APUSH Ch. 7 Vocab: PART 1

Judiciary Act of 1789

act that established federal district courts in each state and 3 circuit courts to hear appeals from the districts, with the Supreme Court serving as the highest appellate court in the federal system

Bill of Rights

the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, officially ratified by 1791. The Amendments safeguarded fundamental personal rights, including freedom of speech and religion, and mandated legal procedures such as trial by jury.

Report on the Public Credit

Alexander Hamilton's 1790 report recommending that the federal government should assume All State debts and fund the national debt — that is, offer interest on it rather than repaying it — at full value. Hamilton's goal was to make the new country creditworthy, not debt-free.

Bank of the United States

a bank chartered in 1790 and jointly owned by private stockholders and the national government. Alexander Hamilton argued that the bank would provide stability to the American economy, which was chronically short of capital, by making loans to merchants, handling government funds, and issuing bills of credit.

Report on Manufactures

A proposal by treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton in 1791 calling for the federal government to urge the expansion of American manufacturing while imposing tariffs on foreign imports.

Proclamation of Neutrality

a Proclamation issued by President George Washington in 1793, allowing US citizens to trade with all belligerents in the war between France and Great Britain

French Revolution

a revolution in France (1789-1799) that was initially welcomed by most Americans because it began by abolishing feudalism and establishing a constitutional monarchy, but eventually came to seem too radical to many.

Whiskey Rebellion

a 1794 uprising by farmers in Western Pennsylvania in response to the enforcement of an unpopular excise tax on whiskey

Jay’s Treaty

a 1795 treaty between the United States and Britain, negotiated by John Jay. The treaty accepted Britain's rights to stop neutral ships and required the US government to provide the restitution for the pre-Revolutionary War debts of British merchants. In return, it allowed Americans to submit claims for illegal seizures and required the British to remove their troops and Indian agents from the Northwest Territory.

Haitian Revolution

An uprising against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue (1791-1804) involving gens de coleur and liberated slaves from the island and armies from 3 European countries. In 1803, Saint-Domingue became the independent black Republic of Haiti, in which former slaves were citizens

XYZ Affair

a 1797 incident in which American negotiators in France were rebuffed for refusing to pay a substantial bribe. The incident led the United States into an undeclared war that curtailed American trade with the French West Indies.

Naturalization, Alien, and Sedition Acts

3 laws passed in 1798 that limited the individual rights and threatened the fledgling party system. The Naturalization Act lengthened the residency requirement for citizenship, the Alien Act authorized the deportation of foreigners, and the Sedition Act prohibited the publication of insults or malicious attacks on the president or members of Congress.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Resolutions by the Virginia and Kentucky state legislatures in 1798 condemning the Alien and Sedition Acts. The resolutions tested the idea that state legislatures could judge the legitimacy of federal laws.

Treaty of Greenville

a 1795 treaty between the US and various Indian tribes in Ohio. American negotiators acknowledged Indian ownership of the land, and, in return for various payments, the Western Confederacy ceded most of Ohio to the United States.