U.S. History Foundational Documents Lectures 1 And 2

The Enlightenment.

An era that occurred in the 18th century where people began to question authority and tradition and respect logic and reason.

Isaac Newton.

Author of Principia, which explained the motion of everything mathematically.

Edmund Halley.

Successfully predicted a comet using Newton’s Principia.

The Glorious Revolution.

A period from 1603-1688 where England was ruled by tyrants. They chased James II out of the country and brought in his daughter and son-in-law from the Netherlands, whom became King and Queen. However, they had very little power due to the Parliament, and the country became a Constitutional Monarchy.

English Bill of Rights.

A system of rights humans were given. This included freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms in self defense, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and habeas corpus. They could also petition a king, who was the only one to levy taxes.

John Locke.

An intelligent man who believed that everyone is born with 3 natural laws, being life, liberty, and property, which should all be protected by the government.

13 Colonies.

The original settlements of the colonists. The East Coast thrived, as there were plenty of job opportunities and money to be made, however, poorer people migrated Westward in search of a better life, as they could not support a family anywhere else.

French and Indian War.

A war that spanned from 1754-1763. The French and British tried to outbid each other by promising the natives what they desired, which split the tribes down the middle. The English won because of the mass amount of money they had brought in, but after were very poor and had to tax the people to regain their wealth. The war didn’t really start until 1756.

Taxes.

Britain starts taxing goods and services to pay off the debt of the war.

Tax Acts.

Prices went way up for colonial goods, which forced the colonists to buy British imports, giving the English revenue. The colonists started drinking coffee as a protest. They said “No taxation without representation”.

This political philosopher was inspired by the Glorious Revolution.

John Locke.

This political philosopher inspired Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.

John Locke.

The writer of the Declaration of Independence and renowned founding father.

Thomas Jefferson.

A very important spot for trading and importing goods that put taxes on items in order to make the system more profitable.

New York City.

A historical event that happened on December 16, 1776, that resulted in the deaths of many Boston civilians.

Boston Massacre.

The day the vote was held to make the Declaration of Independence.

July 2, 1776.

Battle of Lexington Green.

The battle with “The Shot Heard Round The World” and the defeat of the colonists.

Boston Tea Party.

Colonists dressed as Native Americans managed to get onto a importing ship and disposed of the goods onboard.

People who wanted a weak federal government and a strong state government would support this.

Articles of Confederation.

Ben Franklin.

Important founding father that is known for saying “We have given you a republic, if you can keep it”.

Baron de Montesquieu.

Author of “The Spirit of the Laws”, written in 1748, which inspired the Declaration of Independence.

Legislative Branch.

Found in the 1st article, the people who can declare war and have mass amounts of power.

Executive Branch.

Found in the 2nd article, the presidents division and the people that can run war.

Judicial.

Found in the 3rd article, the people who interpret laws and handle legal situations.

Affordable Care Act.

Introduced to Congress in July 2009, president signed it in March 2010, and ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Northwest Ordinance.

60,000 free individuals (men) can create a new state which banned slavery and had free choice of religion.

An event in which people questioned authority and tradition and respected logic and reasoning.

The Enlightenment.

New York City.

A popular trading and service spot that was the center of importation.

Certain amounts of money that were put on goods to bring in revenue to the states.

Taxes.

Prices went way up on many paper goods because of this act.

The Stamp Act.