AMSTUD Unit 3 Vocab Quiz 2

1st Continental Congress

A convention in Philadelphia in 1774 held in response to the Intolerable Acts to respond to what the colonists viewed as Britain’s alarming threats to their liberties

Battle of Lexington and Concord

The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, ignited by British attempts to seize colonial military supplies in Concord, Massachusetts

Declaration of Independence

A document that formally announced the colonies' separation from Britain on July 4, 1776, after escalating tensions and conflict. It was written by five delegates, including Thomas Jefferson, in support of Richard Henry Lee’s resolution to declare the colonies independent. The Declaration listed grievances against the king’s government and expressed the basic principle that justified revolution.

Loyalists(American Tories)

Colonists who maintained allegiance to the king. They fought next to British soldiers, supplied them with arms and food, and joined raiding parties to pillage Patriot homes and farms.

Patriots

Colonists who actively joined the struggle and advocated for independence from Britain. They had a strong commitment to independence, providing a solid core of people resilient enough to undergo hardship during the revolution.

Battle of Saratoga(1777)

A battle in New York that was the turning point of the American Revolution. In an attempt to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies, the British army was forced to surrender to the Patriots. The diplomatic outcome of this victory is even more significant as it convinced France to ally itself with the Americans and join the war against Britain, which widened the war, forcing Britain to divert military resources away from America.

Treaty of Alliance with France, 1778

The treaty in which France allied themselves with the Americans and joined the war against Britain following the Battle of Saratoga. The alliance proved decisive in the American struggle for independence as it widened the war, forcing Britain to divert military resources away from America.

Treaty of Paris, 1783

The treaty that ended the American Revolution and granted the United States independence from Great Britain(and other terms as well).

Daughters of Liberty

A group of women who opposed British actions through boycotting of British goods and providing supplies to fighting forces, as well as serving as nurses and cooks.

Republican Motherhood

A new view of women’s political status following the American Revolution, in which women took on the role of educating their children in the home on the values of the new republic and their roles as citizens. This gave women a more active role in shaping the new nation’s political life.

Haitian Revolution

Revolution in French Haiti that resulted in the ending of slavery and independence. It was inspired by the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution

Articles of Confederation

A document written by the Second Continental Congress that loosely united the 13 states together under an intentionally weak central government(unicameral legislature - Congress).

Land Ordinance of 1785

A policy established by Congress for surveying and selling western lands. The policy set one square mile of land in each 36 square-mile township for public education.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

An ordinance passed by Congress that set the rules for creating new states for the large territory between the Great Lakes and Ohio River. The Northwest Ordinance granted limited self-government in the developing territory and prohibited slavery in the region.

Northwest Territory

Land between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River

Shays’ Rebellion

A rebellion in 1786 in which Captain Daniel Shays, a Massachusetts farmer and Revolutionary War veteran, led other farmers in an uprising against high state taxes, imprisonment for debt, and lack of paper money. Although the rebellion was quelled by the state militia of Massachusetts, it demonstrated the weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

A gathering of delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 addressing the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and creating a new framework for the U.S. government. It resulted in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, which established a stronger federal government and included debates over representation, federalism, and the balance of power. The convention's outcomes sparked intense discussions about the ratification process and the need for a Bill of Rights.

Virginia Plan

A proposal made by James Madison during the Constitutional Convention that called for a strong national government with three branches (legislative, executive, judicial) and a bicameral (two-house) legislature in which representation was based on population, favoring larger states.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, put forth by William Paterson, that favored small states by maintaining the Articles of Confederation's one-house legislature with equal state representation

The Great Compromise(Connecticut Plan)

A solution proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut that provided for a bicameral(two-house) congress. In the Senate, states would have equal representation, but in the House of Representatives, each state would be represented according to the size of its population.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

To solve the argument over whether or not enslaved people should be counted in state populations, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention agreed to the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of determining a state’s level of taxation and representation

Slave Trade Compromise

A compromise in which the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decided to guarantee that enslaved people could be imported for at least 20 years longer, until 1808. After that, Congress could vote to abolish that practice if they so desired.

Federalists(Faction - not a political party)

Supporters of the Constitution and a strong federal government. They supported ratification of the Constitution and believed a strong central government was needed to maintain order and preserve the Union

Anti-Federalists(Faction - not a political party)

Opponents of the Constitution who feared that the new government would be too strong. They opposed the ratification of the Constitution and believed a stronger central government would destroy the work of the Revolution, limit democracy, and restrict states’ rights

The Federalist Papers

Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. It was a series of 85 highly persuasive essays that presented cogent reasons for believing in the practicality of each major provision of the Constitution.

James Madison

A Federalist and one of the writers of The Federalist Papers. He helped to persuade others that the Constitutional Convention should be held in order to revisit the AOC and amend its weaknesses. Madison also drafted the Bill of Rights

Federalism

Division of power and responsibilities between the federal government and state governments. A governmental system where power is divided and shared between a central (national) government and state(regional) governments, with each level exercising authority over different issues but also sharing some responsibilities.

Separation of Powers

The dividing of power among different branches of a government(Legislative, Executive, Judicial, creating a system of checks and balances in which the power of each branch would be limited by the powers of others

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1791, which outline and guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms for individuals. It was created to address the concerns of Anti-Federalists who feared that a strong central government would infringe upon personal liberties and persuaded enough states to ratify the Constitution.