APUSH Period 2-3
Stamp Act
An act that put taxes on printed documents, allowing Britain to collect 10 times the revenue
Declaration of Independence
The formal justification for separating from the British Empire
Abigail Adams
The wife of John Adams and voice of the grievances of women, she told her husband to consider the ladies
Battle of Fallen Timbers
a battle in which Americans defeated the Indians in the Ohio valley, the result was land for the US and loss of land for the Indians
The Federalist Papers
a collection of documents written by federalists in support of the constitution
New Jersey Plan
a plan presented that would give all states equal representation in the house(Senate), but also give congress the expanded power to tax and regulate commerce, this plan was rejected
Whiskey Rebellion
a rebellion of farmers against the national government
Salem witch craft trials
a series of trials in which women, typically old or widowed, were accused of practicing black magic. this event highlight the paranoia of puritans
indentured servant
one who paid their voyage across the Atlantic by working for a set number of years, then afterward being freed but often ended up jobless
evangelist
one who preaches the gospel, especially important in the colonies after the Great Awakening
Loyalists
people who believed the colonies should not separate from the crown, an account of the immense power of the British and their view of themselves as Englishmen
Republicans
promoted a vision of an agrarian republic,, in which most own farmland, wary of urbanization
Alien and Sedition Acts
put obstacles in front of those wanting to become US citizens, sedition act gave the government power to silence almost all opposition
triangular trade
the Atlantic exchange between England, Africa, the colonies, and Caribbean
First Continental Congress
A meeting of delegates from all colonies except Georgia in Philadelphia, they addressed grievances and made a plan for military preparation, agreed to boycotts, and agreed to meet in the spring
Hessians
German mercenary soldiers hired by the British to fight in the colonies
Virginia Plan
James Madison's plan, shaped the way the convention decided to design the new government
Sugar Act
Raised the duty on sugar while lowering the duty on molasses, it also established courts to fight smuggling
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the constitution, placing restrictions on the government
George Washington
The leader of the patriot forces, and future president of the United States
Enlightenment
a European thought movement that focused on individuality and reason
Saratoga
a battle at which General Horatio gates forced John Burgoyne to surrender
Articles of Confederation
a document binding the colonies together in a league of friendship under a central government that had no power to tax, this document focused on states rights and each state acted more like its own nation than a piece of a larger nation
John Adams
a leading federalist, became vice president
John Peter Zenger
a new york publisher tried for criticism of authority, his trial found that criticism was not libelous if it was factually substantiated
Common Sense
a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to convince people that separation from the British was only common sense
Sons of Liberty
a patriotic group that participated in mobs
Cotton Mather
a puritan who experimented with disease inoculation
Shay's Rebellion
a rebellion of farmers who requested for money, tax relief, and such, they hoped to seize weapons from Springfield. The event showed lawmakers that the country was in dire need of a new constitution
Great Awakening
a revival of religion in the colonies that emphasized the potential for every person to break from their past and start anew, this appealed to women and men with little to no land.
Stono Rebellion
a slave rebellion in 1739 where over 100 seized power in South Carolina
checks and balances
a system that keeps the various branches of the government in check so that none get too much power
Albany plan
a treaty made by colonists with the Iroquois, it was not approved, war had already begun
French and Indian War
a war between the British and French starting in America due to Anglo-French conflicts, it eventually expanded into Europe
Daughters of Liberty
a women's patriotic organization
Northwest Ordinance
abandoned the ten districts of Ohio and created a single Northwest territory
Jay's Treaty
after the British and French went to war, the British began seizing American ships, John Jay was sent to negotiate , his treaty gave American Sovereignty over the Northwest as well as a good commercial relationship
Benedict Arnold
an American General conspiring with the British to fight against the patriot cause
Tea Act
an act gave the British East India company the right to sell tea free of tax within the colonies, which angered colonies due to principle rather than economics
Proclamation of 1763
an act preventing the westward expansion of colonists, was largely ignored
covenant
an agreement binding members of puritan townships together religiously and socially
Alexander Hamilton
an aristocratic political philosopher who believed that the government needed the support of an elite ruling class, he also wanted a national bank, he made many enemies
Jonathan Edwards
an evangelist of the Great Awakening who preached traditional puritan values
George Whitefield
an evangelist preacher who toured the colonies
Boston Massacre
an event in which angry colonists antagonized a group of soldiers, at the end five colonists had died
quasi war
an undeclared war, during the 18th century America fought a quasi war with France, and caught French ships, it ended in new commercial agreements
Anti-federalists
believed they were the defenders of the principles of the revolution, complained that the constitution lacked a Bill of Rights and would give the government dictatorial power
Coercive Acts (intolerable acts)
closed port of Boston, reduce power of self government in Massachusetts, permitting officers to be tried in other colonies or England, quartering troops
Boston Tea Party
colonists reaction to the tea tax, which was actually the British taking the tax off imported British East India tea.
federalists
committed to a national government, had many great political philosophers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
committees of correspondence
committees set up to respond to the acts of the royal government, they laid the groundwork for further cooperation among colonists
James Madison
created the Virginia plan, argued that a large republic would be less likely to form a tyranny, central to his idea were powers checking eachother
Second Continental Congress
delegates from all states except Georgia agreed to support the war, but initially disagreed whether the goal was independence or reconciliation
Patrick Henry
gave a dramatic speech in the house of burgesses designed to get American action against the crown
slave codes
laws that granted slave owners absolute authority over their slaves
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
resolutions that justified action against the federal government by states, gave states right to nullify laws
Seven Years War
the French and Indian war as it is known in Europe
Great Compromise
the counting of slaves for 3/5 of a person for the populations of the south
federalism
the division between the national and state governments
republicanism
the idea that power should come from the people rather than a supreme authority
George III
the immature and instable king of Britain leading up to the revolutionary war
Constitution
the outline for the United States government, created during a convention to fix the articles of confederation
middle passage
the route slaves took to arrive in the colonies
primogeniture
the tradition of passing land to the firstborn son
Thomas Jefferson
the writer of the Declaration of Independence, he took influence from many of the ideas circulating about the colonies
Revolution of 1800
when Jefferson was elected to president, they saw this as a defeat of Tyranny
XYZ Affair
when three French agents requested a loan for France and a bribe for French officials, their names were replaced with XYZ. John Adams was in France to repair weak relations
Yorktown
where American forces caught Cornwallis and trapped him