American History Midterm

John Rolfe failed at producing a marketable crop of tobacco in VIrginia until he

planted seeds from the West Indies

John Rolfe’s marriage to Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas

established an alliance that ended the First Anglo-Powhatan War

The European demand for tobacco

led to the removal of INdians from their land and attracted both indentured servants and slaves to Virginia

Why did King James I grant charters to investors in Plymouth and London in 1606 to establish colonies in North America?

to provide income for merchants since peace with Spain had curtailed raids against that nation’s ships

The Virginia Company was the

first successful colony in North America

English men and women from the lowest ranks of society who agreed to work in exchange for passage money to the colonies were known as

indentured servants

What was the notable characteristic of Jamestown during its first decade?

an appallingly high mortality rate

Most colonists in Virginia who did not survive were

victims of malnutrition and disease

Powhatan, leader of the Powhatan Algonquians in Virginia, expanded his power over other groups of Indians by

marrying women in different tribes

By 1619, cultivation of tobacco

created an economic boom in Virginia

To increase the number of workers in Virginia, company officials

awarded the 50 acres of land to those who came or brought another person to Virginia

The House of Burgesses was the first

elected representative government in the New World

Most English settlers believed

that Indians were incapable of conversion to the English way of life

The Third Anglo-Powhatan War resulted in the

first Indian reservation in America

Maryland was the first ____________ colony among the English settlements in North America

proprietary

By the Act if Toleration, settlement in Maryland was open to

those who believed in Jesus Christ

In the first half of the 17th century, Chesapeake society was shaped by

weak government, market for tobacco, availability of land, and shortage of labor

Despite the economic boom for Virginia and Maryland produced by tobacco exports,

death rates remained high because of poor water supply and disease

The experience of the average indentured servant in the Chesapeake area was

often brutal, with too much work and too little food

What is true of the first Africans who reached Virginia in 1619

it is not clear whether they were indentured servants or slaves

Primary factors dictating how quickly English colonists adopted African slavery included

the need for plantation laborers and availability of slaves at a good price

What was the primary impetus behind the Massachusetts settlements?

religion

Those who founded the Plymouth colony in 1620 were the only colonists who should be called

Pilgrims

The New England colonies benefited from

better relations with Indians than Chesapeake colonists

The founding od the church of England during the reign of Henry VIII was related to

a dispute between the king and pope over a divorce

The Swiss Protestant reformer John Calvin

believed God ordained who would be saved even before they were born

Puritans wanted to

eliminate aspects of Roman Catholicism from the Church of England

Those known as Separatists

gave up on reforming the Church of England

The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower were

supposed to go to the CHesapeake area to help develop Virginia

The survival of the Plymouth colony was made possible by

assistance from friendly Indians

Although settled two decades later, New England was able to keep pace with the Chesapeake colonies because

its people lived in a healthier region

One way New Englanders differed from Chesapeake colonists is that they

migrated as families rather than as individuals

New England towns were usually governed by

adult male property owners at a town meeting

When Indians sold land to New England settlers, they

usually thought they were only giving permission to share the land

New Englanders mostly profited from

selling timber, wood products, and fish

Williams advocated

separation of church and state

The "sewer of New England" refers to

Rhode Island, because so many religious dissenters gathered there

Anne Hutchinson was forced out of Massachusetts for

criticism of its clergy and the Puritan doctrine of "preparation"

The Pequot War was the result of all of

conflicts between Europeans about who would govern the Connecticut River valley, conflicts among native Americans about who would trade with the Europeans, and the unregulated and aggressive expansion on to Pequot land by Puritan settlers

The first clear evidence of enslavement of Africans in mainland English colonies is

the fact that Maryland’s Assembly guaranteed rights to all Christians except slaves

According to a British military officer present at the battle, what initiated the fighting at Lexington Bridge?

someone fired a shot from behind a tree

How did he New Englanders react to the fighting at Lexington and Concord?

more than 20,000 militia gathered in Boston to evict General Thomas Gage and his troops

What was the greatest challenge facing the Second Continental when it met in Philadelphia?

maintaining consensus of purpose among the delegates

Moderate members of the Congress in the spring of 1776

did not favor independence but did agree to prepare for war

Why did Congress submit the Olive Branch Petition to King George?

to preserve unity with the moderates

What was the consequence of the Continental army’s offensive against British forces in southern Canada in the summer of 1775?

disaster–the army lost half its forces

Thomas Paine authored a pamphlet titled _________early in 1776 to argue that the American colonies should declare independence from England

Common Sense

Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the first draft of the declaration of Independence,

late claimed that the document contained nothing new or innovative

According to the philosophy Thomas Jefferson expressed in the Declaration of Independence, what was the primary responsibility of government?

to protect the natural rights of people

The American Revolution succeeded because

moderated and radicals reversed previous attitudes toward class and political conflict and maintained an effective alliance

The Articles of Confederation, as envisioned by John Dickinson,

proposed a weak central government that could not lay taxes or regulate commerce between its constituent states

What was the significant change in governments in America produced by the Revolution?

greater participation was exercised by more ordinary men

What consequences did George Washington’s defeat of British soldiers and mercenaries at Trenton, New Jersey, have on his army?

a thousand more recruits volunteered for service under Washington’s command

What was Washington’s basic tactic during the Revolutionary War?

to lead the British could never defeat all of it at the same time

What was the major consequence of the American victory over General John Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga, New York?

it led to the alliance with France

What enable George Washington’s victory over Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown?

assistance from French soldiers and the French fleet

Approximately what percentage of American colonists remained loyal to England during the Revolution?

20%

Who led Congress’s diplomatic effort to secure recognition and assistance from France during the American Revolution?

Benjamin Franklin

What did the new government in America hope to gain besides independence?

territory between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River and, if possible, at least portion of Canada as well

Why did France become involved in the American Revolution?

to break up the British Empire and reestablish France as the most powerful nation in the world

How did the departure of 80,000 loyalists as a consequence of the Revolution affect America?

It enhanced democracy and reduced the conservative element in society

what offered the greatest opportunity for profit and prosperity once the Revolutionary War ended?

speculation in land and currency

What happened to currency printed by Congress and state governments in the 1770s and 1780s?

it lost its value due to lack of confidence that it would be redeemed in specie

Weakness of the central government in the Articles

meant that it could not address economic problems hurting most Americans

__________ led an effort to close courts in Massachusetts so property could not be seized for inability to pay taxes

Daniel Shays

What campaign pledge helped John Hancock win election as governor of Massachusetts?

amnesty for those who protested foreclosures and debtor relief

In view of economic woes under the Articles of Confederation, what group of commerce-minded political leaders advocated a strong central government?

nationalists

During the American Revolution, American women

generally supported and participated in protests and boycotts

Under the principle of coverture

women could not hold property in their own names

What was the only colony/state that permitted women to vote, if they met property qualifications, until 1807?

New Jersey

The Quaker __________ launched the first antislavery movement in 1754 when he condemned the institution on humanitarian and religious terms

John Woolman

What impact did revolutionary ideals have on African slavery in the former English colonies?

Every state north of Delaware banned slavery

When American settlers moved westward, they usually

expected government to secure land for them and protect them from Indians

The ___________ banned slavery from expanded in territory north of the Ohio River

Northwest Ordinance

Why was the selection of George Washington presiding officer of the convention crucial to its success?

Washington was the most widely respected person in the nation, and his leadership gave the convention credibility.

What was the principal difference between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan for a new national government?

the method of selecting representatives to Congress

The conflict between large states was resolved by the

Great Compromise

What were the Federalist Papers?

commentaries on the Constitution written during the struggle for ratification

Ratification of the new constitution was

all of the above…..supported by small states, dependent on the approval of all 9 states, and opposed by the larger and more powerful states of Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia