unit 3 vocab

(Colonial) assembly

one of the two subdivisions of colonial government. Consisted of elected, property-owning men who wanted to ensure that colonial law followed English law. They approved taxes, colonial budgets, and also checked the power of the government.

French and Indian war

a war between the French (catholics) + French-allied natives and the British (through American militiamen). French-allied natives raided British towns on the border between New England and New France, took captives, and ransomed and converted said captives. French victories were often due to the alliances with the natives, and the war ended due to peace treaties of Paris and Hubertusburg in 1763.

Pontiac’s war

a war started by an Ottawa leader. He and 300 warriors sought to take Fort Detroit in May 1763, but that resulted in a 6-month siege of the fort. They did this because after the British took control of this once French-owned land (due to the Treaty of Paris), they treated the natives very poorly. Due to disease, native forces were weakened, and they waved the white flag in 1766. They did not ‘win’ the war, but they did change the British land policies.

Royal proclamation of 1763

Issued during Pontiac’s war. This creates the proclamation line, which uses the Appalachian Mountains as the boundary between British colonies and native-controlled lands.

Salutary Neglect

The approach used by Britain in terms of the colonies, which was a hands-off approach. They exercised little direct control over the colonies and had generally allowed its navigation laws to go unenforced. However, the wars fought were expensive, blamed on the colonists by Britain, and the government decided to increase their involvement to pay off war debts.

Anglicization

A process in which 18th century colonists were adopting cultural habits to those of the British. Colonists attempted to mimic British culture, which led to political, intellectual, cultural, and economic developments.

Sugar act

Passed in 1764, it placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries. This raised money for the crown, and enforced the navigation acts to prevent sugar smuggling, specifically molasses, to bypass taxes.

Stamp act

Passed in 1765, it placed duties on printed paper in the colonies, including but not limited to legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and advertisements. This was the first direct tax paid by people in the colonies, as opposed to taxes on imported goods, which were limited to merchants only.

Sons of Liberty

Groups established in 1766 that were opposed to the acts passed and organized further resistance. This sent a message to Parliament and influenced colonists to stop being hired as stamp collectors - therefore, no one was able to distribute the stamps.

Stamp Act Congress

A congress formed by representatives from the 9 colonies in New York in 1765. They decided that only the representatives could have power to approve taxes. They issued the “Declaration of rights and Grievances,” which affirmed that colonists had the same rights as Britons.

Declaratory Act

An act passed by parliament asserting that they had the full pwoer and authority to make laws for the colonies. This reserved Parliament’s rights to impose taxes. Because colonists were celebrating the repeal of the stamp act, they didn’t notice that this act had been passed.

Townshend Acts

Another British attempt to acquire revenue from the colonies in 1767. They created new custom duties on common items (lead, glass, tea) rather than a direct tax. However, this act also created and strengthened formal mechanisms that would enforce the acts.

Committees of Correspondence

Formed by the colonies as a way to stay informed about resistance efforts against the British throughout the colonies. These people felt even more ‘represented’, or united, by the fact that the resistance they spoke about was represented in the papers.

Boston Massacre

in 1768, the British sent regiments to enforce the acts and lower resistance. A crowd of colonists began to provoke the regiments, and the soldiers fired shots. 5 Bostonians passed away, one being a well-known resistance leader who was a former slave. John Adams helped defend the soldiers at their trial back in Britain.

Tea Act

An act passed to help the EIC, which was failing. The act allowed the company to directly sell the colonists tea without having to pay an export tax, like other companies had to do, in London. This lowered the price of the tea for the colonists, but they were still unsatisfied because they were supporting a monopoly, and didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that they had to follow acts Parliament passed.

Boston Tea Party

The Sons of Liberty, led by Sam Adams and John Hancock, decided to prevent the landing and sale of the tea. The ships, however, stayed docked, which upset the Sons. Therefore, they made the decision to dump the tea into Boston Harbor.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts

Following the Boston Tea Party, Britain instilled these acts. The British shut down the harbor and cut off all trade. The government was completely under British control, which meant restricting town meetings and dissolving the assembly. The quartering act was also put in place, which the colonists were fine with until they had to house soldiers in times of peace.

First Continental Congress

An intercolonial response to the Intolerable Acts. The first congress met on September 5, 1774. Delegates from all colonies (aside from Georgia) issued a variety of documents, including the “declaration of Rights and Grievances.” The colonists believed they had all the rights of the native Britons, and that they had the right to elect a representative before the government could tax them.

“Olive Branch Petition”

The Continental Congress created this petition to assure the king that the colonists wanted peace and harmony between the mother country and the colonies, and that they didn’t desire conflict between the two.

Common sense

Written by Thomas Paine, this text argued for independence from Great Britain by denouncing the monarchy and challenging the British logic. He used simple language (which helped a lot because of literacy rates and not everyone was a scholar), biblical references to target the religious, and rhetoric.

Declaration of independence

Created by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, it was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, and declared the 13 colonies intention to separate from British rule and establish themselves as independent states The document emphasizes natural rights, and the idea that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed. This document marked the beginning of the American Revolution and is a symbol of liberty and democracy.

Hessian

German mercenaries that arrived in New York with the intention of launching an expedition to seize control of the Hudson River and isolate New England from the rest of the continent.

Battle of Trenton

The surprise attack launched by Washington that targeted a Hessian camp Trenton. In the night of Christmas day, him and the few thousand men that composed the continental army defeated the Hessians. This got the continental army their much needed supplies and morale boost. The Hessians were hungover.

Battle of Yorktown

In October 1781, Washington and his troops marched from New York to Virginia in an effort to trap the southern British army, which was led by Cornwallis. The continental army, along with the allied French, arrived at the British dugouts before the awaited supplies, They defeated the British, leaving them without a new strategy and no public support. This led to the signing of a peace treaty in late 1783 .

Popular sovereignty

A consequence of the American Revolution; new state constitutions were based on this ideology, where power and authority of the government is derived from the people.

Articles of Confederation

Ratified by the Continental Congress in 1781, this document allowed for each state to have one vote in the continental congress. However, the articles didn’t allow congress to levy or collect taxes, regulate foreign or interstate commerce, or establish a federal judiciary. The colonies were afraid to have a tyrannical, absolute authority over them again, so they heavily limited the power of congress. Congress was weak and ineffectual.

Republican Motherhood

Post-revolution, women still didn’t have complete and total rights. Women were incorporated into the policy to a certain extent as republican mothers. It was the mother’s responsibility to raise and educate future citizens to create a virtuous society. This allowed opportunities for women in the educational realm, but besides that they sitll remained on the outside of policies.

Shays’ Rebellion

In 1786-1787, after the American Revolution ended, farmers in western Massachusetts were drowning in debt from war expenses. The Articles, which left the federal government with no way to make money, were blamed for the creditors that would collect taxes from the poor farmers. Daniel Shay, one of the leaders, led the Shaysites formed blockades around courthouses to keep judges from issuing foreclosure orders.

Virginia Plan

The plan James Madison proposed; to change the articles of confederation to a whole new constitution. HE took it to Philly, and it was named after his homes state.

New Jersey Plan

Proposed by William Patterson; it said that the states should each continue to have one vote in the continental congress and that states should remain small.

Great Compromise

The compromise that came from the New Jersey and the Virginia plan, Each state would have 2 senators, who could vote independently. Slaves were considered 3/5 of a person (5 slaves = one vote for the owner)

Federalists

Supporters of the constitution and its strong federal government. They thought adding a bill of rights to the constitution was dangerous becaue it could limit future addition of rights.

Federalist papers

Written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison and published in New York newspapers from ‘87-’88. They presented reasons for believing in the practi­cality of the major constitutional concessions.

Anti-federalists

Opponents of the constitution and its strong federal government. They were often small farmers and settlers on the western frontier. They argued that Americans risked losing their personal liberty by not adding a bill of rights to the constitution.

Bill of Rights

In 1791, 10 amendments were added to the constitution, providing protection against abuses of power by the central ( or federal) government.

Hamilton’s financial plan

Believed in tying the wealthy men’s (monied men) economic interests to the federal government. He believed that this would lead to an economically prosperous government. The first step of his plan was to involve federal “assumption: of war debts from the revolutionary war. The federal government would pay the debts from the states. He also wanted congress to create the Bank of the United States. This would create a link between the federal government and the country’s economic vitality.

Whiskey Rebellion

This was a direct product of the whiskey tax, proposed by Hamilton. In the fall of 1791, in western Pennsylvania, 16 men dressed as women ganged up on a tax collector and tarred and feathered him. Deputy marshalls who sought justice were robbed, beate, flogged, whipped, tarred and feathered, and virtually left for dead. Rebel farmers continued these harsh forms of protest, such as liberty poles. The rebellion showed that the federal government could settle internal unrest, considering that Washington was able to quell the conflict. This also showed, however, how many of the poorer citizens viewed this new form of government as an enemy, not a helping hand.

Jay’s Treaty

A treaty signed by John Jay in the fall of 1794. It required Britain to abandon its military posts in Northwest territories, and to compensate American merchants for their losses. In return, America would treat Britain as a prized trade partner, and in result would have to support Britain in its conflict with the French, The treaty gaveAmerica the abiilty to remain neutral in a European war, and protected trade.

Citizen Genet

A French ambassador that arrived in America during 1792. He encouraged Americans to act against British ally Spain and attack Florida and Louisiana. When Washington denied, Genet threatened to appeal to the people. Washington tattle-taled on him to the French government and Genet ended up staying in America because a radical group of revolutionaries has initiated a bloody purge after seizing power in France.

XYZ Affair

A response to Jay’s Treaty, where the French government sent vessels to attack American shipping. The American response was to send envoys to France. There was a rumor that negotiations could only begin after America offered France a bribe, and this affair that became known as the XYZ affair infuriated Americans into rallying against the French cause.

Quasi-War

The French war that was fought on the Atlantic between French naval vessels and American merchant ships.

Alien and Sedition Act

Created to prevent internal subversion from the Quasi-war. The Alien act allowed the federal government allowed the deportation of foreigners (aliens) who appeared to pose a threat. The Sedition act allowed the government to prosecute anyone who said “false, scandalous, and malicious writing” against the government. This was perceived as a limitation of liberty.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

These argued that the national government’s authority was limited to the powers expressly delegated by the U.S. constitution. Essentially, the states could limit the national government - especially through declaring federal laws unconstitiutional. What was at first defiance is now a key part of our government system of today.

“The Revolution of 1800”

Witten by Jefferson, this severely influenced American principles. This led to the change of the 12th amendment, so the rules for presidential elections changed to prevent future deadlocks. This was a revolution not accomplished “by the sword,” but “by the rational and peaceable instrument of reform, the suffrage of the people.”