French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)
(1754-1763) War fought between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area.
-The English won.
Ohio Valley
-Land around the Ohio River; west of the Appalachian Mountains
-Fought over by British and French
Albany Plan
-Proposed by B. Franklin
-Attempt to get 13 colonies to join together to fight the French
Results of the French and Indian War
-England got all of Canada & land east of Mississippi River
-England was in debt
Proclamation of 1763
Order by King George that closed the land west of the Appalachian Mountains to settlement by colonists. (A line that prevented colonists from moving west.)
King George III
British Monarch during French and Indian War and American Revolution
Stamp Act
Placed a tax on everyday items
-Legal Documents (marriage licenses, birth certificates)
-Taxed dice, cards
Boycott
A refusal to buy or use something.
Repeal
to cancel; to get rid of
Townshend Acts (1767)
Tax on lead, paint, tea, glass, and paper.
Goods came from England
Writs of Assistance
Legal document that enabled officers to search homes and warehouses for goods that might be smuggled
Duty
A tax on imported goods
Tea Act
-Allowed British East India Company to sell tea to the colonists at a lower price.
-Led to the Boston Tea Party
Continental Congress
-An assembly composed of delegates from the 13 colonies
-Met in Philadelphia
Delegate
A person appointed or elected to represent others
Common Sense
-Written by Thomas Paine in 1776
-Urged colonists to support independence
John Locke's Natural Rights
Life, Liberty, and Property
Thomas Jefferson's Inalienable Rights
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness
Declaration of Independence
-Signed in July 1776
-It declared the United States as a free state/country
Quartering Act
-Colonists had to provide food and shelter to British Troops
Constitution
A written plan for a government.
Articles of Confederation
-1st government of the United States
-13 States worked together
-Created a weak national government and strong states
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
-No president
-The Congress couldn't enforce its laws
-National government could only borrow money, couldn't tax
Shays Rebellion
-Led by Daniel Shays, a farmer from Massachusetts
-National government didn't have the power to stop the rebellion
-Government needs to change
Constitutional Convention
-55 men met to revise the Articles of Confederation
-In Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA
George Washington
Elected president of the convention
James Madison
“Father of Constitution”
Proposed the Virginia Plan
Issues to address
-Distribution of power
-Individual rights
-How states are represented
-Slavery
Virginia Plan
-Favored states with larger populations
-3 Branches
-Representation was proportional = larger states = more representatives
Bicameral
2 Houses
a) Lower House
b) Upper House
(# of Representatives based on population)
New Jersey Plan
-Proposed by William Patterson
-Each state = 1 vote
-Made smaller states equal to larger states
Unicameral Legislature
1 House Congress
Executive Branch
(President, Vice President)
Enforces the laws
Judicial Branch
(Court System)
Decide on the law
Legislative Branch
(Congress)
Make the laws
Roger Sherman
Proposed the Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise
Compromise
An agreement where each side gives in a little to make both sides happy
House of Representatives
The lower house of the United States Congress
-Representation based on population
Senate
The upper house of the United States Congress
-2 Senators/state = Equal representation
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement where each slave counted as 3/5 of a person for determining representation and taxation.
Electoral College
A group that elects the president
Slave Trade
Ended 1808
Federalists
Individuals that supported the constitution
Federalists Key Leaders
Alexander Hamilton
James Madison
John Jay
Federalist Papers
A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison to defend the Constitution
Anti-Federalists
People who opposed the Constitution
Northern Three-Fifths Compromise
Taxation
Southern Three-Fifths Compromise
Representation
Article 1
Legislative Branch
(Congress) Makes the laws
Article 2
Executive Branch
(President, Vice President) Enforces the laws
Article 3
Judicial Branch
(Court System) Decides on the laws
Article 4
Explains relationship between states and national government
Article 5
Describes when and how the Constitution can be changed
Article 6
Declares the Constitution “Supreme Laws of the Land”
Article 7
Describes how the Constitution was to be ratified