chapters 8 + 9 Flashcards
2nd Continental Congress
The delegates drafted petitions to Britain expressing loyalty to the Crown/hoping to avoid war, & raised money to create an army & navy
Olive Branch Petition
Declared American loyalty to Britain, but King George III rejected it, declaring the colonies in rebellion.
“War of inconsistency”
Period before the Declaration of Independence when fighting had begun but formal independence hadn’t been declared.
Ft. Ticonderoga
Ethan Allen & Benedict Arnold led forces to capture the British Ft., securing vital gunpowder & artillery for use in the Siege of Boston.
Battle of Bunker Hill
(Technically Breed’s Hill), colonists seized the hill & held it against 3 waves of British attack until they ran out of powder & British took the hill on the 4th attack
Common Sense
Book by Thomas Paine that said America should separate from Britain; Republican government is beneficial b/c power flowed from the people themselves, not from a despotic monarch
Declaration of Independence
Richard Henry Lee proposed independence on June 7, 1776, on July 4, 1776, the document was adopted (largely written by Jefferson). Listed grievances against King George III & borrowed ideas from John Locke’s natural rights. The document inspired other revolutions (ex. French Revolution)
Continental Army
Poorly trained army formed after American Revolutionary War by the colonies, Commander-in-Chief was General George Washington
Quebec (Invasion of Canada)
Americans aimed to make Quebec the 14th colony. General Richard Montgomery & Benedict Arnold led invasion but failed (Montgomery killed & Arnold wounded)
Battle of Saratoga
General Howe attacked and “liberated” Philadelphia instead of joining Burgoyne because he wanted to force a general engagement with Washington. As a consequence, Burgoyne was defeated at Saratoga. Considered the turning point in the war because it revived the American cause and made possible much needed aid from France. Spain also joined the American side
Treaty of Alliance (w/France) also alliance with Spain and Holland
Franklin negotiated a treaty with France based on commercial ties rather than military or political connections (provided gunpowder, supplies, & the French navy)
Battle of Newtown
Involved 25% of U.S. troops. Aim was to drive the Iroquois out of NY b/c they supported the Brits & were harassing American settlers (goal was met & the Iroquois died in large numbers)
Treaty of Ft. Stanwix
As a result of their allegiance to the British, the Iroquois were forced to cede most of their land to the U.S.
Battle of Yorktown
British General Cornwallis, trapped at Yorktown by American and French forces, surrendered on October 19, 1781, marking the effective end of the war.
Treaty of Paris (1783)
Brits recognized independence of the U.S. w/ generous boundaries. Americans agreed not to persecute Loyalists & recommend Loyalist property be returned (treaty broken on both sides).
Articles of Confederation
First written constitution of the U.S., ratified in 1781, established weak central government that lacked the power to tax & regulate trade
Newburgh Conspiracy
Mutinous soldiers demanded back pay, Washington quelled the rebellion by giving a speech in which he said, “I have grown old & blind in the service of my country.” (Shortly afterward, Congress approved a plan to pay the soldiers.)
Land Ordinance of 1785
The acreage of the Old Northwest would be sold to pay off national debt. Land was divided into townships of 6 sq. mi. & a section of each town was set aside for a school.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
When a territory had 60,000
people, it could become a
state, enslavement outlawed (enslaved people already present were exempted)
Shays’ Rebellion
Series of protests by poor farmers in the West who lost their farms through mortgage foreclosures due to tax delinquencies (also felt underrepresented in state govt.)
Philadelphia Constitutional Convention
55 delegates from every state except RI, sought to curb “unrestrained democracy” – ensuring security of life & property against uprisings by the “mobocracy”
Virginia Plan
(Madison, “large state” plan): 2 houses, representation based on population in both (gave larger states an advantage)
New Jersey Plan
(Patterson, “small state” plan): 1 house, equal representation regardless of state size (favored small states)
Great Compromise
(Sherman) Equal representation in Senate, representation by population in House
Electoral College
Indirect election of president & vice president, each state receives electors equaling its number of senators & representatives
3/5 Compromise
Enslaved people were counted as 3/5 a person for the purpose of representation (note: they couldn’t vote)
Slave Trade Compromise
To keep SC & GA in the Union, the
convention allowed international slave trade to continue until 1808
“republican motherhood”
Idea that women had an important role as
educators of civic virtue
The Federalist Papers
(Hamilton, Madison, Jay) – supported the Constitution
Bill of Rights
Included in most state constitutions, supported by Anti-Federalists
George Washington
Head of the Continental Army
Ethan Allen
Captured the British garrison (Ft. Ticonderoga)
Benedict Arnold
Captured the British garrison (Ft. Ticonderoga), went up ME through Kennebec RIver while trying to conquer Quebec, held Lake Champlain area & thwarted a British invasion
Henry Knox
Brought goods from Ft. Ticonderoga back to Boston (about 250 miles)
George III
Jefferson’s D. of I. was a long list of grievances against him
Thomas Paine
Wrote Common Sense, believed they should have a more active part in govt. to build their “civic virtue.”
John Locke
“Natural rights” philosophy: life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, borrowed ideas from John Locke
Loyalists
(Tories) Kings, officers, & other beneficiaries of crown, including Anglican church members (about 16% of Americans)
Patriots
(Whigs) Colonists who rebelled against British monarchial control (about 40% of Americans)
Privateers
Brought in much needed gold, harassed the enemy, & raised American morale (about 1,000 of them)
The Marquis de Lafayette
Assisted the Americans (Washington’s Army)
General John Burgoyne
“Gentleman Johnny,” led invasion south from Quebec (encumbered by heavy baggage train & having to cut a road through the woods), defeated at the Battle of Saratoga
General Howe
Attacked & “liberated” Philadelphia instead of joining Burgoyne (he wanted to force a general engagement w/ Washington)
General Cornwallis
Trapped by Washington’s Army in Yorktown, wasn’t present at the British surrender
General Greene
Lost little battles but beat Cornwallis in the long run
George Rogers Clark
(William Clark’s brother), seized 3 British forts in Illinois country w/ only 175 men
John Paul Jones
Most famous American naval officer, said, “I have not yet begun to fight,” shortly before his ship, the Bonhomme Richard, sank due to British attack
Federalists
Wanted a strong central govt. (Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Jay)
Antifederalists
Wanted stronger state gov’ts & a bill of rights, believed the Constitution had been written by “aristocrats” & was anti-democratic (had no bill of rights & states were losing sovereignty), (Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee)
James Madison
The Federalist Papers, The Virginia Plan
Alexander Hamilton
The Federalist Papers, called for Congress to meet in Philadelphia the next year after only 5 delegates arrived at the Annapolis, MD, convention
John Jay
The Federalist Papers
