US Honors History Test 1

In this chapter's discussion of New York's ratifying convention, Alexander Hamilton takes issue with Anti-Federalist delegate Melancton Smith's assertion that (as Hamilton says) "a pure democracy, if it were practicable, would be the most perfect government." What did Smith—and Hamilton—mean by "a pure democracy"? How does this compare to the type of democracy that represents the modern United States?

"A pure democracy" entails power given directly to the people rather than to a group of representatives. Melancton Smith observed that "a pure democracy, if it were practicable, would be the most perfect government."Alexander Hamilton responded that "Experience has proven, that no position in politics is more false than this." Hamilton argued that "a pure democracy" was tyrannical and hard to keep controlled. In The Federalist Papers, John Madison addressed the approaches to govern. He argued a larger republic provided the best defense opposing the mess of a pure democracy. They would need compromises and end up with a constitution that has both republican and democratic principles. In the modern United States, we have democractic features as well. Although we do not have a pure, or direct, democracy, we vote in elections to choose our representatives so we do maintain democratic values.

Battle of Saratoga 1777

5,000 troops were captured Big morale booster Proved to France that they were capable ------> significance Gained support from the French Made the British move south 1777 in New York

Why did the colonists react so much more strongly to the Stamp Act than to the Sugar Act? How did the principles that the Stamp Act raised continue to provide points of contention between colonists and the British government?

Colonists reacted so much more strongly to the Stamp Act than to the Sugar Act because the Sugar Act was an indirect tax, unlike the Stamp Act which was a direct tax on the colonists. The principles of the Stamp Act raised continue to provide points of contention between the colonists and the British Government by providing the colonists with reason to be angry at the British Government. Also, the principles of the act influenced the colonists to get a grasp on what the British Government was trying to do to them.

Sugar Act of 1764

The act lowered the tax on molasses, specifically from England It made colonists buy illegally shipped molasses from the West Indies If they were caught with it they would receive great punishment The colonists were not allowed to illegally smuggle molasses or goods Therefore, they had to trade with the British which angered them because they couldn't afford it Created a nameless group, got Britain to change the taxes back to 3 pents to 1 pent British taxed colonists on imported goods England needed money, therefore, they taxed

Successes of the Articles of Confederation - Northwest Ordinances

established rules for settlement of west Leads admission of new states to the republic. Congress appointed a governor for the territories when the population reached five thousand free adult settlers, those citizens could create their own legislature and begin the process of moving toward statehood. When the population reached sixty thousand, the territory could become a new state. Confederation Congress outlawed slavery and gave women rights Sells land for money for congress

Declaratory Acts of 1766

Allowed Britain and King George III to make any tax allowed British view the colonists as one group and not certain colonies Colonists felt good, but England asserted it's dominance by the use of the Declaratory Acts

Stamp Act of 1765

Anyone who purchased paper goods was taxed Stamp Act Congress made a son and daughter of liberty, to recover the Stamp Act Colonists did not like this Multiple colonies came together to share their complaints about this taxing Taxing on unnecessary items The internal tax took power away from local legislatures Stamp Act is eventually repealed

Shays's Rebellion (1786)

Armed uprising of western Massachusetts debtors seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosures. Though quickly put down, the insurrection inspired fears of "mob rule" among leading Revolutionaries.

First Continental Congress of 1774

Assembly in philadelphia Georgia wasn't there 56 delegates First real coming together of the colonies Agreed to not go to war with britain Decided to have state militias for state only The colony of Massachusetts called the meeting in Philadelphia to draw up a response to the Coercive Acts then being enforced upon the colony. However, Massachusetts delegates sought advice and leadership from the other colonies about how far they should go in refusing to follow the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, and the new royal governor of Great Britain, Thomas Gage.

Common Sense of 1776

A pamphlet written by Thomas Pain Urged independence in the colonies First to make a clear statement of independence in the colonies Timing of the Pamphlet was crucial, a lot of tension in the colonies Sparked rebellion amongst the colonies Thomas Pain shifts everything

Boston Massacre of 1770

A riot in Boston, where the British Soldiers fired at an angry mob of colonists Many people arrested, this event created even more tension Repealed in 1770 Colonists were very frustrated that the British came in and killed 5 of their citizens

Townshend Acts of 1767

A series of measures passed by the British Parliament Charles Townshend taxed the colonies for glass, led paper, paint, and tea All of the money collected from these taxes was wasted on the support of the British Officials Britain sent troops to enforce the popular new laws The tension created between the colonists and Britain Women begin to step up at this point in time Came together to boycott

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Second Continental Congress of 1775

Again in Philadelphia A month before the battle of Bunker The Second Continental Congress lasted for 15 years Same issues as the First Continental Congress Lack of consistent attendance Established the Continental Army George Washington appointed as Chief Olive Branch petition

Procolamation of 1763

During the French and Indian War, the British ended the treaty with Iroquois tribes Colonists ignored settlements past the mountains, which caused the Pontiac's war A lot of conflict between the British and the colonists Unhappy that the crown is telling the Indians what to do England in huge debt found ways to cut costs and get more money

Describe popular attitudes toward African Americans, women, and Indians in the wake of the Revolution. In what ways did the established social and political order depend upon keeping members of these groups in their circumscribed roles? If those roles were to change, how would American society and politics have had to adjust?

Following the Revolution, racial identity was now clearer than ever. The national identity of white represented freedom and power while black was associated with a slavish state. The white population disregarded class and differences and stood united with their animosity towards blacks and Indians. They believed people of color and indians were inferior and treated them terribly. During the American revolution period, women were given huge amounts of responsibilities. The war increased their workload immensely however strengthened their roles in American life. The Revolution also gave new opportunities to women. Since many men were away participating in the war, women had to take on some of the tasks usually reserved for men. These groups were highly depended on by the general white male population and if it weren't for them, social and political order would be reckless. If African Americans, women, and Indians were not doing their usual jobs, other people would need to be reassigned to them causing a complete change for everyone in America.

In what ways does the United States Constitution manifest the principles of both republican and democratic forms of government? In what ways does it deviate from those principles?

Many revolutionaries worried about democracy which they thought would lead to anarchy in addition to eventually reducing their wealth. However, radical Whigs were in favor for a democracy because it would open up political life to the general population. To compromise their democratic ways but maintain power, state legislatures chose senators rather than being elected by the people (Seventeenth Amendment, 1913). Further, an Electoral College was created. The Electoral College permitted each state a specific amount of electors, two senators and their representatives from the House of Representatives, to vote for their favor in president. Overall, the United States Constitution has both republican and democratic principles leading to a fairer, more favored constitution.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

No figure head - creates chaos and no other countries would want to associate Weak central power Can't tax Can't raise army No say in state matters Too loose of relationship Firm league friendships - friends not best friends Hard to "do" things Get laws passed was 9/13 Everyone to amend

History is filled with unintended consequences. How do the British government's attempts to control and regulate the colonies during this tumultuous era provide a case in point? How did the aims of the British measure up against the results of their actions?

The British government's attempts to control and regulate the colonies during this tumultuous era provide a case in point by angering the colonists of America and causing them to retaliate, which eventually led to the start of the American Revolution. Examples of their retaliation were the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. Most of the aims of the British were not met because most of their actions failed against the colonists.

Constitution Fixed Articles of Confederation

President - Article II They established powers of congress (one they specifically realized they needed) - Article I section XIII Establishes stronger relationship - Article IV, Federalism (multiple levels with relationships in between) Easier to "do" things - Article I (majority) All weaknesses are addressed in the Constitution Constitution was hard to establish because each state has different wants/viewpoints so not everyone agreed

Intolerable Acts of 1774 (coercive)

Punishment of Boston's action 5 different acts Boston Port Act was to close the port so the colonist could not smuggle Boston was very unhappy because the colonists thought there was a violation of their rights

Compromise in Constitution

Slavery Rights and Power (they didn't want president so it wasn't like England) Congress - want to know what it would look like (small states wouldn't want to lose old system with lots of state power, big states because they had lots of independence, big states like loose friendship) Bill of Rights

Tea Act of 1773

The Parliament passed the Tea Act to help the East Indian Tea Company Very expensive tea, therefore they smuggled tea The Tea Act reduced the taxes so colonists could afford it The colonists did not agree because they formed a monopoly Colonists don't like being told what to do

Boston Tea Party of 1773

The colonists began to boycott the Tea Company Came up with a plan to keep their own tea The colonists stormed three ships and through 90,000 pounds of tea overboard Britain was infuriated by the colonist's acts John Hancock Mayor of Boston was pro British Disguised as Native Americans to get on the ship

U.S. Constitution

The document was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Was reconciliation between the American colonies and Great Britain possible in 1774? Why or why not?

The reconciliation between the American colonies and Great Britain was very unlikely in 1774 because right after the French and Indian War, the British government was in tremendous debt. However, to pay off this debt, the British government turned towards the American colonists who they defended during the war. Great Britain began imposing acts on the colonists that would make taxes higher on specific goods, like the Stamp Act. Therefore, I believe that it was not possible for the American Colonies and Great Britain to reconcile in 1774 because of Britain's actions.

How did the process of creating and ratifying the Constitution, and the language of the Constitution itself, confirm the positions of African Americans, women, and Indians in the new republic? How did these roles compare to the stated goals of the republic?

The roles of African Americans, women, and Indians did not even come close to the goal of "all men are created equal", stated in the Constitution. The three-fifths compromise in the Constitution states that three out of every five slaves would be considered when determining a state's population. At this point in time, slaves were shown no respect and were completely disregarded when talking about equality and rights. This ban balanced political power evenly among states and controlled the population size which determined the number of representatives per state as well as the amount of taxes. For women, not much changed before versus after the war. They were still dependent on their husbands and could not vote however men now understood their importance in America. The war did not change much for the Indians either. Very few Indians sided with the Americans because they were thought of as enemies. Although no immediate changes occurred for the indians, further down the line conflicts got sorted out. In conclusion, the Constitution's talk about equality completely contradicts the actions followed through to the general population.

What were the circumstances that led to Shays' Rebellion? What was the government's response? Would this response have confirmed or negated the grievances of the participants in the uprising? Why?

There was lots of debt going on following the war that people could not pay off, specifically the farmers in Massachusetts who found their debts impossible to pay. In addition, there was inflation caused by a big fall in value of the Continental dollar. People wanted their debts forgiven but the state legislature wouldn't address the people's requests. Disappointed their wishes were denied, they rebelled. Citizens got weapons and closed courthouses across the state. In January of 1787, rebels tried to seize the federal armory but they were defeated. Shay's Rebellion is extremely significant because it symbolizes chaos in the country. The rebellion made delegates see the inability of the central government to maintain law and order and later caused the formation of the Constitution and a more powerful government.

How they solved Compromise

VA + NJ Plan - VA wanted congress to be based off of population, NJ wants congress to be equal for every state Connecticut "Great" compromise - Senate (equal for every state) and House of Representatives (by population) Bi-cameral - 2 different ways to run

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain