The Constitution and the New Republic (1787-1800) Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Constitutional Convention, key political compromises, early U.S. foreign policy, landmark legislation, and political party developments from 1787 to 1800.

Annapolis Convention

A 1786 meeting in Maryland attended by delegates from five states to discuss commercial relations, where James Madison and Alexander Hamilton persuaded attendees to call a later convention in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation.

Virginia Plan

James Madison's proposal at the Constitutional Convention regarding congressional representation that favored larger states by basing representation on population.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention regarding congressional representation that favored smaller states by advocating equal representation for each state.

Connecticut Plan (Great Compromise)

Roger Sherman's proposal providing for a two-house Congress with equal representation in the Senate and representation proportional to population in the House of Representatives.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention counting each enslaved individual as three-fifths of a person for state taxation and representation purposes, while permitting the slave trade for at least 20 more years until 1808.

Commercial Compromise

An agreement allowing Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, including placing tariffs on foreign imports, while prohibiting taxes on any exports.

The Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 persuasive essays written for a New York newspaper by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay presenting cogent reasons for the practicality of each major provision of the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted largely by James Madison and adopted in 1791, providing protections for individual rights against abuses by the central government.

Judiciary Act of 1789

A congressional act establishing a Supreme Court with one chief justice and five associate justices, along with a system of 13 district courts and three circuit courts of appeals.

Bank of the United States

A privately owned national bank chartered by the federal government, proposed by Alexander Hamilton under the necessary and proper clause to deposit government funds and issue stable paper currency.

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

A proclamation issued by President George Washington declaring U.S. neutrality in the European war between the new French Republic and European monarchies.

'Citizen' Genêt

Edmond Genêt, a French minister to the United States who broke diplomatic protocol by appealing directly to the American public to support the French revolutionary cause.

Jay Treaty (1794)

A treaty negotiated by Chief Justice John Jay in which Britain agreed to evacuate its military posts on the U.S. western frontier, maintaining U.S. neutrality despite omitting terms on British ship seizures.

Pinckney Treaty (1795)

An agreement negotiated by Thomas Pinckney in which Spain opened the lower Mississippi River and New Orleans to American trade, granted the right of deposit without duties, and fixed Florida's northern boundary at the 31st parallel.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

A 1794 battle in northwestern Ohio where U.S. troops led by General Anthony Wayne defeated the Northwest Confederacy, leading to the Treaty of Greenville and the surrender of native claims in the Ohio Territory.

Whiskey Rebellion

A 1794 uprising of western Pennsylvania farmers resisting a federal excise tax on whiskey, which collapsed with almost no bloodshed after Washington federalized 15,000 militiamen.

Public Land Act (1796)

A federal law passed by Congress establishing orderly procedures for dividing and selling federal lands at reasonable prices to encourage rapid western settlement.

Washington's Farewell Address

A 1796 statement published by George Washington warning Americans against European entanglements, permanent alliances, political parties, and sectionalism.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident in which French ministers known as X, Y, and Z requested bribes from American delegates to open negotiations, causing public outrage and war clamor in the United States.

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798 laws passed by a Federalist Congress increasing residency requirements for citizenship (Naturalization Act), authorizing deportation or detention of dangerous aliens, and criminalizing newspaper criticism of the president or Congress (Sedition Act).

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

1799 state legislative resolutions written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison arguing that states formed a compact with the federal government and had the right to nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

Revolution of 1800

The peaceful passing of political power from the Federalist Party to the Democratic-Republican Party following the presidential election of Thomas Jefferson.