Ch. 5-6 Flashcards
3/5’s Compromise
Compromise between northern and southern delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention to count enslaved persons as 3/5’s of a free person in deciding proportional representation in the House of Representatives and taxation by the federal government.
Alien & Sedition Acts
1798 security acts passed by the Federalist-controlled congress. The Alien Act allowed the president to imprison or deport noncitizens; the Sedition Act placed significant restrictions on political speech.
Antifederalists
Opponents of ratification of the Constitution, they were generally from more rural and less wealthy backgrounds than the Federalists
Aristocracy
Members of the highest class of society, typically nobility who inherited ranks & titles
Articles of Confederation
Plan for national government proposed by the Continental Congress in 1777, ratified March 1781. The Articles of Confederation gave the national government limited powers, reflecting widespread fear f centralized authority, and were replaced by the Constitution in 1789.
Bank of the United States
Chartered in 1790 and jointly owned by private stockholders and the national government. Alexander Hamilton argued that the bank would provide stability to the American economy, which was chronically short of capital, by making loans to merchants, handling government funds, and issuing bills of credit.
Battle of Bunker Hill
1775 American Revolution battle in which British troops narrowly defeated patriot militias, emboldening patriot forces.
Battle of Fallen Timbers
(1795) Final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States for control of the Northwest Territory (present-day Ohio)
Battle of Long Island
1776: First major engagement of the new Continental army against 32,000 British troops. Washington’s army was defeated and was forced to retreat to Manhattan Island
Battle of Saratoga
Key Revolutionary War battle fought at Saratoga, NY. Patriot voctory in 1777 provided hope that the colonists could triumph and increased the chances of formal French support
Battle of Yorktown
10/19/1781. Decisive battle in which the surrended of British forces effectively sealed the patriot victory in the American Revolution
Bill of Rights
The 1st 10 amendments to the Constitution, officially ratified by 1791. The amendments safeguarded fundamental personal rights, including freedom of speech and religion, and mandated legal procedures, such as trial by jury.
Boston Massacre
Inflammatory description of a deadly clash between a mob and British soldiers on March 5, 1770, that became a symbol of British oppression for many colonistst
Boston Tea Party
Dramatic attempt by Boston leaders to show colonial contempt for the Tea Act; Sons of Liberty, dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped British tea into Boston Harbor; triggered similar actions across the colonies
Capitalism
An economic system based on private ownership of property and the open exchange goods between property holders on th “free market”. European colonization of the Americas, and in particular, the discovery of vast bullion deposits, helped bring about Europe’s transition to capitalism.
Citizenship
An individual’s relatoinship to the state, wherein citizens swear allegiance to that state, and the state in return is obligated to provide rights to those citizens
Civil liberties
Individual rights regarding freedom that are created by a constitution and a political regime
Civil Rights
Idividual rights regarding equality that are created by a constitution and a political regime
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
British Parliament’s retalitation against the Boston Tea Party that was meant to coerce Boston colonists by reducing the colony’s rights to self-governance. Closed the port of Boston until residents paid for the damaged property and moved Massachusetts court cases against royal officials back to England in a bid to weaken colonial authority.
Colonialism
An imperialist system of physically occupying a foreign territory using military, economic institutions, or settlers
Colonization
The process of settling and controling an already inhabited area for the economic or strategic benefit of the colonizer
Colony
Geographic area in one nation under control by another nation and typically occupied at least partly by settlers of that other nation
Committees of Correspondance
First called by Samuel Adams; formed in Boston, spread throughout the colonies to share information about British abuses of power, particulaly in response to the Sugar Act
Conservatism
A political ideology that is skeptical of change and supports the current order (status quo)
Constitutional Convention
1787 (Philadelphia) meeting to draft the US Constitution. Established the framework for a strong federal government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Consumer Revolution
A process that emerged in the 17th and 18th Centuries, through which status in the colonies became more closely linked to financial success and a refined lifestyle rather than birth and family pedigree. The consumer revolution was spurred by industrialization and increased global trade.
Continental Army
Army created by the 2nd Continental Congress after the battles of Lexington & Concord
Crispus Attucks
Former slave turned dockworker. During the Boston Massacre, was allegedly at the head of the crowd of hecklers who baited the British troops, was killed when the British troops fired on the crowd.
Currency Act
1764 act of Parliament preventing colonial assemblies from printing paper money or bills of credit, curtailing the ability of local colonial economies to expand.
Daughters of Liberty
Organization of women in the colonies that led the boycott against the Tea Act
Declaration of Independence
Document declaring the independence of the colonies from Great Britain. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and then debated and revised by the Continental Congress, made public on July 4, 1776.
Declaratory Act
1766 act announcing Parliament’s authority to pass any law “to bind the colonies and peoples of North America closer to Britain
Deflation
A fall in prices of consumer goods caused by supply exceeding demand
Democracy
A politcal system in which political power is excercised either directly or indirectly by the people
Democratic-Republican Party
Emerged out of opposition to Federalist policies in the 1790s. Chose Thomas Jefferson as as their presidential candidate in 1796, 1800, and 1804.
Direct Democracy
Democracy that allows the public to participate directly in government decision making
Disestablishment
To separate official state church its connection with the government. Following the Revolution, all states disestablished its connection from the Anglican Church, though some New England states maintained established Congregational churches well into the 19th century
Dunmore’s Proclamation
1775 Proclamation issued by the British commander Lord Dunmore that offered freedom to all enslaved African Americans who joined the British Army. The proclamation heightened concerns among some patriots about the consequesnces of independence.
Electoral College
A group comprised of electors who vote in the formal election of the president and vice president after the general election votes are tallied. the electoral college was a compromise between determining the president via a direct popular vote or via congressional vote
Embargo
A ban on trade with a particular country
Empire
A single political authority that has a large number of external regions or territories and different peoples under its sovereignty
Federalist #10
Essay by James Madison in The Federalist Papers that challenged the view that republican governments only worked in small polities; it argued that a geographically would better protect republican liberty.
Federalists
Supporters of ratification of the Constitution, many of whom came from urban and commercial class backgrounds
First Continental Congress
Early gathering of colonial delegates in 1774 that called for the repeal of all oppressive parliamentary laws since 1763
French Revolution
(1789-1799) Revolution in France that was initially welcomed by most Americans because it began by abolishing feudalism and establishing a constitutional monarchy, but eventually came to seem too radical to many
Fugitive Slave Clause 1793
Ensured the right of slaveholders to capture enslaved people who had fled by mandating that local governments seize and return them. THe act was largely ignored by northerners.
George Grenville
Prime Minister of King George III who increased troops and taxes in the colonies after the French and Indian Wars; made many colonists believe colonial self-rule was under attack
Globalization
The process of interaction and exchange between peoples and ideas from different parts of the globe, the extension of economic, political, and cultural relationships among nations, through commerce, migration, and communication.
Haitian Revolution
(1791-1804) Uprising against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue involving liberated slaves from the island under the leadership of Toussaint L’Overture and the armies of 3 European countries. In 1803 Saint-Domingue became the independent republic of Haiti, in which former slaves were in control of the government.
Imperialism
The process whereby an empire or nation pursues military, political and/or economic advantage by extending its rule over external territories and populations
Impressment
The act of forcing people to serve in a navy or other military operation; the term is most commonly used in connection with the actions of British fleets against American sailors in the 1800s. Was a major source of tension between America and Britain, and a cause of the War of 1812
Indirect Democracy
Democracy in which representatives of the public are responsible for government decision making
Inflation
Market-wide increase in prices, leading to devaluation of currency
Jay’s Treaty
1796 treaty that required all British forces to withdraw from US soil, required American repayment of debts to British firms, and limited US trade w/ the British West Indies.
Judiciary Act of 1789
Act that established federal districts courts in each state and 3 circut courts to hear appeals from the districts, with the Supreme Court serving as the highest appellate court in the federal system
Land Ordinance of 1785
Provided for the survey, sale, and eventual division into states of the Northwest Territory.
Lexington & Concord
The first shots fired in the Revolutionary War, an April 9, 1775, near Boston; approximately 100 Minutemen and 250 British soldiers were killed
Liberal Democracy
A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty while emphasizing individual freedom and civil rights
Liberalism
1) A political tendency that favors evolutionary transformation; 2) (Classical liberalism) An ideological and political system that favors a limited state role in society and the economy, and places a high priority on individual and economic freedom
Louisian Purchase
The 1803 purchase of French territory west of the Mississippi River that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico t Canada and nearly doubled the size of the US. The purchase required President Thomas Jefferson to exercise powers not explicitly granted to him by the Constiution.
Loyalists
Colonial supporters of the British during the American Revolution
Marbury v. Madison
Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in finding that parts of the Juduciary Act of 1789 were in conflict the Constitution. For the first time, the Supreme Court assumed legal authority to overrule acts of other branches of government.
Marquis de Lafayette
French aristocrat who fought in the Continental Army against the British in the American Revolution.
Mercantilism
The dominant European economic theory from the 16th-18th centuries holding that nations were in competition with one another for a finite amount of wealth, and that the state should maximize wealth by limiting its imports and establishing colonies that would serve as sites of extraction, cheap labor, and new markets foro export goods
Minutemen
Militia groups trained to prepare quickly for local defense in case of British attack
Nation-State
A geographically bounded space encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent
Natural Rights
The rights to life, liberty, and property. John Locke argued that political authority was not given by God or a monarch, but was instead derived from social compacts that people entered into to preserve their natural rights.
Naturalization Act
1789 act passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress that raised the residency requirement for citizenship from 5 => 14 years to delay the naturalization of immigrants who tended to vote Democratic-Republican
Navigation Acts
Three acts that Parliament passed in the 1650s-60s to regulate colonial commerce through the prohibition of smuggling, establishment of guidelins fo rlegal commerce, and setting duties on trade items
New Jersey Plan
Proposal to the 1787 Constitutional Convention that highlighted the needs of small states by by creating one legislative house and granting each state equal representation
Non-Importation Movement
The effort to protest parliamentary legislation by boycotting British goods. This occurred in 1766, in response to the Stamp Act; 1768, after the Townshend duties; and in 1774, after the Coercive Acts.
Northwest Indian War
(1785) An armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern Confederacy. Considers by the US army to be the first of the American Indian Wars.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Clarified the process by which territories could become states.
Olive Branch Petition
(1775) Petition drafted by moderates in Congress to the the King George to avert full-on with the British. Stated that the colonists wished to remain part of Great Britain, but with full rights of citizenship. Was received after King George had already declared war on the colonies.
Parliamentary system
A political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are assigned to seperate executive offices (ex., King & Prime Minister)
Patrick Henry
Virginia politician who led the the fight against the Stamp Act and decleared supporters of Parliamentary taxes to be enemies of the colonies
Patriots
American colonists who favored the movement for independence during hte 1770s
Patronage
The power of elected officials to grant government jobs and favors to their supporters.
Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
Granted all taxpaying men the right to vote and hold office and created a unicameral legislature with complete power; there was no governor to exercise a veto. It also mandated a system of elementary education and protected citizens from imprisonment for debt.
Philipsburg Proclamation
A 1779 proclamation that declared that any slave who deserted a rebel master would receive protection, freedom, and land frmo Great Britain
Pinckney’s Treaty
1796 treaty that defined the boundary between US and Spanish territory in the South and opened the Mississippi River and New Orleans to US shipping
Plantation system
A system of production characterized by unfree labor producing cash crops for distant markets. The plantation complex developed in sugar-producing areas of the Mediterrranean world and was transferred to the Americas, where it took hold in tropical and subtropical areas, including Brazil, the West INdies, and southeastern North America. In addition to sugar, the plantation complex was adapted to produce tobacco, rice, indigo, and cotton.
Planters
White Southern Slave holders who owned the largest plantations and forged a distinct culture and economy around the institution of slavery.
Political Economy
The power relations that mutually constitute the production, distribution and consumption of resources in a given society
Political Ideology
The basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals of politics and the ideal balance of freedom and equality
Presidential system
A political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are combined in one executive office
Proclamation of 1763
Attempt by England to reduce violence between Native Americans and English colonists by legally barring settlement beyond the Appalachian mountains
Proclamation of Neutrality
1793 proclamation declaring US neutrality in any conflict between other nations, including France and Great Britain.
Quartering Act
A British law passed by Parliament at the conquest General Thomas Gage, the British military commander in America, that required coloial governments to provide barracks and food for British troops.
Radicalism
Political ideology that favors dramatic, often revolutionary change
Reactionary
Person or group who seek to restore the institutions of a real or imagined earlier order
Report of the Public Credit
Alexander Hamilton’s 1790 report recommending that the federal government should assume all state debts and fund the national debt (offering interest on it, rather than repaying it) at full value. Hamilton’s goal was to make the new country creditworthy, not det-free.
Report on Manufactures
A proposal by treasury seceratary Amexander Hamilton in 1791 calling for the federal government to urge the expansion of American manufacturing while imposing tariffs on foreign imports.
Republic
Representative political system in which citizens govern themselves by electing representatives, or legislators, to make key decisions on the citizens’ behalf
Republican Motherhood
Concept proposed in the 1790s that supported women’s education so that they could instruct their sons in the principles of republican government
Republicanism
Political theory in 18th Century England & America that celbrated active participation in public life by economically
Revolution
Public seizure of the state in order to overturn the existing government and regime
Revolution of 1800
Election of 1800: Democratic-Republican Party candidate, Vice President Thomas Jefferson, defeated the Federalist Party candidate, incumbent president John Adams. The election was a political realignment that ushered in a generation of Democratic-Republican leadership
Saluatory neglect
British colonial policy from around 1700-1760, during the reigns of George I & George II that relaxed supervision of internal colonial affairs as long as the North American colonies produced sufficient raw materials and revenue. By realxing their supervision of internal colonial affairs, royal bureaucrats inadvertently assisted the rise of self-government in North America
Second Continental Congress
Assembly of Colonial representatives that served as a national governement during the American Revolution. Despite limited federal powers, coordinated the war effort and conduted negotiations with outside powers.
Sedition
Language or behavior aimed at starting a rebellion against a governement
Shays’ Rebellion
1786 rebellion by Western Massachusetts farmers caused primarily by economic hardships in the aftermath of the American Revolution
Slave Codes
Laws passed in the British colonies/Aerican states granting whicte slave holders absolute authority over enslaved people; restricted or eliminated enslaved peoples’ rights to speech, property, free movement and legal representation; largely due to slavehoders’ fears of rebellion, particularly after Bacon’s Rebellion.
Slave Laws
A series of laws that defined slavery as a distinct status based on racial identity and which passed that status on through future generations.
Society
Complex human organizatoin, a collection of people bound by shared institutions that defined how human relations should be conducted
Sons of Liberty
Groups of male colonists who organized against England’s enforcement of the Stamp Act, didstributed anti-British propaganda, and occasionally harassed and attacked colonial officials
Stamp Act
Deeply unpopular act passed by English Prime Minister Grenville that required an official stamp on all paper documents in the colonies and united the colonies against England
Stamp Act Congress
An assembly of 27 delegates from 9 colonies that met in October 1765 and petitioned Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act
Statute of Religious Freedom
1786 Virginia Assembly statute that ensured the seperation of Church & State and largely guarunteed freedom of religion. Many other states followed Virginia’s lead.
Sugar Act
The British act of 1764 designed to stop sugar smuggling in the colonies by lowering taxes on molasses but enforcing their payment and forcing compliance with trade laws
Tariff
A tax on imported goods
Tea Act
A 1773 act passed by England that gave the British East India Co. the right to export tea to the colonies without paying the same taxes that were imposed on colonial merchants; the act enraged American merchants and colonists boycotted tea
The Federalist Papers
85 essays by Federalists Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Published in newspapers throughout the US. Promoted the ratification of the Constitution.
Townshend Duties
External taxes passed by England’s Charles Townshend that taxed goods imported to the colonies such as glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea; hated by the colonists, the taxes prompted violent protests and boycotts of Britsh goods, and were later repealed after a colonial boycott of British goods
Treat/Peace of Paris 1783
Formally ended the American Revolution
Treaty of Greenville
1795 treaty signed following teh Battle of Fallen Timbers. Forced American Indians in the Northwest Territory to cede vast tracts of land to the US.
Tyranny
An unjust or oppressive form of rule
Valley Forge
A military camp in which George Washington’s army of 12,000 soldiers and hundreds of camp followers suffered horribly in the winter of 1777-78
Veto
The right to block a decision made by a governing body
Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions
Resolution passed by legislatures in Virginia & Kentucky that declared the Alien and Sedition Acts “void and of no force” in their states. Established precedent for state nullification of fderal laws.
Virginia Plan
Plan put forth at the beginnning of the Constitutional Convention that introduced the ideas of a strong central governement, a bicameral legislature, and a system of representation based on population
Virginia Resolves
Term used for a group of resolutions passed by the Virginia legislature declaring only the colonies’ governments had the right to tax colonists; first appearance of the notion of “taxation without representation”
Virtual Representation
British political theory holding that members of Parliament represented all British subjects, not just those from the specific region that had elected them
Vox Populi
A group of American colonists dedicated to repealing the Stamp Act. Took their name form the Latin phrase “voice of the people”
Whiskey Rebellion
Uprising by western Pennsylvania farmers who led protests against the excise tax on whiskey in the early 1790s.
XYZ Affair
1797 incident in which American negotiators in France were rebuffed for refusing to pay a substantial bribe. The incident led the US into an undelcared “quasi-war” that curtailed American trade with the French Indies.
Yeoman Farmers
Southern independent landowners who were not slaveholders. Although yeoman farmers had connections to the south’s plantation economy, many realized that their interests were not always aligned with those of the planter elite.
