US History Chapter 8

Vocabulary flashcards covering key events, figures, legislation, and treaties of the early United States from 1789 through 1800.

1790 National Census

Counted 4 million Americans total, with 1 in 4 living in New England.

Judith Sargent Murray

First American woman to publicly argue for equal education, stating women were intellectual equals.

Pietists

Protestants in the Mid-Atlantic who stressed the religion of the heart and the spirit of Christian living.

Bill of Rights

A written summary of inalienable rights written by James Madison, officially ratified on December 15, 1791.

Tariff Act of 1789

The first national tariff, designed to raise revenue rather than protect domestic industries.

Hamilton's Economic Program

A plan to fund the national debt at full face value and assume state war debts, compromised by moving the capital south.

Whiskey Tax

A 25% excise tax on distilled liquor that sparked an armed uprising by Western Pennsylvania farmers.

Federalists

Political party led by Hamilton and Adams favoring strong central government and a pro-British stance.

Republicans

Political party led by Jefferson and Madison favoring limited federal power and a pro-French stance.

Proclamation of Neutrality

Washington's April 22, 1793 declaration keeping the US out of the war between France and Britain.

Citizen Genêt Incident

A crisis where a French ambassador illegally recruited Americans; Washington granted him private citizenship to save him.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

A 1794 military victory by General Anthony Wayne over the Miami Confederacy in the Northwest Territory.

Treaty of Greenville

A 1795 treaty forcing Native Americans to cede most of Ohio to the US for an annual payment of $9,500.

Jay's Treaty

A deeply unpopular 1794 treaty with Britain that secured British evacuation of western forts but failed to stop ship boardings.

Treaty of San Lorenzo

A 1795 treaty with Spain setting the 31st parallel border and granting Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River.

XYZ Affair

A 1797 incident where French officials demanded a $12 million loan and a massive bribe to start peace talks.

Quasi-War

An undeclared naval war between the United States and France lasting from 1798 to 1800.

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798 laws extending naturalization residency requirements and criminalizing public criticism of the government.

Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions

Secret documents by Jefferson and Madison introducing the doctrine of states' rights and nullification.

Franco-American Accord of 1800

An agreement signed by John Adams that officially ended the Quasi-War and released the US from the 1778 alliance.