apush -- chapters 5+6 terms

george grenville

prime minister of Britain starting in 1763. he tightly administered colonies, which was different from previous prime ministers.

Loyalists/Tories vs. Patriots

tenant farmers in the Hudson River Valley defied their landowners. many escaped to Canada or the West Indies following the war.

Treaty of Alliance

the French foreign minister, Comte de Vergennes wanted to avenge their loss of Canada. so, he convinced King Louis XVI to give American colonies a secret loan and gunpowder. when the Americans won at Saratoga, Vergennes sought a formal alliance. Benjamin Franklin and others worked to make the Treaty of Alliance of 1778. it stated that once France entered the war, they couldn't sign a separate peace without American freedom. and, the Continental Congress agreed to recognize French conquests in the West Indies.

stamp act

the Stamp Act of 1765 required a tax stamp on all printed items. it bore more heavily on the rich bc it charged a penny for a sheet of newspapers and other common items but $10 for a lawyer license. Parliament approved Grenville's proposal that violations of the Stamp Act also be tried in vice-admiralty courts. Benjamin Franklin and others argued against this bc "no taxation without representation".

the Continental Association

the boycotts of 1765 and 1768 raised the political consciousness of rural Americans. when the First Continental Congress established the Continental Association of 1774 to enforce a third boycott of British goods, it set up a rural network of committees to do its work. in Concord, MA, 80% of the male heads of families and number of single women signed a "Solemn League and Covenant", which supported nonimportation. in Petersham, MA, the town meetings worried that new British taxes would drain their money.

First Continental Congress

the delegates met for the first time in Philadelphia in September 1774. Southern reps, fearing a British plot to overturn the constitution, advocated for an economic boycott. NE reps focused on independence, and the Mid-Atlantic favored compromise. they all decided that they would stop importing British goods in December 1774. if Parliament did not repeal the Coercive Acts by September 1775, they vowed to cut off virtually all colonial exports. the British ministry branded the Continental Congress as an illegal assembly, and they rejected Lord Dartmouth's proposal to send commissioners to negotiate a settlement. Lord North set up terms: Americans must pay for their own defense and administration and acknowledge Parliament's authority to tax them. he also imposed a naval blockade on American trade with foreign nations and ordered General Gage to suppress dissent in MA.

federalists

the nationalists called themselves Federalists, meaning they supported a federal union (loose, decentralized system). and they established their commitment to a strong, national government. this launched a coordinated campaign in pamphlets and newspapers to explain and justify the Philadelphia constitution.

anti-federalists

the opponents of the Constitution, called by default the Antifederalists, had diverse backgrounds and motives. some, like Governor George Clinton of NY, feared that state governments would lose power. rural democrats protested that the proposed document lacked individual rights. they also feared that the central gov would be run by wealthy men.

samuel adams

in Boston, Samuel Adams and other radical Patriots continued to warn others of imperial domination. in 1772, they persuaded the town meeting to set up a committee of correspondence. soon, 80 MA towns had similar committees.

committees of correspondence

in Boston, Samuel Adams and other radical Patriots continued to warn others of imperial domination. in 1772, they persuaded the town meeting to set up a committee of correspondence. soon, 80 MA towns had similar committees. when British officials threatened to imprison the Americans responsible for the burning of the customs vessel Gaspée, the House of Burgesses (and many other assemblies) set up their own committees of correspondence. these allowed Patriots to communicate with leaders in other colonies when new threats to liberty occurred.

Second Continental Congress

in May 1775, they called this and organized the Continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence.

The Federalist Papers

in NY, where ratification was greatly contested, James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton defended the proposed constitution in a series of 85 essays written in 1787 and 1788. they pointed out that authority would be divided among the president, a bicameral legislature, and a judiciary. each branch would check and balance each other. in Fed 10, Madison argued a large state would better protect republican liberty bc of factions.

Bunker Hill

(June 17, 1775) Site of a battle early in the Revolutionary War. This battle dealt with the control of two hills (Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill) overlooking Boston Harbor. The British captured the hills after the Americans ran-out of ammunition. This marked the creation of the Continental Army, British out of Boston.

Currency Tax

10,000s of these accepted Continental bills in payment for supplies, and 1000s of soldiers took them as pay, even as the currency depreciated in their pockets. rampant inflation caused a currency tax. each individual tax was small, but the ones paid by ordinary citizens financed the American military victory.

George Washington

1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799).

popular sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

republicanism

A form of government in which people elect representatives to create and enforce laws

Congress vs. King George III

A majority in Congress hoped for reconciliation with Britain (the moderates). they were led by John Dickinson, and they won approval of a petition expressing loyalty to George III and asking for a repeal of harmful parliamentary legislation. other Patriots gathered support for a Declaration of Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms. in August 1775, King George issued a Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition. the radicals in Congress won support for an invasion of Canada to prevent a British attack from the north. they defeated British at Montreal, but failed to capture Quebec City and withdrew. American merchants were simultaneously cutting off exports in Britain and the West Indies. Parliament responded to this with the Prohibitory Act, outlawing trade with these colonies.

daughters of liberty

American women became crucial to the nonimportation movement. some supported the boycott with charitable work, spinning flax and wool for the needy. newspapers celebrated the exploits of the Daughters of Liberty. the surge in domestic production didn't offset the loss of British imports, but it brought thousands of women into the public arena.

Continental Army

Americans lacked a strong central gov and a source of tax revenue. their Continental army had 18,000 inexperienced soldiers.

benjamin franklin

Benjamin Franklin proposed American representation in Parliament. all but William Pitt rejected this idea as too radical. they already had representation virtually. Franklin also claimed that Americans only objected to internal taxes, but were willing to follow external taxes (duties on trade). lastly, he called for a return to the pre-1763 mercantilist movement.

boston massacre

Between 1200-2000 troops were stationed in Boston for 1.5 years, 10% of the population. on March 5th, 1770, a group of nine redcoats fired into a crowd and killed 5 townspeople. a trial released the soldiers from punishment, but Boston's Radical Whigs labeled it a massacre and used it to protest imperial power. one of the victims, Crispus Attucks, was an African American sailor. he was rediscovered by abolitionists later and identified as the first black martyr of American liberty.

virtual representation

British governmental theory that Parliament spoke for all British subjects, including Americans, even if they did not vote for its members

Articles of Confederation

Carter Braxton from Virginia proposed that the Congress handle trade, war, and alliances, but not interfere with internal or domestic affairs of individual colonies. This formed the Articles of Confederation, approved by Congress in 1777 and ratified in 1781. each state had one vote, important laws needed approval of 9/13 colonies, and changes on the Articles required unanimous agreement. it did not have a chief executive or judiciary, it could make treaties but not enforce it, and it lacked the power to tax states or people.

northwest ordinance of 1787

Congress would appoint a governor and judges to administer each new territory until the population reached 5,000 free adult men, then the citizens could elect a legislature. When the population reached 60,000, the legislature could devise a republican constitution and apply to join Congress. also set up a system for education, and banned slavery.

Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts

Early in 1774, Parliament passed four Coercive Acts to force MA to pay for the tea and to submit to the imperial authority. Boston Port Bill: closed Boston Harbor to shipping. Massachusetts Government Act: annulled the colony's charter and prohibited town meetings. Quartering Act: mandated new barracks for British troops. Justice Act: allowed trials for capital crimes to be transferred to other colonies or Britain. this led to the First Continental Congress.

Alexander Hamilton

First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.

Trenton/Princeton

George Washington to staged a successful surprise attack on Trenton, NJ on December 25th, 1776. this forced 1,000 German soldiers, who were paid to support the British, to surrender. then, in early January, they won a victory at Princeton.

Loyalists and Neutrals

In Virginia, Patriot leaders were mostly wealthy planters and many of their poorer neighbors were suspicious of them. in regions where great landowners became Patriots, such as the Hudson River Valley, many tenant farmers supported the king because they hated their landlords. skeptics believed that Patriot leaders were going away from British rule only to advance their own interests (which was exacerbated by the violence of the SOL). in NJ and Penn, thousands of Pacificist Quakers and Germans resisted violence bc of religion. many loyal or neutral colonists hoped to preserve their families' property and independence. about 15-20% of the white population were loyal to the crown.

Thomas Paine/Common Sense

In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, which was a call for independence and a republican form of gov. he had migrated to Philly from England in 1774, where he met Benjamin Rush and other Patriots. he combined insults with biblical quotes, attacking the British system of mixed gov with the king, lords, and commoners. within 6 months, this had gone through 25 editions and reached 100,000s of people.

Constitutional Convention

In May 1787, 55 delegates arrived in Philadelphia, coming from every state except RI (they opposed increasing central authority). most were strong nationalists, and 42 had served in the Continental Congress. the MA general court rejected Samuel Adams as a delegate because he opposed a stronger national gov. the absence of experienced leaders and contrary-minded delegates allowed capable younger nationalists to set the agenda. James Madison insisted on increased national authority, and Alexander Hamilton of NY demanded a strong central gov to protect the republic from democracy.

stamp act congress

In May of 1765, Patrick Henry fought against the Stamp Act. James Otis, a Republican-minded man in Massachusetts, had the House of Reps call a meeting of all the mainland colonies to talk. 9 assemblies sent delegates to this meeting in NYC in 1765. they gathered to protest the loss of American rights, especially the right to trial by jury. they also believed that only their elected reps could tax them. the moderate-minded delegates wanted compromise, not confrontation. they boycotted British goods, and the Stamp Act was eventually repealed. and, the Sugar Act was reduced to 1 pence/gallon.

John Adams

John Adams hated the idea of a unicameral legislature. he wanted to keep only elite men in office, and thought majority rule would lead to oppression. he published Thoughts of Government in 1776, which talked about the Whig theory of mixed government. he talked about a separation of powers with a legislative, executive, and judicial branch. also would have a bicameral legislature with an upper house of property owners and a lower house of popular majorities.

king george III

King of England during the American Revolution. he was young and uneducated.

Battle of Saratoga

Lord North and his secretary, Lord George Germain, aimed to isolate NE in 1777. They planned a 3-step attack on Albany. Instead, Howe decided to attack Philly, hoping to end the rebellion w/ one decisive attack. his troops defeated American soldiers along Brandywine Creek in Delaware. Burgoyne's troops advanced quickly in NY, defeating American defenses at Fort Ticonderoga. he was used to high living, and he underestimated the support for the rebels, leading him to stop early each day. The Americans led by General Gates slowed Burgoyne's progress. By the end of the summer, Burgoyne's army was stuck near Saratoga, NY. British commander in NYC ordered troops he had sent to Albany to go to Philly in order to help out Howe. The Patriots (MA, NH, and NY) forced Burgoyne to surrender in October 1777. The victory at the Battle of Saratoga turned the war. the Patriots captured more than 5,000 British troops and ensured diplomatic success of American reps in Paris, who won a military alliance with France.

3/5ths Clause

Many slaveowners in the Chesapeake region supported an end to the country's participation in the Atlantic slave trade. the delegates wrote a fugitive clause, which allowed masters to reclaim enslaved blacks who fled to other states. because slaves lacked the vote, antislavery delegates wanted their census numbers excluded when apportioning seats in Congress, but southerners demanded that slaves be counted as full citizens. they agreed ultimately that each slave would count as 3/5ths of a person.

Abigail Adams

Men controlled all public institutions, but upper-class women were engaged in political debate, trying to end restrictive customs and laws. Abigail Adams demanded equal marriage rights for women as they were not able to own property, enter into contracts, or initiate lawsuits under common law. even younger men with more republican views did not support legal equality for women. women were still unable to vote, except in NJ in 1807 (unmarried and widowed property-owning women). In the 1790s, the attorney general of MA let girls have an equal right to schooling. By 1850, literacy rates between men and women in the northeastern states were equal.

Declaration of Independence

On June 7th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee presented Virginia's solution to Congress. On June 11th, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Roger Sherman, and R.R. Livingston were appointed to write the DOI. On July 4th, 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson justified independence and republicanism by vilifying King George III. He proclaimed a series of self-evident truths: Everyone possesses unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the government derives power from the consent of the governed; and the government can be overthrown if it becomes destructive. The DOI won support in France and Germany. In the US, it sparked celebrations in rural hamlets and seaport cities. on July 8th, 1776, many spectators in Easton, Pennsylvania heard a reading of the DOI.

Battle of Long Island

PM Lord North had General William Howe capture NYC. he seized the Hudson River, isolating Patriots in NE from the southern colonies. following the DOI, he had 32,000 troops (British and Germans) land outside NYC. he defeated the Americans in the Battle of Long Island in August, 1776, forcing them to go to Manhattan Island.

tea act

Parliament passed the Tea Act of May 1773. the East India Company, a private corporation that supported British imperialism, was in debt and had a surplus of tea bc of high import duties. so, Britons and colonists smuggled Dutch tea. this act gave them a government loan and canceled the import duties on tea. it would now cost less than smuggled Dutch tea. Radical Patriots accused the British ministry of bribing Americans with the cheaper tea so they would give up their fight against the tea tax. merchants joined protests because the East India Company planned to distribute its tea directly to shopkeepers, excluding them from profits.

the Continental Congress

Patriot leaders convened the Continental Congress that had 12 mainland colonies sending reps. four recently acquired colonies (Florida, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland) refused to send delegates. Georgia did as well, where the royal governor controlled legislature. Barbados and Jamaica were scared of revolts by their African populations, so they didn't come either.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Talks began in Paris in April 1782, but the French and Spanish stalled as they hoped to get a West Indian island or Gibraltar. the Americans negotiated secretly with the British. Parliament wanted peace and they were scared of losing a sugar island. GB formally recognized American independence and relinquished claims to lands south of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River. the Cherokees were forced to give up claims to 5 million acres (3/4 of their land) in treaties with Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. NY and the CC pressed the Iroquois and Ohio Indians to give a lot of land. British were prohibited from taking away African Americans and property. freedom of navigation on the Mississippi to American citizens was granted. the American gov allowed British merchants to pursue legal claims for prewar debts and encouraged state legislatures to return confiscated property to Loyalists and grant them citizenship.

British Southern strategy

The British gov's strategy was to defend the West Indies and capture the rich colonies, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. They recruited slaves, beginning with Lord Dunmore's proclamation in 1775 with his Ethiopian Regiment. In 1779, the Philipsburg Proclamation declared that any slave who left a rebel master would receive protection and freedom from GB. These led about 30,000 African Americans to go to the British. Sir Henry Clinton launched an attack on Savannah, Georgia, and captured it on August 1779. By the end of the year, he and local Loyalists controlled coastal Georgia. In May of 1780, he forced the surrender of Charleston, SC, and its 5,000 troops.

Boston Tea Party

The SOL prevented the East India Company ships from delivering their cargo in NY, Philly, and Charleston. In MA on December 16th, 1773, artisans and laborers dressed up as Indians, boarded 3 ships (the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver), broke open 342 chest of tea (about $10,000 then), and threw them into the harbor.

Yorktown

Washington faked an attack on NYC, marching General Rochambeau's army from RI to Virginia. simultaneously, the French fleet took control of Chesapeake Bay. at the conclusion of the Battle of Yorktown, Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781. this victory led to the British ministry giving up the active prosecution of the war on American mainland.

Continental Army Southern strategy

Washington had General Nathanael Greene recapture the Carolinas. he put local militia under strong leaders, unleashing them on less mobile British forces. in October 1780, they defeated Loyalists at King's Mountain, SC. American guerrillas commanded by General Francis Marion won a series of small battles. in March, Greene's soldiers fought Cornwallis' army to a draw at NC's Guilford Court House. Washington let slaves join his army in 1777. by the end of the war, slaves could enlist in every state but SC and Georgia, and about 5,000 fought for the Patriots.

Valley Forge

Washington's army retreated to Valley Forge, where 12,000 soldiers and 100s of camp followers suffered. Nearby farmers refused to help as they didn't want to support either side and were looking out for the own families, selling grain for gold from the British and refusing Continental currency. By spring, over 200 officers had resigned, 1,000 soldiers deserted, and 3,000 died Baron von Steuben, a former Prussian military officer and current inspector general of the CC, raised the readiness of the American army. He instituted a strict drill system and encouraged officers to be more professional. The smaller army that emerged from Valley Forge in the spring of 1778 was a much stronger force.

War in the South

When France entered the conflict in June 1778, it hoped to seize all of Britain's sugar islands. Spain aimed to regain Florida and the fortress of Gibraltar.

non-importation movement

a widespread colonial boycott of British goods. women helped by making clothes and goods that they usually got from the British.

townshend act

act in 1767 that put duties on imports of tea, glass, lead paper, and paint. some revenue was for American military expenses, but most was for salaries of royal officials (who were previously paid by colonial assemblies). he hoped this would lead royal officials to be independent from colonies' finances, allowing them to carry out the king's instruction without regard for local opinions. boycotts in the 1770s hurt the government significantly, so all acts besides tea were taken away.

quartering act

act passed in 1765 which ensured that British troops could not be boarded in private homes but required colonial government to provide barracks and food for them. New York's colonial assembly refused to pay the cost of housing and feeding for its soldiers.

advantages and disadvantages for Patriots

advantages: had help from France and locals, they knew the land well, they had leadership from General Washington, and they had passion. disadvantages: they didn't have an established gov or financial system, they had a new army w/ little training, and they did not have sufficient equipment and clothing.

advantages and disadvantages for the British

advantages: wealth from South Atlantic System, established gov and navy, help from Native Americans and slaves, Loyalist support, and more military experience. disadvantages: had to travel far, used more outdated tactics, and gradually became less motivated.

sons of liberty

artisans, laborers, indentured and servants who gathered and drew support from all social classes. led largely by Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams. they forced merchants in London to put pressure on Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. in Boston, the Sons of Liberty burned a sculpture of a collector, Andrew Oliver, and destroyed his warehouse. then, they attacked Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson's house (he was Andrew Oliver's brother-in-law and a believer of the imperial authority). Isaac Sears and Alexander McDougall (Sons of Liberty leaders in NYC) were minor merchants and Radical Whigs who feared that imperial reform would undermine political authority.

fiscal crisis

by 1780, the central gov was nearly bankrupt. Washington called for a national tax system. Robert Morris led Patriots in expanding Congress' authority. they convinced them to charter the Bank of NA and created a central bureaucracy to manage Congress' finances and urged them to enact a 5% import tax (RI and NY rejected this proposal) in 1783, Congress stated that the Treaty of Paris got rid of Indians' rights to lands and made them the property of the US.

Northwest Ordinances

by 1784, more than 30,000 settlers moved to Kentucky and Tennessee. residents of what is now eastern Tennessee created a new state, Franklin. they wanted to be admitted into the Continental Congress, but they refused. and, Congress created the Southwest and Mississippi Territories from lands ceded by NC and Georgia. these states and those south of the Ohio River allowed slavery, but, it was banned north of the Ohio River. The Ordinance of 1784 and the Land Ordinance of 1785 were established.

The Land Ordinance of 1785

created a rectangular-grid system of surveying and specified a minimum price of $1 per acre. it also required that half of townships be sold in single blocks of schools.

The Ordinance of 1784

created by Jefferson. established that territories could become states as their population grew.

New Jersey Plan

delegates from Delaware and other small states followed a plan by William Paterson of NJ. this gave the Confederation the power to raise revenue, control commerce, and make binding requisitions on the states. but, it also allowed states' control of their own laws and guaranteed their equality. each state would have one vote in a unicameral legislature. delegates from more populous states opposed this heavily.

sugar act

grenville passed the Sugar Act of 1764 to replace the Molasses Act. it was intended to make trade in molasses legal and collect a duty of 3 pence per gallon. but, New England merchants (like John Hancock) had made their fortunes through the smuggling of French molasses. in MA, the leader of the assembly argued against it. merchants prosecuted under it were tried in vice-admiralty courts, tribunals governing the high seas and run by British-appointed judges. those who had previously been tried of violating the Navigation Acts had been tried by local common-law courts. the House of Commons ignored American opposition and passed the Sugar Act

Shay's Rebellion

merchants and landowners had invested in state bonds and speculated in debt certificates during the war. they demanded that state govs raise taxes to redeem these, but most refused. in MA, the new constitution gave the mercantile elite that owned the bulk of the war bonds the power. taxes increased x5 to pay off wartime debts, taking 90% of revenue from property and poll taxes. when farmers couldn't pay, creditors threatened lawsuits. farmers called conventions to protest high taxes and property seizures, and mobs closed courts by force. this grew into a full-scale revolt led by veteran Captain Daniel Shays. they weren't able to call upon the federal government to fight as it wasn't centralized. to put down the rebellion, the MA legislature passed the Riot Act, and wealthy bondholders got a fighting force.

The Great Compromise

they proposed that the national legislature's upper chamber (the Senate) have two members from each state. and, seats in the lower chamber (House of Representatives) would be apportioned by population (every 10 years by national census). some delegates opposed a national system of courts, predicting that it would lead states to revolt, which led to the Supreme Court. they also refused to set a property requirement for voting in national elections. finally, they specified that states legislatures would elect members of the upper house and states would select electors who would choose the president.

Virginia Plan

this was created by James Madison whose plan rejected state sovereignty to prioritize national supremacy. it called for the government to be established by the people. it also proposed a three-tier election system in which ordinary voters would elect only the lower house of the national legislature, the lower house would then select the upper house, and then both of them would appoint executive and judiciary. it had two major flaws: most state politicians and citizens opposed allowing the national gov to veto state laws, and the plan based representation in the lower house on population, which would allow the more popular states to have advantage over the smaller ones.

Lexington & Concord

this was one of the first battles, and it happened on April 18th, 1775, after the first Continental Congress. the MA assembly met in Salem to openly defy Parliament, collect taxes, strengthen their militia, and act as a government. Lord Dartmouth, the colonial secretary in London, ordered General Gage to fight them. he robbed Patriot armories to take their weapons. a Concord town meeting raised the Minutemen. on April 18th, he had 700 soldiers capture colonial leaders in Concord. but, Paul Revere and others warned Patriots, and the minutemen confronted the British at Lexington and Concord. the British retreated to Boston, and neighboring towns' militia attacked them. by the end, 73 British and 49 MA militiamen were dead. this led to the second Continental Congress.