chapter 1 Flashcards
Power
The ability to control someone or something
Authority
Power with the right to control power
Christopher Columbus
Landed in Bahamas and sailed ocean blue in 1492
John Cabot
English sailor trying to find the Northwest Passage
Stamp Act
The 1765 British decree taxing all legal papers issued in the colonies.
King George the III
He created the Proclamation Line (Application Mountains) that limited colonial expansion in North America. He enforced many tax laws on the colonists who thought it unfair without representation in Parliament. This tension started the American Revolution.
Articles of Confederation
The plan, ratified by the states in 1771, that established a national congress with limited powers (it couldn’t tax and raise money) It was replaced by the Constitution.
Legislative Branch
Concerning the branch of government (Congress) that makes laws. Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Parliament
the assembly of representatives who make laws in England.
Boycott
A refusal to buy
American Revolution 1775
1783 an eight year war between the 13 colonies and England. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army. 25,000 american and 10,000 British lost their lives in the war.
Acquit
To declare innocent of a crime of wrong doing.
Boston Tea Party
The 1773 protest against British trade policies in which Patriots boarded vessels of the East India Company and threw the tea cargo into Boston Harbor.
Executive Branch
concerning the branch of government (President and Vice President) that enforces laws.
Judicial Branch
concerning the branch of government (Supreme Court/Federal Courts) that interprets laws and punishes lawbreakers.
Boston Massacre
the clash in 1770 between British troops and a group of Bostonians in which five colonists were killed.
Amendment one
freedom of religion,speech, press, assembly, and petition
Amendment two
right to bear arms
Amendment three
quartering of soldier
Amendment Four
prohibits search and seizure
Declaration of Independence
the document adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States as a nation independent of great Britain
Treaty of Paris (1783)
the treaty ending the revolutionary war.
issue
not an event - is ongoing- has long term effects- is something we can do something about - has two or more sides- If a policy can solve it- It’s not an issue.
Uprising
an act of instance of rising up. Rebellion
Roanoke
site of the first English colony in the America’s started in 1585
Colony
a settlement ruled by a distant parent country
Constitution
our current framework of government- Executive Branch (president) - Legislative Branch (Congress) - Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) established in 1787
Bill of rights
the first ten amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing the basic rights of American citizens
Amendment
A change or a addition to a legal document. This is why the constitution is called “Living Document”. Constitution has 27 amendments
Amendment 5
Prohibits trial for a crime except on indictment of a Grand Jury and double jeopardy. Imminent domain ( the government can take your property if you are compensated for the value).
Amendment 6
Right to a public and speedy trial by an impartial jury
Amendment 7
Right to trial by a jury in civil cases.
Amendment 8
Prohibits imposing cruel, unusual punishments and fines, prohibits granting excessive bails.
Amendment 9
Assures the recognition of those rights that people may have but are not listed here.
Amendment 10
Provides that the powers that are not given to the United States nor prohibited by the constitution are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.
Constitutional Convention
The meeting of state delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 that resulted in the writing of the Constitution.
New Jersey Plan
a plan, unsuccessfully proposed at the Constitutional Convention, providing for a single legislative house with equal representation for each state.
Virginia Plan
a plan, unsuccessfully proposed at the Constitutional Convention, providing for a legislature of two houses with proportional representation in each house and executive and judicial branches to be chosen by the legislature.
Federalist
A person who favored the plan of government created by the Constitution.
Anti-Federalist
A person who opposed ratification of the Constitution.
Frontier Line
The land between civilization and wilderness.
Northwest Territory
The land north of the Ohio River & was created into 5 states.
Surveyed
To measure land to determine the exact boundaries of a given area. Used for townships
Northwest Ordinance
The 1787 law that set forth a plan of government for the townships 36 sq miles at one dollar an acre in the Northwest Territory. Created by Thomas Jefferson. The law banned slavery, gave freedom of religion and trial by jury. 60,000 citizens in territory to apply for statehood.
Republicanism
For the country to thrive its citizens need certain virtues. These include a sense of equality, simplicity, and to sacrifice for the public good.
Louisiana Purchase
The United States’ purchase from France (Napoleon) in 1803 of land west of the Mississippi. Jefferson purchased all 800,000 square miles for $15 million.
Lewis and Clark expeditions
The expeditions from 1804-1806 that explored the Louisiana Territory.