Unit 3 Part 2 APUSH Vocab

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams, known for her influential correspondence and her forward-thinking stance on women's rights, famously urging her husband to 'Remember the Ladies' in the new code of laws.

Daughters of Liberty

A successful colonial American group that sustained the boycott of British goods by spinning their own yarn, weaving cloth, and making alternative household items.

Republican Motherhood

An 18th-century ideological belief that women played a vital role in the new American republic by raising children to be virtuous, educated citizens devoted to democratic ideals.

Northwest Ordinance 1787

A major legislative achievement of the Confederation Congress that established a process for organizing new territories, admitting new states on equal footing, and banning slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Articles of Confederation

The original constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781, which created a intentionally weak central government with no power to tax or enforce laws, leaving sovereignty mostly to the states.

Shay's Rebellion

An armed uprising in western Massachusetts (1786-1787) led by indebted revolutionary war veterans protesting farm foreclosures, which dramatically exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

James Madison

A key founding father often called the 'Father of the Constitution' for his central role in drafting the document, authoring the Bill of Rights, and co-writing The Federalist Papers.

Alexander Hamilton

A leading Founding Father, head of the Federalist Party, first Secretary of the Treasury, and architect of the national financial system, including the creation of the National Bank.

Federalists

Supporters of the proposed 1787 Constitution who favored a strong central government, a commercial economy, and the ratification of the document without a bill of rights initially.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the 1787 Constitution who feared a powerful central government would trample individual liberties and states' rights, successfully demanding the addition of a Bill of Rights.

The Federalists Papers

A collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay published to convince New York citizens to ratify the Constitution by explaining its structural benefits.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting held in Philadelphia in 1787 where state delegates gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation but ultimately decided to write an entirely new framework of government: the US Constitution.

Federalism

A constitutional system of government in which power is divided and shared between a central national government and individual state governments.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791, designed to protect individual liberties and civil rights from federal overreach.

Amendments

Formal alterations, additions, or corrections made to the US Constitution, requiring a rigorous proposal and ratification process to ensure stability.

Separation of Powers

The constitutional division of governmental responsibilities into distinct branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to prevent any single group from holding absolute power.

Checks and Balances

A system built into the Constitution that allows each branch of government to restrict or veto the actions of the other branches, preventing the abuse of power.

Virgina Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention favoring large states, advocating for a bicameral legislature where representation in both houses would be based strictly on population.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention favoring smaller states, calling for a unicameral legislature where every state would receive an equal vote regardless of size.

Great Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention that resolved the dispute between large and small states by creating a bicameral legislature with a proportional House of Representatives and an equal Senate.

Senate

The upper house of the US Congress in which each state is guaranteed exactly two members, ensuring equal representation for all states regardless of population.

House of Representatives

The lower house of the US Congress in which representation for each state is determined proportionally based on its population size.

Three Fifths Compromise

A constitutional agreement determining that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted when calculating a state's total population for both congressional representation and taxation.

Electoral College System

The constitutional mechanism established to elect the President and Vice President, where voters choose electors who then cast the official votes for the executive office.

National Bank

A financial institution proposed by Alexander Hamilton to manage federal funds, issue currency, and stabilize the economy, which ignited deep constitutional debates over implied powers.

Judiciary Act 1789

A foundational law passed by the first Congress that established the structure of the federal court system, set the number of Supreme Court justices, and created the office of Attorney General.

Federalist Era

The formative period of American history from roughly 1789 to 1800, characterized by the dominance of Federalist economic policies, institution-building, and early foreign policy struggles.

Federalist Party

One of America's first political parties, led by Alexander Hamilton, which promoted a strong national government, a loose interpretation of the Constitution, manufacturing, and commerce.

Democratic-Republican Party

A political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that championed states' rights, a strict interpretation of the Constitution, an agrarian economy, and ties with France.

John Adams

The second President of the US and a leading Federalist whose single term was defined by intense partisan conflict, the XYZ Affair, and the avoidance of war with France.

Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington's 1796 published warning to the nation, in which he advised against the dangers of intense political factions and permanent foreign alliances.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Controversial laws passed by Federalists in 1798 that severely restricted public criticism of the government and extended naturalization periods, outraging Democratic-Republicans.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Political statements drafted secretly by Jefferson and Madison arguing that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional and that states possessed the right to nullify federal laws.

Eli Whitney

An American inventor and manufacturer best known for inventing the cotton gin and popularizing interchangeable parts in manufacturing.

Cotton gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that rapidly separated cotton fibers from their seeds, drastically increasing production efficiency and inadvertently entrenching the institution of slavery in the South.