1st Trimester Study guide Flashcards
Headright System
Colonists who paid their own way to Virginia received 50 acres of land. They could earn an another 50 acres for every additional person brought from England
Which colonies had the strictest slave codes?
Colonies with large numbers of slaves. They feared the slaves might revolt
Mayflower Compact
a document written by the Pilgrims establishing themselves as a political society and setting guidelines for self-government
Thomas Hooker
Left Massachusetts to help found Connecticut. Wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a set of principles that made Connecticut’s government more democratic. Some historians call him the “father of American democracy”.
Point of View of a New England Colonist on education
Education was important, mostly because they wanted their kids to read the bible. Massachusetts began requiring education and built many schools.
Mercantilism
The practice of carefully controlling trade to create and maintain wealth
Great Awakening
a religious movement that became widespread in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s
Stamp Act of 1765
a law passed by Parliament that raised tax money by requiing colonists to pay for an official stamp whenever they bought paper items such as newspapers, licenses, and legal documents
Intolerable Acts
laws passed by Parliament to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party and to tighten government control of the colonies (aka Coercive Acts)
First Continental Congress
a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to respond to the closing of Boston Harbor, increased taxes, and abuses of authority by the British government; delegates petitioned King George III, listing the freedoms they believed colonists should enjoy
Second Continental Congress
a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to react to fighting at Lexington and Concord
Common Sense
a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that criticized monarchies and convinced many American colonists of the need to break away from Britain
Declaration of Independence
the document written to declare the colonies free from British rule
Valley Forge
Low food and clothing, crude shelters made it a terrible winter. Still the men stayed and trained with Baron von Steuben, becoming better soldiers. Meanwhile, British soldiers lived comfortably in Philadelphia.
The Patriots faced difficulties fighting the war at sea because
The British had the most powerful navy in the world while the Patriots had to build a navy from scratch.
Francis Marion
Revolutionary War commander of Marion’s Brigade, a group of guerilla soldiers in South Carolina that used surprise raids against British communications and supply lines
Treaty of Paris of 1783
a peace agreement that officially ended the Revolutionary War and established British recognition of the independence of the United States
Magna Carta
a charter of liberties agreed to by King John of England, it made the king obey the same laws as citizens
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
a document that gave people in Virginina freedom of worship and prohibited tax money from being used to fund churches
ratification
an official approval
The Articles of Confederation made it difficult for Congress to protect the nation against foreign threats by?
No national army, had to request money and soldiers from the states. States had the power to say decline
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
legislation passed by Congress to establish a political structure for the Northwest Territory and create a system for the admission of new states
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 effect on slavery
Slavery and involuntary servitude were banned in the territory
Inflation in the States
States had trouble paying off their debts, so they started printing more money. This lead to higher prices.
Shays’s Rebellion
an uprising of Massachusetts’s farmers, led by Daniel Shays, to protest high taxes, heavy debt, and farm foreclosures.
Which factors indicate that there was an economic depression in the United States after the Revolutionary War?
Low economic activity and a rise in unemployment
Who attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia?
Ben Franklin, James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry were NOT there.
Why did many delegates from southern states threaten to leave the union?
If the Constitution immediately ended the slave trade. They compromised and allowed the slave trade to continue until the end of 1807.
Constitutional Convention
a meeting held in Philadelphia at which delegates from the states wrote the Constitution
James Madison
American statesman, he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, the fourth president of the United States, the author of some of the Federalist Papers, and is called the father of the Constitution for his proposals at the Constiutitional Convention. He led the United States through the War of 1812.
Virginia Plan
the plan for government proposed at the Constitutional Convention in which the national government would have supreme power and a legislative branch would have two houses with representation determined by state population
New Jersey Plan
a proposal to create a unicameral legislature with equal representation of states rather than representation by population; rejected at the Constitutional Convention
Great Compromise
an agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention establishing that a state’s population would determine representation in the lower house of the legislature, while each state would have equal representation in the upper house of the legislature
Three-Fifths Compromise
an agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention stating that only three-fifths of the slaves in a state would count when determining a state’s population for representation in the lower house of Congress
judicial branch
the division of the federal government that is made up of the national courts; interprets laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes between states
legislative branch
the division of the government that proposes bills and passes them into laws
popular sovereignty
the idea that political authority belongs to the people
federalism
U.S. system of government in which power is distributed between a central government and individual states
George Mason
American Patriot who became an Antifederalist and refused to sign the Constitution
Antifederalists
people who opposed ratification of the Constitution
Bill of Rights
the first 10 amendments to the Constitution; ratified in 1791
Amendments
Official changes to the Constitution. They must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and then be ratified by three-fourths of the states. The first ten amendmentments (known as the Bill of Rights) protect personal freedoms by specifically limiting the governments powers.
What is the function of Congress in the federal government?
It makes laws
double jeopardy
The act of trying a person twice for the same crime
search warrant
A judge’s order authorizing the search of a person’s home or property to look for evidence of a crime
naturalized citizen
a person born in another country who has been granted citizenship in the United States
George Washington as president
He wanted to retire, but he understood how important it was for the first president to set good precedents. He was so well respected that he was elected unanimously. He worked with Congress to create the Departments necessary to manage the government’s affairs.
national debt
the total amount of money owed by a country to its lenders
loose construction
a way of interpreting the Constitution that allows the federal government to take actions that the Constitution does not specifically forbid it from taking
George Washington farewell address
He spoke about what he believed were the greatest dangers to the American republic, such as the dangers of foreign ties and political conflicts at home. He thought that choosing sides could draw the United States into war. He also wanted the country to avoid taking on debt.
XYZ affair
an incident in which French agents attempted to get a bribe and loans from U.S. diplomates in exchange for an agreement that French privateers would no longer attack American ships; it led to an undeclared naval war between the two countries
What event led to the Patriots defeat of the British at Yorktown
Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau surrounded Yorktown by land. The French navy surrounded it by sea. This left Cornwallis’s army stranded. They eventually surrendered
Ratification of the Articles of Confederation was slowed by conflicts over?
Claims to western lands
When the House of Representatives impeach a president they?
Vote to bring charges of serious crimes against a president
How were the middle colonies different from the northern and southern colonies
Their characteristics were a blend of the northern and southern colonies. Agriculture was important, but so were trade and industry. They had slaves, but still largely relied on indentured servants.
French and Indian War
Part of the Seven Years War between England and France in Europe. Both sides had native American allies. Britain won, gaining claim of Canada and everything east of the Mississippi river in the Treaty of Paris of 1763.
