Early American History: Key Terms and Foreign/Domestic Policies

Vocabulary flashcards covering key political parties, treaties, events, and figures from early U.S. history based on the AP US History course context.

Whiskey Rebellion

An uprising in western Pennsylvania in 1794 over an excise tax levied on whiskey, which farmers viewed as an unjust levy like the Stamp Act; President Washington crushed it with overwhelming force to demonstrate the power of the new government to maintain order and carry out the law.

Jay's Treaty

An agreement that provided England would evacuate a series of forts in U.S. territory along the Great Lakes, in return for the United States agreeing to pay pre-Revolutionary War debts owed to Britain. It also partially opened the West Indies to American shipping and was barely ratified due to strong Democratic-Republican opposition.

Pinckney's Treaty

An agreement with Spain that opened the Mississippi River to American navigation and granted Americans the right of deposit in New Orleans; Spain agreed to it out of fear that Jay's Treaty included an Anglo-American alliance.

Farewell Address

A presidential message in which Washington warned the nation to avoid both entangling foreign alliances and domestic "factions" (political parties). Its ideas served as the basis of isolationist arguments for the next 150 years.

Federalist Party

A political party led by Alexander Hamilton that favored a strong central government, commercial interests, Hamilton's financial plan, and close ties to England. Its membership was strongest among the merchant class and property owners.

Democratic Republican Party

A political party led by Thomas Jefferson that feared centralized political power, supported states' rights, opposed Hamilton's financial plan, and supported ties to France. It was heavily influenced by agrarian interests in the southern states.

John Adams

An early advocate of American independence, major figure in the Continental Congress (1774-77), first vice president (1789-97), and second president (1797-1801) of the United States. His presidency was dominated by the French Revolutionary Wars, insistence on neutrality, signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and military buildup during the undeclared naval war with France.

Alien and Sedition Acts

A series of acts designed to suppress perceived French agents working against American neutrality; they gave the president power to deport "dangerous" aliens, lengthened the residency requirement for citizenship, and restricted freedoms of speech and press.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Statements written by Madison for Virginia and Jefferson for Kentucky as a reaction against the Sedition Act. They asserted that the Constitution was a compact among the states, giving states the right to nullify laws when the national government exceeded its constitutional powers.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic effort by President John Adams to soothe the French over Jay's Treaty and American neutrality; three American delegates were told they must offer a bribe before negotiations could begin, leading to refusal, heightened tensions, and war hysteria in the U.S.