APUSH Period 2 Vocab

Virtual Representation

british theory that members of Parliament represented all British subjects, even those in colonies who didn’t vote forr them

• justified british taxation of the colonies; colonists rejected this, demanding actual representation

Stamp Act (1765)

Law requiring colonists to buy and use special stamped paper for legal documents, newspapers, etc.

• first direct tax on the colonies; sparked widespread protest and united opposition

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

gathering of representatives from 9 colonies in New York to protest the Stamp Act

• first unified colonial response to British policy; helped lay the groundwork for future resistance

Committees of Correspondence

colonial networks that communicated and coordinated resistance to british policies

• helped unify colonies and spread revolutionary ideas before and during the war

sons of liberty

secret resistance groups formed to oppose british rule, especially taxes

• organized protests and sometimes violent actions; major force in early revolutionary activity

townshend duties (1767)

taxes on imports like glass, paint, paper, and tea

• renewed colonial anger over taxation without representation; led to more boycotts and protests resulted in the Boston Massacre.

daughters of liberty

women who supported the boycott of british goods by making homemade items

• demonstrated the important role of women in the resistance movement

tolerable acts/coercive acts (1774)

british laws punishing Massachusetts for the boston tea party

• galvanized colonial unity, led to the first continental congress

Continental Congress

Meeting of colonial delegates to organize resistance

• became the governing body during the revolution; issued the declaration of independence

olive branch petition (1775)

last effort by the colonies to avoid war; asked King George III for peace

• rejected by the king, leading to a full break and push for independence

Declaration of Independence (1776)

document declaring the colonies’ separation from britain

• justified revolution by listing grievances and expressing englightenment ideals of government

Black pariticipation in the revolution

enslaved and free african americans fought on both sides of the war

• highlighted contradictions in the fight for liberty; some gained freedom, others remained enslaved

battle of saratoga (1777)

major american victory in new york

• turning point of the war; convinced France to officially support the American cause

treaty of paris 1783

treaty that ended the revolutionary war

• britain recognized the U.S independence: set boundaries for the new nation

republic vs. democracy

republic: government where power is held by elected representatives

democracy: government where power is directly in the hands of the people, often via direct vote

• the US was founded as a republic to prevent mob rule but with democratic elements

suffrage

the right to vote in political elections

• initally limited to white, landowning men; graduallly expanded over time, showing ideas of citizenship

wall of separation

concept that church and state should be separate (from Jefferson’s writings).

• foundaiton for the first amendment; protected religious and government neutrality

free labor

labor system based on paid work rather than slavery or indentured servitude

• promoted in the north as more moral and economically productive than slavery

free trade

economic policy of minimal government interference in trade

• reflected enlightenment ideas (Adam Smith); influenced early U.S economic policies

Wealth of Nations (1776)

book by Adam Smith promoting capitalism and free markets

• argued against mercantilism; major influence on American and global economic thinking.

Loyalists

american colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the revolution

• faced persecution; many fled to canada or britain; showed internal conflict in the colonies

Abolition

movement to end slavery

• gained traction after the revolution, especially in the North; sparked moral debates that would grow into the civil war era

Freedom Petitions

legal appeals by enslaved people for liberty, often referencing revolutionary ideals

• early effortsby african americans to claim rights and expose hypocrisy in American liberty

Free Blacks

african americans who were not enslaved

• formed their own communities, faced discrimination, and often led abolitionist efforts

coverture

legal doctrine where married women had no legal identity apart from their husbands

• limited women’s rights; challenged by early feminists and later reformers

republican motherhood

belief that women should educate their children in republican values

• expanded women’s role in society indirectly by emphasizing their influence in shaping future citizens

Articles of Confederation

first US government framework (1781-1789)

• created a weak central government; couldn’t tax or enforce—led to the call for a new constitution

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

law for governing the Northwest Territory and creating new states

• banned slavery in the territory; set a model for early expansion

Shays’s Rebellion (1786-87)

armed uprising by farmers in Massachusetts over debt and taxes

• exposed weaknesses of the articles; helped lead to the constitutional convention

Alexander Hamilton

federalist leader, first secretary of the treasury

• pushed for a strong central government and national bank; wrote many Federalist Papers

James Madison

father of the consititution; later 4th US. president

• wrote the virginia plan and many federalist papers; key in drafting the constituiton and bill of rights

U.S. Constitution (1787)

supreme law of the US, replacing the articles of confederation

• created a stronger federal government with three branches and a system of checks and balances

Virginia Plan

constitutional proposal for representation based on population

• favored large states; became part of the great compromise

new jersey plan

proposal for equal representation for each state

• favored small states; ked to the senate structure in the compromise

Conneticut Compromise (Great compromise)

blended the virginia and new jersey plans

• created a bicameral legislature — House (population) and Senate (equal)

Federalism

division of power between national and state governments

• key feature of the constitution; helps balance power

separation of powers

division of government into three branches (legislative, executive, judicial)

• prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful)

checks and balances

system where each branch can limit the power of the others

• maintains balance and prevents abuse of power

three slavery causes in the constitution

3/5ths compromise: counted 3/5 of enslaved people for representation

fugutive slave Clause: required return of escaped enslaved people

slave trade clause: allowed international slave trade until 1808

• showed how the Constitution protected slavery without directly using the word

federalist papers

essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay supporting the Constitution

• explained and defended the new Constitution; influenced ratification

Anti-Federalists

opposed by the constitution without a Bill of Rights

• feared centralized power; pushed for the Bill of Rights to protect liberties

Ratification

formal approval of the Constitution by the states

• required approval by 9 of 13 atates; debate led to the promise of a Bill of Rights

Bill of Rights (1791)

first 10 amendments to the constitution

• protected individual freedoms and limited government power responded to anti-federalist concerns

treaty of greenville (1795)

agreement between US and Native tribes after the Battle of Fallen Timbers

• opened much of Ohio to US settlement; marked Native American land loss

Hamilton’s Financial Plan

economic plan by hamilton to stabilize the US economy

• strengthened federal power and national credit

  1. assume state debts

  2. create a national bank

  3. excise tax on whiskey

  4. tariffs to protect US industries

  5. pay of national debt at full value

strict constructionism

belief that the constitution should be interpreted literally

• opposed hamilton’s bank, favored by Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans

Impressment

british practice of forcing American sailors into the Royal Navy

• violated US sovereignty; increased tensions leading to the war of 1812

Jay’s treaty (1794)

treaty with Britain to settle lingering post-revolution conflicts

• avoided war, but unpopular, seen as too pro-british

two-party system

political system with two dominant parties

• emerged from Hamilton-Jefferson conflicts; federalists vs. democratic-republicans

federalists

led by hamilton and adams; favored strong federal government, trade, and ties with Britain

• shaped early US policies but declined after 1800

democratic-republicans

led by jefferson and madison; favored states’ rights, agriculture, and ties with france

• opposed the federalists; gained dominance after 1800

Whiskey rebellion (1794)

uprising in western PA over the whiskey tax

• showed federal strength under the constitution; unlike under the Articles

Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)

book by Mary Wollstonecraft advocating women’s equality and education

• early feminist text; inspired calls for gender equality in America

XYZ Affair (1797)

french officials demanded bribes from US diplomats

• outraged Americans; led to the Quasi-War with france

alien and sedition acts (1798)

laws targeting immigration and restricting speech critical of the government

• seen as unconstitutional, fueled opposition to the Federalists

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798)

written by jefferson and madison; argued states could nullify unconstitutional laws

• early argument for states rights and resistance to federal overreach

revolution of 1800

peaceful transfer of power from federalists to democratic republicans (Jefferson)

• proved democracy could work; marked decline of federalists

haitain revolution (1791-1804(

successful slave revolt that led to Haiti’s independence from france

• inspired enslaved people; terrified US slaveholders; influenced US foreign policy

Gabriel’s Rebellion (1800)

failed slave revolt in Virginia led by Gabriel Prosser

• led to harsher slave laws; revealed growing unrest among enslaved people