Personal APUSH Unit 3 Terms

Constitutional Convention

A meeting was held in Philadelphia from May to September 1787, where 55 delegates met to reform the weak government under the Articles of Confederation. Decided to scrap articles and replace them with the constitution. | Resulted from: weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation shown by Shays' Rebellion. Led to: the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

Virginia Plan / New Jersey Plan

Competing legislative proposals at the Constitutional Convention. The Virginia Plan (James Madison) proposed a bicameral legislature with representation based on population; the New Jersey Plan (William Paterson) proposed a unicameral legislature with equal representation per state. | Resulted from: Conflicts between large and small states over legislative representation. Led to: deadlock at the convention that required the Great Compromise.

Great Compromise

Large and small state plans reached a deadlock, and Roger Sherman proposed the Connecticut Plan. Later known as the Great Compromise: House of Representatives-representation based on population. Senate-equal representation with 2 senators per state. | Resulted from: debate between the Virginia and New Jersey plans. Led to: the bicameral legislature of the United States and prevented the convention from turning into a disaster.

Slave Trade Compromise

Agreement in the Constitution that Congress could not prohibit the slave trade for 20 years until 1808, imported slaves, though, could be taxed a little. | Resulted from: Debates between the anti-slavery North and Southern pro-slavery planters. Led to: continuation of the slave trade until 1808.

3/5 Compromise

3/5ths of the enslaved population would be counted for representation in Congress and federal taxes. | Resulted from: Southern states wanting slaves counted for representation but not taxes. North wanted the opposite. Led to: increased political power for southern slave states in the House and the Electoral College.

Federalists

Supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation. Wanted a strong central federal government. Key figures: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay. | Resulted from: the need for stronger central authority and to prevent the disaster that ensued under the Articles of Confederation. Led to: successful ratification of the constitution and federal government with increased authority, with checks and balances in place to prevent monarchy.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the constitution who believed powerful central government would erode state rights and individual liberty. Key figures: Patrick Henry, George Mason, Richard Henry Lee. | Resulted from: fear of monarchical rule and states losing their sovereignty. Led to: demands for individual rights protections, which ended with the adoption of a bill of rights for the Constitution.

Federalist Papers

Collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under a pseudonym to promote ratification of the Constitution. | Resulted from: anti-Federalist opposition in vital states for ratification. Led to: successful ratification and future study of the papers to find the intent of the founding fathers in writing the Constitution

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the US constitution drafted by James Madison. Guaranteed individual liberties and limited federal power. | Resulted from: anti-Federalist pressure and to write in stone promises regarding concerns over liberty to secure successful ratification. Led to: constitutional protection of civil liberties and increased acceptance of the new government.

Report on Public Credit / Report on Manufactures (Hamilton's Financial Plan)

Proposals by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton for federal assumption of state debts, creating a national bank, protective tariffs, and excise taxes to boost American manufacturing. | Resulted from: severe national debt following the Revolutionary War. Led to: establishment of the first Bank of the US and the rise of the 2 party system.

Necessary & Proper Clause

Article 1, Section 8 of the constitution granting congress the power to pass all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its exact powers. | Resulted from: the constitution being designed with flexibility. Led to: implied powers doctrine, justification for Hamilton's national bank, and broad expansion of federal authority (McCulloch v. Maryland).

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 uprising by western Pennsylvania farmers protesting Alexander Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey. Washington led a federal militia and suppressed the rebellion simply by a show of force, no one was harmed. | Resulted from: economic hardship caused by Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey. Led to: example of the new federal government's strong authority and determination to enforce law and order, unlike Shays' Rebellion.

Citizen Genet Affair

1793 controversy caused by French diplomat Charles Genet recruiting American privately owned attackers and ships to attack British ships, violating U.S. neutrality. | Resulted from: the outbreak of war between France and Britain. Led to: Washington issuing the proclamation of neutrality in 1793 and strengthening executive powers on foreign policy.

Jay's Treaty

1794 treaty with Great Britain where Britain agreed to evacuate western frontier posts and pay compensation for seized ships. Failed to address impressment. | Resulted from: British seizure of American Merchant ships and forts on US soil. Led to: protests by Democratic Republicans, temporary peace with Britain.

Pinckney's Treaty

1795 agreement with Spain granting US free navigation of the Mississippi River and the right of deposit, tax free storage of goods in New Orleans. Also called the Treaty of San Lorenzo. | Resulted from: Spanish fears of an Anglo-American alliance after Jay's Treaty. Led to: massive expansion of western trade and settlement in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys.

Washington's Farewell Address

1796 letter by George Washington after retiring from office. Warned against foreign alliances, regional sectionalism, and political parties. | Resulted from: Washington not wanting a 3rd term and intense party division. Led to: future precedent for future presidencies and foreign policy.

XYZ Affair

1797 incident in which French agents called X, Y, Z (names redacted) demanded bribes and loans from American diplomats before negotiating treaty of maritime conflicts. | Resulted from: French outrage over Jay's Treaty and seizure of American merchant ships. Led to: anti-French sentiment and the undeclared quasi-war.

Quasi War

Undeclared naval war (1798-1800) fought only at sea between the US and France. | Resulted from: XYZ affair and French attacks on American shipping. Led to: creating of US navy department and ended with the Convention of 1800 signed under John Adams.

Alien & Sedition Acts

1798 laws passed by the Federalist Congress raising citizenship residency requirements, allowing deportation of non citizens, and making speaking against the federal government a criminal act. | Resulted from: federalist desire to silence republican criticism and suppress French sympathizers during the Quasi-War. Led to: Backlash, civil liberty debates, and the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves.

Virginia & Kentucky Resolves

Political statements drafted anonymously by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison asserting that states had the power to nullify unconstitutional federal laws. | Resulted from: reaction against the Federalist Alien and Sedition Acts. Led to:"compact theory" of the constitution, the US was formed through a compact of individual states, making the federal government an agent of the states rather than a supreme national authority.

Revolution of 1800

Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the presidential election, marking the first peaceful transfer of executive power between opposing political parties. | Resulted from: public anger over Federalist policies like the Alien and sedition acts and heavy taxation. Led to: demise of the Federalist Party.

Judiciary Act of 1801

Law passed by the outgoing Federalist Congress reorganized federal courts and created new judicial posts filled by John Adams with "midnight judges". | Resulted from: Federalists trying to secure control of the judicial branch before Democratic-Republicans took office. Led to: Democratic-Republican outrage and the landmark Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison.

Republican influence on education

Democratic-Republican belief that a functioning democracy required an educated electorate leading to a call for the expansion of public schooling and education for women. | Resulted from: the revolutionary idea of republican motherhood, which said mothers must educate children to be future virtuous citizens. Led to: growth of private academies and gradual expansion of public educational opportunities.

Republican influence on American culture

Shift toward cultural independence from Britain, emphasizing simplicity, agrarian values, democratic nationalism, and distinct American art and literature. | Resulted from: Jeffersonian ideals celebrating the independent yeoman farmer over European aristocracy. Led to: early development of a distinct national identity and literary movement.

Noah Webster

American dictionary composer (lexicographer) who published the American Spelling Book (1783) and An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) to standardize American English. | Resulted from: desires for a distinct American culture separate from British dominance. Led to: standardized spelling and pronunciation across the U.S. and nationalistic pride in education.

Second Great Awakening

Protestant religious revival movement in the late 1790's characterized by emotional camp meetings, evangelicalism, and democratic church structures. | Resulted from: Reaction against rationalism, Deism, and secularism of the Enlightenment era. Led to: rapid growth of Baptist and Methodist denominations and major reform movements (abolition, women's rights).

Eli Whitney / Cotton Gin

1793 invention that mechanically separated cotton seeds from raw fiber, dramatically increasing the processes efficiency. | Resulted from: high demand for raw cotton in British northern textile mills. Led to: massive revitalization of slavery in the Deep South and the "King cotton" economy.

Barbary Pirates

North African pirates (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers) who demanded tribute from merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Jefferson refused payments, leading to the First Barbary War (1801-1805). | Resulted from: loss of British naval protection after the American Revolution. Led to: development of small US naval boats and the demonstration of American military force overseas.

John Marshall / Marbury v. Madison

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall ruled in 1803 on William Marbury's commission, declaring part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional. | Resulted from: William Marbury suing Secretary of State James Madison for withholding his "midnight judge" commission. Led to: establishment of Judicial Review, giving supreme court power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Leader of the successful Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) that overwrote French colonial rule and established Haiti as the first independent Black republic. | Resulted from: Enslaved population rising up inspired by French Revolutionary ideals. Led to: Napoleon abandoning his dreams of a North American empire, directly prompting the sale of the Louisiana territory to the U.S.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 purchase from France of over 800,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for 15 million dollars, doubling the size of the U.S. | Resulted from: Napoleon needing money after losing Haiti and Jefferson wanting control of the port of New Orleans. Led to: westward expansion, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and constitutional debate over Jefferson's broad interpretation of treaty making powers.

Burr Conspiracy

Alleged scheme by former Vice President Aaron Burr in 1806 to create an independent empire in the southwest/Mexico. Burr was tried for treason but acquitted. | Resulted from: Burr's political ruin after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel and losing political influence in the East. Led to: highlights of John Marshall's strict interpretation of treason under the Constitution.

"Continental System" / British Orders in Council

Blockade economic policies by Napoleon (Continental System) and Great Britain (Orders in Council) restricting neutral shipping to Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. | Resulted from: Anglo-French war for commercial and military dominance in Europe. Led to: heavy disruption of American maritime trade, ship seizures, and rising US hostility toward both nations.

Impressment

British practice of forcibly kidnapping American merchant sailors and drafting them into the Royal Navy, claiming they were British deserters. | Resulted from: British manpower shortages during the Napoleonic Wars. Led to: widespread outrage in the US, economic retaliation, and a primary cause of the War of 1812.

Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

1807 naval clash off the coast of Virginia, where British warship HMS Leopard fired upon US frigate USS Chesapeake, killing 3 and capturing 4 sailors via impressment. | Resulted from: British aggressive enforcement of impressment policy near American territorial waters. Led to: intense public anger calling for war, resulting in Jefferson passing the Embargo Act of 1807.

Embargo Act

1807 law passed by Jefferson prohibiting all US exports to foreign ports to force Britain and France to respect American neutrality. | Resulted from: Escalating naval aggression, specifically the Chesapeake-Leopard affair. Led to: devastation of the New England economy, smuggling, political backlash, and eventual repeal in 1809.

Non-Intercourse Act

1809 law that replaced the embargo act, reopening trade with all nations except Great Britain and France, promising to resume trade with whichever nation lifted restrictions first. | Resulted from: economic failure and public outcry over Jefferson's Embargo Act. Led to: continued foreign trade frustration, largely ineffective results, and eventual passage of Macon's Bill #2.

Tecumseh / Prophet

Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother organized a confederacy of Native American tribes east of the Mississippi to resist white western encroachment. | Resulted from: Rapid expansion of American settlers violating native treaties. Led to: native alliances with British forces in Canada and major conflict during the War of 1812.

Battle of Tippecanoe

1811 battle in Indiana, where U.S. forces under Governor William Henry Harrison destroyed Tecumseh's headquarters at Prophetstown. | Resulted from: increasing tensions and land disputes between Harrison and Tecumseh's native confederacy. Led to: the destruction of the native alliance attempt and evidence that the British were supplying arms to Native tribes.

William Henry Harrison

Governor of Indiana territory, military hero of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812, and later elected 9th US president in 1840 ("Tippecanoe and Tyler too"). | Resulted from: military success against Native American forces and British troops in the Old Northwest. Led to: opening up vast Midwest territories for American settlement and Whig political popularity.

War Hawks

Young southern and western Democratic-Republican congressmen (led by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun) who aggressively demanded war against Britain. | Resulted from: Anger over British impressment, trade restrictions, and support for Native attacks on western borders. Led to: congressional pressure on President James Madison to declare the War of 1812.

Battle of New Orleans

January 1815 decisive victory by Andrew Jackson's forces over a superior British Army. Fought 2 weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed (due to communication delays). | Resulted from: British military strategy to capture New Orleans and control the Mississippi River trade. Led to: soaring national pride, rapid rise of Andrew Jackson as a national war hero, and popular perception of an American victory in the war.

Hartford Convention

December 1814 secret meeting of New England Federalists protesting the War of 1812 and proposing constitutional amendments to limit southern political power. | Resulted from: New England economic suffering during the war and dissatisfaction with Democratic-Republican dominance. Led to: Federalist Party branded as unpatriotic/treasonous when news arrived at the same time as the Treaty of Ghent, destroying the party.

Treaty of Ghent

December 1814 peace agreement ending the War of 1812, restoring pre-war boundaries without addressing impressment or neutral rights. | Resulted from: Military stalemate between Great Britain and the US in North America. Led to: Era of Good Feelings, boosted American manufacturing, and increased national sovereignty.

Rush-Bagot Treaty

1817 treaty between the US and Great Britain demilitarizing the Great Lakes region by placing strict limits on naval armaments. | Resulted from: post War of 1812, desires to reduce tensions and military expenses along the US-Canadian border. Led to: an unmilitarized border between the US and Canada and improved long-term Anglo-American relations.

Monroe Doctrine

1823 foreign policy statement by President James Monroe declaring the Western Hemisphere off-limits to future European colonization and intervention. | Resulted from: Fears that all European monarchies (Holy Alliance) would recolonize newly independent Latin American nations. Led to: Foundation of modern US foreign policy in Latin America and assertion of American dominance in the Americas.