Chapter 17 Section 3: Birth of the American Republic
Bill of Rights
First ten amendments to the Constitution; recognized idea that people had basic rights that the government must protect (freedom of religion, speech, and the press); put philosophes' ideas into practice
Position to control trade; climate favorable for business; winning side in European affairs over past 50 years; expansion of territory
Four reasons of Britain's global prominence
Articles of Confederation
Nation's first constitution, but too weak to rule new U.S. effectively
George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin
Nation's leaders gathered once more in Philadelphia; (Hot summer of 1787) met in secret to redraft articles of the new constitution, result: document establishing government run by the people, for the people
Thomas Jefferson
Principal author of Virginia who wrote the Declaration of Independence
John Adams
Radical yet fair-minded Massachusetts lawyer, defended British soldiers involved in Boston Massacre in their trial
Continental Congress
Representatives from each colony gathered in Philadelphia
George Washington
Virginia planter and soldier
Navigation Acts
(1600s) Regulates colonial trade and manufacturing; not enforced, so smuggling was common
George III
(1760) Began 60-year reign during revolutionary period; wanted to end Whig domination, choose his own ministers, dissolve cabinet system, and make Parliament follow his will
Sugar Act
(1764) Imposed import taxes
Stamp Act
(1765) Imposed taxes on items such as newspaper and pamphlets; repealed in 1766
Second Continental Congress
(1776) Took momentous step, voting to declare independence from Britain
Battle of Saratoga
(1777) First turning point in the war when the Americans triumphed over the British; victory persuaded alliance with France
Yorktown, Virginia
(1781) French fleet blockaded Chesapeake Bay, enabled Washington to force the surrender of a British army
French Revolution
(1789) As Constitution became supreme law of the land, French revolutionaries toppled the monarchy in the name of liberty and equality
Revolutionary War, or American Revolution
(April 1775) Ongoing tension between colonists and the British exploded into war in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts
Valley Forge
(Brutal winter of 1777-1778) Continental troops suffered from cold, hunger, and disease; Washington was patient, courageous, and determined to hold the ragged army together
Boston Tea Party
(December 1773) Handful of colonists hurled cargo of recently arrived British tea into harbor to protest a tax on tea
Boston Massacre
(March 1770) British soldiers in Boston opened fire on crowd that was pelting them with stone and snowballs; death of five protesters
Declaration of Independence
A document that reflects John Locke's ideas of the government's obligation to protect the people's natural rights to "life, liberty, and property"; included that people had the right "to alter or to abolish" unjust governments—a right to revolt; adopted in July 4, 1776
Loyalists
About one third of the American colonists that supported Britain
Treaty of Paris
American, British, and French diplomats signed this treaty, ending the war; Britain recognized independence of U.S.A.
Continental Army
Army set up by the congress and led by George Washington
Declaratory Act
Complete authority over colonists
Popular Sovereignty
States that all government power comes from the people, is also an important point in the Declaration
Framers of the Constitution
Studied history and absorbed ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau
Federal republic
With power divided between the federal, or national, government and the states; Central feature: separation of powers