Vocabulary HP 3 Flashcards
French and Indian War
(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area. The English won.
Mercantilism
An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought.
Benjamin Franklin
Printer, author, inventor, diplomat, statesman, and Founding Father. One of the few Americans who was highly respected in Europe, primarily due to his discoveries in the field of electricity. He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.
George Greenville
Prime Minister of England, began enforcing 1763 Navigation Acts strictly and instituted other taxes the colonists found unbearable.
French and Indian War
(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley Area. The English won.
Pontiac’s Rebellion
1763 - An Indian uprising after the French and Indian War, led by an Ottowa chief named Pontic. They opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when Pontiac was killed.
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.
Iroquois Confederacy
An alliance of five northeastern Amerindian peoples (after 1722 six) that made decisions on military and diplomatic issues through a council of representatives. Allied first with the Dutch and later with the English, it dominated New England.
Little Turtle
Chief of the Miami who led a Native American alliance that raided U.S. settlements in the Northwest Territory. He was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Greenville. Later, he became an advocate for peace.
Stamp Act
An act passed by the British parliament in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents.
Committees of Correspondence
Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies.
Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, 4 acts were passed in 1774, the port of Boston closed, reduced the power of assemblies in colonies, permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere, provided for quartering of troops in barns and empty houses.
Jay’s Treaty
Treaty was signed in 1794 between the U.S. and Britain in which Britain sought to improve trade relations and agreed to withdraw from forts in the northwest territory.
Pinckney’s Treaty
1795 and established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. It also defined the boundaries of the United States with the Spanish colonies and guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River.
Sons of Liberty
A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. They incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies. The Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
Mercy Otis Warren
American writer and playwright and was known as the “Conscience of the American Revolution”.
Loyalists vs. Patriots
Loyalists were loyal to England and the throne. After the war, some still lived in America, but others were driven out. Patriots were those who were for the United States. They were the ones who fought for freedom and were patriotic for America. Loyal to colonists.
Washington’s Farewell Address
Warned Americans not to get involved in European affairs, not to make permanent alliances, not to form political parties and to avoid sectionalism.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
A French man who believed that human beings are naturally good and free and can rely on their instincts. Government should exist to protect common good and be a democracy; social contract.
Adam Smith
Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics. Seen today as the father of capitalism. Wrote on the wealth of nations (1776); one of the key figures of the Scottish enlightenment.
Common Sense
A pamphlet that was written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation.
Articles of Confederation
First governing document of US; Created a weak central government; issues with trade-different currencies in each state, tariffs on goods traded between states.
Constitutional Convention
Meeting in 1787 of the elected representatives of the thirteen original states to write the Constitution of the United States.
Kentucky and Virginia Resolution
Political declarations in favor of states’ rights, written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, in opposition to the Alien and Sedition acts. Maintained that states could nullify federal legislation they regarded as unconstitutional.
Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America’s women in the new government he was helping to create.
Battle of Fallen Timbers
Battle between American and Native Americans forces in 1794 over Ohio territory that led to defeat of the native Americans.
Shay’s Rebellion
Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.
Tidewater Region
Name given to Coastal area in the Southern colonies.
Corridors
A strip of natural habitat that connects separated populations.
Vaqueros
Skilled riders who herded cattle on ranches in Mexico, California, and the Southwest.
Northwest Ordinance
Document that set up government in NW territory and added 5 new states.
Coercive Acts
This series of laws were very harsh laws that intended to make Massachusetts pay for its resistance. It also closed down the Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined tea. Also forced Bostonians to shelter soldiers in their own homes.
Writs of Assistance
It was part of the Townshend Acts. It said that the customs officers could inspect a ship’s cargo without giving a reason. Colonists protested that the Writs violated their rights as British citizens.
Quebec Act
Extended boundaries of Quebec and granted equal rights to Catholics and recognized legality Catholic Church in the territory; colonists feared this meant that a pope would soon oversee the colonies.
Declaratory Act
Act passed in 1766 after the repeal of the stamp act; stated that Parliament had authority over the colonies and the right to tax and pass legislation “in all cases whatsoever.”
Albany Plan of Union
Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown.
Edward Braddock
A British commander during the French and Indian War. He attempted to capture Fort Duquesne in 1755. He was defeated by the French and the Indians. At this battle, he was mortally wounded.
Salutary Neglect
An English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies.
Massachusetts Circular Letter
A letter written in Boston and circulated through the colonies in February 1768, which urged the colonies not to import goods taxed by the Townshend Acts. Boston, New York, and Philadelphia agreed to non-importation.
Stamp Act Congress
Meeting where the members agreed that only the colonial governments could tax the colonists.
Patrick Henry
“Give me liberty or give me death”; Speech in the Virginia Convention. A member of the Virginia House of Burgesses who persuaded the burgesses to take action against the Stamp Act.
James Otis
A colonial lawyer who defended (usually for free) colonial merchants who were accused of smuggling. Argued against the writs of assistance and the Stamp Act.
Samuel Adams
American Revolutionary leader and patriot, Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence.
John Dickinson
Drafted a declaration of colonial rights and grievances, and also wrote the series of “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania” in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts. Although an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies, he opposed the Revolution, and, as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, refused to sign the Declaration of Independence.
John Jay
1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, negotiated with British for Washington.
Suffolk Resolves
Agreed to by delegates from Suffolk county, Massachusetts, and approved by the First Continental Congress on October 8, 1774. Nullified the Coercive Acts, closed royal courts, ordered taxes to be paid to colonial governments instead of the royal government, and prepared local militias.
Olive Branch Petition
On July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775, passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies.
Thomas Jefferson
He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third president of the United States.
Economic sanctions
Boycotts, embargoes, and other economic measures that one country uses to pressure another country into changing its policies.
Land Ordinance of 1785
A major success of the Articles of Confederation. Provided for the orderly surveying and distribution of land belonging to the US.
Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the Revolution in which British general Thomas Gage went after the stockpiled weapons of the colonists in Concord, Massachusetts.
Battle of Bunker Hill
First major battle of the Revolutions. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and was in British hands. However, the British suffered more deaths.
Battle of Saratoga
Turning point of the American Revolution. It was very important because it convinced the French to give the U.S. military support. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson n River, and, most importantly, showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy, Great Britain.
Battle of Yorktown
Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.
Treaty of Paris 1783
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.
Molly Pitcher
Heroine of the American Revolution who carried water to soldiers and took over her husband’s gun when he was wounded, real name was Mary Ludwig Hays (Mary McCauley).
James Madison
“Father of the Constitution,” federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.
Alexander Hamilton
1789-1795: first secretary of the treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.
Federalists
Supporters of the Constitution that were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. They firmly believed the national government should be strong. They did not want the Bill of Rights because they felt citizens’ rights were already well protected by the Constitution.
Anti-Federalist
A group who opposed the ratification of the Constitution in 1787. They opposed a strong central government (tyranny) and supported states’ rights. “I smell a rat.”
Bill of Rights
First 10 amendments
Alien & Sedition Acts
Acts passed by federalists giving the government power to imprison or deport foreign citizens and prosecute critics of the government.
Excise Tax
Government imposes a tax on specific goods and services such as alcohol, cigarettes, gasoline, and airline.
Treaty of Greenville
This treaty between the Americans and the Native Americans. In exchange for some goods, the Indians gave the United States territory in Ohio. Anthony Wayne was the American representative.
Public Land Act 1796
Established orderly procedures for dividing and selling federal lands at reasonable prices. Encouraged new state settlement and founded VT, KY, and TN.
Annapolis Convention
A convention held in September 1786 to consider problems of trade and navigation, attended by five states and important because it issued the call to Congress and the states for what became the Constitutional Convention.
Virginia Plan
“Large state” proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.
New Jersey Plan
Opposite of the Virginia Plan, it proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote. This created a conflict with representation between bigger states, who wanted control befitting their population, and smaller states, who did not want to be bullied by larger states.
Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan)
Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature (Senate) and representation based on population in the other house (House of Representatives).
Three Fifths Compromise
Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.
Electoral College
A certain number if electors from each state proportional to and seemingly representative of that state’s population. Each elector chooses a candidate believing they are representing their constituency’s choice. The candidate who receives a higher proportion of electoral votes within a state receives all the electoral votes for that state.
Henry Knox
In 1775, George Washington ordered him, the nation’s first secretary of war, to bring the British artillery back to the siege of Boston that was captured at Fort Ticonderoga.
Revolution of 1800
Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans unseated the incumbent federalist party. It was the first time in a western government where a change in the ruling power had occurred so radically, peacefully, and without bloodshed.
Citizen Genet
French diplomat who in 1793 tried to draw the United States into the war between France and England (1763-1834).
XYZ Affair
An insult to the American delegation when they were supposed to be meeting French foreign minister, Talleyrand, but instead they were sent 3 officials Adams called “X, Y, and Z” that demanded $250,000 as a bribe to see Talleyrand.
Whiskey Rebellion
In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton’s excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay’s Rebellion.
Judiciary Act 1789
Established us federal judiciary-supreme court-13 district courts.
