American History TAKS Test Review Notes

What happened in 1492?

Christopher Columbus sailed across to the America’s

establishing Spanish rule to much of the New World.

The Spanish established missions in the Western section of present

day United States.

• What was the name of the first settlement in the new American colony?

Jamestown, Virginiaest. 1607

Other than Roanoke – the mysterious lost city

Only 60 of more than 900 Jamestown colonist survived

because of it was a very swampy location & disease spread easily.

The Virginia House of Burgesses in 1619 was the first representative

legislature in the English colonies.

The Mayflower Compact in1620 established a self-governing colony

based on the rule of the people..

New England’s colony relied on what economic activity?

New England couldn't rely on farming because of poor soil, so their main economic activity was shipbuilding, forestry & fishing.

The Middle Colonies had a variety of economic activates like iron

goods, shipping & lumber.

The Southern Colonies relied on mainly agricultural products like

tobacco, indigo & rice “cash crops”

What effect did European colonization have on Native

Americans?

Native Americans who didn’t die from European diseases were

pushed off their land.

Road to Revolution

Causes of the Revolution

• The British taxed the colonies for revenue to pay for the French and Indian War

• “No taxation without representation”

The colonists resented being taxed without having a voice in parliament.

• Stamp Act• Sugar Act• Tea Act

American's resented

taxation without

representation

Tax acts

The Proclamation of 1763 stated that colonist couldn’t settle beyond

the Appalachian Mountains.

Colonist resented the British for telling them were they couldn’t settle after the Proclamation of

1763.

• In 1774, as punishment for the Boston Tea Party, the Coercive Acts are enacted against Massachusetts.

• What did the colonists call those acts?

The Intolerable Acts

King George III's decision

not to repeal theIntolerable Acts

or any of the other taxes

finally caused the

Revolutionary War

that led to theColonies

Independence

Loyalists vs. Patriots• Loyalists- Americans who supported

Great Britain during the revolution

• Patriots- Americans who favored

independence from Great Britain during the revolution

The Boston Massacre in 1770 was used as propaganda to rally Patriots against the British.

Could you be next?

Patrick Henry famous quote was “Give me liberty or give me ?”

George Washington

• Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution

• 1st President of the United States

Thomas JeffersonAuthor of Dec of Independence

Founder of Univ of Virginia3rd President

Louisiana Purchase

• In 1776, a committee meets to draft a Declaration of Independence, which justified the right to revolt. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

• After independence is won in 1781, the colonies needed a government, so the government adopted what?

• What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation?

A weak central governmentNo executive branch

No levying taxesNo regulation of trade

No court system

Some states were afraid of having a strong federal government

because they didn’t want to be another England.

Constitutional Convention of 1787

• Delegates drafted a new constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.

Small & Large states fought about representation.

Great Compromise was splitting the legislative branch into 2 parts.

• Senate – each state gets 2 senators in congress

• House of Representatives – states that have a large population will get more representatives in congress.

Unalienable rights are what?

Alexander Hamilton was the Secretary of Treasury and favored a strong central government with a

National Bank.

He was a Federalist

Federalist wanted a loose interpretation of the US Constitution & a strong

central government

Democratic-Republicans favored a weak central government and a strict interpretation of the US Constitution

Principles of the U.S. Constitution

• What is the correct term for power that is shared between the states and national government with the national government having more power?

Federalism• What is a system called in which people

vote for the elected representatives to run the government?

Republicanism• What is it called when the people hold

supreme power? It is addressed in the

preamble “We the people..”

Popular Sovereignty

• To prevent any branch of the new government from being too strong, the new Constitution designed a system known as what?

Separation of Powers

Executive

Legislative

Judicial

Checks and Balances

This system is designed to ensure that not one branch of government will gain too much power.

• What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?

• Why were the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution in 1789 so soon after it was written?

Protect Individual rights

You need 2/3 vote in both houses of congress or 75% of state legislators to ratify the US

Constitution.

1st Amendment

• Freedom of speech, religion, and press: right to assemble and petition

2nd Amendment

• The right to bear arms

Monroe Doctrine was a US policy that told European nations to stay out of the Western Hemisphere.

The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the United

States

Who was the President who bought the Louisiana Purchase?

We bought it from France.

Jefferson

Many in America believed that the US should stretch from the Atlantic

to the Pacific. This is called Manifest Destiny

13th Amendment

Free at last!

14th Amendment

Citizenship to Freed slaves

15th Amendment

1st vote

3 blind mice/Free Citizens Vote

• 13th-Free• 14th- Citizens• 15th- Vote

Resources

• http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/• http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=51246164&epmid=1&partner=Google• www.beavton.k12.or.us/.../cartoons/stamp_act.jpg• www.viewimages.com/xc/2837718.jpg • www.historyimages.com/Boston/Boston-Tea-Party.jpg• www.secondalbany.org/images/bostmass.jpg • www.brandykarl.com/.../boston-tea-party-2006.jpg• www.hobart.k12.in.us/.../revwar/1cont.htm• www.americanrevolution.com/BattleofLexingtona...• www.generalatomic.com/.../lexington.html• www.us-coin-values-advisor.com/we-the-people.html• www.cartoonstock.com/.../t/tax_collector.asp• shs.westport.k12.ct.us/.../Images/Emacipate.jpg• www.loc.gov/teachers/constitutionday.html

•www.constitutioncenter.org/.../cw02_11926.html