U. S. History Chapters 5-6

Sacajawea

Native American woman who served as interpreter and guide to the expedition with Lewis and Clark

Antifederalists

Opponent of a strong central government

Shay's rebellion

an uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers protesting increases state taxes in 1787

Executive Branch

carry out laws

Three-Fifths Compromise

constitutional convention's agreement to count three-fifths of a state's slaves as population for purposes of representation and taxation

Checks and Balances

provisions in the U.S. Constitution that prevent any branch of the U.S. Government from dominating the other two branches

Articles of Confederation

set of laws in which two levels of government share fundamental powers; gave the new national government power to declare war, make peace, and sign treaties. It could borrow money, set standards for coins and for weights and measures, establish a postal service, and deal with Native American people

John Marshall

(Appointed by Adams) a staunch Federalist, as chief justice of the Supreme Court. Marshall served on the Court for more than 30 years, handing down decisions that would strengthen the power of the Supreme Court and the federal government

Louisiana Purchase

1803 purchase by the United States of France's Louisiana territory—extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains— for $15 million

XYZ Affair

A 1797 incident in which french officials demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats

Embargo

A government ban on trade with one or more other nations

Electoral College

A group selected by the states to elect the president and Vice President, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress

Judiciary Act of 1789

A law that established the federal court system and the number of Supreme Court justices and that provided for the appeal of certain state court decisions to the federal courts

Judiciary Act of 1801

A law that increased the number of federal judges, allowing president John Adams to fill most of the new posts with federalists

Neutrality

A refusal to take part in a war between other nations; On April 22, 1793, Washington issued a declaration of neutrality, a statement that the United States would support neither side in the conflict

Alien and Sedition Acts

A series of four laws enacted in 1798 to reduce the political power of recent immigrants to the United States

Excise tax

A tax on a product's manufacture, sale, or distribution

Marbury vs Madison

An 1803 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that it had the power to abolish legislative acts by declaring them unconstitutional; this power came to be known as judicial review

Armistice

An end to fighting

Alexander Hamilton

Chosen by Washington to be secretary of the treasury

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Congress provided a procedure for dividing the land into territories

Edmond Genêt

Earlier in April, the French had sent a young diplomat, Edmond Genêt, to win American support. Before following diplomatic procedure and presenting his credentials to the Washington administration, Genêt began to recruit Americans for the war effort against Great Britain

Bank of the United States

Either of the two national banks, funded by the federal government and private investors, established by congress, the first in 1791 and the second in 1816

Little Turtle

In 1790, Harmar's troops clashed with a confederacy of Native American groups led by a chieftain of the Miami tribe named Little Turtle

James Madison

In September 1786, leaders such as James Madison of Virginia and Alexander Hamilton called a meeting of state delegates to discuss issues of interstate trade

Aaron Burr

Jefferson's running mate; received the same number of votes in the electoral college as Jefferson

Midnight Judges

Judges appointed by John Adams in the last hours of his administration

Bicameral

Madison's Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral, or two-house, legislature, with membership based on each state's population

Pinckney's Treaty of 1795

Pinckney's Treaty of 1795, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo, included virtually every concession that the Americans desired. Spain gave up all claims to land east of the Mississippi (except Florida) and recognized the 31st parallel as the southern boundary of the United States and the northern boundary of Florida

Democratic-Republican

Political party known for its support of strong state governments, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1792 in opposition to the Federalist Party

Two-Party system

Political system dominated by two major parties

Tecumseh

Shawnee Chief; believed that the only way for Native Americans to protect their homeland against intruding white settlers was to form a confederacy, a united Native American nation

Thomas Pinckney

Spain agreed to meet with U.S. minister to Great Britain Thomas Pinckney, and on October 27, 1795, both sides signed a treaty

Confederation

State governments were supreme in some matters, while the national government was supreme in other matters. The delegates called this new form of government a confederation, or alliance

Nullification

State's refusal to recognize an act of congress that it considers unconstitutional

Federalists

Supporters of the constitution and of a strong national government

Judicial Review

Supreme Court's power to declare an act of of congress unconstitutional

Protective Tariff

Tax on imported goods that is intended to protect a nation's business from foreign competition

Treaty of Ghent

The 1814 treaty that ended the war of 1812; signed on Christmas Eve 1814 and declared an armistice, or end to the fighting between the U.S. And Great Britain

To what extent was the Constitution a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation provided for only a weak central government that had next to no executive or judicial powers. The Articles created no separate executive department to carry out and enforce the acts of Congress and no national court system to interpret the meaning of laws. After its success in dealing with the Northwest Territory, the Confederation encountered overwhelming problems in dealing with more immediate issues. These problems ranged from economic issues, such as taxation and the national debt, to political issues, such as the nature of Congressional representation. In addition to these domestic issues, there were also many foreign-relations problems that the Confederation was powerless to solve. The most serious problem was that the country under the Confederation lacked national unity. The new system of government granted by the Constitution was a form of federalism that divided power between the national government and the state governments. Federalists pointed out that the Constitution gave the people the power to protect their rights through the election of trustworthy leaders. Three branches of government had been created — a legislative branch to make laws, an executive branch to carry out laws, and a judicial branch to interpret the law. Next, delegates established a system of checks and balances to prevent one branch from dominating the others. Finally, delegates provided a means of changing the Constitution through the amendment process. The constitution had proposed many radical changes in opposition to weaknesses within the articles of confederation.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, added in 1791 and consisting of a formal list of citizens' rights and freedoms

Federalism

The new system of government was a form of federalism that divided power between the national government and the state governments. The powers granted to the national government by the Constitution are known as delegated powers, or enumerated powers

Sectionalism

The placing of the interests of one's own region ahead of the interests of the nation as a whole

Blockade

The use of ships or troops to prevent movement into and out of a port or region controlled by a hostile nation; Great Britain decided that the best way of attacking Napoleon's Europe was to blockade it

Republic

a government in which citizens rule through their elected representatives

Roger Sherman

a political leader from Connecticut; suggested the Great Compromise

Land Ordinance of 1785

established a plan for surveying the land

Andrew Jackson

general from Tennessee; was winning a series of battles that gained him national fame; After a six months' campaign involving four battles, Jackson defeated Native Americans of the Creek tribe at the battle of Horseshoe Bend in March of 181

War Hawks

group of young congressmen from the South and the West; called for war against Britain

Judicial Branch

interpret laws

Legislative Branch

make laws

Great Compromise

offered a two-house Congress to satisfy both small and big states. Each state would have equal representation in the Senate, or upper house

Ratification

official approval of the constitution, or of an amendment by the states

John Jay

the chief justice of the Supreme Court, was in London to negotiate a treaty with Britain

William Henry Harrison

the governor of the Indiana Territory; invited several Native American chiefs to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and persuaded them to sign away three million acres of tribal land to the U.S. government

Republicanism

the idea that governments should be based on the consent of the people (which should not be confused with the Republicanism of the modern-day political party)