American revolution

Question 1

1754-1763

Answer 1

French and Indian War

Question 2

Outline salutary neglect

Answer 2

Salutary neglect refers to the period in which the thirteen colonies were neglected by Britain and left to virtually govern themselves. This gave the colonists an idea of life with a separation from Britain, therefore prompting the beginning of the revolution.

Question 3

What were the writs of assistance?

Answer 3

a search warrant from the government permitting a search for contraband items in American homes. Argued against by James Otis, with his speech Against the Writs of Assistance. Demonstrates the growing agitation and repel of the colonists towards Britain.

Question 4

What did otis dispute in 1764?

Answer 4

Britain’s right to tax colonists, with his pamphlet Rights of British Colonies Asserted and Proved. This conveyed the concepts of no taxation without representation and the ideas of natural rights.

Question 5

define no taxation without representation

Answer 5

The people did not want to be taxed if they were not represented, and wanted to be directly represented in Britain.

Question 6

Define mercantilism

Answer 6

The process by which Britain bought materials from America, used them to make items, and sold these items back to the Americans.

Question 7

Sugar Act, 1764

Answer 7

A tax placed on Sugar to reinstitute Britain’s mercantilist policy. It became the first ‘direct tax’ in America and violated the colonist’s no taxation without representation policy. In response, James Otis produced his Rights of British Colonists Asserted and Proved pamphlet.

Question 8

Stamp Act, 1765

Answer 8

A tax placed on an item that every colonist used - paper. Designed to cover the costs of defending the colonies, aka the war debt. The first tax to target the entirety of social classes in America. The American’s upper class petitioned and wrote resolves.

Question 9

Stamp Act Congress, October 1765

Answer 9

Held in new York. Suggested by James Otis. The congress agreed upon the Declaration of Rights, which pledged loyalty to King George 3 whilst stating that Britain had illegally forced colonial rights.

Question 10

Sons Of Liberty

Answer 10

The Sons of Liberty were an influential group that formed from the Loyal nine. The tarred and feathered opponents, and caused the repeal of the Stamp Act. They were instrumental in the Boston Massacre of 1770 and carried out the Boston Tea Party of 1773.

Question 11

Quartering Act, 1765

Answer 11

The Quartering act of 1765 gave the Crown permission to compel colonists to accommodate and feed British Troops after the French and Indian War. The New York Colonial Assembly refused to comply and it was suspended in 1767.

Question 12

Declaratory Act, 1766

Answer 12

The Declaratory act granted Parliament the authority to pass laws for its American colonies. It signified Britain’s intentions.

Question 13

Townshend Duties, 1767

Answer 13

The purpose was to raise revenue and to assert the power of the British Parliament. It was a duty on products such as paper, lead, glass, oil, paint and tea - items used by almost every colonist, and each item imported from Britain. The colonists resisted with boycotts and the refusal to import British products.

Question 14

Standing Army

Answer 14

An army of soldiers in red coats. It was a theoretical threat, and seen was a risk to liberty under the Enlightenment ideals.

Question 15

What were John Locke’s 3 natural rights?

Answer 15

Life, Liberty and Property.

Question 16

What did the daughter’s of liberty do?

Answer 16

The Daughters of Liberty rebelled against Britain by refusing to import their food. This was powerful as women dominated the domestic sphere and placed a severe economic pressure on Britain.

Question 17

The Boston Massacre, 1770

Answer 17

Reignited the Sons Of liberty in society, and was a confrontation between Bostonians and The Sons of Liberty and British troops.

Question 18

1771 and 1772: a momentary lull

Answer 18

a short quiet period that belied the fact that the Revolution was soon to take a major turn for the worst for American colonists.

Question 19

The Boston Tea Party, 1773

Answer 19

The dockworkers refused to unload the tea from the boat. Samuel Adams represented the Bostonians. No tax would be paid if the ships never unloaded their cargo. The Sons of Liberty dressed as First Nations and poured the tea into Boston Harbour. This triggered the Coercive Acts.

Question 20

The Tea Act, 1773

Answer 20

A tax imposed on tea, which was imported by the colonists from Britain.

Question 21

The Coercive Acts, 1774

Answer 21

A response from Britain to the Boston Tea Party as a punishment for the lost tea. It became known to Americans as ‘The Intolerable Acts’.

Question 22

The Coercive Acts, 1774 - The Boston Port Act, 1774

Answer 22

Closed Boston Harbour to all trade

Question 23

The Coercive Acts, 1774 - The Massachusetts Government Act

Answer 23

Stripped the power of the colonial assembly of Massachusetts and gave it, effectively, to the King.

Question 24

The Coercive Acts, 1774 - The Administration of Justice Act

Answer 24

This ensured that those charged with crime would be trialled in either Britain or another British colony, ensuring Britain control over the outcome to favour them.

Question 25

The Coercive Acts, 1774 - The Quartering Act

Answer 25

The Quartering Act was reinstated

Question 26

The Coercive Acts, 1774 - The Quebec Act

Answer 26

The Quebec Act took land won in the Indian reserve by the Americans in the French and Indian War and added it to the British Canada province of Quebec.

Question 27

The Fairfax Resolves, 1774

Answer 27

A committee in the colony of Virginia that wrote a set of resolutions which rejected the British parliament's claim of supreme authority over the colonies.

Question 28

The Suffolk Resolves, 1774

Answer 28

A declaration made by leaders in the colony of Massachusetts that rejected the Massachusetts government act and resolved on a boycott of imported goods from Britain unless the Coercive 'Intolerable' Acts were repealed.

Question 29

First Continental Congress, 1774

Answer 29

The first time the colonies came together to discuss their mutual problems. Each colony set up a Commit of Correspondence, a Committee of Safety and their militia became known a minute men.

Question 30

Battle of Lexington Concord, 1775

Answer 30

Paul Revere discovered the British were on the march, and warned Patriots. The British fought their way into Concord, but were harassed all the way back to Boston. The revolutionary war had begun.

Question 31

Second Continental Congress, 1775

Answer 31

Response to the Battle of Lexington-Concord. Beginning to act like a revolutionary federal American government. It dealt with issuing currency,

Question 32

The Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775

Answer 32

fought between the British and the Massachusetts Militia. The British won, however suffered more casualties than the militia.

Question 33

Continental Army

Answer 33

Formed in the wake of the Battle of Bunker Hill by Congress. George Washington was elected to lead them. He became the commander in Chief of the Army in 1775, and trained the army to fight the War of Independence.

Question 34

The Olive Branch Petition, 1775

Answer 34

A peace offering to Britain, pledging loyalty to the King whilst demanding autonomy.

Question 35

The Declaration of Independence, 1776

Answer 35

a list of grievances against the King, assuming him of breaking the social contract and stating that the people can form a new government.

Question 36

Outline the problems the British had during the war.

Answer 36

- Supplies | - Insurgent Warfare

Question 37

New Jersey, 1776

Answer 37

Washington staged a series of Daring and remarkable attacks on British forces that began the transformation of Washing to a father of the United States

Question 38

The Crossing of the Delaware, 1776

Answer 38

Washington crossed the Delaware for a surprise attack on the Hessian forces in Trenton. Washington had Paine's American Crisis read aloud to the troops.

Question 39

The Battle of Trenton, 1777

Answer 39

Washington performed a counter-attack at Trenton on 2 January 1777, and defeated the British. It demonstrated to the British that under the right circumstances they could stand up to the British Army

Question 40

Who pledged support for the US?

Answer 40

Spain, France, and the Dutch and the Sultanate of Mysore in India.

Question 41

Valley Forge, 1777-1778

Answer 41

Washington was in trouble, as the conditions his soldiers were living in were far from acceptable. Many men's enlistments were ending and there was a lack of pay for the men.

Question 42

Why did the British capture the South?

Answer 42

They believed it would lure Loyalists into their cause due to the large loyalist following in the South.

Question 43

When was the war effectively over?

Answer 43

The Battle at Yorktown, 1778-1783

Question 44

The Treaty of Paris, 1783

Answer 44

Formally ended the Revolutionary war, and forced Britain to recognise the independence of the US.

Question 45

What was the structure of the new society?

Answer 45

All 13 colonies had been turned into states by the DOI. Each state established a new government and wrote its constitution. Each constitution included a declaration of citizen's rights, reflecting the English Bill of Rights (1688)

Question 46

The Virginia Declaration of Rights, 1776

Answer 46

embodied the ideals that developed throughout the revolution, and was written by George Mason, It was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1776.

Question 47

Jefferson's Statute of Religious Freedom, 1777

Answer 47

Jefferson's document guaranteed, in law, that people were free to practise religion (or not) in any way they saw fit. It was introduced in Virginia in 1779 but did not pass.

Question 48

define 'Separation of powers'

Answer 48

Separation of powers refers to the separation of the Church and the state.

Question 49

What did Jefferson believe?

Answer 49

Jefferson believed that real liberty was impossible without the separation of the Church and the state.

Question 50

The Articles of Confederation, 1777

Answer 50

formed the first federal government of the United States, It reflects the fear of tyranny. It formed a confederacy whilst still allowing the states their power. It contained 13 separate articles that outlined the structure of the government.

Question 51

What 2 major things did the AOC (1777) contain?

Answer 51

Created a Confederation Congress, where each state had one vote A 3/4 majority was required to pass laws, and a unanimous vote required for amendments of the Articles.

Question 52

What were some successes of the AOC government?

Answer 52

It won the War of Independence It supplied the army during the war It ratified the Treaty of Paris It passes the Land Ordinance Act

Question 53

outline the problems associated with the Articles of Confederation government

Answer 53

- nearly all sovereignty lay in the hands of the states - The government could not pass laws, tax or even raise and pay for a national army without state approval. - The AOC government states that Congress required all the states to vote to change the Articles, and 3/4 for a law to be passed. This rare occurred, and after the War of Independence, Congress was almost powerless against the British.

Question 54

Economic Problems under the Articles of Confederation government

Answer 54

Congress had no power to make grand agreements or establish trade regulation. The States each had their own currencies, making trade between states almost impossible. States established trade agreements that often disadvantaged other states. Congress and the states were in war debt there was no national currency of bank.

Question 55

Outline the Military Problems

Answer 55

The US were practically defenceless as the Congress could not raise military forces or control the state's militias. The government also could not pay soldiers.

Question 56

The Pennsylvania Line mutiny of 1781

Answer 56

protested the appealing conditions that the Continental Army soldiers suffered, as well as payments owed.

Question 57

The Pensylvania Mutiny of 1783

Answer 57

Nearly 400 soldiers of the Continental Army protested over unpaid wages from the war.

Question 58

The Newburgh Conspiracy, 1783

Answer 58

Talk of action against congress began to circulate. The officers circulated letters criticising congress and raising the prospect of a coup. Officers also drafted a petition.

Question 59

Shays' Rebellion, 1786

Answer 59

In Massachusetts, many unpaid soldiers had had to become farmers. The did not receive promised pay or land grants. They marched with Daniel Shays to the Massachusetts court in Springfield and closed it. The rebellion was crushed, however many soldiers convictions were pardoned, including Shays himself.

Question 60

The Annapolis Convention, 1786

Answer 60

delegates from New Jersey, new York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia met at Annapolis to discuss the barriers that limited the states in trade and commerce under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 61

What was the direct result of the Annapolis Convention?

Answer 61

The Philadelphia Convention of 1787

Question 62

The Philadelphia Convention, 1787

Answer 62

designed to address the problems under the AOC Government and to revise the articles. They wanted to ensure George Washington was elected president of the convention. Later, they would create the presidential office with George Washington in mind.

Question 63

James Madison and Alexander Hamilton

Answer 63

The meeting of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton resulted in a powerful alliance that enabled them to dominate the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia and the ratification debates.

Question 64

What were some disputes of the Philadelphia Convention?

Answer 64

- the structure of the government - The division of power - The method of election - whether to abolish slave trade

Question 65

How many plans, and what were they, were proposed at the Philadelphia convention?

Answer 65

4 - The Large States Plan - The Small States Plan - The Hamilton Plan - The Charles Pinckney Plan

Question 66

The Large States (or the Virginia Plan)

Answer 66

- written by James Madison, proposed two houses of congress, both elected based on population, therefore allowing the larger states to dominate.

Question 67

The Small States (or the New Jersey) Plan

Answer 67

-Written by William Patterson, proposed a single house of congress that allowed each state have one vote, therefore giving the smaller states an equal say.

Question 68

The United States Constitution

Answer 68

A culmination of revolutionary ideology, it outlined the structure of the society and the powers of each, along with the rights of the people as outlined in the enlightenment ideals.

Question 69

Outline the tripartite system

Answer 69

``` The Congress (legislature) The President (executive) The Supreme Court (judiciary) ```

Question 70

Who missed out on the benefits of the new society?

Answer 70

Slaves Women First Nations

Question 71

Outline how women missed out on the benefits of the new society

Answer 71

- divorce laws were difficult for women to obtain | - the idea of the 'Republic Mother', who was charged to remain in the domestic sphere

Question 72

Outline how First Nations Americans missed out on the benefits of the new society

Answer 72

- Some sided with Britain as they believed their future would be more secure under the crown - they had no standing in the judicial system - they had their land dispossessed

Question 73

Outline how slaves missed out on the benefits of the new society

Answer 73

-Slaves were counted as 3/5ths of a person in the Constitution

Question 74

The Ratification Debates

Answer 74

A debate between federalists and anti-federalists

Question 75

Anti-Federalists

Answer 75

- They believed in a decentralisted system of authority to prevent papers - wrong the Anti-Federalist papers in response to the Federalist Papers - They feared the office of president could lead to the rise of another tyrant - this time indigenous

Question 76

Federalists

Answer 76

- They believed in the constitution, as they thought it would empower people, and provide for the separation of powers (a secular society). - They also believed a federal government could properly defend the republic in a way that the AOC government almost failed to.

Question 77

The Bill of Rights

Answer 77

The BOR served to answer the fears of the Anti-Federalists and the states. It was based on the Virginian Declaration of Rights and ratified in 1791 with 10 amendments.

Question 78

The President of the United States

Answer 78

George Washington was elected President i 1789. The office was essentially created with him in mind.