APUSH Unit 3, Period 3

AMSCO Note Flashcards

Which war from the Seven Years Wars (1689-1763) began in North America?

French and Indian War

Describe the first 3 out of the 4 wars in the Seven Years War.

King William’s (1) and Queen Anne’s (2) War British launched expeditions to capture Quebec, but both failed.
American Indians supported by French burned English Frontiers.
Queen Anne’s War: British gained Nova Scotia from France and trading rights in Spanish America.

King George’s War (3): Brits under attack from French and Spanish
James Ogelthorpe led colonial force in Georgia
North, force capture Louisbourg
(but in the peace treaty after the war, British gave Louisbourg in exchange for political and economic gains in India) —> New Englanders furious about this.

Why was the fourth war different from the rest?

First three primarily focused on conflict in Europe, the fourth on conflict in the Americas.

Describe the beginning of the French and Indian War.

British POV: French provoked them by building forts on Ohio River Valley to halt westward expansion of the British.
George Washington and troops sent to stop work on Fort Duquesne.
Had small initial victory but had to surrender to the French.
Started the F + I war.

Describe how the war went for the British in the beginning.

Badly
1755 British expedition under Gen. Edward Braddock ended up in defeat to French and NA allies.
Algonquin allies destroy western frontier in Pennsylvania.

Describe the Albany Plan of Union

British Government called representatives from colonies to meet in a congress at Albany.

Foreign Problems during AoC (1781-1789)

States didn’t adhere to Treaty of Paris
- couldn’t restore property of loyalists
Too weak to stop British from keeping military outposts in W. frontier and restricting trade.

Economic Weaknesses and Interstate Quarrels

Lesser foreign trade, limited credit -> economic depression
states hadn’t paid war debts, federal govt. unable to levy taxes, printed worthless paper money in most states
states competed with one another, placed tariffs on each other’s goods, faced boundary disputes

Annapolis Convention

Was held after a meeting at George Washington’s house with delegates from a few states
only 5 states sent delegates
discussed how to improve interstate commercial relations
agreed to meet again in Philidelphia to revise articles of confederation

Drafting the Constitution

12 out of the 13 states (excluded: RI) sent delegates to Philadelphia to REVISE articles of Confederation
Main Delegates:
- George Washington = chairperson of convention
- Benjamin Franklin = unifying force bc he was old and wise
- James Madison (father of Constitution), Alexander Hamilton, Governor Morris, and John Dickinson = fashioned the Constitution
- lot of Revolution leaders weren’t present

Key Issues During the Drafting of the Constitution - Govt. Power, State Rep., Trade, Presidency, Ratification

• Delegates disagreed on purpose of the convention - right a new document or revise the AoC?

• nationalists (Madison and Hamilton) in favor of writing new one, took over the convention pretty quickly

• How to keep govt from having too much power?

  • Madison et al. championed checks and balances, limiting power of other branches

• State Representation:

  • Virginia Plan: favored larger states (Madison)

  • New Jersey Plan: favored smaller state with equal representation

  • Great Compromise aka Connecticut Plan: bicameral legislature (Congress) - Senate and House of Reps.

• Trade

  • South afraid federal government will place taxes on exports, north wanted central authority of foreign and interstate trade

  • Commercial Compromise: Congress can regulate interstate and foreign commerce, including placing tariffs on foreign imports but none on any exports

• Presidency

  • some said they should have the position for life

    • other for four-year terms, but no restriction on the number of terms

    • delegates made electoral college system to make sure there is no mob rule

    • electors = state reps and senators

  • Submit to states on Sept 17, 1787

  • 9/13 states had to approve for doc to be ratified

Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

Federalist Papers: written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison in favor of Constitution
Compromised by adding Bill of Rights to the Constitution - worry for many anti-federalists
Virginia = populous, rich, anti-federalists, came around after Bill of Rights, rallied behind Patrick Henry, George Mason
Motivated NY, NC, and RI to also ratify

First 10 Amendments (Bill of Rights)

Originally provided protection against central government, after 14th Amendment (1868), extended to state governments.
FIRST AMENDMENT: guarantees the right of freedom from establishment of religion, religion, freedom of speech, press, association, assembly, and for people to send petitions to their government.
SECOND AMENDMENT: in order to have a prepared military, people are guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms.
THIRD AMENDMENT: the government cannot force people to house and feed soldiers in their homes during times of peace.
FOURTH AMENDMENT: people, their homes or their belongings are protected from unreasonable searches or seizures. Warrants may not be issued except upon probable cause.
FIFTH AMENDMENT: guarantees a person accused of a serious crime the right to be charged by a grand jury. Persons cannot be forced to give evidence against themselves. If a person is found not guilty of a crime, he/she cannot be put on trial for the same crime again. The federal government cannot unfairly take peoples' lives, freedom or property. The government must pay a person for any property it takes for public use.
SIXTH AMENDMENT: guarantees a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury if a person is accused of a crime. The accused has the right to be told of what they are accused. They have the right to a lawyer. They have a right to see and to question those people who accuse them of the crime.
SEVENTH AMENDMENT: This amendment guarantees a trial by jury in civil cases. (Disputes between private parties or between the government and a private party.)
EIGHTH AMENDMENT: guarantees that excessive bail or fines will not be imposed, and that punishment will not be cruel and unusual.
NINTH AMENDMENT: states that the people have other rights that are not stated here.
TENTH AMENDMENT: states that the people have all the rights not given to the United States government or forbidden to state governments by the U.S. Constitution.

Executive Branch Under Washington

Organized new departments of executive branch
Thomas Jefferson - Secretary of State
Alexander Hamilton - Secretary of Treasury
Henry Knox - Secretary of War
Edmund Randolph - Attorney General

Federal Court System

Congress was given the power to create federal courts other than the Supreme but with less power and to determine the number of Supreme Court justices.
Judiciary Act of 1789 established Supreme Court with one chief justice and 5 associate justices which was empowered to rule on the constitutionality of decisions made by state courts.

Hamilton’s Financial Plan (What it entails, those for and against)

1. Pay off national debt at face value and have the federal government assume war debts of the states

2. protect the nation’s new industries and collect adequate revenue by placing high tariffs on imported goods

3. create a national bank for depositing government funds and printing bank notes to make a stable US currency

supported mainly by northern merchants who would gain from high tariffs and stabilized currency
opponents: Anti-Federalists said that the states would lose power, there is no place in the Constitution that says this can happen, thought it only benefitted the rich
Congress finally adopted the plan after modification (making tariffs lower)
Capitol was to be established in Virginia area for Jefferson’s support of paying off debts

Washington: Foreign Affairs

French Revolution coincided with 2 of Washington’s terms and 1 of John Adams’s.

Jefferson and followers sympathized with French republic efforts, but alliance remained in effect with the French monarchy.
Also argued that US should help French defend from Britain because British were seizing American merchant ships bound for French ports

Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793

Washington believed country too young for battle.
Proclaimed neutrality despite extreme opposition from Jefferson and followers. Jefferson resigned from cabinet because of this.

Edmond Genet

French minister to the USA appealed directly to American people to support French cause. This was really bad conduct, so Washington sent a request to French govt to remove him, but Genet just stayed.

The Jay Treaty

John Jay sent to British to talk them out of impressing seamen into the British navy and seizing American ships. Jay brought back treaty that said nothing about the ships but instead agreed to evacuate British posts on US Western frontier. Unpopular by Americans, narrowly ratified by senate, but maintained Washington’s policy of neutrality.

Pinckney Treaty (1795)

Spain saw Jay’s Treaty as American getting closer to Britain (their foe). Spain strengthened presence in California by making more missionaries, concerned about holdings in Florida though.
Thomas Pinckney negotiated with Spain to make Florida boundary on 31st parallel and open the lower Mississippi River and New Orleans to American trade. Americans didn’t have to pay duties to the Spanish government when transferring cargoes in New Orleans because of this.

Domestic Issues with the Native Americans

Settlers steadily moved Westward. Northwest or Western Confederation (Iroquois, Shawnee, Delaware, and others) raised army against militia. Won many wars initially. Americans thought the British were supplying the natives. At the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Confederacy was defeated. Treaty of Greenville signed in which they surrendered claims to Ohio Territory.

Whiskey Rebellion

Since Hamiliton couldn’t get the amount of money through tariffs through his financial plant to pay war debts, he raised taxes on the sale of whiskey. Farmers in W. Pennsylvania couldn’t afford this, attacked tax collectors as rebellion. George Washington marched on them with large militia and settled the rebellion in a largely bloodless manner.

Mixed reception from the public about show of force against common people.

Public Land Act 1796

Established effective manner of selling and dividing federal land earned in Jay’s Treaty and victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Washington’s Farewell Address

Warned Americans not to:

• get involved in European Affairs

• make permanent allies

• form political parties

• fall into sectionalism

The XYX Affair

French were seizing American merchant ships. Adams sent delegates to Paris seeking a peaceful settlement. The French diplomats demanded bribes as basis for even negotiation from the US delegates.

Enraged Americans, called for war. Hamilton and Federalists wanted war in hopes of gaining land from France and Spain in N. America. Adams knew, though, that the US Army and Navy weren’t strong enough.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Anger against French helped strengthen support for Federalists. They took advantage of this to enact laws to restrict their political opponents by going at immigrant populations. Naturalization Act: increased from 5 to 14 years required for immigrants to qualify for US citizenship.
Alien Acts: allowed president to deport any aliens considered dangerous and detain enemy aliens in times of war.
Sedition Acts: restricted free speech, made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize either the president or Congress.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Dem Reps argued that Alien and Sedition Acts violated 1st Amendment. Enacted nullifying laws in state legislatures which said that if a national law was unconstitutional, the state could choose to nullify it.

Revolution of 1800

The peaceful shift from Federalists to Democratic Reps from Adams’s presidency to Jefferson.