APUSH Unit 2 Key Terms

unit 2 key terms

Albany Plan of Union

Proposal supported by Benjamin Franklin that called for greater unity and home rule among Britain’s. N. American colonies

Boston Massacre

1770 incident in which British officers responded to a protest by opening fire on civilians, killing 5 and injuring 6 others

Boston Tea Party

Event stages by disguised Indians to sabotage British support of a British East India Company monopoly

Coercive Acts

Harsh measures of retaliation by Parliament that included the Boston Port Act closing the city’s harbor

Battles of Trenton and Princeton

Demonstrated the resolve of the Continental Army and the military leadership of George Washington

Committees of Correspondence

Underground networks of communication and propaganda, established by Samuel Adams, that sustained colonial resistance

Common Sense

Inflammatory pamphlet that demanded independence and helped scorn on “the Royal Brute of Great Britain”

First Continental Congress

Body led by John Hancock that issued a Declaration of Rights and signifies growing unification among the colonies

Lexington and Concord

Site where hostilities commenced between colonial militia and British regulars

Loyalists

Colonial Americans who fought for King George III and earned the contempt of Patriots

Ohio River Valley

Inland river territory, scene of fierce competition between the French and the English colonists

Olive Branch Petition

Colonial attempt at a peaceful resolution with Great Britain in 1775

Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act

Past in 1780, it was the First law to begin the process of emancipation in the United States (several Northern states followed)

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Uprising on the frontier that caused the British to attempt to limit colonial expansion

Proclamation of 1763

Legislation in 1763 that prohibited the American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

Salutary Neglect

Time period where Parliament largely did not enforce regulations in the North American colonies

Sons & Daughters of Liberty

Male and female organizations that enforce the nonimportation agreements, sometimes by coercive means

Stamp Act

Legislation passed in 1765 that directly taxed the colonists

Stamp Act Crisis

First major negative response to British enforcement of Parliamentary regulation and taxing in the colonies

Sullivan Expedition

Scorched-earth campaign against the Iroquois Confederacy during the Revolutionary War

Tea Act

Legislation that granted a monopoly to the British East India Company

Townsend Acts

Series of laws passed by Parliament that taxed certain items such as glass, lead, paper, and tea

Treaty of Paris (1763)

Ended the French Indian War, giving England uncontested European control of Northeast North America

Virtual Representation

British governmental theory that Parliament spoke for all British subjects, including Americans, even if they did not vote for its members

Writs of Assistance

Blank search warrants used by British authorities to regulate smuggling in the North American colonies

3/5ths Compromise

Compromise between Northern and Southern Constitutional delegates that resulted in each slave being counted as 60% of a person

Alien and Sedition Acts

Harsh (and unconstitutional) laws aimed at radical immigrants and Jeffersonian writers

Anti-Federalists

The opponents of the new Constitution who argued against creating such a strong central government

Articles of Confederation

First written constitution of the United States with strong state governments and a weak central government

Assumption Bill

Hamilton's policy of having the federal government pay the financial obligations (debts) of the states

Bank of the United States

Institution established by Hamilton to create a stable currency and bitterly opposed by states-righters

Coverture

The legal status of a married woman, considered to be under her husband's protection and authority

Democratic-Republican Party

Political party that emphasized states rights and a pro-French foreign policy

Electoral College

Group appointed by each state who formally elect the President (and Vice President)

Federalist Papers

A masterly series of pro-constitution articles printed in the New York by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay

Federalist Party

The supporters for ratification of the new federal system proposed under the Constitution

Fugitive Slave Clause

Constitutional provision that requires states to return freedom seekers back to enslaved plantations

Jay Treaty (1794)

Document signed in 1794 whose terms favoring Britain outraged Americans, especially Jeffersonian Republicans, and demonstrated the U.S. was no real concern to England

Loose Construction

A broad interpretation of the Constitution, widening the authority of the central government (usually superseding state authority)

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Legislation that provided for the orderly transformation of western territories into states and outlawed enslavement in the region

Pinckney Treaty (1794)

Unexpected agreement granting the United States free navigation of the Mississippi River

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

Policy of President Washington based on the belief that the U.S. could and should not really compete militarily with the major world powers

“republican motherhood”

The idea that American women had a special responsibility to cultivate "civic virtue" in their children

Shay’s Rebellion

A revolt in 1786 by poor debtor (western) farmers that exposed several weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation

Strict Construction

A narrow interpretation of the Constitution placing limits of centralized authority, granting greater authority to states

Treaty of Greenville

Document that forced Native Americans to relocate west of Ohio Territory and allow for white settlement

Washington’s Farewell Address

Message telling America that it should avoid unnecessary foreign entanglements (wars and alliances), cautioned about regionalism and influence of political parties

Whiskey Rebellion

A revolt of poor western farmers that was firmly suppressed by Washington and Hamilton's army, proving the effectiveness of the Constitution

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Political theory formulated by Jefferson and Madison declaring that the 13 states had created the constitution and could nullify federal laws considered unconstitutional

XYZ Affair

Incident in which 3 French agents attempted to extract bribes form American diplomats in 1797