Vocab Unit 3 Flashcards
Albany Plan of Union
Placed the British North American colonies under a more centralized government
French and Indian War/7 years’
War provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, and ended with the Treaty of Paris which ultimately led to the American Revolution.
Pontiac’s Rebellion
A war between a large alliance of Native American nations and the British colonial army in the Ohio Country and around the Great Lakes.
The British Empire was forced to reconsider its policy toward Native Americans, ultimately recognizing Indigenous autonomy.
Proclamation of 1763
Prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the French and Indian War
Stamp Act Congress
Claimed that American colonists were equal to all other British citizens, protested no taxation without representation, and stated that, without colonial representation in Parliament, Parliament could not tax colonists.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Helped organize colonist dissent and resistance to British policies. The boycotts implemented by the Sons and upheld by the Daughters forced the British to understand how serious the colonists’ grievances were.
Declaratory Act
Stated that Parliament could make laws binding the American colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”
Writs of Assistance
An order directing that a party convey, deliver, or turn over a deed, document, or right of ownership
Townshend Acts
Initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Nonimportation. In response to new taxes, the colonies again decided to discourage the purchase of British imports.
Boston Massacre
Marked the moment when political tensions between British soldiers and American colonists turned deadly.
Committees of Correspondence
Establish a system of communication with other assemblies in the other colonies, educate the townspeople on their political rights, and obviously, rally support to the cause of American independence against British rule.
Intolerable Acts
Series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party.
Quebec Act
Established the procedures of governance for the Province of Quebec. Great Britain acquired the territory from France under the 1763 Treaty of Paris. The Act defined the structure of the provincial government by creating a governor who was supported by a legislative council.
John Locke- social contract
Obligation to obey civil government under the social contract was conditional upon the protection of the natural rights of each person, including the right to private property. Sovereigns who violated these terms could be justifiably overthrown.
Thomas Paine- Common Sense
Case for independence and directly attacked the political, economic, and ideological obstacles to achieving it. Paine relentlessly insisted that British rule was responsible for nearly every problem in colonial society.
First Continental Congress
Formally declared that colonists should have the same rights as Englishmen.
Lexington and Concord
Marked the start of the American War of Independence (1775-83). Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence.
Patriots vs. Tories
Colonists who supported the British cause in the American Revolution were Loyalists, often called Tories, or, occasionally, Royalists or King’s Men. George Washington’s winning side in the war called themselves “Patriots.”
Battle of Trenton
The first victory the colonials had for a long time. This helped Washington convince his soldiers to keep fighting when they were ready to give up and go home
Battle of Saratoga
The Continental Army persevered and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Saratoga. They decimated Burgoyne’s troops, cut off supply routes.
Yorktown
Victory at Yorktown led directly to the peace negotiations that ended the war in 1783 and gave America its independence.
Treaty of Paris
Recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory.
Republican Motherhood
Women were responsible for the early education of the boys who would someday become voting citizens.
Articles of Confederation
Served as the United States’ first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.
Land Ordinance of 1785 & 1789
Laid out the process by which lands West of the Appalachian Mountains were to be surveyed and sold.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory.
Shay’s Rebellion
Violent insurrection in the Massachusetts countryside during 1786 and 1787, Shays’ Rebellion was brought about by a monetary debt crisis at the end of the American Revolutionary War
Constitutional Convention
Met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation
Annapolis Convention
Constructing uniform parameters to regulate trade between states during a time of political turbulence and economic strain
Alexander Hamilton
First Secretary of the Treasury during President Washington’s administration. As Secretary, he organized the National Bank, the first U. S. monetary system, the tax system, the Customs Service, and established the national debt
James Madison
US Statesman and political theorist. He was the 4th President of the US from 1809-1817. He is credited with the name “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Federalism
A system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government.
Separation of Powers
The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.
Checks and Balances
Principle of government under which separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power
Virginia Plan
Outlined a strong national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The plan called for a legislature divided into two bodies (the Senate and the House of Representatives) with proportional representation.
New Jersey Plan
Designed to protect the security and power of the small states by limiting each state to one vote in Congress, as under the Articles of Confederation.
Great Compromise
Unique plan for congressional representation resolved the most controversial aspect of the drafting of the Constitution.
⅗ Compromise
Determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state’s total population for legislative representation and taxation.
Commercial Compromise
Established that the power to regulate foreign and interstate (between states) commerce would be a Congressional power.
Electoral College system
The process of using electors comes from the Constitution. It was a compromise between a popular vote by citizens and a vote in Congress.
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Federalists believed that the United States should form a strong central government to unite the states, while antifederalists believed that the states should maintain the same level of power and authority with only a weak central government.
Amendment Process
A change to the Constitution of the United States: proposal with 2/3 vote in House and Senate, then notification to the governor of each state, 3/4 of states must ratify it, once 3/4 of states ratify it then it is published and becomes a part of the Constitution.
Bill of Rights
It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion.
