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Jamestown

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1607; first successful colony in North America

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Declaration of Independence

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1776; document stating that the 13 colonies were a free and independent nation

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Constitutional Convention (Philidelphia Convention)

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1787; gathering of state representatives to revise the Articles of Confederation

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Northwest Ordinance

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1787; article that set up a government for the Northwest Territory, guaranteed basic rights to settlers, and outlawed slavery there

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Louisiana Purchase

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1803; vast territory between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains, purchased from France in 1803

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Civil War

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1861-1865; war between the North and South

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French and Indian War

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1754-1763; a war that took place between England and France, both aided by Native American Allies, that led to the end of French power in North America

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Treaty of Paris

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1763; agreement between England and France that ended the French and Indian War

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Articles of Confederation

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1777; first American constitution that created a loose alliance of 13 independent states

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Battle of Bunker Hill

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1775; first major battle of the Revolution

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Battle of Lexington and Concord

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1775; conflicts between Massachusetts colonists and British soldiers that started the Revolutionary War "shot heard 'round the world"

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Battle of Saratoga

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1777; the first major American victory in the Revolution

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Battle of Yorktown

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1781; final battle in the Revolution

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Washington's Farewell Address

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1796; announced he would not seek a third term and gave his views on the best policies for the United States

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War of 1812

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1812; war between the U.S. and England

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Missouri Compromise

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1819; agreement proposed by Henry Clay to keep the number of slave and free states equal; allows slavery in some western territories

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Indian Removal Act

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1830; forced removal of Native Americans to land west of the Mississippi

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Nullification Crisis

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1832; caused by act passed by South Carolina that declared the 1832 tariff illegal

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Trail of Tears

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1838; forced journey of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia to a region west of the Mississippi

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Mexican War

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1846; war over disputed territory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River

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Mexican Cession

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1848; Mexican territory of California and New Mexico given to the U.S. under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

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Compromise of 1850

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1850; agreement on slavery by which California joined the Union as a free state and a strict fugitive slave law was passed

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Kansas-Nebraska Act

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1854; law that established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, giving popular sovereignty to decide on the issue of slavery

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Lincoln's first inaugural address

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1861; Lincoln expresses ideas about union and government

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Fort Sumter

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1861; first shots of the Civil War fired there

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Battle of Gettysburg

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1863; major Civil War battle; the Confederates never invaded the North again

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Gettysburg Address

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1863; speech written and delivered by Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg

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Battle Of Vicksburg

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1863; Union victory which geographically split the Confederacy in two

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Emancipation Proclamation

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1863; President Lincoln's declaration freeing slaves in the Confederacy

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Lincoln's second inaugural address

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1865; Lincoln expresses ideas about liberty, equality, union, and government

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Appomattox Court House

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1865; Virginia town that was the site of the Confederate surrender

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Assassination of Lincoln

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1865; Lincoln shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth five days after Confederate surrender

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Christopher Columbus

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Explorer whose voyage in 1492 from Spain to North America opened the Atlantic World

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John Smith

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Leader of Jamestown colony

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Pocohontas

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Native American who married Jamestown Englishman John Rolfe

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Samuel Adams

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Bostonian who led the Boston Tea Party

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Benjamin Franklin

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Colonial inventor, printer, writer, statesman; contributed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

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King George III

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King of England during the American Revolution

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Thomas Jefferson

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Third President of the United States; wrote Declaration of Independence; supported minimal government and spoils system

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Marquis de Lafayette

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French officer who assisted the Americans during the Revolution

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Thomas Paine

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Political philosopher and author of "Common Sense" which urged colonists to declare their immediate independence from Great Britain

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George Washington

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First President of the United States, commander of Continental Army during Revolution, president of the Philidelphia or Constitutional Convention; wanted United States to maintain neutral foreign policy

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Alexander Hamilton

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Co-author of Federalist Papers with James Madison and John Jay, developed economic policies to help strengthen American economy, including establishment of the Bank of the United States

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Patrick Henry

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Member of Virginia state convention who opposed ratification of the Constitution; instrumental in causing adoption of first 10 amendments to the Constitution

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John Adams

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Second President of the United States, in office during the XYZ Affair; wanted to keep United States neutral; supported the Alien and Sedition Acts

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Sacagawea

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Shoshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark's expedition as a translator

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James Madison

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Fourth President of the United States, co-author of the Virginia Plan, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights; asked Congress to declare war on Britain in 1812

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George Mason

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A strong supporter of the Bill of Rights, refused to sign the Constitution in 1787

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Andrew Jackson

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Seventh President of the United States; his election reflected a growing spirit of democracy and the spread of political power to the "common" people; the modern Democratic party traces its roots to this time

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Frederick Douglass

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Escaped slave, abolitionist, speaker, and writer; author, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"

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John Paul Jones

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American Navy captain who fought and defeated the British in 1779, the greatest sea victory for the Americans during the Revolution

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James Monroe

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Fifth President of the United States; issued the Monroe Doctrine

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Elizabeth Cady Stanton

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American woman suffrage leader and co-organizer of the first woman's rights convention at Seneca Falls, NY

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John C. Calhoun

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Vice President under Jackson and later Senator from South Carolina, supporter of states' rights, argued in favor of nullification

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Henry Clay

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Senator who suggested Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850

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Daniel Webster

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Senator who opposed nullification but supported the Compromise of 1850

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Jefferson Davis

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Elected President of the Confederate States of America in 1861

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Ulysses S. Grant

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Commander of the Union forces during the Civil War who ordered his generals to fight a total war

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Robert E. Lee

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Confederate General who surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending the Civil War

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Abraham Lincoln

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16th President of the United States; President during the Civil War; gave Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Adress; assassinated five days after Lee's surrender

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Five Themes (Geography)

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1. Location 2. Place 3. Interaction 4. Movement 5. Regions

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Using Cartographer's Tools

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Compass- identifies directions and relative locations Scale- estimates distance Latitude and longitude- grid to determine exact location Key or legend- directory of map symbols and colors

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Using Special Purpose Maps

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Used to analyze and interpret maps of: Natural features, such as elevation and climate Features made by people, such as land use, roads, countries, population density, and battles

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Mercantilism

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Theory that a nation's economic strength came from protecting and increasing its home economy by keeping strict control over its colonial trade

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Protective tariff

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A tax on imported goods to protect a country's industry from foreign competition by making the foreign goods more expensive

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Taxation

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Government system to raise money by seeking payment from citizens; British government sought to raise money to pay for the French and Indian War by imposing the Sugar and Stamp Acts on American colonists

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Banking System

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Alexander Hamilton asked Congress to set up a national bank; Congress created the Bank of the United States in 1791

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Plantation System

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Agricultural system in the South which relied on slave labor to work the large farms and estates

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Slave trade

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The first African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619; by 1700 the Southern colonies had begun to rely on slave labor and the transatlantic slave trade developed and grew

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19th Century Industrialization

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Rapid growth was a result of the Industrial Revolution- the process by which machines replaced hand tools and steam and other new sources of power replaced human and animal power

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19th Century Urbanization

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Process of a population's shifting from farms to cities, especially as a result of the Industrial Revolution during the 19th century

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Free Enterprise

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System in which the government plays a limited role in the economy

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Abolitionist movement

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Movement to end slavery in the United States and its territories

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Reform movements

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Public education- schools and educational systems supported by public taxes Temperance movements- campaign against alcohol consumptions Women's rights movements- organized campaign to win property, education, and other rights for women Prison reform- movement to improve conditions for people being held in prisons Care of the disabled- in 1817 Thomas Gallaudet set up a school for the deaf and Samuel Gridley Howe founded the first American school for the blind in 1832

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Steamboat

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Robert Fulton and John Fitch used the steam engine to power boats; revolutionized travel in the West; carried passengers and gave farmers and merchants an inexpensive way to transport goods

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Cotton Gin

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Invented by Eli Whitney to speed the process of cleaning cotton seeds from the fiber; a single worker using the gin could do the work of 50 doing it by hand

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Bessemer Process

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Method developed in the 1850s for making stronger steel at a lower cost

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Transportation systems

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It was thought a better transportation system with roads, bridges, and canals, would make it easier and cheaper for farmers in the West and the South to ship goods to city markets; Henry Clay's American System

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Magna Carta

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1215; A British document that contains two basic ideas: monarchs themselves have to obey laws, and citizens have basic rights

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Virginia House of Burgesses

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1619; Representative assembly in colonial Virginia

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Mayflower Compact

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1620; Agreement for governing the Plymouth colony, signed by the Pilgrims before they landed at Plymouth

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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

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1639; A plan of government in the Puritan colony in Conneticut; expanded the idea of representative government in the English colonies

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English Bill of Rights

answer

1689; Signed by monarchs William and Mary of England; document guaranteeing the rights of English citizens

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