American History - Unit 1 terms list

salutary neglect

salutary neglect

150+ year period when the British ignored the colonies, allowing them to do their own thing. This made the colonies feel independent from Britain and not claim them as their leaders

social contract

the government gets the power to govern from the people, and its power is to protect the natural rights of its people. If at any point it fails to do so, the people have the authority to overthrow the government and institute a new leader that does protect their natural rights.

great awakening

a major religious revival that caused people to get more involved in a new style of church. It was very Democratic and made people equal within the church. Encouraged people to question authority

mercantalism

Raw materials in the colonies went back to the British where they were turned into different goods and sold somewhere else. England colonized larger areas, especially the Americas, with lots of resources. the colonies produced lots for the British, and the British didn’t pay full value because the colonies were British colonies.

albany plan

plan that proposed a new government of the colonies that would unite them and help them win the war. this never went into effect - was just a proposal - but said that the government would have the power to tax. (individual colonies were not in favor of having a central gov that could tax)

treaty of Paris, 1763

the French agreed to abandon all land in North America to the British. This makes England dominant over the region and colonists started pouring west.

sugar act

a tax that was placed on molasses/sugar. As molasses was the main ingredient of rum, this also affected the sale of rum in the colonies.

stamp act

tax on printed material that was imposed by the Britsish. Must carry around one of this on any printed papers/cards/anything printed.

sam adams

A very controversial and “out there” founding father. founded sons of liberty and was In favor of lots of violence

not enough about him (add more)

writs of assistance

search warrants that could be used in any way to try to catch lawbreakers. they were frequently abused

power of the purse

Power/control over money and funding. (coin money, taxes) This was present while the British were imposing taxes

sons of liberty

A group that harassed British people and soldiers in the colonies. they would harass stamp sellers into quitting and frequently resort to violence to do so.

no taxation without representation

famous phrase that American soloists came up with to protest taxes when they met as a stamp act congress to formally protest the taxes the British were imposing.

non-importation agreements

People started boycotting goods that were subject to the Townshend revenue act until the taxes were replaced.

boston massacre

drunk men started insulting and throwing gravel/rocks/oyster shells/clubs at soldiers. a soldier got hit in the head and shot his gun in the air on accident. The officer present told his soldiers not to fire - some of the soldiers heard first and shot their guns at the mob, 5 were killed.

tea act

A tax placed on tea by the British that greatly angered the colonists. this meant that the colonists had to get their tea from the East India tea company, making them very unhappy

boston tea party

Colonists from the sons of liberty dressed up like Native Americans and dumped tea from a British ship into Boston harbor. The British were furious at this and decided to crack down further on the colonists as a result of this.

intolerable acts

series of laws passed by the British that took away Massachusetts’s ability to govern themselves, closed Boston harbor (destroying new England economy), and allowed all trials of soldiers accused of hurting colonists to occur in England. These were one of the issues the colonists had with the British.

lexington concord

Battle when British soldiers from Boston attack colonies in L+C while trying to arrest the leaders of the sons of liberty. They are beaten back into Boston, and the colonists put the city under siege (beginning the war).

ben franklin

Founding father who “helped” write the declaration of independence and who came up with the Albany plan.

thomas jefferson

Author of the declaration of independence and leader of the Democratic Republican Party. Played a big role in the war, and was George Washington’s secretary of state (and third president)

declaration of independence

A letter announcing our independence from Britain written by Thomas Jefferson with “help” from Ben Franklin and John Adams.. Made up of social contract theory, list of grievances, and declaration of independence.

trenton/princeton

Battle the morning after Christmas that was a surprise for the British who were drunk and hungover. Boosted morale, and helped turn around the tide of the war in favor of the colonies

saratgoa

A battle when the British attempted to trap the colonial army in NY, but their 3 pronged army was defeated, and 1/3 of the British army in America must surrender. this battle was a turning point in the war, and led to the French and others supporting the Revolution

marquis de lafayette

a general who helped during the revolutionary war. Was from france

not as much about him as needed (add more)

baron von steuben

a general brought in from Germany who found out that to motivate the Americans, he had to give them a why for what they were doing, not just orders. this made the Americans fight much harder and much more successful.

general cornwallis

A British general who headed south in an effort to gain momentum during the war and general during the battle of Yorktown.

yorktown

Battle when the largest British army in America was surrounded in Virginia, and waits for reinforcements. The French navy kept the British navy away, and George Washington heads south from New York, surrounding the British, eventually leading to the British surrender

treaty of Paris, 1783

Gave the Us our independence. It gave us all of the Trans-Appalachian West, we promised to give our Loyalists their property back, and promised that Americans will pay our debt back to British banks.

treaty of ft. Stanwix, 1784

Iroquois give up all land claims in Ohio, Pennsylvania and eastern New York,

daughters of liberty

A group of women supporting a political movement (similar to sons of liberty). this was a radical group, for the time, as women didn’t typically support political movements.

abigail adams

Member of the daughters of liberty (and wife of John Adams) who advocated that leaders “remember the ladies” after the end of the war and the efforts they made to help during the war,

republican motherhood

a popular idea in society for those women could help our new nation. Women were expected to educate their kids in citizenship and virtue, resulting in more women going to school.

lord Dunmore’s proclomation

Slaves who fought for the British were promised freedom if they fought. This garnered support for the Americans in the revolution.

egalitarianism

the belief that all people are equal. This made Americans feel guilty for keeping slaves/slavery.

manumission societies

Groups of southerners who were against slavery and would free their slaves. Their goal was to end slavery.

Robert Carter III

the largest slaveholder in Virginia who freed all 442 of his slaves in 1791 (over the course of 12 years) after the death of his wife. He not only freed his slaves, but set up their lives and organized jobs for them. His friends didn’t come to his funeral and destroyed records of him after his death.

articles of confederation

The first government established in America with little power, no executive/judicial branch, no ability to tax, and no ability to regulate trade. They could not accomplish much, and was ultimately unsuccessful due to its lack of power over the country.

Land Ordinance, 1785

Surveyed the land for sales and promoted public education. It was the process by which lands west of the Appalachian Mountains were surveyed and sold.

Northwest Ordinance, 1787

Set up the process for statehood and banned slavery in any area.This was added to the articles and addressed western settlement, making the rules for how a state is made a state.

Shay’s Rebellion

Rebellion led by farmers in Massachusetts who were angry over an increase in their taxes. Their state militia fought them off, but only because their state was strong, not the federal government (highlighted weakness of fed gov under the articles)

Federalists

The federalists were a group that supported the ratification of the constitution. They wanted a strong central government, and compromised by implementing a bill of rights.

Antifederalists

A new political part that was opposed the constitution for fear that it would take away too many rights of citizens. They didn’t want the constitution to be amended and supported a bill of rights.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments added to the constitution. They protected people’s basic freedoms against a potentially tyrannical government.

Federalist Papers

A series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in defense of the US constitution. They encouraged support for the document.

National Bank

A financial tool that was created for the purpose of holding onto and investing the US’s money. It created a tariff and tax on whiskey, and made the rich even richer by taking money from the poorer. (Alexander Hamilton)

Whiskey Rebellion

When Washington called 20,000 militia to respond to a rebellion of 300 farmers. This demonstrated that the new government will enforce its laws, but some were concerned.

Cotton Gin

A machine invented that got seeds out of cotton fiber about 30 times faster than before, allowing cotton to be produced much more quickly. the invention made slavery much more profitable, and promoted consumerism/urbanization/immigration.

Great Uprooting

After the invention of the cotton gin, thousands of enslaved people are shipped from the Chesapeake to the new “cotton kingdom” (Alabama, Mississippi). This split up families and worsened slavery.

Washington’s Farewell address

Newspaper article written by Hamilton on Washington’s behalf towards the end of his second term. It warned the national to beware of political parties and entangling foreign alliances that could get us into trouble.