HIS-131 Test Two
Philadelphia Convention, 1787
meeting in Philadelphia, May 25-Sept 17. 1787, of representatives from twelve colonies-expecting Rhode Island- to revise the existing Articles of Confederation; the convention soon resolved to produce an entirely new constitution
Townshend Duties Act, 1767
tax on glass, tea, lead, paint, paper imported from England -• Expanded list of imported goods that would be taxes and states that Parliament had unilateral power to impose taxes as a way of raising revenue and that the colonists had no right to object.
reasons for new colonial policy
wanted help paying national debt
Common Sense
A pamphlet anonymously written by Thomas Paine in January 1776 that attacked the English principles of hereditary rule and monarchical government. -said American's prospects were limited under British empire -his ideas weren't original -his language was clear and direct which made it successful
Samuel Adams
American Revolutionary leader and patriot, Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence
Neutrality Proclamation of 1793
Issued by George Washington, it proclaimed America's formal neutrality in the escalating conflict between England and France, a statement that enraged pro-French Jeffersonians.
Legislative Branch
The branch of government responsible for writing laws. Known as Congress, it is divided into two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Boston Massacre, 1770
The colonials hated the British soldiers in the colonies because the worked for very low wages and took jobs away from colonists. On March 4, 1770, a group of colonials started throwing rocks and snowballs at some British soldiers; the soldiers panicked and fired their muskets, killing a few colonials. This outraged the colonies and increased anti-British sentiment -Caripus Attucks was the first martyr of the American Revolution
New Jersey Plan
New Jersey's delegation to the Constitutional Convention's plan for one legislative body with equal representation for each state.
direct presentation
"No Taxation without Representation" -is a form of representative democracy where voters can vote for any candidate in the land, and each representative's vote is weighted in proportion to the number of citizens who have chosen that candidate to represent them.
the "critical period"
- After achieving independence, could the US colonies survive on their own or go back to England? (England was waiting for the US to fall apart) - Lasted from 1776 (Declaration of Independence creation) - 1789 (US Constitution creation) - Mostly has to do with the US government making decisions - Interlaps with the American Revolution - Constitution creates a system that works but beforehand, the colonists needed to figure out what worked and what didn't work
James Madison
- He ratified the constitution and was one of the authors of the Federalists papers (detailed notes) "Founding Father of the Constitution" - Proposed the Virgina Plan
French & Indian War (Seven Years' War)
-1754 to 1763 -caused by English encroachment onto French lands -most Natives sided with the French -Great Britain wins, France is removed from North America
George Washington as president
-A model of self-sacrificing republican virtue -presidencey established many traditions carried on by succesors. Range form involvement in foiegn affairs to expasion to strenght exerted by foriegn government
strategies of war of American independence
-British had advantage of having a deployment navy - The American strategy was that they wanted to take advantage of the fact that they were fighting on their own land. The British strategy was they wanted to take New York and sever the troublesome New England colonies from the rest. Britain's military was the best in the world.
Presidency of John Adams
-Disliked even by those who honored his long career of service to the cause of independence. His president was beset by crisis; nearly dragged into the ongoing European war. In 1800, Adams negotiated peace with France, less cautious in domestic affairs 1796-1800, president during the Quasi-War and was pressured into signing the Alien and Sedition Acts, but a treaty between France and the US was formed before Adams signed it.
Lord Cornwallis's Southern Campaign
-The Southern Strategy was a plan implemented by the British during the Revolutionary War to win the conflict by concentrating their forces in the southern states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. -The British effort in the American Southern Colonies (1778-1781) failed due to poor stragecic decisio11s based on faulty assumptions and incorrect assessments. The British government pinned their hopes on utilizing Loyalist supporters which they believed existed in great numbers in the Southern colonies. -The British seemed successful in playing upon social conflicts within the colonies, as thousands of southern Loyalists joined up with British forces (fourteen regiments from Savannah alone) and tens of thousands of slaves sought freedom by fleeing to British lines.
Mass. Circular Letter
-letter circulated to all colonial legislatures by the Mass Legislature urging them to stand up against the Townshend Acts, at first ignored then others rallied to the cause -Massachusetts jumps in protest. Gov. of Massachusetts sends a written protest against Townshend Acts. *Britain responds by putting troops in Boston*
Alexander Hamilton and his economic program
1. establish the new nation's credit-worthiness; create conditions under which persons would loan money to the gov't by purchasing its bonds, confident that they would be repaid 2. called for the creation of a new national debt; old debt replaced with interest-bearing bonds 3. creation of a Bank of the U.S.: modeled after Bank of England, to serve as the nation's main financial agent. opened in 1791 until 1811 to issue uniform currency, make business loans, and collect tax monies. was a private corporation that would hold public funds, issue back notes that would serve as currency, and make loans to the government when necessary all the while returning a tidy profit to its stockholders. 4. to raise avenue, Hamilton proposed a tax on producers of whiskey 5. called for the imposition of a tariff (a tax on imported foreign good) by a Report of Manufactures. Also, to encourage the development of factories that could manufacture products. -immediate aims were to establish the nation's financial stability, bring to the government support the country's most powerful financial interest, and encourage economic development -long term Goal: was to make the U.S. a major commercial and military power
George Washington
1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)
Stamp Act Congress
A meeting of delegations from many of the colonies, the congress was formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act It adopted a declaration of rights as well as sent letters of complaints to the king and parliament, and it showed signs of colonial unity and organized resistance. -THey insisted that the right to consent to taxation was essential to people's freedom
Thomas Paine
American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who supported the American colonist's fight for independence and supported the French Revolution (1737-1809) -wrote Common Sense
checks and balances
A systematic balance to prevent any one branch of the national government from dominating the other two.
Navigation Acts
Acts passed in 1660 passed by British parliament to increase colonial dependence on Great Britain for trade; limited goods that were exported to colonies; caused great resentment in American colonies.
Quasi-War with France
Adams was angry as a result of XYZ affair a trade was cutt off with French treaties of 1778 were repudited and impressment of French sailors was ordered; 1798 - Navy was being funded - captured 35 French ships; Britain - ally; Finally France reconciled and new treaty allied with French; undeclared war
XYZ Affair
Affair in which French foreign minister Talleyrand's three anonymous agents demanded payments to stop French plundering of American ships in 1797; refusal to pay the bribe was followed by two years of undeclared sea war with France (1798-1800). -poised America's relations with its former ally -by 1798, the U.S. and France were engaged in a "quasi-war" at sea, with French ships seizing American vessels in the Caribbean -U.S. become a military ally of GB
Tea Act of 1773
Allowed East India Company to avoid navigation taxes when exporting tea to colonies and gave them power to monopolize tea trade; this angered colonists and threatened merchants and the colonial economy. -undermine merchants -sparked Boston Tea Party
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."
Benedict Arnold
American General who was labeled a traitor when he assisted the British in a failed attempt to take the American fort at West Point.
Patriots/Whigs
American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won
Anti-Federalists
Anti-Federalists rose up as opponents of the Constitution during the period of ratification. They opposed the Constitution's powerful centralized government, arguing that the Constitution gave too much political, economic, and military control. They instead advocated a decentralized governmental structure that granted most power to the states -their demands led to the addition of a Bill of Rights to the document - warned the congress would abolish slavery - said "liberty" was the freedom of our institutions and a limited government
Continental Army
Army formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington
American assumptions about role in empire
Britain reverted in the mid-1760s to seeing them as subordinates whose main role was to enrich the mother country. During this period, the government in London concerned itself with the colonies in unprecedented ways, hoping to make British rule more efficient and systematic and to raise funds to help pay for the war and to finance the empire. Nearly all British political leaders supported the new laws that so enraged the colonists. Americans, Britons felt, should be grateful to the empire.
salutary neglect
British colonial policy during the reigns of George I and George II. Relaxed supervision of internal colonial affairs by royal bureaucrats contributed significantly to the rise of American self government -an English policy of relaxing the enforcement of regulations in its colonies in return for the colonies' continued economic loyalty
Gen. John Burgoyne
British general who led army to New York and fought in the Battle of Saratoga. Surrendered in battle. This was one of the turning points in the Revolutionary War.
vice-admiralty courts
British royal courts without juries that settled disputes occurring at sea
enumerated goods
Certain specified goods from the Colonies, including tobacco, cotton, sugar, and furs, which were to be shipped only to England or other English colonies.
Committees of Correspondence
Committees of Correspondence, organized by patriot leader Samuel Adams, was a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies. They provided the organization necessary to unite the colonies in opposition to Parliament. The committees sent delegates to the First Continental Congress. -address American grievances, asset American rights, and form a network of rebellion
Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 1775)
Conflicts between Massachusetts Minutemen and British soldiers that started the Revolutionary War. British troops were on their way to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock as well as seize colonial ammunition. -1st battle of the American Revolution. Known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
Alien & Sedition Acts, 1798
Contains four parts: 1) Raised the residence requirement for American citizenship from 5 to 14 years. 2) Alien Act - Gave the President the power in peacetime to order any alien out of the country. 3) Alien Enemies Act - permitted the President in wartime to jail aliens when he wanted to. (No arrests made under the Alien Act or the Alien Enemies Act.) 4) The Sedition Act - Key clause provided fines and jail penalties for anyone guilty of sedition. Was to remain in effect until the next Presidential inauguration. -passed in 1798 during the undeclared war with France that limited the freedoms of speech and press and restricted the liberty of noncitizen
Yorktown campaign & battle, 1781
Cornwallis goes to Yorktown, located on a peninsula in the Chesapeake Bay. Washington surrounds Cornwallis by blockading using the French fleet on water and his forces by land. The French and Americans bombard Yorktown and Cornwallis is trapped. Surrenders October 1781.
Continental Association
Created by the First Continental Congress, it enforced the non-importation of British goods by empowering local Committees of Vigilence in each colony to fine or arrest violators. It was meant to pressure Britain to repeal the Coercive Acts.
Whiskey Rebellion, 1794
Farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay's Rebellion. -farmers sought to block collection of the new tax on distilled spirits
Articles 1
Design of the legislative branch.Important ideas include: separation of powers, checks and balances, election of members into Congress, how laws are made, and the powers of Congress -Enumerated powers:stated in Article I, section 8, of the Constitution are called enumerated powers. ~Coin money ~Conduct foreign relations ~Provide for army and navy ~Declare war ~Collect duties and taxes ~the necessary and proper clause (also called the elastic clause), which gives Congress the authority to enact laws "necessary and proper" for exercising any of its enumerated powers.
Kentucky resolutions
Drafted but deleted: These stated that a state had the right to declare a law unconstiutional, or nullify a law, within its borders. These were written by Jefferson and Madison to resist the Alien and Sedition Acts
Battles of Trenton and Princeton
During these battles, Washington crossed Delaware, surprised Hessians at Trenton, and went on to win at Princeton. Gave new hope to Americans after defeats in New York. -Battle on December 26, 1776, when Washington led his troops across the Delaware River and captured a Hessian garrison in NJ. Went on to capture Princeton. Gave Americans new hope.
Treaty of Paris, 1763
Ended French and Indian War, France lost Canada, land east of the Mississippi, to British, New Orleans and west of Mississippi to Spain
Article 3 of the Constitution
Establishes a Supreme Court. States that the laws of the US are defined in the Constitution, and the Supreme Court has the power to settle disputes between individuals, states, and lower courts.
Articles of Confederation
First frame of government for the United States; in effect from 1781 to 1788, it provided for a weak central authority and was soon replaced by the Constitution. -sought to balance the need for national government -"perpetual union" -a treaty for mutual defense: "a firm league of friendship" -states were individual -national gov't: one house Congress and each state had one vote; no executive or judiciary branch - only once the land was ceded was the Articles ratified
Coercive/Intolerable Acts (1774)
Four parliamentary measures in reaction to the Boston Tea Party that forced payment for the tea, disallowed colonial trials of British soldiers, forced their quartering in private homes, and set up a military government. -Four pieces of legislation passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party, which included the Boston Port Act, which shut down Boston Harbor; the Massachusetts Government Act, which disbanded the Boston Assembly (but it soon reinstated itself); the Quartering Act, which required the colony to provide provisions for British soldiers; and the Administration of Justice Act, which removed the power of colonial courts to arrest royal officers.
Marquis de Lafayette
French soldier who joined General Washington's staff and became a general in the Continental Army.
organizing the new government
George Washington was inaugurated the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789, seven weeks late because many newly elected senators and congressmen were delayed in reaching New York, the country's first capital. The new nation had no real road system, and travel was slow. The administration lost no time, however, in setting up the framework for a national government. The Constitution as ratified failed to address several important issues. It did not formally protect basic civil liberties, even though many state constitutions contained such provisions, and it left the structure of the executive branch vague. The president was given the power to appoint officials, and mention is made of "the principal officer in each of the executive departments," but which departments and what their functions might be are not spelled out. The first omission was addressed through the amendment process, while the actual practice of government took care of the second. -The new federal Congress that assembled in New York in the spring of 1789 and the newly inaugurated president, George Washington, faced enormous tasks. An entire government had to be created in the aftermath of a bitter national battle for ratification of the new federal Constitution. All administrative offices and the military forces had to be created and organized. All federal officers had to be appointed. A federal judiciary had to be created and staffed. Opposition to the new federal Constitution had to be defused. Inventiveness, cooperation, and compromise were the governing principles in these Herculean endeavors.
Judiciary Act of 1789
In 1789 Congress passed this Act which created the federal-court system. The act managed to quiet popular apprehensions by establishing in each state a federal district court that operated according to local procedures. -"An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States," was signed into law by President George Washington on September 24, 1789. Article III of the Constitution established a Supreme Court, but left to Congress the authority to create lower federal courts as needed.
George Grenville's program & goals
In Grenville's estimation, the Sugar Act would help pay for the necessary expenses of defending, protecting, and securing, the said colonies and plantations. The Quartering Act of 1765 forced Americans to spend their own money to feed and house British troops stationed in the Colonies. -As designed, Grenville's American taxes were intended to defray the expenses of the royal army for the protection of the North American continent, and the revenue raised for this purpose would have remained in the colonies.
election of 1800
Jefferson elected; defeats Adams, first peaceful, orderly transfer of power via competitive elections Called "Revolution of 1800" -vindication of freedom -federalists viewed politics as an activity for a small group of elite men, found it difficult to match their opponents' mobilization -events in 1790s demonstrated that a majority of Americans believed ordinary people had a right to play an active role in politics, express the opinion freely, and contest the policies of their gov't/
King George III
King of England during the American Revolution
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Law that created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for self-government and statehood, included a Bill of Rights, and permanently prohibited slavery. -empire of liberty: the idea, expressed by Jefferson, that the U.S. would not rule its new territories as colonies, but rather would eventually admit them as full states.
British campaign on New York City
New York and New Jersey campaign was a series of battles in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 for control of the Port of New York and the state of New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between British forces under General Sir William Howe and the Continental Army under General George Washington. -Key battles in New England and the middle states during the War of Independence included Lexington and Concord, which began the armed conflict; the campaign in New York and New Jersey; and Saratoga, sometimes called the turning point of the war.
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
On July 2, 1776: Congress declared independent nation -Thomas wrote the grievances directed against King George III about taxes and the quartering of troops, British wanted absolute tyranny -defined unalienable rights: right so basic, rooted in human nature itself, that no government could take them away -assertion to the right of REVOLUTION -ideas were drawn form John Locke -Document adopted on July, 4, 1776, that made a break with Britain official; drafted by committee of the Second Continental Congress, including principal writer Tomas Jefferson
Olive Branch Petition
On July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies.
Benjamin Franklin & Franco-American
On October 26, 1776, exactly one month to the day after being named an agent of a diplomatic commission by the Continental Congress, Benjamin Franklin sets sail from Philadelphia for France, with which he was to negotiate and secure a formal alliance and treaty.
Sons of Liberty
Organizations formed by Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and other radicals in response to the Stamp Act. -not wealthy elite but followed by craftsmen, laborers, and sailors
Declaratory Act of 1766
Passed at the same time that the Stamp Act was repealed, the Act declared that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies both internally and externally, and had absolute power over the colonial legislatures. -Law issued by Parliament to assert Parliament's unassailable right to legislate for its British colonies "in all cases whatsoever," putting Americans on notice that the simultaneous repeal of the Stamp Act changed nothing in the imperial powers of Britain.
John Hancock
Patriot leader and president of the Second Continental Congress; first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Lord North
Prime Minister of England from 1770 to 1782. Although he repealed the Townshend Acts, he generally went along with King George III's repressive policies towards the colonies even though he personally considered them wrong. He hoped for an early peace during the Revolutionary War and resigned after Cornwallis' surrender in 1781. -British Prime Minister during revolution. He had passed the Coercive Acts and supported the king greatly to the extent that Britain was ruled only by the king.
Nathaniel Greene
Quaker-raised American general who employed tactics of fighting and then drawing back to recover, then attacking again. Defeated Cornwallis by thus "fighting Quaker". -After Gates's defeat at Camden, Nathanael Greene becomes becomes the head of the Southern army. Under Greene's command, the American army avoided full-scale battles, since Americans knew the British had superior firepower. American armies let the British chase them around the countryside and wear themselves out.
Article 2 of the Constitution
Section of the Constitution laying out powers and responsibilities of the Executive Branch -Places power in the hands of a president. Describes how he is elected, how many years he serves, requirements to become the president, and lists his powers -Commander in chief - Authority to make treaties and federal appointments - Execute the laws faithfully
Judicial Branch
The branch of government responsible for interpreting laws. It is made up the federal court system, with the Supreme Court as the highest court in the nation. It has the power to declare laws unconstitutional.
Federalists
Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption. -Hamilton, Madison, Jay -supporters: men with property
Treaty of Paris, 1783
The United States was independent. Boundaries would be Mississippi River (west), Canada (north), and Florida (south). Can fish off of Canada's Atlantic Coast (near Newfoundland and Nova Scotia). Each side would repay debts. British returned any enslaved people they captured.
exectutive branch
The branch of government responsible for enforcing laws. It is headed by the President of the United States and made up of several departments (the Department of Defense, Department of Justice) and agencies (the FBI, the CIA) and the U.S. Military.
Connecticut Compromise
The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state's share of the U.S. population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives. -Senate: 6-year terms -Rep,: 2-year term
Constitution
The document created during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It contains the framework, or fundamental laws, governing the United States of America. It is the supreme law of the land in that no other law may contradict it. -Sets up the United States with a federal government plus state governments. It also specifies that the USA will be a republic with an elected President, a bicameral congress, and a system of courts headed by a Supreme Court.
Virtual Representation
The idea that the American colonies, although they had no actual representative in Parliament, were "virtually" represented by all members of Parliament.
Boston Tea Party
The incident on December 16, 1773, in which the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Indians, dumped hundreds of chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act of 1773. Under the Tea Act, the British exported to the colonies millions of pounds of cheap—but still taxed—tea, thereby undercutting the price of smuggled tea and forcing payment of the tea duty. -closed ports until tea was payed
election of 1796
The person with the most electoral votes, John Adams, became President and the person with the second most electoral votes, Thomas Jefferson, became Vice President. A problem from this situation was that Adams and Jefferson belonged to different political parties, so political tensions were strong in the Executive Branch. In modern elections, presidential candidates choose their vice presidential candidates to run with them, so the situation in 1796 could not occur. -The first real contested presidential election.
Loyalists/Tories
The pro-British Loyalists, the majority of this group tended to be wealthy and conservative and many were clergy and government officials. (p. 89)
French Revolution
The revolution that began in 1789, overthrew the absolute monarchy of the Bourbons and the system of aristocratic privileges, and ended with Napoleon's overthrow of the Directory and seizure of power in 1799. -To Jefferson and flowers the Rebellion meant victory of self gov't and liberty. To Washington, Hamilton, and followers it meant anarchy
mob action
The threat that British officials who enforced the acts and taxes faced -Was carried out many times and destroyed homes and property, further angering the British -Looting, tarring and feathering, destroying property, Boston Tea Party -Also very effective -Primarily done by the lower and middle classes, they behaved dishonorably in protest to British taxation. It was often use to force British officials out of office, make a point to British government, etc.
Jefferson, Madison, & their opposition strict vs. loose interpretation of the Constitution
There were some, namely Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists, who believed in a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which they believed to be a flexible text. Others, such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, wanted a rigid Constitution that would limit government power and agency.
Virginia resolutions
These resolutions called on the federal courts to protect free speech. -were part of the Democratic Republican response to the Adams administration's attempts to curb civil liberties during that war. ... Madison and Jefferson asserted that the Sedition Acts violated First Amendment protections of free speech and freedom of the press.
Second Continental Congress
They organized the continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the comittee to draft the Declaration of Independence
Stamp Act of 1765
This act required colonists to pay for an official stamp, or seal, when they bought paper items. -Paliment for the first time attempted to raise money from direct taxes; purpose was to help finance the operations of the empire -First major split over meaning of freedom
American Board of Customs Commissioners
Townshend introduced legislation in 1767, serving to create an American Board of Customs Commissioners whose sole job would be to enforce the Navigation Acts . They were created because Townshend wanted to crack down on colonial smuggling. The corrupt members of the Board practiced customs racketeering, which was a legalized form of piracy. This led to a major movement between colonists of anger and violence toward the Board members.
Jay's Treaty, 1794
Treaty with Britain negotiated in 1794 by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Britain agreed to vacate forts in the Northwest Territories, and festering disagreements (border with Canada, prewar debts, shipping claims) would be settled by commission in exchange for favored treatment on British imported goods. Conspicuously absent from the treaty were any British concession on impressment of U.S. sailors or the rights of American shipping (with the British had interfered with). In effect, the treaty cancelled the American-French alliance and recognized British economic and naval supremacy. Critics of the treaty (Republicans) charged that the Washington Administration had aligned the U.S. with monarchical Britain in its conflict with republican France; the the treaty sharpened political divisions in the U.S..
Virginia Plan
Virginia's delegation to the Constitutional Convention's plan for a strong central government and a two-house legislature apportioned by population.
Washington's Farewell Address, 1797
Warned Americans not to get involved in European affairs, not to make permanent alliances, not to form political parties and to avoid sectionalism. -(mostly drafted by Hamilton and published in the newspaper rather than believed orally Washington defended his administration against his countrymen to steer clear of international power politics by avoiding "permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world"
Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781)
While technically a British victory, this Battle hurt the British more than it helped them. The American Army at this battle fights in "waves" against the British, and this strategy ultimately causes many British casualties
Land Ordinance of 1785
a law that regulated land sales in the Old Northwest. The land surveyed was divided into 640-acre plots and sold at $1 per acre -the system promised to control and concentrate settlement and raise money, but settlers violated the rules by pressing westward before finished surveys.
federal system
a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and a number of individual states -Power divided between national and state governments -National government considered supreme -Power derived from the people
Saratoga campaign & battle, 1777
boosted American morale -tuning point -major defeat of British general John Burgoyne and more than 5,000 British troops -But Saratoga helped to persuade the French that American victory was possible. In 1778, American diplomats led by Benjamin Franklin concluded a Treaty of Amity and Commerce in which France recognized the United States and agreed to supply military assistance.
Federalist Papers
collection of 85 essays that appeared in the NY press in 1787-1788 in support of the Constitution; written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, and published under the pseudonym "Public"
Sugar Act of 1764
decision by PArliemnt to tax refined sugar and many other colonial products. the act also established a new machinery to end widespread smuggling by colonial merchants, and strengthened the admiralty courts( accused smugglers could be judged without benefit of jury trial.)
Bill of Rights
first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791 to guarantee individual rights against infringement by the federal government -These amendments define such basic liberties and freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendants' rights.
Treaty of 1778
formed between America and France. In return for backing America in the war with resources such as goods, and capital, America agreed to recognize France's claim to the West Indies.
separation of powers
power is divided between executive legislature, and judicial branches of the national gov't, so that no one can dominate the other two and endanger citizens liberties.
structure and nature
power of national government: declaring war, conducting foreign affairs - make treaties - coin money, but could not levy taxes or regulate commerce
Federalists vs. Republicans
the two increasingly coherent political parties that appeared in Congress by the mid-1790s. The Federalists, led by George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, favored a strong central gov't. The Republicans, first identified during the early nineteenth century, supported a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which they believed would safeguard individual freedoms and state's rights from the threats posed by a strong central gov't. -supporters of Federalists and Washington favored Hamilton's economic program and close ties with Britain. Prosperous merchants, farmers, lawyers, and established political leaders tended to support the Federalists. They claimed democracy and freedom dangerous in the hands of ordinary people. -Republicans led by Madison and Jefferson: more sympathetic to France than the Federalists and had more faith in democratic self-gov't. Wealthy southern planters and ordinary farmers throughout country. More critical than Federalists of social and economic inequality and more accepting of broad democratic participation as essential to freedom.
Gen. Horatio Gates
was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. -Victorious General at Saratoga
Journal of the Times
written by Samuel Adams, it was used to spread information, possibly propaganda, to make the colonists less loyal to Britain -To get colonists riled up~Sam Adams "Yellow" Journalism-Propagandist, helps spark Boston Massacre