Chapters 5 and 6

Articles of Confederation

The first adopted plan for union by the states that established a federal Congress with the power to tax and issue money; each state has one vote

Citizenship

The legal recognition of a person's inclusion in a body politic by the extension of various rights and privileges and the expectation of various duties and obligations.

Loyalists

Supporters of England and the king. Represented a third of the white colonial population. Many left America after Revolution.

Antifederalist

Term used by Federalists to describe those who were against the ratification of the Constitution

Northwest Ordinance

A 1787 decree that created a single political territory out of the land north of the Ohio River

Lord Cornwallis

British officer with early successes as leader of the southern British forces, but who was forced to surrender at Yorktown in 1781

Declaration of Independence

A founding document of the US, the declaration explained why the colonies were breaking away from England. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, spurred colonies to reform themselves as states.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the U.S. constitution; limited the new government's ability to infringe upon certain fundamental rights.

Saratoga

Site in new York where, with the help of Benedict Arnold, General Horatio Gates surrounded British general John Burgoyne and forced his surrender.

Republicanism

A system of governance in which power derives from the people, rather than from a ruling family, aristocratic class, or some other supreme authority.

Seperation of Powers

the partitioning of authority to distinct branches of a government

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's popular pamphlet, that encouraged independence from England by arguing that colonists could never be truly free under the English constitution

second continental congress

body of colonial representatives formed after the battles of Lexington and concord to help resolve the conflict with Great Britain

Federalism

a political system dividing powers between state and federal governments that together constitute a federation

The New Jersey Plan

A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new Congress

Federalists

Term for supporters of the Constitution and later a political party that favored a strong central government.

George Washington

Military leader and one of the founders of the United States; served as first president

Yorktown

Virginia site of the last majors battle of American Revolution, where Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington and French forces in 1781

Shay's Rebellion

A 1786 uprising of poor Massachusetts farmers demanding relief from their debts.

American Patriots

term for supporters of American independence during the Revolutionary War

Great Compromise

Also known as the Connecticut Plan, it established a bicameral Congress including a Senate for equal representation and the House of Representatives for proportional representation.

The Virginia Plan

James Madison's proposal during the Constitutional Convention for a two-house legislature where states would be represented in both bodies in proportion to their population

Revolution of 1800

Thomas Jefferson's term for his election in 1800 which saw the peaceful transfer of between ideologically opposed parties

Checks and balances

A system that grants the various branches of government the power to oversee or constrain other branches, so that no part grows too powerful.