APUSH U3: 3.8 - 3.12

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States; proposed the Virginia Plan, believed in the separation of powers and checks and balances; helped write The Federalist Papers.

Alexander Hamilton

First Secretary of the Treasury; advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt; helped write the Federalist Papers.

Federalists

used to describe supporters of the Constitution and its strong centralized government during ratification debates in state legislatures.

Anti-Federalists

opponents of the American Constitution and the fear of its strong government becoming like Britain at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.

The Federalist Papers

collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail using practicality to defend the major provisions.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution as it led to intense debates over its ratification.

Federalism

a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states; strong but limited central government.

separation of powers

split power into three branches: legislative (Congress, laws, taxes), executive (president, federal programs), and judicial (Supreme Court, federal court, Constituition).

checks and balances

system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power.

Virginia Plan (1787)

Virginia delegate James Madison's plan of government, in which states got several representatives in Congress based on their population; favored larger states.

New Jersey Plan (1787)

proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population; favored smaller states.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan of 1787)

compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house; bicameral Congress.

Senate

shows states with equal representatives.

House of Representatives

represents each state according to its population size.

Three-Fifths Compromise (1787)

the agreement by which the number of each state's representatives in Congress would be based on a count of all the free people plus three-fifths of the slaves.

Commerce Compromise (1787)

Congress could regulate state and foreign commerce, place taxes on foreign imports (benefitting the north) but prohibited placing taxes on exports (benefitting the south).

Bill of Rights (1791)

James Madison drafted this document, which Congress immediately approved amendments to defend individual liberties.

national bank

one of Alexander Hamilton's ideas for federalism to have states collectively pay for all debts.

Federalist Party

party that wanted a strong federal government and supported industry and trade.

Democratic Republican Party

party started by that wanted a weak central government and more local government authority since they were scared that a central government could become like Britain.

John Adams

America's first Vice-President and second President after Washington; stopped the XYZ Affair from leading to a war; married to Abigail Adams.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

Washington's final message that was meant for national unity. He stated that there should be NO involvement with European affairs, NO "permanent" alliances in foreign affairs, NO forming political parties, and NO falling into sectionalism.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

the acts where the president had the authority to deport "aliens" or foreigners that were "dangerous" or enemy to war; also these acts made it illegal for newspaper criticism of the government or president with strict consequences.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1798-1799)

Kentucky adopted Jefferson's resolution as Virginia adopted Madison's resolution.

Indian Intercourse Act of 1790

one of the first laws created in the U.S. where the federal government had legal action of what to do with Native American lands, regardless of their true ownership; largely ignored by settlers/traders migrating westward.

Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)

the British were supplying and supporting the Natives to attack the settlers, which led to this event; Americans ignored the laws and were taking the western lands owned by Natives.

Treaty of Greenville (1795)

made by the chiefs defeated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers, where they surrendered claims to the Ohio Territory and opened it for settlement.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders.

French Revolution (1789)

a rebellion of French people against their king and the absolute monarchy that was inspired by Enlightenment ideals and the American Revolution.

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

based on Washington's belief that the nation was too young to participate in foreign conflict and should remain a neutral nation, which Jefferson disagreed with.

Citizen Genet Affair (1793)

French minister, Edmond Genet, to the U.S. broke all rules of diplomacy by appealing directly to the American people to support the French cause, leading to the French government removing him, and he became a U.S. citizen.

Jay Treaty (1794-1795)

angered American supporters of France, but kept peace in the U.S. by maintaining Washington's policy of neutrality instead of fighting back; created by John Jay to limit the British on American land.

Pickney Treaty (1795)

granted Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River and the right of deposit at New Orleans; shows how Spain remained a powerful presence in North America during this period, even as they expanded missions in California.

Right of Deposit

right to transfer goods at a destination without having to pay fees for the cargo.

XYZ Affair (1797)

an incident that precipitated an undeclared war with France occurred when three French officials (X, Y, and Z) demanded that American emissaries pay a bribe before negotiating disputes between the two countries; John Adams avoided war.

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin (1793)

invented the cotton gin in 1793, which caused the already declining slavery to become a demanding aspect; slavery then became key for economic advantage and for free (forced) labor.