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Civilisation USA I
Cours de civilisation des Etats-Unis à l'université de Lorraine, ERUDI S2
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is Mount Rushmore National Memorial? | The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, named it the Shrine of Democracy. |
| What does the Mount Rushmore sculpture respresent and what is its significance? | The sculpture features depictions of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. They represent the nation's foundation, expansion, development, and preservation. |
| What are the controversies around Mount Rushmore National Memorial? | It is a symbol of democracy, but: the sculptor Gutzon Borglum had links to the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society of white supremacists. Also, it's built on a land which is sacred to the Amerindians and which is contested by them. |
| The date of supposed "discovery" of America by Columbus | 1492 |
| Where and when did Columbus actually land ? | Columbus landed in West Indies (it's the name given to some islands of the Carribean), in San Salvador (nowadays Bahamas) in 12th October 1492 |
| On behalf of who did Columbus completed his four voyages? | On behalf of the Catholic monarchs of Spain |
| Where the local population 'uncivilized'? | No: some Amerindian peoples had their own writing, they tamed animals and could also turn metal into weapons and jewelry. |
| What does it mean "Massachusetts"? | It's the name of an ALGONQUIAN tribe, meaning "large hill". |
| What does it mean "Michigan"? | It's an OJIBWE word standing for "large lake". |
| What does it mean "Mississippi"? | It's an OJIBWE word meaning "long river". |
| What does it mean "Ohio"? | It means "good river" in IROQUOIAN. |
| What does it mean "Seattle"? | It is the modern spelling of "Seathl" which is the name of a chief of the SUQUAMISH tribe. |
| How many Amerindian nations were living on the American continent when the European explorers landed on it? | More than 250, each with its own linguistic specificities |
| What was an estimated Amerindian population before the arrival of the Europeans and what weere its numbers by 1900? | The total Amerindian population was estimated to be between four and seven million. But over the centuries, massacres and epidemics led to a severe drop. By 1900 there were only 237,196 Amerindians left. |
| What kind of diseases did the early colonists bring with them which the Amerindians' immune systems could not resist? | Smallpox, cholera, chickenpox, influenza, measles, bubonic plague, leptospirosis, etc. |
| Which nations colonized the American continent first? | The Portuguese, Spanish, and French. |
| When did the English start colonizing the American continent? | They came in the late 16th c. |
| When did the English establish their empire with the so called "Thirteen Colonies"? | Between the early 17th c. and the first third of the 18th c. These colonies would later give birth to the United States (the 13 stripes on the American flag symbolize the 13 founding states). |
| Name the "Thirteen Colonies" | New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia |
| What was the name of the first permanent English settlement and when was it established? | The first permanent English settlement was JAMESTOWN, a small village in VIRGINIA. It was established in 1607. |
| Who was the founder of Jamestown? | It was John Smith. He negotiated with the Amerindians to get seeds from them so that the English settlers would be able to grow corn. |
| How many people left England on the Mayflower and when? | At the end of 1620, 102 people left England and landed in what would become Massachusetts. Among them were 35 Puritan Protestants. |
| Who are "The Pilgrim Fathers"? | They are the 35 Puritan Protestants, who had broken with the Church of England and were persecuted in their homeland. They were very religious and founded their own colony, that of PLYMOUTH. |
| Who were the Puritans? | The Puritans were English and Scottish people who considered that the Anglican Church was not "pure" enough. They also thought that Communion services should be simple and the places of worship should be void of the decorations. |
| What did the philosophy of life of the Puritans emphasize? | Work, self-control, morality, and elimination of unnecessary pleasures. |
| What is the approximate number of the Puritans that fled to "the New World"? Where did they settle? | In the early 17th c., some 80,000 Puritans; many of them settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (in which Plymouth would end up being included). |
| What is "the Mayflower Compact"? | It's a kind of social contract, signed by all adult men on the Mayflower, setting a list of principles that would organize the life and government of the future colony independently of the Crown, and whose keywords were DEMOCRACY and FREEDOM OF WORSHIP. |
| How did the Puritans on the Mayflower were calling the non-Puritan settlers? | They called them "strangers". |
| When was celebrated the first Thanksgiving day? | 1621. It went on being celebrated annually in memory of the Native Americans. |
| What does the term "New England" designate? | It designates the six most northeasterly states of the Union: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. |
| Representatives of which religious denominations were settling in "the New World"? | Puritans, Catholics (established the colony of Maryland), Protestants, Anglicans, Quakers, and dissidents. The place became above all a haven for those seeking religious freedom. |
| Who were the Quakers? | They were the most radical of Puritans. |
| Who and when founded Philadelphia? | William Penn, in 1682 |
| How was the city of New York called before its capture by English troops? | New Amsterdam, when it was under Dutch control. The surrounding territory, then called "New Netherlands", also became English under the name of "New York". |
| What was "the triangular trade"? | A profitable network of commerce. Goods, raw materials and enslaved people were traded between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It is called so because of its shape when viewed on the map. |
| When did the first Africans were brought to the Americas? | In 1619. They (20 people) landed in Jamestown aboard a Dutch ship. |
| When did the Americans enter the slave trade? | In 1645 |
| When did Virginia institutionalize slavery for life? | In 1660 |
| What other group of people (alongside black slaves) suffered because of the colonization of America? | the Amerindians |
| How did the relationships between the colonists and the Amerindians evolve of the time? | In the beginning, relationships were ease, the local tribes helping the settlers to adapt. But: diseases + massacres. Many armed conflicts ensued when the colonists wanted to take possession of their lands. |
| Which Amerindian tribe helped the settlers to survive the harsh winter of 1607-1608? | the Powhatans |
| What were the causes of conflict between the Powhatans and the settlers? | The colonizers considered that the Amerindians were supposed to assist them without getting anything in return, not even respect. In 1610 two settlers were killed, and English retaliated burning down two villages. |
| Who was Pocahontas? | A daughter of the Powhatan tribe chief. She married John Rolf, a prominent colonist, in 1614. |
| Why did colonists take over the Amerindians' cornfields? | For tobacco plantations. |
| Who was Opechancanough? | The chief of the Powhatans who raided Jamestown and other settlements, resulting in the death of more than 400 English inhabitants out of 1,200 |
| When did the Pequot war take place? | In 1636-1637, because of the merciless repression. They encircled the Pequots' village and most of them where burned alive. This led to the total extinction of the tribe. |
| When did the King Philip's War take place? | 1675-1676. |
| Who was "King Philip"? | Metacomet, the chief of the WAMPANOAG tribe. He managed to rally most of the tribes of the region to fight English. |
| Which tribes helped the English against Metacomet? | The Mohicans and the Mohawks. |
| What were the beginnings of the displacement policies? | When the native Americans who did not want to comply were forced out of their region to live further west |
| When did France lose its influence in North America? | At the end of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) |
| The freedom of some was synonymous with the deprivation of the liberty of others. The original settlers fled persecutions to be free to practice their religion, but this often meant that they would themselves come to persecute other people. | |
| The Thirteen Colonies were established by English immigrants on Native American lands, where tribes had been living for generations. | |
| What were the points of dissatisfaction of the settlers with the way Great Britain administered its colonies (in the second half of the 18th c.)? | 1) Financial contributions imposed to them were too high 2) No representation at the London Parliament (claim 'no taxation without representation) |
| Did England's policies pay enough attention to the American colonists's needs? | They paid little attention to this. The Crown had its own social and economic priorities; the colonies were to serve as 1) mere sources of revenue; 2) convenient exiles for undesirable subjects, or 3) handy gifts for faithful friends. |
| What was the Royal Proclamation of October 1763 about? | King George III forbade any territorial expansion of the colonists beyond the Appalachian Mountains in order to ease tensions with the Amerindians. The settlers felt humiliated. This also ment growing social inequalities (because of land scarcity). |
| What effect did the new taxes had on the settlers (between 1764 and 1767)? | They infuriated the settlers who saw them as 1) an abuse of power, 2) an assault on self-government, and 3) a violation of their liberty. |
| What was the SUGAR ACT (1764) about? | It prohibited the importation of rum and introduced custom duties on molasses, but also on wine, silk, coffee, and many luxury products. The Sugar Act was a way for London to try and reassert its authority and have its laws respected by the colonists. |
| What other measures (besides the Sugar Act) were enacted at the same period? | The Currency Act (1764) prohibited the issuing of legal tender by the colonies; the Quartering Acts (1765 and 1766) required the colonies to provide barracks or other dwellings for British troops. The Stamp Act (1765). |
| What was the significance of the STAMP ACT (1765)? | It was yet another source of discontent for the colonists; according to the historians, it was one of the major causes of the subsequent revolution. |
| What did the STAMP ACT stipulate? | It established a new direct tax on commercial and legal papers - a stamp duty was imposed on all newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, playing cards, diplomas, licenses, lease agreements or other notarized documents. |
| What was the context in the colonies when the STAMP ACT was voted? | It was voted during a time of economic depression, just after the Seven Years' War, and it affected all classes of population. The stamps had to be paid in cash in pound sterling, but coins and banknotes were rare in the colonies. |
| What were the risks of not paying the stamp tax? | Those who failed to pay the tax ran the risk of being prosecuted before Admiralty Courts that did not have juries. |
| When was the STAMP ACT repealed? | In March 1766 |
| Where did the riots over the STAMP ACT take place? | In New York, Charleston, and Newport |
| Who were the "Sons of Liberty"? | A radical activist group. |
| What did the British Parliament issue when they revoked the STAMP ACT? | DECLARATORY ACT, which confirmed its supremacy over the colonies, reasserting its right of direct taxation anywhere within the empire, "in all cases whatsoever". In 1767, new taxes were placed on imported glass, lead, paint, paper, tea: Townshend Acts. |
| What was one of the emblems of the movement led by the Sons of Liberty? | A "Liberty Pole" |
| What was "the Boston Massacre"? | The events of 5th March 1770, when, during the riots in form to the offices of the British government in Boston, the garrison opened fire and kiled five members of the Sons of Liberty. |
| When was the TEA ACT voted? | 1773 |
| What was stipulated by the TEA ACT? | This act gave a monopoly to the East India Company for the exportation of English tea to the Thirteen Colonies. The company also had the right to select its middlement in American ports. |
| What is the "Boston Tea Party"? | On 16th December 1773, 60 members of the organization, disguised as Mohawks, went on board three ships anchored in Boston harbor and dumped into the sea 45 tons of tea for a value of 10,000 GBP. This episode is called the "Boston Tea Party". |
| Who was John Malcolm? | A customs officer, representing royal authority for the settlers. |
| What were "Liberty trees"? | Liberty trees were large trees used to identify meeting spots for the Sons of Liberty. When there was no suitable tree, a "Liberty Pole" was erected instead. These trees and poles had a high symbolic and political value. |
| What was the significance of the "Committees of Correspondence"? | These committees, founded by Samuel ADAMS, were instrumental in setting up an insurrectional network. |
| Who was Samuel Adams? | He was a Bostonial Patriot, a writer and a political leader who had long campaigned against the British Parliament's Acts affecting the colonies. He called for revolt, and played a major role in the staging the Boston Tea Party. |
| When and were was established the first Committee of Correspondence? | In Boston, 1772 |
| When and what relatiatory measures were taken agains the settlers by King George III and the British Parliament? | In 1774 the Coercive Acts (called "the Intolerable Acts" by the settlers) were issued. One of them implied closing down of Boston Harbour. Another extended the military occupation by quartering soldiers in private homes. |
| Who was General Gage? | He headed British troops in America, became the new governor of Massachusetts and was granted a further contingent of 10,000 men. |
| When did the First Contental Congress take place? | In September and October 1774. |
| What was the First Continental Congress? | A gathering of representatives from 12 colonies (no Georgia). The representatives claimed equality of rights between the colonists and the English living in the mother country, and they decided to halt trade with England till the Acts were in power. |
| Who was John Hancock? | A wealthy merchant from Boston who was active in smuggling. |
| What is considered as the start of the American Revolutionary War? | The confrontation between farmers at Lexington and the British. When the shooting broke out, 8 farmers were killed. The events of April 1775. |
| Who were the Patriots? | The militiamen, who were meant to fight British forces and Loyalists but were not professional soldiers. |
| Who won the Battle of Bunker Hill? | The British won this battle, which occured on 16th and 17th June 1775 during the Siege of Boston. But they lost twice as many men as their enemy, which represented a boost to the Patriots. |
| What happened during the Second Continental Congress (Philadelphia, 1775)? | Congress appointed George Washington (member of the Virginian elite) as commander-in-chief of the newly-formed Continental Army. "The Declaration of the Causes and Necesity of Taking Up Arms" was approved. Its members tried to secure peace with the King. |
| What was "the Olive Branch Petition"? | An attempt to secure peace with King George III. |
| What was King George's response to "the Olive Branch Petition"? | The King called the Americans "rebels". |
| What kind of flag did the 1775 Congress adopt? | A flag featuring 13 red and white horizontal stripes with the Union Jack sill present in its top left-hand corner. |
| Who was the author of a book "Common Sense" (1775)? | Thomas Paine, an English radical who was living in Philadelphia. |
| What were the ideas of Tomas Paine? | He recommended that the Thirteen Colonies should break away from Great Britain. He dared denounce the monarchy and openly criticized King George III. Paine also dealt with independence and was the first to consider the creation of a republic. |
| What was the task of the committee formed with the Second Continental Congress? | To draft the Declaration of Independence. |
| Who were the members of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence? | John Adams (Massachusetts), Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), Roger Sherman (Connecticut), Robert Livingston (N. Y.) and Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) |
| When did John Hancock (who presided over the Congress) ratify the Declaration of Independence? | 4th July 1776. This text was not only a declaration of war on GB, but it also founded the USA, the Thirteen Colonies becoming states. |
| What did the Declaration of Independence list in its text? | Some fundamental rights as well as 27 grievances imputed to Great Britain. |
| Why was the Battle of Saratoga so important? | Its outcome was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War since it led to the involvement of France on the settlers' side. For France it was a chance of revenge after France's defeat in the Seven Years' War. |
| Name two French army chiefs who fought alongside the settlers on their side | General La Fayette and General Rochambeau |
| Who won the Battle of Kings Mountain (South Carolina) in October 1780? | The Americans |
| When did the English general Charles Cornwallis capitulate? | On 19th October 1781. It was another decisive step in the war. |
| When did Great Britain recognize the independence of the USA? | On 3rd September 1783, after signing two treaties in Paris and Versaille. |
| National unity was not easy to achieve and, before defining a common system of government, the sovereign states drew up their own local constitutions. | |
| Between 1776 and 1804, 12 out of the 14 states (Vermont joined in 1791) passed statutes by which republican regimes were established. Seven of them adopted Bill of Rights - a statement of fundamental rights and privileges. Issue concerning abolition. | |
| What was the Continental Congress? | A legislative assembly with governmental functions (before the end of war) |
| When were ratified and implemented the Articles of Confederation? | In 1777 and 1781 respectively. |
| How did the Articles of Confederation define the confederacy? | The text defined the confederacy as a "perpetual Union" between the states and as "a firm league of friendship". |
| Were the Articles of Confederation binding? | No. There was no sound judicial basis to them and the text was not politically binding. The states didn't want to relinquish their newly-acquired freedon or sovereignty. A strongg central authority would have been too reminiscent of British "tyranny". |
| What powers did the federal government have? | It didn't have real power - it could make decisions only on relatively unimportant matters. A majority of nine states had to approve any ruling made by Congress. Crucial choices remained the responsibility of each state. |
| Who drafted the American Constitution? | It was drafted by 55 members of a convention appointed by Congress in 1787 and presided by G. Washington. They were later refered as "the Founding Fathers". They gave US its institutions. |
| What were the particularities of the American Constitution? | It gave more legitimacy and power to the government thanks to the establishment of an executive, a legislative and a judicial branch ("checks and balances") The bicameral legislature was created (a Senate and a House of Representatives). |
| What more can be said about the US Constitution? | It is the oldest written Constitution in the world and it's still valid today, and its principles form the basis of the USA's system of government. |
| What is the Constitution of the US based on? | It's based on compromises and offers a clever balance between federal unity and state diversity (E pluribus unum was chosed as the country's motto in 1776). |
| Why was the Bill of Rights necessary? | Some feared that central government should be too strong and could become tyrannical or dictatorial. |
| Who was the main drafter of the Bill of Rights? | James Madison |
| What is the content of the Bill of Rights? | It is made up of the first ten amendments to the constitution, and it protects the rights of individuals and those of federated states from the intrusion of the Federal State. |
| Who proposed the Ten Amendments? | An antifederalist Thomas Jefferson. |
| What is the keyword of the Bill of Rights? | Freedom |
| How many amendments are at the present day? | 27 |
| What were the goals while adopting the subsequent admendments to the Constitution? | To give more details as to the functioning of the institutions, to modernize the text, and to further safeguard the rights of citizens, notably by protecting them against various kinds of discrimination. |
| When dealing with U. S. territorial expansion, what notion is central? | The notion of "Frontier" |
| According to American mythology, what is the Frontier? | The Frontier is a line that must be crossed, a barrier that has to be broken down. It's not supposed to be permanent or to prevent people from moving. This dynamic notion is at he core of American culture. |
| How could be defined the Frontier in a 19th c. American context? | As a "line of civilization, both geographic and symbolic, extending towards what the settlers considered to be virgin territory in the West. |
| How did John L. O'Sullivan (1845) described the idea of the Manifest Destiny? | "It is our Manifest Destiny to overspread the continent, allotted by Providence for the free development of our multiplying millions." The notion had a mystical dimension |
| What was originally the doctrine of Manifest Destiny was used for? | It was used to justify the war with Mexico (1846-1848) which resulted in significant territorial gains for the USA. Later on, it was used to justify the colonization of the West as it was not supposed to harm the Natives. |
| The date of the USA war with Mexico | 1846-1848 |
| Provide a dictionary definition of the Manifest Destiny | The 19th c. doctrine that the United States had the right and duty to expand throughout the North American continent. |
| What is considered as an allegory of the United States? | Columbia |
| The idealized representation of Manifest Destiny shows that expanding westward across the North American continent was considered a divine mission by those who believed in the doctrine. | |
| Was the process of the expansion to the West beneficial to the Natives? | Not really. Although the pioneers claimed they were bringing 'civilization' to the Amerindians for their own good, this was done against their will. The process benefited the settlers only. |
| What happened with the USA territory between 1803 and 1853? | Its land area trippled. |
| What was established by Pinckney's Treaty? (Also called San Lorenzo Treaty, 1795) | This agreement with Spain fixed the western and southern boundaries of the USA taking points of reference the Mississippi River on the one side, and the 31st parallel on the other. It also included commercial arrangements favourable to the USA. |
| What was one big advantage to the USA citizens granted by the Pinckney's Treaty? | Its citizens were granted the right of free navigation on the Mississippi River. |
| When did Napoleon Bonaparte sold Louisiana to the USA? | In 1803 |
| What were the reasons of the sale of Louisiana by the French? | 1) France needed money 2) Bonaparte wanted to prevent any English expansion in North America. |
| How much did Thomas Jefferson pay for Louisiana? | 15 million USD |
| What was the territory of Louisiana in 1803? | It was a huge portion of land covering 220 mln hectares between the Mississippi River and the Rockey Mountains. |
| How did historian Henry Adams describe the importance of the Louisiana acquisition? | It "was an event so portentous as to defy measurement. It gave a new face to politics, and it ranked in historical importance next to the Declaration of Independence and the adoption of the Constitution". |
| Who were the two explorers sent by Jefferson to head an expedition beyond the Mississippi? | Those two explorers (actually professional soldiers) were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. |
| When did the expedition beyond the Mississippi start? | In 1804 |
| What was the purpose of the expedition beyond the Mississippi? | Officially, it had a commercial and scientific purpose - zoological, botanical, and anthropological surveys were to be carried out. The unavowed purpose, of course, was imperialism. |
| How did the mission of the expedition beyond the Mississippi changed after the purchace of Louisiana? | It took on another dimension: surveying the land, map-drafting and observation of climate were added to the orders, for it had then become necessary to establish U. S. sovereignty over this new territory. |
| What was the major objective for the expedition beyond the Mississippi? | To ensure a permanent and practical connection between the Missouri and the Pacific coast. |
| What is the Oregon Trail? | An overland trail between Independence, Missouri, and Oregon City, near present-day Portland. For many, it became the main means to reach the Northwest, but also California, as the trail split to the North of the Greal Salt Lake. |
| Who and when led the expedition to explore the American Southwest. | Captain Pike, from July 1806 to July 1807. |
| When was Alaska was bought from Russia? | In 1867 |
| When did Hawaii become a part of USA? | In 1898 |
| When did the Spanish sold Florida? | In 1819, for 5 mln USD (although the final agreement was signed in 1821 only) |
| Who was Andrew Jackson? | A general, future president, who entered Spanish-owned part of Eastern Florida and captured it without the approval of Congress. |
| What is "Monroe doctrine"? | According to this doctrine, the American continent was no longer open to any colonial claims from European powers. |
| When was the so colled "Monroe doctrine" exposed for the first time? | In 1823 |
| What are "the Roaring Forties"? | The territorial expansion that continued actively in the 1840s. The USA put a definitive end to the presence of the European colonial powers or of their heirs. After having driven the French out, the Americans dealt with the Spanish and the English. |
| When did the Battle of the Alamo take place and what did it entail? | In 1836; it was a result of the violent disputes between the settlers and the Mexican government. Sam Houston's troops lost this battle, but they eventually managed to defeat the Mexican army. |
| When was Texas admitted to the USA? | In 1845 it became the 28th U.S. state, although initially the Senate refused to admit Texas into the Union because it was a slave state. |
| When was Oregon ceded to the USA by England? | In 1846 |
| What was one of the significant points of the agreement concerning Oregon? | For the first time in its history, the territory of the USA was extended from one ocean to the other. |
| What religious group played a great part in the Conquest of the West? | The Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) |
| Who was the founder of the Mormon church? | John Smith |
| Where did the Mormons finally settle in? | They founded Salt Lake City, Utah. They actively contributed to the development and prosperity of a part of the Far West which was previously a desert. |
| Why it took Utah so long to become a U.S. state? | Utah became a U.S. state (in 1896) only after the Mormon Church renounced polygamy. |
| When did Utah become a U.S. state? | In 1896 |
| What was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)? | It made the capitulation of Mexico official and allowed the U.S. to buy the lands situated north of Rio Grande for 15 mln USD. |
| What lands did the U.S. aquired under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)? | The U.S. thus acquired what was known at the time as CALIFORNIA and NEW MEXICO (present-day California, Nevada, Arizona, parts of New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado. |
| What is the significance of the Gadsen Treaty? | In 1853, thanks to it, the USA annexed a stretch of land to the south of New Mexico and to the west of Rio Grande. This ultimate aquisition from Mexico, which made communications easier between Texas and California, gave the U.S. its present boundaries. |
| Which year is considered as the start of the Gold Rush in California? | 1849 |
| When was California admitted to the Union? | In 1850 |
| Where were the silver veins discovered? | In Nevada in the late 1850s and in New Mexico in the early 1870s. |
| Were in the USA the gold was discovered? | First, in California, then in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. |
| What were the vigilance committees in the boomtowns in the West? | The groups of ordinary citizens who took the law into their own hands and did not hesitate to resort to hanging without any form of trial. |
| Name some notorious outlaws of the West and who are an integral part of the mythology of the West | Billy the Kid (particularly active in New Mexico), the Wild Bunch or Doolin-Dalton Gang (Oklahoma), Sam Bass (Texas) |
| What can be told about the ecosystems during the Conquest of the West? | The process brought major ecosystem disturbances. It lead to the extinction of the beaver (in the Rockies) and of the otter (on the Pacific coast). It affected the population of bison. |
| Who is Buffalo Bill? | William F. Cody (1846-1917). He hunted buffalo to feed contruction crews for the Union Pacific Railroad and got his nickname after butchering 4,280 head of buffalo in eight months. |
| Why bison were systematically slaughtered by the Americans? | 1) For trading their skins and indirectly 2) fighting the Indians by starving them and evicting them from their own territory. |
| What did bison represent for the native populations? | Bison were essential to them: they ate their meat, used their leather fir their tipis and shields, and their fur to make blankets and robes. The bison was also a sacred animal to the Amerindians, its disappearance was a threat to their traditions. |
| What can be said about the relation between the native populations and the USA? | No official war, but constant state of war from the late 1770s to the end of 19th c. More than 400 treaties with the Amerindians that have never been respected. The Natives were tolerated on the territory they had always lived in, but no ownership. |
| What can be said about the Indian Removal Act? | In May 1830, President Jackson ("Sharp Knife") had it voted. It implie that the Amerindians living to the east of the Mississippi River would be expropriated and deported towards the west. |
| What was the "Trail of Tears"? | The episode during which the Indian tribes traveled hundreds of miles over land and water. They were forced to leave the land of their ancestors and many died on their road to exile (e. g. only 4,000 of 15,000 Cherokee reached the destination). |
| What can be said about the Dakota War of 1862? | It opposed the Americans to Sioux tribes and led to the largest mass execution in the whole history of the USA. |
| What was the cause of the Battle of Little Bighorn (Montana, 1876)? | It was sparked off by the fact that the Amerindians refused to relinquish their territory to gold diggers and to the Northern Pacific Railroad whose new line was to cross their ancestral lands. |
| What happened during the Battle of Little Bighorn (Montana, 1876)? | Lieutenant-Colonel Custer and 260 of his men were killed in less than half an hour by Cheyenne headed by Two Moons, and by Sioux headed by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. |
| What was the "Ghost Dance"? | This group dance was a part of a messianic cult that arose from prophet-dreamers in Western Nevada who announced the imminent return of the dead, the ousting of the Whites, and the restoration of Amerindian lands, food supplies, and way of life. |
| What was the significance of the "Wounded Knee Massacre"? | It marked the end of the series of conflicts between the Whites and the Amerindians, the official extinction of the Ghost Dance, as well, as well as the dissapearance of the frontier. |
| The Conquest of the West has undeniably played a major role in the construction of American identity. Originally, pushing the frontier further meant proving how powerful the nation was. | |
| The pioneers were idealized Americans who managed to fight not only the forces of nature but also the native populations, and who fed the myth of a dream country where everything was possible. | |
| Who is Deb Haaland? | A Native American woman who was appointed as Secretary of the Interior by Joe Biden. |
| What can be considered as a direct cause of the Civil War? | Slavery |
| When the first slaves were taken from Africa to America? | In 1619 |
| From which date the USA took part in the slave trade? | From 1645 |
| What were the restrictions imposed on enslaved population by the South Caroline slave code of 1740? | It prohibited them from 1) growing their own food; 2) assembling in groups; 3) earning money. It also criminalized literacy, music, and movement among enslaved communities. A person teaching a slave to read and write would be fined and jailed. |
| What were the numbers of slaves in the 19th c. USA? | In the first third of the 19th c., the number of slaves more than doubled. There were 893,000 of them in 1800, 1,919,000 in 1810, and 2,009,000 in 1830. In the South, one white family out of four owned slaves. |
| What is one of the first American texts calling for the elimination of the slavery? | A pamphlet The Selling of Joseph by judge Samuel Sewall (1700) |
| What is the "Mason-Dixon Line"? | As from 1760s - the boudary separating Pennsylvania from Maryland, that acted as a point of reference, marking the border between the "free states" in the North and the "slave states" in the South. It was unofficially extended before the Civil War. |
| What the Congress paid careful attention to when admitting new states to the Union? | To preserve the delicate balance of power between the North and the South. |
| What was the House of Representatives stance on slavery? | It consisted mainly of abolitionists. |
| What was the Senate stance on slavery? | Majority of its members supported slavery. |
| What was the "Missouri Compromise"? | Under this act (1820), Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state (it officially joined in 1821) while Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820 and joined Union as a free state. The Compromise led to creation of another symbolic line. |
| What is the importance of Harriet Beecher Stowe novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852)? | It was instrumental in changing the attitude of many Americans towards slavery and strengthened the abolitionist cause. |
| What was the "Underground Railroad"? | Organisation, offering shelter and aid to escaped slaves. It was a system by which runaway slaves from the South were secretly helped by sympathetic Northeners to reach places of safety, mostly in the North and in Canada. |
| Dates of the Fugitive Slave Acts | 1793 and 1850 |
| What were the main points of the new compromise of 1850? | 1) California admitted as a free state; 2) The slave trade abolished in Washington D. C. - but not slavery 3) New Mexico and Utah would be free to decide to allow slavery or not 4) Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 |
| Why the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was significant? | It fuelled an intense national debate, violent conflicts broke out. This episode, during which supporters of slavery and abolitionists were killed, is known as "BLEEDING KANSAS". |
| What was the judgement of the U.S. Supreme court in the case Dred Scott v. John F. A. Sandford concerning the African-Americans? | African-Americans, even emancipated, could not be 1) considered citizens of the U.S., 2) had no rights, and 3) couldn't file a lawsuit; 4) in the U.S. law, a slave was a property, not a person. |
| Who was John Brown? | A white American and ardent advocate of overt action to end slavery. His death in 1859 fuelled tensions between the N. and the S. He was tried for 1) murder, 2) slave insurrection, 3) treason, convicted and hanged. |
| Why the death of John Brown was a significant event in the contect of the events leading to the Civil War? | His raid made him a martyr to Northern abolitionists and heightened the animosities that led to the Civil War. |
| What did Lincoln's election mean for the abolitionist cause? | It was their symbolic victory. A. Lincoln was the Republican candidate for the North and slavery was an important part of his program. |
| What was the Republican Party agenda in 1860 election campaign? | The Republican Party claimed to be opposed to the extention of slavery. It also proposed measures that would facilitate LAND ACQUISITION in the West or improve TRANSPORTATION ROUTES linking the North to the rest of the country. |
| Who was Abraham Lincoln? | Born in Kentucky in 1809 into a family of pioneers, he followed his parents who migrated to Indiana and then Illinois. He was a man of the West and the archetypal self-made man. A lumberjack, he had various occupations before becoming a lawyer in 1837. |
| What were Abraham Lincoln's positions on slavery? | They were rather complex. Ideologically he opposed to the immorality of slavery. But from a political point of view, he was convinced that emancipated slaves could never integrate into U.S. society. Status quo on slavery. |
| What about Lincoln's 1858 "House Divided Speech"? | It brought up the problem of "slavery agitation" and its potential consequences for the country: "'A house divided against itself cannot stand'. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free". |
| What are the alternatives proposed in the "House Divided Speech"? | According to Lincoln, either slavery was to be institutionalized at the national level or abolished altogether in all the states. |
| How was Lincoln's election seen by an increasing number of Southern extremists? | As 1) a threat to their economic and 2) social order. |
| When did South Caroline seceded from the Union? | On 20th December 1860. Its popular convention also declared that the Union was dissolved. The South Caroline Ordinance of Secession cancelled the 1787 ordinance which ratified the Constitution. In another document they drew up the list of grievances. |
| What were the grievances in the Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Caroline from the Federal Union? | Among them were PERSONAL-LIBERTY LAWS passed by several Northern non-slaveholding states in the first half of the 19th c. These laws conteracted the provisions of the FUGITIVE SLAVE ACTS. |
| Which states followed South Carolina and seceded from the Union? | 6 states: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana (January 1861), and Texas (February 1861) |
| Who formed the CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA? | Delegates of seven states which seceded from the Union. |
| When were the Confederate States of America formed? | On 4th February 1861 |
| Who was the president of the Confederacy? | Jefferson Davis (Mississippi). His vice-president was Alexander H. Stephens (Georgia) |
| Which four states adhered later to the Confederate States? | Virginia, Arkansas, North Caroline, and Tenessee |
| What can be said about the Confederacy constitution? | It was promulgated on 11th March 1861. It took its inspiration from the 1787 Consitution. Slavery was safeguarded, but more powers were given to the states while the Supreme Court was abolished. |
| Which event was the opening engagement of the American Civil War? | The Battle of Fort Sumter (12th-14th April 1861) |
| The date of the Battle of Fort Sumter (S. Carolina) | 12th-14th April 1861 |
| What value did Fort Sumter hold? | It didn't hold any strategic value to the North, but its symbolic value was enormous for the Union, which explains why the victory of Confederacy in this battle was particularly significant, encouraging more Southern states to secede right afterwards. |
| When was Abraham Lincoln inaugurated? | On 4th March 1861 |
| What were Lincoln's intentions expressed in his inaugural address? | 1) Save the union; 2) avoid a war. |
| Who were the Yankees? | The Northerners |
| How did Lincoln react after the attack on Fort Sumter? | On 15th April 1861 he 1) issued a proclamation calling out the state militias to suppress the insurrection. And on 19th April he issued another proclamation 2) blocading Southern ports. These two proclamations were DE FACTO declaration of war by the Union |
| The USA was not at war with a foreign country but with itself - the Civil War is also known as "the War Between the States". | |
| What was the balance of power when the Civil War started? | There were 11 secessionist states as opposed to 24 Union states. 22 mln people lived in the North versus 9 mln in the South. The North was heavily industrialized with modern banking system and extensive railroad network. |
| Given the strength of the North, why did the conflict last for four years? | 1) The confederates' unshakable conviction increased their courage and energy. 2) Ruling elites of the S. were more united. 3) The very structure of the rural and aristocratic society of the S. made the organization of fighting forces easier. CONVICTIO |
| The dates of the Civil War | 1861-1865 |
| What can be said about the confederate soldiers? | The South had a higher potential in mobilizing able-bodied men. Its soldiers were 1) better trained; 2) army benefited from expertise of excellent officers (e. g. Robert E. Lee) |
| Who led the Yankees to the victory? | William T. Sherman and, above all, Ulysses S. Grant |
| What were the phases of the Civil War? | 1) The first lasted until early 1863. Indecision and stagnation; 2) 1863 marked a turning point in the war; 3) In 1864 the North confirmed its superiority until its final victory in spring 1865 |
| When did the Battle of Bull Run take place? | 21st July 1861. It gave the South its first victory. |
| What can be said about the Battle of Antietam? | (September 1861) It was particularly violent. In a single day, each side lost 12,000; Union soldiers forced the Confederate army to retreat to Virginia. But once of a familiar ground, Lee proved invincible. |
| Who were Lee's adversaries in December 1862 and May 1863? | Respectively, General BURNSIDE (in Fredericksburg) and General HOOKER (in Chancellorsville). Lee repelled their attacks. |
| Which battle is considered as the first pivotal battle in the Civil War? | Battle of Gettysburg, in early July 1863 (July 1st). Union lost almost as many men in this battle as the Grays (28,000). It was a severe blow for the South that led to numerous defections. |
| What was a strategic goal of the Union since the beginning of the conflict? | To divide its enemy on each side of the Mississippi River. The objective was achieved in the summer of 1863. |
| What were the merits of N. General GRANT? | In February 1862 he managed to gain ground by taking FORT HENRY and FORT DONELSON. These forts commanded access to two tributaries of Ohio river, which allowed Grant to reach the Southern border of Tennessee and to win the BATTLE OF SHILOH in April. |
| What were the Union actions after the Battle of Shiloh? | A few weeks after it its fleet took NEW ORLEANS, blocking access to the Mississippi valey and stifling the Confederates. Part of the latter's fleet was destroyed in Memphis. The blocade of the 5,700 km of Southern coastline created supply problems. |
| What happened in Vicksburg? | In July 1863 the Confederate soldiers surrended after having been besieged by GRANT for six weeks. This gave Union forces complete control of the Mississippi River, and the Confederacy was cut in two. |
| Who was General Sherman? | Union's military leader. His campaigns brought about a lot of destruction. Sherman is remembered as a man who caused many people to die, soldiers and civilians alike. |
| What was Sherman's "March to the Sea"? | A military campaign (launched on 15th November 1864) with broad objectives to take the war to the Southern people, destroy South infrastructure and incapacitate its rail network. It lasted 37 days. |
| What did Sherman's troops do? | His troops uprooted railroad tracks, looted supply stores, burned buildings, destroyed crops. |
| How did the Civil War end? | In April 1865, GRANT captured PETERSBURG, soon after RICHMOND fell, leading to LEE's capitulation in APPOMATTOX on the 9th of that month. Jefferson Davis was taiken prisoner on 10th, and fighting definitively stopped a few days later. |
| What was the human toll of the Civil War? | 360,000 Union soldiers died and 275,000 were wounded; on the Confederates's side 260,000 men lost their lives and 190,000 were injured. One in four men did not return from the war. + Diseases |
| What was one of the outcomes of the Civil War? | The abolition of slavery. |
| When was the Emancipation Proclamation issued? | September 1862. The measure was implemented as of 1st January 1863. It freed slaves in rebel states and allowed 200,000 black men to fight the Confederates. |
| When was slavery totally abolished in the whole of the USA? | In 1865, as 13th Amendment to the Constitution. |
| Who shot Abraham Lincoln? | John Wilkes Booth, a Southerner. |
| Who founded the Ku Klux Klan? | Nathan B. Forrest, a former general of the Confederate Army. The society was founded in 1866 |
| What was the manner of action of the Ku Klux Klan? | They employed terror to reassert white supremacy and prevent African Americans from enjoying their newly-acquired rights. |
| How did the Supreme Court interpret the 14th Amendment in 1883? | The 14th Amendment initially mean to protect the rights of former slaves, but the Supreme Court interpreted it in such a way that segregation became legal in places like hotels, rest rooms, trains, buses, theatres, restaurants, schools, churches, etc. |
| What were the "Jim Crow laws"? | They racially segregated public facilities and were enacted in Southern and border states. These statutes were declared unconstitutional in 1964 (only) |
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