apush: period 3: 1754 - 1800 (unit 3)
In the constitution...
Slavery is not mentioned. Most of the laws laid out are in complete opposition to American colonial treatment while under British rule. It is a federalist document, placing emphasis on a republic rather than a simple democracy. It gives power to the people, but not too much. Provides framework for government/ Provides checks and balances to prevent a tyrant or faction from gaining too much power.
3/5 Compromise
Slaves were ⅗ of a person, to contribute to but not significanlty, the population of the Southern states, whom they technically represented, but treated like property.
Constitution of Pennsylvania
States such as Pennsylvania prefigured the US government by drafting and implementing state constitutions, which upheld state governments. These state constitutions outlined systems of government like representative democracy and certain rights and freedoms available to citizens given as freedom of speech, press, and religion. These states played a major role in determining the efficacy of the systems and the certain structures available for the future US government.
How did the actions of states like Virginia and Pennsylvania prefigure the United States government? What role can the states play in experimenting with new ideas?
States such as Pennsylvania prefigured the US government by drafting and implementing state constitutions, which upheld state governments. These state constitutions outlined systems of government like representative democracy and certain rights and freedoms available to citizens given as freedom of speech, press, and religion. These states played a major role in determining the efficacy of the systems and the certain structures available for the future US government.
Were the colonists' complaints against the British valid? Were they justified in using armed resistance to gain independence?
The colonist's complaints against the British were valid. The colonists were being unreasonably taxed for the British government to gain revenue by policies passed in parliament that lacked representation. Colonists were continually taxed and taxed again, even after the immense protest. After a certain point, violence seemed the only way to defy the British properly.
What arguments did Thomas Paine make in Common Sense? How did his writing alter the conflict between the British and the American colonists?
Thomas Paine published a stirring pamphlet titled "Common Sense" until it appeared. Most patriots had directed their grievances at Parliament, but Paine directed attacks at the king. The common sense of the matter, Paine stressed, was that King George III, the royal brute, unfit to be a ruler of the free people, had caused the rebellion, and how to order the denial of American rights, Paine urged Americans to abandon the monarchy and to ensure that America would be a haven for oppressed people's. This pamphlet convinced rebels of independence and that it was inevitable only by declaring independence if they gained support from France and Spain. "Common Sense" inspired the colonial population from Massachusetts to Georgia and helped convince British subjects loyal to the king to embrace the radical notion of independence.
Olive Branch Petition
Three weeks after the Battle of Bunker hill, in July 1775, the Continental Congress sent King George the Olive Branch Petition, urging him to negotiate. However, when the petition reached London, he arrogantly dismissed it and denounced the Americans as "open and avowed enemies".
Proclamation of 1763
To help keep peace with the Indians and to abide by the terms of an earlier agreement with eh Delawares and Shawnees, King George II issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which drew an imaginary line along the crest of the Appalachian mountains from Canada to Georgia. Americans were forbidden to go west of the line to ensure that the Indians would not be disturbed on their ancestral lands.
Coercive Acts
(response to the Boston Tea Party) In 1774, Lord North convinced Parliament to punish Boston and the province of Massachusetts by passing a cluster of harsh laws called Coercive Acts (Americans call them Intolerable Acts). The Port Act closed the harbor until Boston paid for the tea, Quartering Acts ordered the colonists to provide lodging for British soldiers. The impartial Administration of Justice Act stated that major officials would be tried in London. These acts mocked colonists.
Phillis Wheatley
(American paradox) Jefferson admitted the hypocrisy of slave-owned revolutionaries. "Southerners," he wrote to a French friend, are "jealous of their own liberties, but trampling on the rights of others." Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American to publish her poetry in America, highlighted the absurdity of white colonists claiming their freedom while continuing to exercise " oppressive power" over enslaved Africans.
Federalism
(Constitution) Delegates gathered at the convention in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the existing government, but almost immediately they decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation (under the persuasion of James Madison) and called for a new system of government, called federalism, which a strong national government with a separation of powers of executive and legislative and judicial branches functioned alongside state governments with clearly designated responsibilities.. Arguments to best ensure the rights of the individual states were represented in the new Congress were resolved by establishing a Senate (with equal representation from each state, 2 delegates) and a House of Representatives, with representation based on population from each state.
Great Awakening
(enlightenment) During the early 1730s, worries about the erosion of religious fervor helped spark a series of emotional revivals known as the Great Awakening. The revivals spread up and down the Atlantic coast, divided congregations, towns, and families, and fielded popular new dominations, especially the Baptists and Methodists, who accounted for most of the growth. A skeptical Benjamin Franklin admitted that the Awakening showed so great a willingness to attend sermons. Religion has become the subject of most conversations.
Continental Congress
(for the Revolutionary War) While the Patriots had the advantage of fighting at home, they also had to create an army and navy from scratch with little money. Citizen soldiers (militant) were primarily civilians summoned from their farms and shops. Many militiamen were unreliable and ungovernable. Washington knew that militiamen alone wouldn't win against the British. He, therefore, convinced the Continental Congress to create a professional Continental Army with well-trained soldiers.
Isaac Newton
(part of the Enlightenment) Enlightenment Issac Newton announced his transformational theory of the earth's gravitational pull. Using both astronomy and mathematical physics, especially calculus, Newton challenged the biblical notion of the world's workings by depicting a changing, dynamic universe moving in accordance with natural laws that could be grasped by human reason and explained with mathematics. He claimed that natural laws governed the universe.
Navigation Acts
A series of acts intended to increase control over colonial economics. The Navigation Act of 1651 required that all goods going to and from the colonies be carried only by English ships. The Navigation Acts intended to hurt the Dutch, who developed a flourishing shipping business between America and Europe. Examples include the Navigation Act of 1660, which specified that certain colonial products only be shipped to England.
Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom
A statute stating that Virginians were granted freedom of religion → again, a preface for the Constitution.
federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
George Washington
1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)
Jonathan Edwards
A remarkable spiritual transformation occurred in the congregation of Jonathan Edwards, a prominent Congregationalist minister in the Massachusetts town of Northampton. He was discouraged by the lack of religious fervor in Northampton. Edwards rushed to restore the emotional side of religion. Edwards was fiery and charismatic, and his vivid description of the torments of hell and the delights of heaven helped rekindle the spiritual intensity among his congregants. He delivered the most famous sermon "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God ''. which reminded his congregants that hell is real and reminded them of the torments of hell.
Great Compromise
Compromise between the Northern and Southern states, as well as the larger and smaller states over representation and delegation in the new government.
What arguments did the anti-Federalists make about the Constitution? How did the Federalists address these concerns?
Advocates for the constitution, federalists, and their opponents were anti-federalists. This diverse group wanted to retain the competition; others wanted to start over. Others, one of the revisions of the constitution. Most anti-federalists feared the new government would be overly tyrannical, and they especially criticized the absence of a bill of rights. To address these concerns, James Madison set a list of constitutional amendments intended to protect the individual rights of Americans. These rights included the guarantee of the essential principles of the American government.
Pontiac's Rebellion
After the war, colonists began squabbling over Indian-owned land west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been ceded to the British in the Treaty of Paris. Native Americans raided colonial settlements, and the widespread Indian attacks came to be called Pontiac's Rebellion because of the prominent role played by the Ottawa chieftain in trying to unify several tribes to stop British encroachment.
John Adams
America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained."
Federalist Papers
Among the supreme legacies of debate over the constitution. A collection of 85 essays was published in the New York newspaper some 1787 to 1788. Read by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, the essays defended the concept of a strong national government and outlined major principles and assumptions of the constitution. Among the most famous was Madisons, number 10, which warned of democracies' tendencies to tyrannize minorities through factions.
The Federalist Papers
Among the supreme legacies of debate over the constitution. A collection of 85 essays was published in the New York newspaper some 1787 to 1788. Read by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, the essays defended the concept of a strong national government and outlined major principles and assumptions of the constitution. Among the most famous was Madisons, number 10, which warned of democracies' tendencies to tyrannize minorities through factions.
Ratification
Approval of the final draft of the legislation from all 13 special state conventions. In 1787 for the first time in history, the people were invited to discuss, debate, vote, and pass a formal national constitution, which needed to be ratified.
Common Sense
Article by Thomas Paine, who argued that the Common Sense of the matter was that Americans shouldn't have been under British empirical rule. Thomas Paine published a stirring pamphlet titled "Common Sense" until it appeared. Most patriots had directed their grievances at Parliament, but Paine directed attacks at the king. The common sense of the matter, Paine stressed, was that King George III, the royal brute, unfit to be a ruler of the free people, had caused the rebellion, and how to order the denial of American rights, Paine urged Americans to abandon the monarchy and to ensure that America would be a haven for oppressed people's. This pamphlet convinced rebels of independence and that it was inevitable only by declaring independence if they gained support from France and Spain. "Common Sense" inspired the colonial population from Massachusetts to Georgia and helped convince British subjects loyal to the king to embrace the radical notion of independence.
Battle of Saratoga
As militiamen converged from central New York, Burgoyne pulled his forces back to the villages of Saratoga, where the reinforced American army surrounded the British in the ensuing three-week-long battles of Saratoga. The British, desperate for food and ammunition, tried and failed to break through the encircling Americans. On October 17, Burgoyne surrendered his outnumber on me. The New York news unhinged King George. He fell into agonies on hearing the account. The Saratoga campaign was the greatest loss the British ever suffered, and they wouldn't recover from it. After the British defeat at Saratoga and the news of the French alliance and the US, Parliament tried to end the war by granting all the demands the Americans had made before they declared independence. However, they would not negotiate until Britain officially recognized American independence and withdrew its forces. King George refused.
U.S. Constitution
At the Constitutional Convention, delegates from the colonies gathered together to discuss and revise the Articles of Confederation, due to its weakness and the push back from anti-Federalists. The US Constitution provided the framework for the new government, and was accompanied by the Bill of Rights, a list of amendments added by the Federalists that protected the rights of American citizens and ensured that tyranny or government overreach wouldn't be possible.
Benjamin Franklin
Ben Franklin epitomized the American enlightenment. Born in Boston in 1706, they left for Philadelphia at age 23 and began editing and publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette. At 26, he published Poor Richard's Almanac, a collection of seasonal weather reports, puzzles, household tips, and witty sayings. He was a pragmatist who focused on virtue and public service. He founded UPenn, the American Philosophical society. He was a diplomat, politician, educator, and scientific, inventive genius. He developed the glass harmonica, lightning rod, and more.
What grievances did the colonists have against the British government? Identify as many specific instances as you can.
Colonists held many grievances against the British government. For example, colonists opposed the Sugar Act, which taxed goods like sugar, wine, and coffee imports. They opposed the Currency Act, which prevented colonies from coining/printing their own money. The colonists opposed the Quartering Act, which required them to house soldiers, and the Stamp Act, which required colonists to purchase paper with an official stamp for virtually every possible use. Colonists responded by organizing into rebellious groups and signing non-importation agreements. Many ceased to drink British tea as well. Coercive Acts as well were another source of protest, and the Boston Massacre acted as a tipping point.
Declaratory Act
Declaratory Act, (1766), declaration by the British Parliament that accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. It stated that the British Parliament's taxing authority was the same in America as in Great Britain. Parliament had directly taxed the colonies for revenue in the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act (1765).
Shays's Rebellion
Fear of taxpayers' revolts from below became all too real in Western Massachusetts when struggling farmers, many of them former revolutionary soldiers, demanded that the state issue more paper money and give them additional time to pay unjust taxes. Farmers also resented the new state constitution because it raised property qualifications for voting and holding elected office, stopping poor men from having political power. Armed groups of angry farmers called regulators banded together to force judges and sheriffs to stop seizing cattle and farms of those who could not pay their taxes. News of Shays's rebellion sent shockwaves across the nation.
Boston Tea Party
In 1774, Lord North convinced Parliament to punish Boston and the province of Massachusetts by passing a cluster of harsh laws called Coercive Acts (Americans call them Intolerable Acts). The Port Act closed the harbor until Boston paid for the tea, Quartering Acts ordered the colonists to provide lodging for British soldiers. The impartial Administration of Justice Act stated that major officials would be tried in London. These acts mocked colonists.
Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
In 1774, Lord North convinced Parliament to punish Boston and the province of Massachusetts by passing a cluster of harsh laws called Coercive Acts (Americans call them Intolerable Acts). The Port Act closed the harbor until Boston paid for the tea, Quartering Acts ordered the colonists to provide lodging for British soldiers. The impartial Administration of Justice Act stated that major officials would be tried in London. These acts mocked colonists.
Boston Massacre
In Boston, the presence of thousands of British soldiers had become a consistent source of irritation. On the evening of March 5, 1770, two dozen "saucy" Boston Rowdies, mostly teens, Irishmen, blacks, and sailors, began throwing icicles and oyster shells at Hugh White (a British soldier guarding the Customs House). A squad of soldiers tried helping him, but when a soldier got knocked down, he rose and fired his musket. After the smoke settled, 5 people lay dead or dying on the street.
How did the early fighting in and around Boston set the stage for the Revolutionary War? What did the Battle of Bunker Hill show about each side?
In early 1775, Parliament decided that Massachusetts was officially in rebellion and prohibited the New England colonies from trading with any nation outside the British empire. Many patriots believed that Britain would back down. Patrick Henry declared war inevitable. By mid-1775, the King and Parliament had effectively lost control. They could neither persuade nor force the Patriots to accept new regulations and revenue measures. In Boston, General Gage warned that armed conflict would unleash the horrors of the Civil War. The Bunker Hill battle was the first major clash; the battle was an effort to strengthen their control. The British assault had suffered 1054 casualties, more than two times the American losses. The nine months stalemate around Boston, with each side hoping for a negotiated settlement. Patriots were still living in Boston with a British army governed by martial law in Boston; the word of the battle reached London the king agreed it was an all-out war.
How did the American colonists organize to protest the British policies? How did these bodies develop over time?
In the late 19th century, Americans who opposed British policies began to call themselves Patriots, or Whigs, a name earlier applied to British critics of royal Power. In 1764 and 1765, American Whigs felt that Grenville violated their rights in several ways. Later, after the enforcement of the Stamp Act, floods of Pamphlets, speeches, resolutions, and street protests repeated the slogan "no taxation without representation." Protestors called themselves the Sons of Liberty, often meeting under a Liberty Tree. To put economic pressure on the British Patriots signed non-importation agreements. There was a rise in the daughters of Liberty as well. Afterward, a Stamp Act congress formulated a Declaration of the Rights and Grievances of the Colonies. By October of 1768, British troops arrived in Boston, and a divide occurred between Loyalists (those who supported the British soldiers) and those who rebelled against the British.
James Madison
James Madison spoke low and was timid. He was shy and soft-spoken. Madison had an agile mind, an appetite for learning, and a commitment to public service. He had served in the continental congress and became a full-blooded nationalist. Madison drafted the framework for the initial discussions at the constitutional convention. He swaggered that the delegates scrapped their original instructions to revise the articles of confederation and instead create a new constitution. Madison and his Virginia plan coded for a national government with a supreme legislative, executive, and judiciary; it also proposed a bicameral Congress.
John Locke
John Locke maintained that natural law called for a government that rested on the government's consent and respected the "natural rights' ' of all. These rights include basic civic principles of the Enlightenment: human rights, political liberty, and religious toleration - which would later influence colonial leaders' efforts to justify a revolution. On the contrary, John Locke argues that being under the dominion of an absolute monarch goes against the state of nature. According to the state of nature, men are naturally free. Although men are naturally free, their freedom is shaky and unstable in terms of living in civil societies - so, men have to quit part of their freedom to advance the liberty of others in civil society, going against laws of nature but benefiting a community.
How did John Locke see the relationship between the government and its citizens? How does that relationship alter the ``state of nature?
John Locke maintained that natural law called for a government that rested on the government's consent and respected the "natural rights' ' of all. These rights include basic civic principles of the Enlightenment: human rights, political liberty, and religious toleration - which would later influence colonial leaders' efforts to justify a revolution. On the contrary, John Locke argues that being under the dominion of an absolute monarch goes against the state of nature. According to the state of nature, men are naturally free. Although men are naturally free, their freedom is shaky and unstable in terms of living in civil societies. So, men have to quit part of their freedom to advance the liberty of others in civil society, going against laws of nature but benefiting a community.
Dominion of New England
King James II succeeded his brother, King James, in becoming the first Catholic monarch in more than 100 years. To demonstrate his power, the new King reorganized the New England colonies into a single supercolony called the Dominion of New England. In 1686, a New Royal governor, the authoritarian Sir Edmund Andros, arrived in Boston, stripping New Englanders of their civil rights, imposing new taxes, ignoring town governments, strictly enforcing Navigation Acts, and punishing smugglers The Dominion of New England also added former Dutch Province of New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey to its control a few months before the Glorious Revolution.
What concerns did James Madison have about the influence of factions? Why did he say the republican model alleviates those concerns?
Madison stressed that the greatest threat to the rule of the people was the rise of factions, or special interest groups, whose goals conflicted with the interest and welfare of the greater community. Yet any effort to illuminate factions over prior Tairney, the goal should be to minimize the negative effects of factions. Madison argued. It was a responsibility of a republic and Congress to regulate the various interesting interests. Madison and other framers of the constitution created a political system that protects minorities from the majority's tyranny. According to Madison, a wide, stretched republic is just the cure.
Treaty of Paris
Negotiations following the battle of Yorktown dragged on for months. On September 3, 1783, the warring nations signed the Treaty of Paris. Its provisions were surprisingly favorable to the US. Great Britain recognized the independence of the 13 former colonies and agreed that the Mississippi river was America's Western boundary, doubling the new nation's territory. Native Americans were the biggest losers and were left out of negotiations when disputes would arrive later on the topic of America's northern and southern borders.
What did the British hope to accomplish by instituting mercantilist policies? How did the Navigation Acts contribute to that goal?
Oliver Cromwell's victory over the monarchy in 1651 directly affected the colonies. As England's new ruler, Cromwell embraced a more rigidly enforced mercantilism, a political and economic policy adopted by most European monarchs during the 17th century, in which the government controlled all economic activities. Key industries were regulated or subsidized (supported by payment from the government), and people with specialized skills or knowledge of new technology, such as textile machinery, were not allowed to leave the country. Mercantilism also supported the creation of global empires. Mercantilism assumptions prompted Cromwell to adopt the first in a series of Navigation Acts intended to increase control over the colonial economies. The Navigation Act of 1561 required all goods going to and from the colonies to be carried only in English-owned ships.
Battle of Lexington and Concord
On April 14, 1775, the British Army received secret orders to stop the open rebellion in Massachusetts. General Gage had decided to arrest rebel leaders such as Samuel Adams and seize their gunpowder stored at Concord, 16 miles northwest of Boston. Patriots got wind of the plan, and Paul Revere and William Paves rode at midnight to warn the British were coming. On April 19, redcoats found Minutemen waiting, standing their ground. Outnumbered minutemen were backing away when someone fired, causing a brief skirmish and a day of horror. Both sides thought the other would surrender. Instead, the clash resistance led to a war of the rebellion. Masses of people were determined to take their freedom from the British government.
Lexington and Concord
On April 14, 1775, the British Army received secret orders to stop the open rebellion in Massachusetts. General Gage had decided to arrest rebel leaders such as Samuel Adams and seize their gunpowder stored at Concord, 16 miles northwest of Boston. Patriots got wind of the plan, and Paul Revere and William Paves rode at midnight to warn the British were coming. On April 19, redcoats found Minutemen waiting, standing their ground. Outnumbered minutemen were backing away when someone fired, causing a brief skirmish and a day of horror. Both sides thought the other would surrender. Instead, the clash resistance led to a war of the rebellion. Masses of people were determined to take their freedom from the British government.
How did the Revolutionary War divide the American colonists? How did Thomas Paine address this choice in The American Crisis?
Overall, the colonists were generally divided into three groups: Patriots, who formed the continental army and fought in state militias; loyalists, and Tories siding with the British and the king, and a less committed middle group that remained neutral, who were eventually swayed by the better organized and more energetics Patriots. Loyalists made up 20% of the American population, but the Patriots were the largest of the three groups. Some switched sides. Patriots, both moderates and radicals, supported the war because they realized the only way to protect their liberty was to separate themselves from British control. They wanted to establish an American republic that would convert them from being king's subjects to citizens with the power to elect their own government and pursue their own economic interests. Paine addressed the split in The American Crisis and claimed the division caused a civil conflict on top of the revolution.
The American Crisis
Overall, the colonists were generally divided into three groups: Patriots, who formed the continental army and fought in state militias; loyalists, and Tories siding with the British and the king, and a less committed middle group that remained neutral, who were eventually swayed by the better organized and more energetics Patriots. Loyalists made up 20% of the American population, but the Patriots were the largest of the three groups. Some switched sides. Patriots, both moderates and radicals, supported the war because they realized the only way to protect their liberty was to separate themselves from British control. They wanted to establish an American republic that would convert them from being king's subjects to citizens with the power to elect their own government and pursue their own economic interests. Paine addressed the split in The American Crisis and claimed the division caused a civil conflict on top of the revolution.
Stamp Act
Part of the period of increased imperial control over the American colonies by the British, enacted in (1765), the Stamp Act called for the taxation of printed paper and required every piece of paper to be printed with a royal stamp, and be imported from Britain. The first effort of the British to directly tax an American well, rather than by proxy through imports. Considered extremely offensive.
Salutary Neglect
Salutary neglect was enforced by Robert Walpole, a long-serving prime-minister decided that the American colonies should be left alone to export needed raw materials, and under his leadership, Britain followed a system of Navigation Acts, allowing the colonies greater freedom to pursue their economic interests, in part because the British didn't want to pay the expenses enforcing imperial regulations he would eventually blossom into a revolutionary attitude/independence between America and the British. After the war, they developed an arrogant "triumphant," which led them to tighten and lose control over the Indians and colonists in North America, and the British would soon find themselves at war with the colonies. Colonists grew discomfort with Britain as they tightened their control.
What was "Salutary Neglect"? How did the French and Indian War alter the relationship among the American colonists? How did the war's end alter the colonies' relationship with Britain?
Salutary neglect was enforced by Robert Walpole, a long-serving prime-minster decided that the American colonies should be left alone to export needed raw materials, and under his leadership, Britain followed a system of Navigation Acts, allowing the colonies greater freedom to pursue their economic interests, in part because the British didn't want to pay the expenses enforcing imperial regulations he would eventually blossom into a revolutionary attitude/independence between America and the British. After the war, they developed an arrogant "triumphantism," which led them to tighten and lose control over the Indians and colonists in North America, and the British would soon find themselves at war with the colonies. Colonists grew discomfort with Britain as they tightened their control.
Middle Ground
Saying that a compromise, or middle point, between two extremes is the truth.
Habit of Self-Government
Self-government in which a colony like Plymouth, the executive isn't under the control of the imperial government. The idea of self-government was encouraged by the Glorious Revolution in 1689 and Bill of Rights, which established the British Parliament, not the King, had ultimate authority. It rejects the imperial powers' decision. During the time period of salutary neglect, many American colonies fell into this habit.
Habits of Self Government
Self-government in which a colony like Plymouth, the executive isn't under the control of the imperial government. The idea of self-government was encouraged by the Glorious Revolution in 1689 and Bill of Rights, which established the British Parliament, not the King, had ultimate authority. It rejects the imperial powers' decision. During the time period of salutary neglect, many American colonies fell into this habit.
Supremacy Clause
The "supremacy clause" is the most important guarantor of national union. It assures that the Constitution and federal laws and treaties take precedence over state law and binds all judges to adhere to that principle in their courts.
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally approved in 1781, had created a loose alliance (confederation) of thirteen independent states that were united only in theory. In practice, each state government acted on its own. The first major provision of the Articles insisted that "each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence". The articles of confederation reflected priorities of sovereignty, freedom, and independence. Friendship and alliance, democracy, and executive decision-making based on representation were also well-prioritized. Autonomy and self-reliance were also valued, and an emphasis on self-defense was also prioritized. It reflected long-standing fears of the monarchy and didn't allow for a president or chief executive. Although Congress had full power over foreign affairs/state disputes, there were no national courts, and it didn't have the power to enforce resolutions and ordinances. It couldn't levy taxes, and its budgetary needs required requisition from the states, which the state legislature often ignored. They also lacked a strong central government.
What problems in the Articles of Confederation government needed to be solved? How did the Constitution address these issues?
The Articles of Confederation, formally approved in 1781, had created a loose alliance or confederation of 13 colonies. The confederation was viewed as half-starved and could neither regulate trade nor create taxes to pay off the country's war debt. The confederation had no power to enforce its terms. It couldn't force people to serve. It was hard to find people to serve in such a weak Congress. The constitution created an effective national government that needed autonomy to collect taxes, borrow and issue money, regulate commerce, fund the army and navy, and make laws. Dividing autonomy between the state and national governments resulted in federalism. Congress would appoint a territorial governor and officials to create a legal code and administer justice. Once the population of adult males reached 5000, they would elect a territorial legislature. When the territory's population reached 60,000, free inhabitants or adult males could draft a constitution and apply to Congress for statehood. The constitution also kept equal representation and unification of national legislatures and gave Congress the power to collect taxes and regulate commerce.
Battle of Yorktown
The battle of Yorktown was a climactic turning point of the war and acted as a deciding factor for the British to end the war. It began on September 28. Where American French troops closed off Cornwallis's last escape route and bombarded the British with cannons. In two weeks, the British, under the negotiations following the battle of Yorktown, dragged on for months until the Cornwallis surrendered. Any hopes of British victory vanished. After the British inquired whether the Americans would be open to negotiating a peace treaty. The continental congress appointed prominent Americans to go to Paris and discuss terms.
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights provided safeguards for the individual rights of speech, assembly, religion, and the press, the right to own firearms, the right to refuse house, and soldiers, protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to refuse to testify against yourself, the right to a speedy and public trial, with an attorney, and before an impartial jury, and protection against cruel and unusual punishments. The tenth stated that powers not assigned to the national government were delegated to the states and the people. Experiences accounted for in the Bill of Rights included the Quartering acts, the Coercive acts, taxation without representation, and the infringement of American rights during the British period of imperial control.
What were the key ideas included in the Bill of Rights? What experiences accounted for the list of rights included in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
The Bill of Rights provided safeguards for the individual rights of speech, assembly, religion, and the press, the right to own firearms, the right to refuse house, and soldiers, protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to refuse to testify against yourself, the right to a speedy and public trial, with an attorney, and before an impartial jury, and protection against cruel and unusual punishments. The tenth stated that powers not assigned to the national government were delegated to the states and the people. Experiences accounted for in the Bill of Rights included the Quartering acts, the Coercive acts, taxation without representation, and the infringement of American rights during the British period of imperial control.
Hessians
The British hired mercenaries (foreign soldiers) as some 30,000 professional German soldiers who served in the British army. Most were from the German state of Hesse-Cassel. Americans called them Hessians.
British vs. Continental Army
The Continental Army was an undisciplined, unprepared fighting force with makeshift uniforms and sloppy tactics (at least at the beginning of the war). The British Army was the world's elite fighting force and fresh of victory of the globe-spanning Seven Years War against France and her allies.
Enlightenment
The Enlightenment celebrated rational inquiry, scientific reason, and individual freedom. It valued seeking the truth, wherever it may lead, rather than relying on the Bible. The reason was used to evaluate and analyze the workings of the natural world, and microscopes and telescopes were used to closely observe the natural world, conduct scientific experiments, and do mathematical calculations. Scientists of this time realized social progress could occur through a sense of intellectual and technological discoveries enabled by the adaptation of mathematical techniques. Christian explanations for natural phenomena were challenged (for example, Copernicus argued the Earth orbited the Sun), and Newton announced his theory of gravity and challenged Biblical notions of the world by depicting a changing, dynamic universe moving by natural laws. Deists also claimed that God placed these "rational" laws in order and no longer interacted with humans and claimed that sinfulness was simply human ignorance of natural laws. Deists claimed God was rational.
What ideas are associated with the Enlightenment? How did the Enlightenment change how people thought about the world?
The Enlightenment celebrated rational inquiry, scientific reason, and individual freedom. It valued seeking the truth, wherever it may lead, rather than relying on the Bible. The reason was used to evaluate and analyze the workings of the natural world, and microscopes and telescopes were used to closely observe the natural world, conduct scientific experiments, and do mathematical calculations. Scientists of this time realized social progress could occur through a sense of intellectual and technological discoveries enabled by the adaptation of mathematical techniques. Christian explanations for natural phenomena were challenged (for example, Copernicus argued the Earth orbited the Sun), and Newton announced his theory of gravity and challenged Biblical notions of the world by depicting a changing, dynamic universe moving by natural laws. Deists also claimed that God placed these "rational" laws in order and no longer interacted with humans and claimed that sinfulness was simply human ignorance of natural laws. Deists claimed God was rational.
In what ways did New France differ from the English colonies? How did the French and Indian War fit into the broader pattern of the rivalry between Britain and France?
The French ordered in 1629 that only Catholics could live in New France, stunting the colony's growth and leaving the colony with less than the British. France also spent more to maintain its colony than it gained from fur/fish exports. New France was also fully subjected to the French King, and colonists had few legislative rights. The French also interacted and had positive relations with the indigenous. The French also had greater access to inland rivers that led to the continent's heartland. However, New England colonies were typically headed by a royal governor who could appoint/remove officials and command colonies and militia. British colonists enjoyed rights and powers absent in Britain - they had elected officials. Self-government became a habit, and men cherished the right.
New France
The French ordered in 1629 that only Catholics could live in New France, stunting the colony's growth and leaving the colony with less than the British. France also spent more to maintain its colony than it gained from fur/fish exports. New France was also fully subjected to the French King, and colonists had few legislative rights. The French also interacted and had positive relations with the indigenous. The French also had greater access to inland rivers that led to the continent's heartland. However, New England colonies were typically headed by a royal governor who could appoint/remove officials and command colonies and militia. British colonists enjoyed rights and powers absent in Britain - they had elected officials. Self-government became a habit, and men cherished the right.
Sarah Haggar Osborne
The Great Awakening's most controversial element was the emergence of women who defied convention by speaking in religious services. A Rhode Island school teacher organized prayer meetings that eventually included men and women, black and white. Many asked her to stop.
How does the Constitution provide for the separation of powers? Identify specific examples of checks and balances
The Great Compromise embedded the innovative concept of separation of powers in the new Congress. The legislature was divided into two separate houses, with the House of Representatives representing voters at large and the Senate representing state legislatures. Madison's Virginia Plan called for a national government with a supreme legislative, executive, and judiciary, with a proposed Congress divided into two houses (bicameral). Al lower house of representatives, chosen by the people of several states, and the Upper house of senators, elected by state legislatures.
What was the "Middle Ground"? What does White's analysis say about the relationships between Europeans and Native Americans before the French and Indian War? How did the outcome of the French and Indian War affect the Native Americans? What did Pontiac hope to accomplish in his rebellion?
The Middle growth was the unique, strong, and equal trade relationship between the French and the Algonquian Indians, especially in the fur trade. Both had models of equitable exchange, and the interactions became more transactional and less exploitative, hinting at the symbiotic relationship between Europeans and Indians before the French and Indian War. However, unfortunately, after the war, the Europeans exploited the Natives by failing to return their land after fighting the French and refusing to provide provisions for the Indians, leading to a one-sided dependency. With his prophetic outcries against this exploitation, Pontiac inspired a regional coalition. Several hundred names played siege on Detroit, in waiting for the French to restore previous imperial orders, and as the first step towards Indian independence.
Checks and Balances
The Senate could overrule the other House, the president could veto, and could become the chief diplomat and commander in chief of the armed forces. However, the president's power was limited. The House of Rep. could impeach the president. President would be elected every 4 years by electors chosen by the people (electoral college - combination of congressional representatives and senators). Supreme national court to interpret and provide equal justice under the law.
Sons of Liberty
The Stamp Act did arouse fierce resentment and resistance. In a flood of pamphlets, speeches, resolutions, and street protests, critics repeated a slogan familiar to Americans" no taxation without representation! Protestors called themselves the sons of liberty, emerging from every colony, often meeting beneath liberty trees.
Writs of Assistance
The Writs of Assistance were general warrants given to customs officials concerned with smuggling in the American colonies. In the American colonies, they granted officials essentially limitless power to search people for the duration of the monarch's life. James Otis delivered a speech before the Massachusetts Superior Court in front of a large crowd, including John Adams, who remarked that the children of independence were born then and there. Otis strongly opposed the writs of assistance, naming them the most "destructive English liberties".
What priorities are reflected by the structure of the Articles of Confederation? In what ways were the Articles of government problematic?
The articles of confederation reflected priorities of sovereignty, freedom, and independence. Friendship and alliance, democracy, and executive decision-making based on representation were also well-prioritized. Autonomy and self-reliance were also valued, and an emphasis on self-defense was also prioritized. It reflected long-standing fears of the monarchy and didn't allow for a president or chief executive. Although Congress had full power over foreign affairs/state disputes, there were no national courts, and it didn't have the power to enforce resolutions and ordinances. It couldn't levy taxes, and its budgetary needs required requisition from the states, which the state legislature often ignored. They also lacked a strong central government.
What disadvantages did George Washington and the Continental Army have to overcome? What was the militia, and what role did it play in the war?
The continental army had to create an army from scratch, with little money. Before the war, citizens -soldiers (militiamen) were primarily civilians summoned from their farms and shops. Militiamen were unreliable and ungovernable. Washington convinced about half the continental Congress to make a professional continental army with full-time, well-trained soldiers. About half of the 200,000 Americans who served in the war were militiamen or Minutemen, and half were in the continental army. Few patriots had engaged in mortal kombat. Desertions grew as the war dragged on. Financing the revolution was much harder for the Americans than for Great Britain. Confederations could only ask the states to provide funds. They needed to turn farmers into soldiers, hurting the economy. Congress needed to print more money - which eroded its value. Both the British and Americans recruited Indians to fight with them, however.
Declaration of Independence
The declaration of independence was crucially important, not simply because in March, the creation of a new nation, but because of the ideals expressed and the grievances it listed over the previous ten years. Over the last 10 years colonists had deployed acts of parliament that infringed upon their freedoms. Now Jefferson directed colonial resentment at King George the third himself, arguing that the monarch should have reigned in parliament efforts to tire and eye the colonies. In addition to highlighting the efforts to tax the colonies, and restrict their liberties, Jefferson also noted the king's 1773 decree that sought to restrict population growth in the colonies. This infringement obstructs the laws for the natural rights of foreigners, and finally, after listing the objections to British actions, Jefferson asserted that certain truths were self-evident - that all men are created equal/independent. A Lockean facet to this argument included states of "governments derive their power from the consent of the people, who are entitled to alter and abolish those governments when denied their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
How did Jefferson structure the Declaration of Independence? Where is the influence of John Locke's philosophy evident in the document?
The declaration of independence was crucially important, not simply because in March, the creation of a new nation, but because of the ideals expressed and the grievances it listed over the previous ten years. Over the last 10 years colonists had deployed acts of parliament that infringed upon their freedoms. Now Jefferson directed colonial resentment at King George the third himself, arguing that the monarch should have reigned in parliament efforts to tire and eye the colonies. In addition to highlighting the efforts to tax the colonies, and restrict their liberties, Jefferson also noted the king's 1773 decree that sought to restrict population growth in the colonies. This infringement obstructs the laws for the natural rights of foreigners, and finally, after listing the objections to British actions, Jefferson asserted that certain truths were self-evident - that all men are created equal/independent. A Lockean facet to this argument included states of "governments derive their power from the consent of the people, who are entitled to alter and abolish those governments when denied their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
First Amendment
The first amendment created a framework within which people of all religious persuasion could flourish and prohibit the federal government from endorsing or supporting any denomination or inter-meeting with the religious choices people make. As Thomas Jefferson later explained, the first amendment elected a wall, a separation between the church and the state.
Republican Motherhood
The idea that American women had a special responsibility to cultivate "civic virtue" in their children
In what ways does the Constitution represent a compromise between two groups of states with diverse opinions? Consider the differences between large and small states and between Northern and Southern states
The intense debate over congressional representation was resolved in mid-July by the so-called great compromise, which used elements of both plans. The more popular states have one appointment, the allocation of delegates to each date by population in the proposed house representatives, while they dedicate to salt to protect state power, one the equal representation in the Senate, where each state would have two members elected by the legislatures. Great compromise and budget the innovative concept of separation of powers in the new Congress. Eight are divided into two separate houses, with the House of Representatives presenting state legislatures. Larger states wanted greater representation, and Southern states wanted their voices heard regarding slavery, but smaller states wanted equal representation. The Great Compromise was a solution where both large and small states would be fairly represented by creating two houses of Congress. In the House of Representatives, each state would be assigned seats in proportion to the size of its population. In the Senate, each state would have two delegates regardless of size.
Thomas Jefferson
The main author of the Declaration of Independence, structured the document. The declaration of independence was crucially important, not simply because in March, the creation of a new nation, but because of the ideals expressed and the grievances it listed over the previous ten years. Over the last 10 years colonists had deployed acts of parliament that infringed upon their freedoms. Now Jefferson directed colonial resentment at King George the third himself, arguing that the monarch should have reigned in parliament efforts to tire and eye the colonies. In addition to highlighting the efforts to tax the colonies, and restrict their liberties, Jefferson also noted the king's 1773 decree that sought to restrict population growth in the colonies. This infringement obstructs the laws for the natural rights of foreigners, and finally, after listing the objections to British actions, Jefferson asserted that certain truths were self-evident - that all men are created equal/independent. A Lockean facet to this argument included states of "governments derive their power from the consent of the people, who are entitled to alter and abolish those governments when denied their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
George Whitefield
The most celebrated promoter of the Great Awakening was a young English minister, George Whitefield, whose reputation as a spellbinding evangelist preceded him to the colonies. Whitefield set out to restore the fires of religious intensity in America. Urged his listeners to experience a "new birth" - a sudden, emotional moment of conversion and salvation. By the end of his sermon, one listener reported, the entire congregation was 'in utmost Confusion, some crying out, some laughing, and Bliss still roaring to them to come to Christ.
Battle of Quebec
The most decisive British victory was the hilltop forest city and the capital of French Canada. In the night, 4500 British troops scaled the cliffs above the St. Lawrence River and, at dawn, surprised the French defenders in a battle that lasted only ten minutes - 4 days later, the French surrendered. This marked a turning point in the war. The conflict in North America ebbed, although the fighting dragged on until 1763. In the South, fighting between Cherokee and Carolina settlers and a force of British regulators to the colonial military broke Cherokee resistance.
French and Indian War
The most important conflict between Britain and France in North America, globally known as the Seven Years' War. The French and Indian War started in America and ended with a decisive victory. It was sparked by the French and British competition for the ancestral Indian lands in the vast Ohio Valley. After the war, they developed an arrogant "triumphant," which led them to tighten and lose control over the Indians and colonists in North America, and the British would soon find themselves at war with the colonies. Colonists grew discomfort with Britain as they tightened their control. Reached a climax with a series of British triumphs.
In what ways did the new nation of the United States represent a revolutionary change? In what ways did it maintain the status quo?
The new nation upset the traditional social relationships and affected the lives of people who had been long discriminated against. The war acted as a revolutionary engine of political experimentation. The new republic was a representative democracy in which property-holding white men (who upheld the status quo) governed themselves to the concept of republicanism, where elected representatives made decisions on their behalf. Revolutionary leaders believed they must protect the rights of individuals and states from being violated. This led to a wave of state constitutions in state-level governments. Many constitutions, including the Bill of Rights, protected freedoms.
Northwest Ordinance
Two years after the Land Ordinance of 1785. The Confederation of Congress passed the Northwest Ordinances of 1787. Except for two key principles to better manage western expansion: the new western territories eventually become coequal states, as Jefferson had originally proposed, and slavery would be banned from the region North of the Ohio River. The northwest ordinance included the promise that Indian lands would never be taken.
Elastic Clause
The powers of Congress have been extended through the elastic clause of the Constitution, which states that Congress can make all laws that are "necessary and proper" for carrying out its duties.
What factors allowed the Americans to defeat the British and gain independence? How did American and British goals for the war differ?
Washington hoped to maneuver the Americans into fighting with a single, decisive action. The British thought they would surely win and thereby end the war. He decided to evade the main British army carefully and select when to attack, and in the end, wear down the enemy forces and their will to fight. He was willing to concede control of major cities to the British, for it was "his army, not defenseless towns that they have to subdue". Each year became more difficult - and expensive - for the British government and people. The British people grew tired, and the human and financial toll of conducting a prolonged war across the Atlantic greatly strained the British army.
Loyalists
What George Washington called "abominable pests of society" viewed the revolution as an act of treason. The British empire, they felt, was much more likely than an independent America to protect them from foreign foes and enable them to prosper. Loyalists were mostly numerous in the Seaport cities, and more in New York joined the loyalist regimens, then enlisted in the continental army. In a few places, however, there weren't enough Loyalists to assume control without the support of British troops. Loyalists didn't want to dissolve the ties within Britain. The British were frustrated at their ability to band together and their collapse.
Interstate Commerce Clause
What is the Commerce Clause? Article I, Section 8, specifically grants to the Federal Government the right to regulate commerce among the several states. This is known as the Commerce Clause. Simply put, the Commerce Clause allows the Federal Government to regulate any activity that affects interstate commerce.
Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams, wrote a statement during a nine-month stalemate following the Battle of Bunker Hill, stating that the patriots still living in Boston were being treated like objects left under the cruelest and despotic tyrants. One of the most learned and spirited women of her time, she was a prominent suffragist who advocated for her husband to remember the ladies when drafting legislation. She radically proposed equal rights for women, to which her husband was amused.
Militia
a military force that is raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.
As Britain tightened its control over its colonies after 1763,
acts were passed
William Tennent
an Irish-born Presbyterian, charged that local ministers were "cold and sapless,' afraid to "thrust the nail of terror into sleeping souls." Tennents' oldest son, Gilbert, also an evangelist, defended his tactics by explaining that he and other traveling preachers invaded parishes only when the local minister showed no interest in the "Getting of Grace and Growing in it". The Tennents urged people to renounce their ministers and pursue salvation on their own. They also attacked the excesses of the wealthy and powerful. Worried members of the colonial elite charged that the radical revivalists were spreading "anarchy, leveling, and dissolution".
Is slavery mentioned in the Constitution?
not directly
In the U.S. government, checks and balances refers to the separation of power in the government, which is ensured through the establishment of three different branches
the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch. All hold different powers and, therefore, can check the power of the other branches.