Country is Born Flashcards
abolition
the act of ending or abolishing something, such as slavery
Alexander Hamilton
the first secretary of the treasury, leading Federalist, and proponent of a strong federal government
Anti-Federalists
opponents of the U.S. Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.
They didn’t agree with the constitution.
Articles of Confederation
An agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. Ratified in 1781.
Baron von Steuben
Prussian officer who trained and reorganized the Continental Army during the American Revolution
Battle of Bunker Hill
The American Revolution on June 17, 1775
Costly victory for British troops over the patriots in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Battle of Long Island
a 1776 battle in New York in which more than 1,400 colonists were killed, wounded, or captured
Battle of Saratoga
a 1777 battle in New York in which colonial forces won a decisive victory against the British
Battle of Trenton
a 1776 battle in New Jersey in which Continental forces surprised and defeated Hessian troops
Battle of Yorktown
the 1781 American victory in Virginia that forced the British to surrender
Battles of Lexington and Concord
in 1775, the conflicts between Massachusetts colonists and British soldiers that started the Revolutionary War
Benjamin Franklin
an author, inventor, and statesman who helped persuade France to enter the Revolutionary War on the side of the Americans. He was actively involved in framing the Declaration of Independence.
bicameral
an adjective describing a legislative body composed of two chambers
Bill of Rights
Fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the Constitution’s first 10 amendments
blockade
to use troops or ships to cut off access to an enemy location
Boston Massacre
Incident on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers killed five colonists in Boston
Boston Tea Party
a 1773 protest in which colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped tea into Boston Harbor
boycott
to abstain from using or buying something as an act of protest
Charles Cornwallis
general who commanded Britain’s southern forces and surrendered at Yorktown in 1783
Coercive Acts
British laws were enacted in 1774 to punish Boston and the rest of Massachusetts for the destruction of tea during the Boston Tea Party; with Quebec Act, dubbed “Intolerable Acts” by colonists
Committees of Correspondence
groups of colonists formed in the 1770s to spread news and information about protests against the British
Common Sense
a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that argued for independence from Great Britain.
Confiscation Acts
statewide acts that made it legal for state governments to seize loyalists’ property
Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise
the plan proposed for creating a national bicameral legislature in which all states would be equally represented in the Senate and proportionally represented in the House.
Constitutional Convention of 1787
the gathering of state delegates in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which were replaced with the Constitution
Continental Army
a regular fighting force organized by the Second Continental Congress and raised from all of the colonies
Currency Act
a 1764 British law that barred the colonies from issuing their own paper to pay public or private debts to Britain
Daughters of Liberty
a colonial women’s group organized in 1766 as a counterpart to the Sons of Liberty to oppose British policies through boycotts of British goods and other measures.
Declaration of Independence
a 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a free and independent nation.
Declaratory Act
a 1766 British law that repealed the Stamp Act of 1765 but said that Parliament could legislate for the colonies in “all cases Whatsoever”
democracy
form of government in which citizens hold political power
Dunmore’s Proclamation
a decree signed by Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, that proclaimed any slaves or indentured servants who fought alongside the British in the Revolutionary War would be rewarded with their freedom.
duty
an import tax