Top 99

Jamestown

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement, was founded in 1607.

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Mayflower Compact

An agreement signed by the Pilgrims in 1620 promising to consult each other about laws for the colony

New England Colonies

They were all founded for religious purposes

Middle Colonies

They are known as the Breadbasket Colonies because they grew large amounts of oats and grains

James Oglethorpe

He founded the colony of Georgia as a safe place for debtors and prisoners and also as a buffer region from Spanish Florida

William Penn

Was the founder of Pennsylvania.  Here he promised religious freedom to all people, especially the Quakers

Southern Colonies

Were founded for economic reasons.  Main way of living is farming & large plantations

Mercantilism

The practice of creating and maintaining wealth by carefully controlling trade.

Boycott

To refuse to buy certain goods, a common protest method used before the American Revolution

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

A trading system in which goods and slaves moved between the colonies, Africa and the West Indies

Magna Carta

Signed in 1215, was the first document that limited the power of the ruler.

English Bill of Rights

Protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights

Virginia House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the new world.

Treaty of Paris 1763

It ended the French and Indian War and effectively kicked the French out of North America

Proclamation of 1763

Law forbidding English colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains

Civil Disobedience

The act of peacefully refusing to obey certain laws as a form of protest

Committees of Correspondence

An organization created by the Sons of Liberty that helped colonists communicate information before the American Revolution

King George III

Was the King of England who taxed the colonies and refused the Olive Branch Petition leading to the final break with the colonies

Thomas Jefferson

He wrote the Declaration of Independence; founder of the Democratic - Republican Party

Thomas Paine

He wrote the pamphlets Common Sense and The Crisis to encourage American independence

Crispus Attucks

An African-American who was the first victim in the Boston Massacre

Wentworth Cheswell

He was an African American “midnight rider” who rode through Massachusetts warning colonists the British were coming

Mercy Otis Warren

She was a poet and playwright who wrote plays that made fun of the British.  Her plays were pieces of propaganda prior to the American Revolution

Haym Soloman

He was a financier for the colonies during the Revolution. He loaned money to the US to help them fight Great Britain

James Armistead

He was a slave who served a spy for the Americans during the Revolution by posing as a runaway slave

Bernardo de Galvez

He helped during the Revolution by buying Spanish weapons and supplies for the colonial army AND allowing Patriots to use the port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River

Declaration of Independence

A document written by Thomas Jefferson, listing grievances against the King and declaring the colonies independent from England

Declaration of Independence

It was signed on July 4, 1776

Lexington and Concord

The first battles of the American Revolution

Valley Forge

The site of Washington’s encampment during the winter of 1777-1778.  More than ⅕ of the soldiers died from disease or starvation

The Battles of Saratoga

The turning point of the American Revolution

The American victory at Yorktown

Virginia signaled the end of the American Revolution

The Treaty of Paris 1783

It ended the American Revolution and forced Britain to recognize the United States as an independent nation

Sam Adams

A member of the Sons of Liberty who started the Committee of Correspondence to stir public support for American independence

Articles of Confederation

It was the first American constitution.  It was a very weak document that limited the power of the Congress by giving states the final authority over all decisions

Northwest Ordinance

A policy of establishing the principles and procedures for allowing new states to be added to the Union

Abigail Adams

She was married to John Adams and spoke out about including women’s rights in the new Constitution

Constitution of the United States

It was written in 1787

The Great Compromise

It created two houses of Congress. One based on population (House of Representatives), the other gave equal representation to each state (Senate)

Representative Government

A system of government in which voters elect representatives to make laws for them

Alexander Hamilton

The leader of the Federalist Party, first Treasurer of the United States, and was killed in a duel by the Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr

James Madison

He is considered to be the “Father of the Constitution

Checks and Balances

A system set up by the Constitution in which each branch of the federal government has the power to check, or control, the actions of the other branches

Federalism

The sharing of power between the states and the national government

Separation of Powers

A system in which each branch of government has its own powers

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that people have the political authority in the government

Federalists

They were supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong national government

Anti-Federalists

People opposed to the Constitution, preferring more power to be given to the state governments than to the national government

George Mason

An Anti-Federalist who strongly opposed the ratification of the Constitution

Charles Montesquieu

He came up with the idea that governments should be divided into three separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial

William Blackstone

He created the idea of checks and balances

John Locke

He said that all men are born with natural rights that should be protected by the government AND that the government is an agreement between the rulers and those being ruled

George Washington’s Farewell Address

It advised the United States to avoid national debt, spoke against foreign alliances, and suggested avoiding political parties

John Marshall

He was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he helped strengthen the judicial branch by establishing its power to declare laws unconstitutional

Marbury v. Madison

Was the court decision that gave the Supreme Court the right to determine whether a law violates the Constitution. It sets up the principle of judicial review