A.P. History Test 2/7/2013 Flashcards
Constitutional Convention of 1787
Early Republic
1787
a. Fed up with the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, delegates from all states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles
b. They quickly realized that the Articles would not work and drew up a whole new paper called the Constitution.
c. One of the biggest issues in the convention was whether the bigger states should get more power (Virginia Plan), or should they all have equal voting rights (New Jersey Plan). Finally the delegates decided on the Connecticut Plan or Great Compromise, which said House of Representatives is determined by population but Senate (Upper house) is equal for all.
Federalist Papers
Early Republic
1787
a. A series of essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay explaining the meaning and virtues of the Constitution, to counter the arguments of the Anti-Federalists.
b. Sent to states who the Federalists feared would vote against the Constitution.
c. These papers are some of the greatest contributions to political theory in America.
Judiciary Act of 1789
Early Republic
1789
a. Since the laws about the Judicial branch were vague, in the first meeting of Congress, they established a Supreme Court with a chief Justice and 5 associate judges, 13 district courts, and 3 circuit court of appeals.
b. Gave the supreme court the power to make final decisions on cases regarding the constitutionality of state laws.
Hamilton’s reports
Early Republic
1789
a. Hamilton believed that the government needed support from the wealthy and powerful, so he decided that the government should assume the debt that the states had accumulated in the Revolution and from the old Congress.
b. Wanted to establish a National Bank, where people could deposit funds
c. Also wanted tariffs to support young American industries, and an excise on alcohol.
d. Hamilton hoped these steps would help America become a prominent country and perhaps, a world leader.
First Bank of the United States
Early Republic
1791
a. Proposed by Hamilton to stabilize and improve the Nations’ credit, and improve the new Government’s financial business, it met resistance from strict- interpreters of the Constitution.
b. Madison, Jefferson, and Randolph argued that since the Constitution said nothing about a bank, Congress could not create it.
c. Hamilton however, believed that the Constitution’s “necessary and proper” clause, allowed him the right to create a bank.
Bill of Rights
Early Republic
1789-91
a. Question of whether Bill of Rights should be added to Constitution, since some believed that to do so would take away all other unsaid rights. However by 1789, everyone agreed that there needed to be a Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
b. First Nine Amendments stated that Congress could not infringe on certain basic rights including freedom of speech, religion, and press; immunity from arbitrary arrest; trial by jury; and others. Tenth Amendment said states had all powers except those specifically reserved by the Federal Government
c. Making point for some states who were reluctant to approve the Constitution, also guaranteed us the rights we enjoy till today.
Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation
Early Republic
1793
a. At the end of the Revolution France was allied with America. When the French started revolting against their government, many Americans were sympathetic to their cause and wanted to fight against the French government and Great Britain, who France was also fighting at the time
b. Despite their clamors for war, Washington believed America too young to be fighting in another battle and issued a Proclamation of Neutrality
c. This kept America out of European affairs for the most part and safe for a little while.
Citizen Genet
Early Republic
1793
a. French ambassador to America during the French Revolution
b. Broke all the rules of Ambassador-ship by appealing directly to Americans for help and planning to use America’s ports for outfitting French warships, threatening America’s neutrality in the war
c. Infuriated, Washington commanded him to abandon his post as ambassador, thus avoiding a catastrophe.
Jay’s Treaty
Early Republic
1794
a. Tensions grew high with Great Britain when they began seizing American ships and instigating the Indians to start up against the Americans. Hamilton was deeply concerned since a war with G.B. would mean an end to imports from England, which accounted for most of the revenue in his financial plan.
b. Hamilton convinced Washington to send chief Justice John Jay to Great Britain to secure compensation for the British attacks on the American ships and to agree on a new commercial treaty
c. Jay failed in his attempt to reach this goals, but despite this, relieved some of the tension between the two countries, because it established a satisfactory commercial relationship, and established America as the undisputed sovereigns of the Northwest.
Chisholm v. Georgia
Early Republic
(1793)
a. A man from South Carolina attempted to sue the state of Georgia for money owed to him that he had lent Georgia during the war. Georgia refused to appear because they claimed that as a sovereign state they could not be sued without granting consent.
b. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff stating that the Constitution granted Federal courts the power to hear disputes between private citizens and states.
c. Led to the 11th Amendment which overturned this idea.
Whiskey Rebellion
Early Republic
1794
a. As a result of Hamilton’s whiskey excise tax, farmers in Pennsylvania refused to pay it and rose up against the tax collectors.
b. Hamilton persuaded Washington to call out the militias of 3 states and raised an army to fight against the Whiskey rebels, led by Washington himself. The rebels quickly collapsed
c. This led to respect of the Federal government, showing that they were stronger than the Articles of Confederation, which had done nothing during Shays’ rebellion
Pinckney’s Treaty
Early Republic
1795
a. After Jay’s treaty, Spain grew fearful that America and G.B. would ally together to challenge Spain’s possessions in North America.
b. Therefore, when Thomas Pinckney went to Spain as a special negotiator, he had no problem in receiving nearly everything the U.S. wanted.
c. As a result of the treaty, Spain recognized the right of Americans to navigate in the Mississippi and use New Orleans as a port, fixed the northern boundary of Florida at the 31st parallel and got the Spanish authorities to prevent the Indians in Florida from going across the border to raid from the Indians.
Washington’s Farewell Address
Early Republic
1796
a. With the help of Hamilton, Washington wrote a farewell address that he published in newspapers all over the country
b. Said many important things, including not to get involved in European affairs, not to make any permanent alliances, not to form political parties, and to avoid sectionalism.
c. While some of these warnings took longer to overcome, they were all eventually discarded by future politicians, however Washington set a precedent by leaving after his second term that would not be broken until F.D.R.
Virginia and Kentucky Resolves
Early Republic
1799
a. The Alien and Sedition Acts upset a lot of people who felt that they were unconstitutional
b. In 1799 Jefferson in Kentucky and Madison in Virginia introduced legislatures that stated that since the states had entered into a “compact” to create the Federal government, if they felt that those rights were being infringed upon they could nullify the law
c. Same arguments that would be made with states secessions
John Adams
Early Republic
1796-1800
a. First Vice President and Second President of the United States
b. During his term he fought bitterly against the Democratic Republicans as well as Hamilton, who was a leader in his own party.
c. Signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the navy and army during the Quasi War with France.
d. Major success was keeping the peace in the country and with Hamilton
XYZ Affair
Early Republic
1797-1798
a. Though in Washington’s presidency, tension between France had lessened, their relationship quickly deteriorated as France began attacking American ships.
b. While some people favored war, Adams, under Hamilton’s advice, decided to try to reconcile their differences and sent three delegates to go to France. When they arrived there, three French agents refused to see them without bribes. When the Americans heard about this they grew outraged and the call for war grew louder.
c. Adams told Congress to prepare for war by cutting off all trade with France, and attacking French ships on the high seas.
Alien and Sedition Acts
Early Republic
1798
a. The Federalists gained more power as a result of the Quasi-French War, and looked to silence the Republican Opposition.
b. The Alien Act made it harder for foreigners to become citizens, which led to a decrease in immigration, as well as the departure of some foreigners.
c. The Sedition Act gave the government power to persecute those who were doing “seditious” acts. The vagueness of this made it possible for the government to potentially eliminate any opposition, which they did by arresting ten men who were mainly Republican Newspaper Editors
d. These acts ruined Adam’s presidency despite the fact that he did much to prevent the government from actually implementing these laws.
Undeclared Naval War with France
Early Republic
1799
a. Rising tensions with France led to Adams telling Congress to cut off trade with France and allow American vessels to capture French armed ships.
b. The American navy won many duels and captured 85 ships. France chose to renegotiate with America before tensions grew too high, and in 1800 negotiated a new treaty.
c. Resolved some of the tensions with France, and also made America allies with Britain during the war.
Adam’s “midnight judges”
Early Republic
1800
a. During the last days of his presidency, Adams attempted to fill in as many government positions with Federalists as possible.
b. Some of these positions were still not processed when Jefferson came into office. When Madison refused to grant the positions, one of the officials by the name of Marbury, took Madison to court.
c. Marbury v. Madison established the idea of Judicial Review, and fully established the idea of checks and balances between the 3 branches of government.
Tripoli War
Age of Jefferson
1801- 1805
a. Washington and Adams had both paid tribute to the Barbary governments to prevent them from being attacked by Barbary Pirates. When Jefferson came into office the Pasha of Tripoli decided to raise the tribute.
b. Rather than being coerced, Jefferson decided to send navy vessels to the Mediterranean.
c. Though there was no clear victor, the American navy gained some respect and helped protect American vessels trading in the Mediterranean
Marbury v. Madison
Age of Jefferson
1803
a. Though the Federalists believed that the Supreme Court could nullify the acts of Congress, this was not a clear right since the Supreme Court had never ruled a law unconstitutional.
b. Marbury took Madison to court under the law by congress that stated that the Judicial branch had the power to compel individuals to deliver commissions. The court ruled that Marbury had a right to his commission but they could not force Madison to give them, thus ruling that law unconstitutional.
c. Gave the Supreme Court the right to declare a law unconstitutional.
