended the American Revolution and forced Britain to
recognize the United States as an independent nation.
31. The Magna Carta, signed in 1215 by King John, was the first document that limited
power of the ruler.
Its idea of trial by jury was used in Bill of Rights.
32. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 protected the rights of English citizens and became the
basis for the U.S. Bill of Rights.
33. Early government was influenced by the works of European philosophers such as:
 Charles de Montesquieu (French) - separation of powers and three branches
 John Locke (English) – unalienable rights
 William Blackstone (English) – “natural rights” and Bill of Rights
34. The Articles of Confederation was our first national government with one branch
(legislative). The states had most of the power. It was replaced by the U.S. Constitution in
1787.
35. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established the procedures for the expansion of the
United States and explained that new states were admitted to the Union equal to existing
states.
36. A tariff is a tax on imported goods (goods brought into a country) designed to protect
home industries.
37. Shays’s Rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and
convinced many founders of the need for a stronger national government.
38. The Great Compromise created a bi-cameral (two-house) legislature we call
Congress. Representation in the House of Representatives is based on population. In the
Senate each state gets two senators.
39. The 3/5 Compromise settled the issue of how slaves would count for representation and
taxation in Congress. Each slave would count as 3/5 of a person.
40. Checks and Balances is 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.
41. Separation of Powers: system in which each branch of government has its own powers.
42. Republicanism is a system of representative government in which voters elect
representatives to make laws for them.
43. Federalism is the sharing of power between the states and the national government.
44. Federalists were supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong national government
and the Bank of the United States.
45. Anti-federalists were people opposed to the Constitution, preferring more power be given
to the state governments than to the national government. Against the Bank of the U.S.,
Thomas Jefferson and George Mason were leading Anti-Federalists.
46. The Federalist Papers: a series of essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and
Alexander Hamilton defended the Constitution and the principles on which the
government of the United States was founded.
47. The Legislative Branch makes the laws. The Executive Branch enforces the laws. The
Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws.
48. Constitutional Republic: system of limited government where elected officials represent
the people and must govern according to the laws of the Constitution.
49. The Constitution (our written plan of government), was created in Philadelphia in 1787.
It provides a strong national government with power balanced between the three branches.
50. James Madison is called the “Father of the Constitution”.
51. Ratify means to approve by vote.
52. Amend means to change. As in amend the Constitution so it works better. Amendment =
change to the Constitution.
53. A constitutional amendment is passed when 2/3 of Congress (House & Senate) and ¾ of
the state legislatures vote in favor of the amendment.
54. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, is designed to protect our
individual liberties.
55. The 1st Amendment protects freedom of religion, assembly, petition, press, and speech
(RAPPS).
56. The 2nd Amendment – “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free
State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
57. The 3rd Amendment : "No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house,
without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by
law."
58. Due process is how laws are enforced fairly. For example, Amendments 4-8.
59. The 9th Amendment: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” (We get more rights than
what is in the Constitution)
60. The 10th Amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people.” Meaning… FEDERALISM
61. George Washington’s service as president of the U.S. was an example of civic virtue. He
accepted the presidency because he felt it was his duty to serve the people, rather than
retire to his plantation.
62. Alexander Hamilton: a leader of the Federalists, first treasurer of the United States, and
creator of the Bank of the U.S. (courtesy of the ELASTIC CLAUSE). He was killed in a
duel by the vice president of the U. S.
63. The following Supreme Court cases, ruled by Chief Justice John Marshall, helped to
strengthen the power of the federal government over the states.
·McCulloch v. Maryland(1819) -- Use of the elastic clause
·Gibbons v. Ogden(1824) -- Federal government regulates interstate trade
64. Free Enterprise is an economic system where citizens are free to choose how to make a
living, with very little government intrusion.
65. President Washington demonstrated the increased power of the federal government by
sending the army to stop the Whiskey Rebellion.
66. The first political parties were formed as a result of disagreements over the power of the
federal government between Hamilton and Jefferson.
67. George Washington’s Farewell Address advised the United States to stay “neutral in its
relations with other nations” and to avoid “entangling alliances”.
68. President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
69. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, became the third president of
the United States and purchased the Louisiana territory, doubling the size of the United
States.
70. Marbury v. Madison was the 1803 court decision that gave the Supreme Court the power
of judicial review, that is the right to determine whether a law violates the Constitution.
John Marshall’s ruling established judicial review.
71. British impressment (forcing people to serve in a foreign country’s army or navy)
resulted in the Embargo Act, which banned trade with all foreign countries and hurt the
U.S. economy.
72. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and England. Causes of the war
included impressment, seizing of American ships, and British encouragement of Indian
attacks.
73. Andrew Jackson was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, and
later became the seventh president of the United States.
74. James Monroe was the fifth president and author of the Monroe Doctrine, which shut
down the western hemisphere to European expansion or interference.
75. Industrial Revolution: industry changed from the production of goods at home (cottage
industries) to factory production using powered machinery.
76. Robert Fulton’s steamboat improved transportation of goods and people during the
Industrial Revolution.
77. The telegraph, invented in 1835 by Samuel Morse (Morse Code), made communication
more efficient across great distances. It became an important tool in the North, during
the Civil War.
78. Textile Mills - Thief: Samuel Slater Importance: Led to large-scale factory production
of cloth through the use of power looms. Provided new job opportunities for young
women.
79. Interchangeable Parts -- Inventor: Eli Whitney Importance: Allowed factories to make
products faster and cheaper. If broken, parts could be replaced easily.
80. Cotton Gin – 1793 Inventor: Eli Whitney Importance: Allowed for fast separation of
cotton from seeds, greatly increasing profitability of cotton. This made the use of slavery
on plantations essential to cotton farmers in the South.
81. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 made slavery illegal north of the 36° 30’ line. From
1820 to 1850, newly admitted states above the line would be free states, while new states
below the line would be slave states.
82. John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the sixth president of the United States,
and the only one to serve in Congress after being president. He was best known for
opposing the spread of slavery.
83. Andrew Jackson was a self-made man and founder of the modern Democratic
Party. He was responsible for the Trail of Tears and he supported the Union during the
Nullification Crisis.
84. Andrew Jackson’s election in 1828 as president led to increased suffrage for white men in
the United States.
85. The Trail of Tears, a result of the Indian Removal Act, forced the Indians in the
southeastern U.S. to move west of the Mississippi River.
86. Nullification is the idea of a state declaring a federal law unconstitutional or not in force
in that state.
87. Daniel Webster was a Massachusetts congressman and senator who spoke for the North
and the preservation of the Union.
88. John C. Calhoun was a South Carolina congressman and senator who spoke for the South
before and during the Civil War.
89. Henry Clay, known as the Great Compromiser, was a powerful Kentucky congressman
and senator who proposed the Compromise of 1850, and the American System.
90. Popular Sovereignty is the Constitutional principle that asserts people have the right to
make decisions for themselves.
91. Manifest Destiny is the belief that the United States should own all of the land between
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
92. Westward Expansion: Label the Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Mormon Trail, and
California Trail.
93. The Transcontinental Railroad sped up the process of westward expansion as
settlements and towns grew along the railroad routes.
94. Erie Canal: manmade waterway that allowed for more efficient movement of
manufactured goods and raw materials from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
95. The annexation of Texas created tension between the U.S. and Mexico, resulting in the
Mexican War. The U.S. victory resulted in the acquisition of land known as the Mexican
Cession.
96. Public education promotes knowledge and skills that open the doors to opportunity.
Horace Mann is known as the father of public education.
97. Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the Seneca Falls Convention, creating the Women’s
Rights Movement in the United States.
98. The Temperance Movement was a campaign against the sale and drinking of alcohol.
99. An abolitionist was a person who worked to end slavery in the United States. Abolish
means to get rid of.
100. The Compromise of 1850 tried to solve the divisions between free and slave states or
territories.
101. Sectionalism is a strong sense of loyalty to a state or section instead of to the whole
country.
102. Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became a well-known abolitionist in the
country.
103. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an Anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, created
widespread abolitionist support among Northerners.
104. Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857 was the Supreme Court decision that said slaves were
property and not citizens and thus can’t sue in court. It found the Missouri Compromise
of 1820 to be unconstitutional and aggravated sectional tensions between North and
South.
105. In 1859 John Brown, an abolitionist who believed armed resistance to slavery was
necessary, seized a federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to begin a
slave rebellion. He was captured and later executed.
106. The Civil War was fought from 1861-1865.
107. The three causes of the Civil War were: slavery, states’ rights, and sectionalism
108. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (Union), served during the Civil
War
109. Jefferson Davis was the one and only president of the Confederate States of
America. He served during the Civil War.
110. Ulysses S. Grant was the lead general of the Union army and accepted Lee’s surrender
at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, ending the Civil War.
111. Robert E. Lee was the lead general of the Confederate army. His defeat at Gettysburg
was a turning point in the Civil War.
112. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was the second-best General of the Confederate army.
His
accidental death in 1863, was a huge loss for Robert E. Lee’s army.
113. During the Civil War, the Southern economy’s dependence on plantation agriculture and
slavery, led to a lack of factories and railroads in the South.
114. 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.
115. The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South
Carolina.
116. The Battle of Antietam, with 23,000 casualties, was the bloodiest single day battle of
the Civil War (and all of U.S. History). It occurred on September 17, 1862.
117. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, “setting
free” all slaves in the Confederate states.
118. The Battle of Gettysburg, July1-3, 1863, was the turning point in the Civil War.
Lee’s army was defeated.
119. The Gettysburg Address: Speech given by Lincoln dedicating a cemetery for soldiers
who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is considered to be a profound statement of
American ideals.
120. The capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi by the North in 1863, was important because it
geographically divided the Confederacy and gave the Union army control of the
Mississippi River.
121. Appomattox Court House, Virginia is where Robert E. Lee surrendered the
Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War.
122. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address was meant to help heal and restore the country
after four years of Civil War. It stated the South should be treated fairly.
123. John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, led to increased
tension between the North and South and strict requirements for Southern states to meet in
order to regain representation in Congress after the Civil War.
124. William Carney and Philip Bazaar were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
for their heroism during the Civil War.
125. In 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels, from Mississippi, was the first African American
elected to Congress.
126. 13th Amendment “Slavery …shall [not] exist within the United States.”
127. The 14th Amendment defined the rights of citizenship and prevented states from
interfering with the rights of citizens. It also ended the 3/5 Compromise.
128. The 15th Amendment – “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be
denied or abridged … on account of race.”
129. The 19th Amendment – “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be
denied …on account of [gender].”
130. 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. 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.