DCUSH Unit 2 EXAM

Tocqueville’s 5 Founding Ideals

1. Liberty: Abstract concept of freedom from unnecessary restriction.

2. Individualism: Principle of being independent and free from collective/state control

3. Laissez-faire: Policy of letting things take their own course without government intervention

4. Egalitarianism: Principle that all people are equal and have equal opportunities

5. Populism: A political approach that intends to appeal to ordinary people who feel their concerns are disregarded by the rich elite.

Salutary Neglect

Idea that Britain allowed the colonies to self-govern

• Sense of independence among colonists.

 Writs of Assistance

An order allowing authorized British custom officials to search colonists’ homes for smuggled goods without a warrant

 Sugar Act

Taxed Sugar (+textiles & luxuries like wine, coffee, indigo)

• First tax passed to raise revenue and regulate trade → Angered colonists 

• Stricter enforcement of Navigation Laws

  Stamp Act- what was it? Why did it cause alarm in the colonies?

Taxed all documents like cards and certificates– colonists upset that they were taxed without representation/electoral powers in Parliament 

• Led to boycotts and Sons of Liberty

Aim of Stamp Act Congress?

a colonial gathering of delegates from nine colonies in New York City, to protest British policy as they believed that only colonial representatives could tax them (“No Taxation Without Representation”).

  Committees of Correspondence

 A secret organization founded by Samuel Adams intending as a way for information to be passed between colonies.

Boston Massacre

A confrontation that included British soldiers protecting the customs house being faced by Americans who yelled at them which led to the soldiers firing into the crowd and killing 5 people including an African American.

 Describe Paul Revere’s picture of the Boston Massacre and its importance

Paul Revere’s famous artwork, The Boston Massacre, was a piece of political propaganda. It played a huge role in establishing colonial resistance against British Rule. It portrays British soldiers firing into an open crowd of colonists on the street. The British soldiers killed 5 people, including an African American named Crispus Attucks. The court defended the British soldiers, with the lawyer John Adams.

Saratoga consequences

Proved America was vapable, Led to a military alliance with France which gave the US soldiers, naval fleet, and money

Yorktown significance

The patriot victory at Yorktown convinced the British that the war was too costly therefore granting independence to the United States.

Government powers/weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation

• Government could not regulate trade or collect taxes

• gov. Could not enforce any that it passed

• Congress was able to deal with foreign nations and Native Americans

• Congress could make laws, declare war, coin or borrow money, and run a postal service.

  Accomplishments of Articles of Confederation including Land Ordinance 1785

• It established a postal service

• set up the Northwest land ordinance which created a rule for establishing new colonies in the Northwest region

• Designed the first National Congress 

Northwest Ordinance 1787

Congress developed a system for land sales and settlement in Northwest territory. The Northwest Ordinance developed a system to survey and sell public lands, prohibiting slavery in the territory, and guaranteeing certain rights to settlers, including religious freedom and public education.

  Shays’ Rebellion

After economic depression from American Revolution, farmers had difficulty paying back taxes/debts– state government seized their farms/imprisoned them

• Daniel Shays leads revolt of 1,000 Massachusetts farmers 

• US government couldn’t raise an army or enforce laws

• Massachusetts had difficulty stopping the revolt

The Articles of Confederation gave the federal government too little power– US needs a strong, central government 

Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, Great Compromise

Virginia Plan- The Virginia Plan was created and drafted by James Madison, presented by Edmund Randolph during the Constitutional Convention. It includes the creation of a unicameral Congress with representation based upon population.

New Jersey Plan- A proposal at the constitutional convention that favored smaller states by giving each state equal representation in a unicameral congress which maintained the one vote per state structure of the Articles of Confederation.

Great Compromise -  The creation of a two house Congress with equal representation for all states in the Senate and population based representation in the House of Representatives. Resolved disagreement between large and small states.

Examples of checks and balances

• President’s veto over a bill created by Congress

• Supreme Court’s power of judicial review to declare laws unconstitutional.

 Slavery compromises in Constitution (2)

• Enslaved people were counted as ⅗ of a free person ( because smaller Southern states got more power if their slaves were represented )

• Fugitive slave cause: slaves who escaped to free states were to be returned to their owners

• Couldn’t ban slave trade until 1808

 Albany Plan of Union

delegates from seven colonies adopted the Albany Plan of Union with Benjamin Franklin leading it. It provided a single government body for the colonies to unite under but was unsuccessful as most colonies did not want to lose their autonomy.

Ohio River Valley significance in French and Indian War

French provoked the war by building a chain of forts in Ohio River Valley to halt westward growth of British colonies.

 Strict v. loose constructionism

• Strict construction refers to the literal text and original meaning of the constitution, Jefferson was a strict constructionist

• loose construction allows for interpretation beyond the literal words to adapt the document to modern societal value and evolving contexts , Hamilton believes in loose construction

 Hamilton’s Financial Plan

A 3-part strategy to revitalize the U.S. economy in 1790. It reformed the financial system by including the federal holding of state debts, establishing a national bank to regulate currency, and imposing tariffs to stimulate revenue.

Jay’s Treaty

 an agreement between the United States and Britain that resolved ongoing disputes after the Revolutionary War such as Britain's withdrawal from frontier forts, compensation for seized ships, and the establishment of trade relations. Although not entirely successful, this treaty kept the peace with Britain and maintained Washington’s idea of staying out of foreign conflicts

• Weak + ruined Washington’s reputation, but ended a war

  Shays’ Rebellion v. Whiskey Rebellion

• Cause - Shays Rebellion was started by angry farmers who were opposed to the taxes created by the Articles of Confederation. Whiskey Rebellion was created by farmers who were unhappy about the taxes imposed on whiskey under the Constitution. 

• Outcome - Shays Rebellion made people realize how weak the Articles of Confederation was, and was a major factor in the movement to get rid of it and write a new set constitution - while the Whiskey Rebellion showed that the new federal government had power to enforce laws and maintain order. 

Full faith and credit

• The Full faith and credit clause required each U.S. state to recognize and respect official acts, records, and court judgements of other states.

• Ex: If you’re married in one state, you are married in ALL the states

 Principles of the Constitution (see vocab on Constitution worksheet)

• The principles of the Constitution are the core values and ideas that form the government’s structure and its relationship with people, such as popular sovereignty. 

• Republicanism - Republicanism is the belief that the best form of government is a republic, where citizens elect representatives to serve the public interest. Citizens elect officials to represent them and to make decisions on their behalf. 

• Popular sovereignty - It is the political principle that the government’s power comes from the people and the people have the authority to make and change their government.  

• Checks and balances- System set up to make sure one branch of government doesn’t gain too much power. Each branch has the power to keep other branches in check and make sure all power is distributed equally.

• Separation of powers - It is the idea of dividing the government duties into different branches, like the judicial, legislative, and executive branch. Legislative makes laws, judicial interprets laws, and executive enforces and executes laws. 

Federalism- Federalism is a system of government that divides power between a central government and a small state, or local governments. Each level of government has its own distinct responsibility and power, allowing for both national unity and regional control over local matters.

 Federalists v. Anti-Federalists

• Federalists supported the making of a new constitution since they argued that in order to grow a great nation, The United States needed a stronger central government. They produced the Federalist Papers - 85 essays to persuade people to support ratification. These were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.

• Anti-federalists opposed the ratification of the 1787 U.S. Constitution in fear that the new national government would be too powerful and threaten individual liberties since they didn’t have the Bill of Rights. This was headed by George Mason, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee.

  Paine’s Common Sense

a pamphlet arguing for the necessity of American independence from British rule. This pamphlet converted many people from being loyalists to supporting the revolution.

  Natural rights

• The Declaration identifies certain “unalienable Rights,” including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. These natural rights are considered inherent and not granted by the government, serving as a basis for protecting individual freedoms.

Republic v. Democracy- difference? Which one are we?

 In a democracy, the power is held by the population as a whole. It's ruled by the majority, and the voting majority has the most power to make the laws; rights can be overridden by the will of the majority. On the other hand, in a Republic, power is held by the individual citizens, and to make laws people must elect representatives to do so. The Constitution protects the rights of all people. The United States is a republic. Why? Because we don’t make decisions based upon the majority of people. We elect people who make the decisions.

Explain how the Revolution affected the status of women.

The Revolution affected the status of women by encouraging them to work in order to support the army.

• They were given some rights such as property owners

• The American Revolution’s appeal to Enlightenment ideas such as universal rights and liberty were used by feminists to fight for women’s rights and suffrage.

These women, known as camp followers, often tended to the domestic side of army organization, washing, cooking, mending clothes, and providing medical help when necessary.

Explain the significance of the Federalist Papers. Who wrote them and what was their purpose?

85 Articles that supported the ratification of the Constitution of the United States

• The Federalist Papers spread through New York newspapers to urge residents to support the ratification of the US Constitution by explaining its provisions in detail

• Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Analyze the key arguments George Washington made in his Farewell Address and explain how they reflected his actions during his presidency.

• Washington’s Farewell Address was meant to retire his position in politics and peacefully transfer Presidential power to another. 

• He argued that in order to sustain unity and the republican government, the United States must discourage the rise of political parties and involvement in foreign affairs. Furthermore, he urged Americans to reason with logic and compassion for the whole over superstition and self-interest.

• His ideas contrast with our current political sphere today, which has political parties and foreign affairs. 

• His arguments and actions reflect the time’s current political tension between the colonies and Great Britain. Washington wanted to ensure the natural rights of citizens by giving up his power unlike the British monarchy.

What is the purpose of the Necessary and Proper Clause in the U.S. Constitution, and why is it significant in defining the powers of Congress?

• The Necessary and Proper Clause was added to the new U.S. Constitution to expand Congress’s legislative powers.

• Congress had the power to create laws that would help them carry out necessary and enumerated laws. 

• For example, the federal government established a national bank to expand on their responsibility of managing the treasury.

 Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

• Written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison respectively, the Virginia and Kentucky Legislatures in response to the federal Alien and Seditions Acts of 1798

• To declare that the Constitution limits federal authority and states are allowed to nullify/ ignore the enforcement of laws they believed were unconstitutional.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

It was a war between an alliance of Native Americans and the British colonial army. After the British won the French and Indian war, they changed their policies towards Native Americans, which caused the Natives to rebel. Also, colonists began to encroach into Native lands

Purpose Proclamation of 1763

British barred colonists from settling beyond Appalachian Mountains to deter conflict between Native Americans and colonists, as a result of Pontiac’s Rebellion