APUSH Ch. 6 Combined Connorslong Vocab

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.

guerrilla warfare

A hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war; fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships to facilitate the sale of land to settlers. It mandated a rectangular-grid system of surveying and specified a minimum price of $1/acre. It also required that hald of the townships be sold in single blocks of 23,040 acres each, which only large-scale speculators could afford, and the rest in parcles of 640 acres each, which restricted their sale to well-to-do farmers.

Baron von Steuben

A stern, Prussian drillmaster that taught American soldiers during the Revolutionary War how to successfully fight the British during Valley Forge. Thanks to his system, the smaller army that emerged from Valley Forge in spring of 1778 was much tougher and better disciplined.

Southwest Territory

A territory set up by the United States in 1790, which included Tennessee in what had attempted to called 'Franklin'. Because these cessions carried the stipulation that 'no regulation shall tend to emancipate slaves' these territories and all those south of the Ohio River allowed human bondage.

war of attrition

A war based on wearing the other side down by constant attacks and heavy losses

Battle of Princeton

A week after the Battle at Trenton, Washington left a few men to tend some campfires and fool the enemy again in January 1777. He quietly marched his army to Princeton, where they suprised and beat a British force. New Jersey turned Patriot. This battle helped the American morale.

United States Constitution

1787, Continental Congress made a constitution after Articles of Confederation failed; It included a central government divided into three branches (president, Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court) and controlled by checks and balances. The Bill of Rights were ten amendments to the new constitution that guaranteed rights of freedom to citizens; made a national gov't that controlled taxes, army, trade, and currency.

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade).

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people. The Declaration of Independence advanced this principle.

Nationalists

A coalition of legislators during the Articles of Confederation calling for a stronger central government due to Shays's Rebellion, the need to secure creditors rights, and enforce taxes.

The Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776

A constitution that granted all taxpaying men the right to vote and hold office and created a unicameral (one-house) legislature with complete power; there was no governor to exercise a veto. Other provisions mandated a system of elementary education and protected citizens from imprisonment for debt. A coalition of Scotts-Irish farmers, Philadelphia artisans, and Enlightenment-influenced intellectuals.

Treaty of Alliance

A defensive alliance between France and the United States of America, formed in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, which promised military support in case of attack by British forces indefinitely into the future. Signed in February 1778.

Currency Tax

A hidden tax on the farmers and artisans who accepted Continental bills in payment for supplies and on the thousands of soldiers who took them as pay. Because of rampant inflation, Continental currency lost much of its value during the war; thus, the implicit tax on those who accepted it as payment.

Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise)

Agreement during the Constitutional Convention that Congress should be composed of a Senate, in which States would be represented equally, and a House, in which representation would be based on a State's population. The national legislature's upper chamber (the Senate) would have two members from each state, while the lower chamber (the House of Representatives) would be apportioned by population (determined every ten years by a national census).

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.

Benjamin Franklin

American diplomat exploited France's rivalry with Britain to win an explicit commitment to American independence.

Federalist No. 10

An essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. Such diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable.

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.They resembled American resistance to the British Stamp Act.

Continental army

Army formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington. Consisted of 18,000 poorly trained and inexperienced recruits. This force went up against the most powerful navy in the world, a standing army of 48,000 Britons plus thousands of Hessian soldiers, the support of thousands of American loyalists and powerful Indian coalitions.

Fugitive Slave Clause

Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which stated that slaves who escaped must be returned to their owners. It was later abolished in the Thirteenth Amendment

Virginia Plan

At the Philadelphia Convention, this was the "Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation. It was devised by James Madison.

Philadelphia Convention

Beginning on May 25, 1787, the convention recommended by the Annapolis Convention was held in Philadelphia. All of the states except Rhode Island sent delegates, and George Washington served as president of the convention. The convention lasted 16 weeks, and on September 17, 1787, produced the present Constitution of the United States, which was drafted largely by James Madison.

"Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne

British leader in the battle of Saratoga who planned the attack on Albany; underestimated needed supplies so they lost the battle.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

American Constitutional Revolution of 1789

Created a national republic that enjoyed broad political support. Federalists celebrated their triumph by organizing great processions in the seaport cities. By marching in an orderly fashion, Federalist-minded citizens affirmed their allegiance to a self-governing but elite-ruled republican nation.

Mississippi Territory

Created by Congress in what would be the future states of Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. It was taken from lands ceded by North Carolina and Georgia. Because these cessions carried the stipulation that 'no regulation shall tend to emancipate slaves' these territories and all those south of the Ohio River allowed human bondage.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

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. It created the territories that would eventually become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It prohibited slavery and earmarked funds from land sales for the support of schools. When a population reached 60,000, the legislature could devise a republican constitution and apply to join the Confederation.

State Constitutions

During the Revolutionary war, most states had their own const. to spell out the rights of citizens and set limits on the gvns. power.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the Constitution; major source of civil liberties; applies to states via selective incorporation doctrine; promised to Anti-Federalists to secure ratification of Constitution

Swamp Fox

Francis Marion won a series of small but fierce battles in the South utilizing guerilla warfare tactics.

Marquis de Lafayette

French soldier who joined General Washington's staff and became a general in the Continental Army.

Battle of Long Island

George Washington and his army are badly beaten at this battle on August 27, 1776. Sorely outnumbered and surrounded at Brooklyn Heights, the 9,500 troops that survived retreated under cover of night across the East River to Manhattan.

Hessians

German soldiers hired by George III to smash Colonial rebellion, proved good in mechanical sense but they were more concerned about money than duty. A mercenary military force.

General William Howe

He took command of British troops in North America after the Battle of Bunker Hill. He captured New York and Philadelphia, but botched the plan to isolate the New England colonies in 1777. He resigned in 1778.

Battle of Valley Forge

Important revolutionary battle that is considered the key turning point in the Revolutionary War. In the winter of 1777, Washington's army retreated into the forest while British general Howe and his soldiers lived comfortably in Philadelphia. By the spring of 1778, more than 200 officers had resigned, 1,000 hungry soldiers had deserted, and another 3,000 had died from malnutrition and disease. That winter, this battle took as many American lives as had two years of fighting.

Franklin

In 1784, some 30,000 settlers had already moved into Kentucky and Tennessee, despite the uncertainties of frontier warfare, and after the ware their numbers grew rapidly. In that year, the residents of what is now Eastern Tennessee organized a new state, called this, and sought admission to the Confederation. To preserve its authority to the West, Congress refused to recognize this state.

Repeal of Tea and Prohibitory Acts

In February 1778, well into the American Revolution, Britain renounced its power to tax the colonies in an effort to seek a negotiated settlement of the American Revolution. But the Patriots, now allied with France and committed to independence, rejected Britain's overture.

"Remember the Ladies"

In a letter written by Abigail Adams to John Adams in 1776, Abigail was asking Adams to make laws that would offer rights for women, not only men, protecting them against abusive and tyrannical men.

Slave Trade Provision

Inserted into the US Constitution; Congress could not ban the import of slaves for 20 years; part of the Connecticut Compromise; many slaves imported during the 20 years; 1808 - slave importation was banned; internal slave trade growth resulted

Mixed Government

John Adams's theory from Thoughts on Government (1776), which called for three branches of government, each representing one function: executive, legislative, and judicial. This system of dispersed authority was devised to maintain a balance of power and ensure the legitimacy of governmental procedures.

Battle of Yorktown

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.

pensions

Most officers in the Continental army were gentlemen who equipped themselves and raised volunteers, asking only for a lifetime military pay of half-pay. General Washington urged Congress to grant them which it reluctantly did to motivate officers, but only for seven years.

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government, generally. They had diverse backgrounds and motives. Some feared that state governments would lose power. Rural-minded feared that it lacked a declaration of individual rights and were concerned that government would be run by wealthy men.

Riot Act (Boston, 1786)

Passed by the Massachussetts legislature to put down Shays's Rebellion.

Judith Sargent Murry

Perhaps the most accomplished female essayist of the Revolutionary era. Publishing under various pen names, she advocated for economic independence and better educational opportunities. She published "On the Equality of the Sexes" two years before Marry Wollstonecraft published "A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)"

Factions

Political groups that agree on objectives and policies; the origins of political parties. Madison argued that a free society should welcome all of these from becoming too dominant.

Property interests

Southern slaveholders fought the Revolution to protect these and any sentiment favoring slave emancipation was met with objections.

Federalists

Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.Advocated for a federal union. They launched a coordinated messaging campaign with pamphlets and newspapers to explain and justify the Philadelphia constitution.

Paper currency

Testifying to their independent status, the new state governments printed their own currencies. Rejecting the English system of pounds and shillings, Virginia used the Spanish gold dollar as its basic unit of currency, although the equivalent in English pounds is also shown. By 1781, Virginia had printed so much paper money to pay its soldiers and wartime expenses that the value of its currency had depreciated.

New Jersey Plan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population. It would have a unicameral legislature. Delegates from more populous states vigorously opposed the plan.

Naval Blockade

The British cut off supplies of European manufacturers and disrupted the New England fishing industry. It also cut tobacco exports in the Chesapeake, so planters grew grain to sell to the contending armies.

Western land claims disputes

The Congress formed by the Articles of Confederation had to resolve conflicting state claims to western lands. For example, the territories claimed by NY and VA on the basis of their royal charters overlapped extensively. Both the Confederation Congress (beginning in 1781) and the US Congress (after 1789), persuaded all the states to cede their western claims, creating a 'national domain' open to all citizens.

war bonds

The fiscal condition of the state governments was dire because well-to-do merchants and landowners had invested in these during the war. Now creditors demanded that the state governments redeem them quickly and at full value, a policy that would require tax increases. Most legislatures refused and states issued new paper currencies which allowed these to be paid in installments.

Triangular War

The large number of slaves in the South made the Revolution a problem for Britain because African Americans constituted a strategic problem for Patriots and a tempting. Britain actively recruited slaves to its cause.

Battle of Saratoga

This American victory in October 1777 proved to be the turning point in the war. The Patriots captured more than 5,000 British troops and ensured the diplomatic success of American representatives in Paris, who won a military alliance with France.

On the Equality of Sexes

This book written by Judith Sargent Murry in 1790 attempted to prove that women were capable of tasks outside of the household

Treaty of Paris of 1783

This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River

Battle of Trenton

Washington's army surprised the Hessians on Christmas Day 1776. He crossed the Delaware River and staged a surprise attack where he forced 1,000 German soldiers to surrender.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create.

Thoughts on Government

Written by John Adams in 1776; insisted that the new state constitutions should create ''balanced governments.''

Federalism

a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states; the US Constitution features this political concept

bicameral legislature

a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

unicameral legislature

a legislature with one chamber

Robert Morris

an American merchant and a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Significance: He played an important role in personally financing the American side in the Revolutionary War from 1781 to 1784. Hence, he came to be known as the 'Financier of the Revolution'. Since Congress lacked the authority to impose taxes, he relied on requisitioned funds from the states, but the states paid late or not at all.

Philipsburg Proclamation

declared that any slave who deserted a rebel master would receive protection, freedom, and land from Great Britain. Declared in 1779, it led to some 30,000 African Americans to take refuge behind British lines. George Washington initially barred African Americans from enlisting in the Continental army, but he related after this event. By the war's end, all states but SC and GA permitted enlistment and some 5,000 slave and free African Americans fought for the Patriot cause.

Robert Morris

leader of the American Revolution who signed the Declaration of Independence and raised money for the Continental Army (1734-1806). He was instrumental in persuading Congress to charter the Bank of North America, a private institution in Philadelphia, arguing that its notes would stablize the inflated Continental currency.

The Ordinance of 1784

proposed by Thomas Jefferson, western territory divided into 10 self governing districts, each which could become a state when the population reached that of the smallest state.

Ratification of the Constitution

required 9 out of 13 states to ratify (approve) it to become law. The Articles of Confederation required unanimous consent.