Road to Revolution (Unit 2) Flashcards
what cultures were at the roots of american order?
Greek & Roman
who were the founding fathers?
55 men who created the Constitution
what were the positives about Greeks?
- belief in democracy
- focus on education
did the FF admire the greek culture?
yes
what were the negatives about the Greeks?
- DIRECT democracy (bad - mob rule)
- political disunity (city states = war, Greece held together culturally but not politically)
what was the significance about the Greeks?
- showed FF how culture could unify people
- showed FF what did not work politically
what did prison mean for a roman?
you worked for a family as a servant (not exactly in a jail)
what did the FF learn from the Romans (& writings of Polybius)
- divided govt. works (separating powers.. 3 areas)
- system of checks & balances
- govt. based on written constitution
- time limits on govt. positions
- representative democracy
- levels/path to citizenship
what is the legislative body in the roman representative democracy?
Senate
what is the significance of the Romans?
- gave FF practical ideas for govt.
- gave WARNING: democracy can fail
what happened to the roman republic?
Roman Republic (democracy) fell & became Roman Empire (Casesars)
what is an aristocracy?
people whose wealth/power is inherited (landowners)
what is the significance of the Magna Carta?
- democracy has more power/is great than monarchy
- rights are no longer arbitrary - are now unalienable
- barons began having meetings to give king advice & over time turned into Parliament (legislature)
what is the USA’s legislature?
Congress
what are the 2 houses Parliament is split into?
House of Lords (aristocracy) & House of Commons (skilled artisans/workers)
what is the Petition of Rights (1628)?
right to ask for a redress of grievances
what is the significance of the Petition of Rights?
right to question govt./authority
what was the English Bill of Rights (1689)?
- Parliament has sole power to make laws
2. role of King is to protect rights of the people (enforce the laws)
in the Period of Salutary Neglect, who was neglecting who?
GB was neglecting American colony
what is a colony?
group of people in one place who are ruled by a govt. in another place
who was america being ruled by?
London, England
why was America being neglected? (4 reasons)
- distance (Atlantic Ocean) - made travel & communication difficult
- Civil War in England - GB preoccupied w/ war, no resources or time to put into colony
- poor quality governors - bad leaders, america wasn’t the “cool” place to be so nooone wanted to come (good leaders stayed in london)
- communication problems w/in America - large area, difficult weather, few roads; avg. person traveled no more than 30 miles beyond birthplace in america
what does salutary mean?
beneficial
how did colonists benefit from being neglected? (2 reasons)
- political freedom - colonists began to govern themselves
2. economic freedom - GB was not strictly enforcing their economic rules/laws (mercantilism)
what were some examples of the colonists governing themselves? (2)
- Mayflower Compact - agreement among early settlers for self-govt.
- assemblies - local legislative bodies in America, House of Burgesses in Virginia
what were the rules of mercantilism?
- colony could only trade w/ mother country (could not trade w/ French, Indians, Spanish, etc.)
- colony could not produce finished goods (no industry in colony)
what was the significance of the Period of S.N.?
- colonists have a lot of political/economic freedoms
2. GB protects colonists from enemies (rival = France)
what was special about the end date of the FR & Indian War?
it was the same as the end date for the Period of S.N.
how long was the FR & Indian War?
7 years
what was GB situation leading up to the FR & Indian War?
- 13 colonies
- eastern seaboard
- growing pop. (in America) but not enough land
what was France’s situation leading up to the FR & Indian War?
- controlled Canada & interior of North America
- small pop., but abundance of land
- build forts
what was the result of the FR & Indian War?
GB wins & in Treaty of Paris, GB got control of Canada & all lands east of Mississippi River
what were the effects of the FR & Indian War for GB?
- increase in land (& therefore, responsibility/costs)
- huge increase in debt
- public becomes resentful of colonists (think they’re not doing enough)
what were the effect of the FR & Indian War for the colonists?
- increase in land (& therefore opportunity - farmers)
- winners (part of most powerful empire in world)
- main enemy (FR) is gone
- distrust British policies (their soldiers would take food & supplies w/out paying)
- impressment (British forcing colonists to be in military)
what was the significance of the FR & Indian War?
- turning point in relationship between GB & colonists
- end of Salutary Neglect
who led the uprising in America in 1763?
the rich & powerful - unusual bc rich & powerful don’t usually rebel against system that benefits them
how did the colonists feel about being British/English?
- very happy & blessed to be British
- proud to be part of largest empire in world, part of winners
- loved British culture
how long does it take to get a letter from Boston to NYC?
2 weeks
who had power in England?
the aristocracy (powerful & wealthy who were born into it, family)
what did the English leaders think of the FF?
British aristocracy views FF as being beneath them, not as important nor as refined
FF not getting respect
what did the british want to limit that lead to the formation of the Proclamation Line?
costly wars with the Native Americans
what was the Proclamation Line (the rule GB set)?
colonists could not go west of Appalachian Mts.
what led to the colonists breaking the Proclamation line?
they’re used to making their own decisions & needed more land
why was the Proclamation Line difficult to enforce?
- size of Appalachian Mts. (distance)
2. too costly to enforce
why did the British want the colonists to participate in the Stamp Act?
British wanted colonists to pay part of the cost of supporting the British troops
how much the British troops want the colonists to pay for the troops?
1/3 of the costs of defending them
what was the stamp act? like what was being taxed?
a tax on almost anything printed (legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, playing cards, books, & marriage licenses)
what is different about the Stamp Act?
it affects everybody yet has nothing to do with trade
what did the colonists cry out in response to the Stamp Act?
“No taxation without representation!”
did the colonists want to be represented in parliament?
no bc they’d be a minority & outvoted all the time
what did the colonists really want as far as representation goes?
the right to tax themselves - they were already represented through Colonial assemblies
what did the colonists believe about parliament & representation and what did the British believe?
they believed Parliament had the right to establish legislation but not taxes - British govt. disagreed & said virtual representation was better (where every member of Parliament thought of the colonists when making decisions)
colonial reaction: what kind of actions were taken bc of the Stamp Act?
- American colonists began to unit to fight the Stamp Act
- Non Importation Agreements to boycott British Goods
- Son/Daughters of Liberty - enforced the boycotts, tarred & feathered people, etcc.
what was the conclusion of the Stamp Act?
- boycotts begin to work & British repeal the stamp act
- at same time, British pass Declaratory Act
what region was most violent/rebellious?
New England region
where does GB send more troops?
Boston
why does GB send troops to Boston?
to get control & arrest the colonial protest leaders
what was the Boston Massacre used as?
propaganda
what is propaganda?
systematic & widespread promotion of one’s viewpoint (exaggeration) in order to convince others to side with you
how many colonists were killed in Boston Massacre?
5 - Crispus Atticks was one of them
what time of day was the Boston Massacre
nighttime
what kind of weapons did colonists have in boston massacre?
- snowballs/ice
- clubs
what did Paul Revere do after the Boston Massacre?
did an engraving/painting & titled it “The Bloody Massacre”
what did the British East India co. have?
surplus of tea
what was British east india co. on verge of?
bankruptcy
how did Parliament “save” the british east india co.?
by allowing them to import the tea to america w/out paying the tax
what was the short term effect of b.e.i co. importing tea w/out tax?
colonists get tea cheaper
what was the long term effect of the b.e.i. co. not having to pay the tax?
B.E.I. became a monopoly (one that dominates the market)
what was the significance of the boston tea party?
- protest
- refused to import b.e.i. tea, colonists dumped tea in boston harbor (destroying private property)
how did the British view the boston tea party?
saw it as a threat to their authority - decided to punish Boston & all of Massachusetts
what did the colonists call the acts passed in 1774?
Intolerable Acts
what did GB call the acts passed in 1774?
Coercive acts (coerce = force)
why did GB pass the interolerable/coercive acts?
to punish colonists for action from boston tea party
how were the intolerable/coercive acts carried out?
- closed port of boston (cut off trade/fishing, destroyed their economy)
- close all colonial assemblies in Massachusetts (took away political rights)
what was the significance of the intolerable/coercive acts?
- breaking pt. in relationship between colonists & GB
- other colonies see as threat to them, therefore colonies organize themselves (1st continental congress)
who was the author of Common Sense?
Thomas Paine
who was the audience of Common Sense?
average people (farmers/laborers/small merchants)
what was the purpose of common sense?
to convince colonists to rebel?
what was the impact of Common Sense?
becomes a best seller
-newspapers/read at gatherings
becomes very influential
what are Paine’s 2 main arguments/reasons in Common Sense?
- economics
2. protection
how does Paine disprove the statement “colonists have flourished under British rule (made money)?
colonists don’t need GB bc colonists can trade w/ everyone (they’re famers, they can trade w/ others & everyone needs food)
how does Paine disprove the argument that GB offers protection we can’t give up?
America is a colony of GB, GB has enemies, therefore America has enemies - so get rid of GB, & we won’t have their enemies
what does “Ol receive the fugitive & prepare in time an asylum for mankind” mean?
fugitive = freedom
asylum (safe place) = America
prepare = break away from GB
basically, embrace freedom & break away from GB to have this freedom in America for everyone
what were the 2 things that needed/were accomplished at the 2nd Continental Congress?
- prepare for war
2. created a committe
how did the 2nd Continental Congress prepare for war?
organized an army - George Washington in charge of that
how did the 2nd Continental Congress create a committee (to write Declaration of Independence)?
- Thomas Jefferson leads committee
- Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson
- was a formal explanation of Lee’s Resolution
what is Lee’s Resolution?
simple statement of America’s independence
if you have Lee’s Resolution, then why write the Declaration of Independence? (3 reasons)
- needed to explain their actions to the world (Revolution was looked down upon)
- rally colonists to the cause (propaganda)
- invite assistance from foreign nations (especially French, who were arch enemies of English & wanted revenge for FR/Indian War)
How was the Declaration of Independence written?
based on social contract theory developed by John Locke
who was John Locke?
an English political philosopher
what are the 3 parts of Locke’s social contract theory?
- Natural Rights
- State of Nature
- Consent of the Governed
what are Natural Rights?
each person has certain natural rights, including 3 basic unalienable rights:
- life
- liberty
- property
what are unalienable rights?
cannot be taken away or forfeited
what did Jefferson change the natural right of property to?
changes it to Pursuit of Happiness in Declaration of Independence
explain the natural right of State of Nature
- no govt. or man made laws will result in anarchy
- Locke said society is generally organized but property causes problems
- therefore, govt. is formed to protect our natural rights
explain the natural right of the Consent of the Governed
- govt. can only rule if people want it to rule
- if govt. fails to protect our rights, then people can change the govt. (bc we give govt. its authority in democracy)
who does Jefferson specifically blame in the Declaration of Independence?
the King of England
why does Jefferson specifically blame the King of England in the Declaration of Independence?
bc its the King’s duty to protect the peoples’ rights & he failed to do so
what are 3 examples of evidence Jefferson provides in the Declaration of Independence that prove the King failed to protect the peoples’ rights?
- “for quartering large bodies of troops among us”
- “for cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world”
- “for imposing Taxes on us without our Consent”
what did Thomas Paine write & what did Thomas Jefferson write?
Thomas Paine - Common Sense
Thomas Jefferson - Declaration of Indepence
