Chapter 6: Makin War & Republican Governments

APUSH Unit 2

Hessians

German soldiers hired by the British during the American Revolutionary War to fight against the American colonists. They were known for their discipline and effectiveness in battle.

Continental Army

Came from the Second Continental Congress to defend the patriots against the British

18,000 inexperienced men, led by George Washington

General William Howe

British Prime Minister, Lord North, tasked General Howe to isolate the colones by seizing

the Hudson River region. New England and Southern colonists separated

Stationed 32,000 troops in NYC in July 1776, and defeated and banished Americans to

Manhattan. The Continental Army fled to New Jersey

Saratoga

General Burgoyne’s troops were in stuck in Saratoga as they tried to attack Albany, NY

Raided Bennington, VA but got tackled by the local American militias. Proved American strength in Paris → alliance with the French

Baron Von Steuben

Prussian ex-military officer who contributed to the readiness of the Continental Army by

imposing a stricter drill and enforcing strength and professionalism. Spring 1778: Continental Army was smaller, but mightier

Valley Forge

While General Howe’s troops were enjoying in Philadelphia, Washington and his

Continental Army were forced to retreat in Valley Forge in Winter of 1777. Soldiers endured hardship, and nearby farmers often didn’t help as they supported

the British, or were neutral in the conflict. Eventually, many soldiers either resigned from the army, or died of disease and malnutrition

Treaty of Alliance

Outcome of the French and American partnership, stating that neither France nor America

could sign a peace treaty with Great Britain until America was granted independence. In

return, America would acknowledge all conquered territories in the West Indies by the

French, as French

Phillipsburg Proclamation

Britain’s revised strategy included this proclamation to indulge more African African

revolts against their Patriot owners. Every enslaved person who defied his Patriot owner would receive protection, freedom, and land from Britain — 30,000 African Americans sought refuge on British lines

Nathaneal Greene

Put in charge of regaining the Carolinas from General Charles Cornwallis. He took undisciplined local militias and “unleashed” them on less mobile British forces. His troops fought Cornwallis’s army and tied at North Carolina’s Guilford Court house, and Greene was eventually granted the Carolinas.

Benedict Arnold

Betrayed the Patriots

Sent an army to Cornwallis to aid him against Lafayette’s forces at the York Peninsula

General Charles Cornwallis

Took control of the British forces after Sir Henry Clinton forced the surrender of

Charlestown, South Carolina, in May 1780

Defeated an American force led by General Horatio Gates at Camden, where only 1,200

Patriot militiamen had aided Gates

Seized control of South Carolina, also allowing many African Americans to escape to

British Lines

After conceding the Carolinas to Greene, he was trying to capture Virginia, which was made

easier as there were conflicts between the poor and the rich

Yorktown

Lafayette’s forces battled with Arnold and Cornwallis’s forces

French sent a powerful West Indian army to support the Patriots and George Washington

devised a plan

• Pretend to attack NYC but in reality march in secret to Rochambeau’s army from

Rhode Island to Virginia

• French started to control the Chesapeake Bay, blocking British naval support

• Forces surrounded and outnumbered Cornwallis 2:1 on land, and cut him off from the sea.

Surrendered Yorktown in October 1781

Eventually, as a result of this battle, the British ministry gave up on the war

Treaty of Paris 1783

It took two years for peace after Yorktown, as France and Spain were stalling to obtain land

in the West Indies

Patriots violated the Treaty of Alliance and formed a secret treaty with the British, known as

the Treaty of Paris in 1783

British had to formally acknowledge American independence, let go of their land claims

(South of Great Lakes, East of Mississippi River)

Americans could fish off the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and move west along

Mississippi river

The British could not take away American property, but could file for legal claims for their

prewar debts, and state legislatures granted the Loyalists their property and citizenship

Bicameral Legislature

A bicameral legislature is a lawmaking body that has two separate parts or “houses.”

One house usually represents the people directly---often called the lower house.

The other house represents the wealthier or more experienced members---often

called the upper house and can check or balance the decisions of the first.

Established in Pennsylvania with full power, and no governor to veto those laws

Articles of Confederation

Patriots wanted a centralized government that still allowed the colonies to operate

individually and preserve their own freedom and independence

Allowed under the Articles of Confederation, which proposed a “loose union”

where each state had sovereignty, freedom, and independence → equal with one

vote

Each change in the A.O.C had to be approved by 9/13 colonies with unanimous voting

Though managed currencies, treaties, and even declaration of war, the A.O.C lacked

judiciary and executive power, meaning that it could not enforce the treaties it created, nor

could it tax states or people

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Banned slavery; created territories that would become Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and

Wisconsin; allocated land-sales to support schools

Shay’s Rebellion

American government was starting to become economically weak, and so the government

enforced a strict tax that could only be paid with hard currency bills

Americans were unhappy and revolted in a manner that was similar to the Stamp Act,

claiming that the government was acting in a way that was against the very cause they had

fought for

Added twigs to their hats just like the Patriots

Condemned by the Patriots, and the MA legislature (James Bowdoin) eventually passed the

Riot Act, and wealthy bond owners were able to stop the Shaysites

Rebellion failed, but Americans realized that the government was oppressing them like the

British had

Massachusetts voters turned Governor Bowdoin out of office, and farmers in debt in

the Middle colonies closed houses and demanded the government for economic

relief

Philadelphia Convention

Occurred in May 1787, where fifty-five delegates from 12 colonies met up in Philadelphia

to revise the Articles of Confederation (not Rhode Island)

Most of these delegates were educated, rich, and propertied men, with only a single yeoman

farmer

42/55 were Nationalists

John Adamns and Thomas Jefferson were unable to make it as they were in Europe as

American ministers

James Madison

Advocated an increased national authority at the Philadelphia Convention

More progressive and young views as a result of the absence of the older,

experienced leaders

Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan

Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the Philadelphia Convention instead

devised the Virginia Plan (after it was proposed by James Madison) that called for a

powerful, national government and placed the power of the lower house, (from the

bicameral legislature) into the hands of the population

As a result, smaller states like Delaware were afraid the more populous states could

“crush” the less-populated ones, so thus rallied and formed the New Jersey Plan

William Paterson of New Jersey created The New Jersey Plan, which gave the

Confederation power to raise money, control trade, and make binding requests to the states,

while still letting states control their own laws and remain equal with one vote each in a

single-house legislature. Larger states opposed this, but after a month of debate, a slim

majority agreed to use Madison’s Virginia Plan as the starting point.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement made during the 1787 Constitutional Convention about how enslaved people would be counted for representation and taxation. Southern states wanted enslaved people counted fully so they’d get more seats in Congress. Northern states argued they shouldn’t be counted at all since they had no rights or votes. The compromise was that each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person when figuring out a state’s population, which gave southern states more political power in the House of Representatives than they would have had if enslaved people weren’t counted, as more population! (Remember, Virginia Plan)

Federalists v Anti-Federalists

The Federalists were the nationalists that supported the Philadelphia constitution and

wanted a federal union. The Anti-Federalists were against the constitution and feared their individual and/or state

rights would get taken away as a result of the Philly Constitution, or that most people that would run the central government would just be wealthy men. Electoral districts would prevent this from happening

Federalist Papers

James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton defended the proposed Constitution in a collection of eighty-five essays written in 1787 that they collectively called The Federalist Occurred as ratification Constitution was highly debated Summed up all of the republican views

Ratification Conventions 

special meetings held in each state to decide whether to

approve (ratify) the U.S. Constitution.

Instead of state legislatures voting, elected delegates (representing the people) debated and

voted on the new Constitution.

Each state held its own convention, and the Constitution would only take effect once 9 out

of 13 states approved it.