1754-1800

Virtual Representation

The idea that the British parliament members virtually represented British colonists by speaking for all instead of just the district they were from.

Actual Representation

In order to be taxed by Parliament, the Americans should have actual legislators voting in London.

The Great Awakening

An evangelical and revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730's and 1740's, leaving a permanent impact on American Protestantism.

The Enlightenment

A European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition.

Salutary Neglect

Refers to the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century British Crown policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep American colonies obedient to England.

Albany Plan of Union

A plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin, then a senior leader (age 45) and a delegate from Pennsylvania, at the Albany Congress on July 10, 1754 in Albany, New York.

French and Indian War

A series of military engagements between Britain and France in North America between 1754 and 1763.

Treaty of Paris, 1763

Ended the French and Indian War between Great Britain and France, as well as their respective allies. In the terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there.

Proclamation of 1763

Issued by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War, which forbade all settlement past a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains.

Non-importation Agreements

A series of commercial restrictions adopted by American colonists to protest British revenue policies prior to the American Revolution.

Stamp Act

An act of the British Parliament in 1756 that exacted revenue from the American colonies by imposing a stamp duty on newspapers and legal and commercial documents.

Declaratory Act

An act of the British Parliament that accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act stating that the British Parliament's taxing authority was the same in America as in Great Britain.

Townshend Duties

A series of measures introduced into the English Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend in 1767, the Townshend Acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

A statement written by Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr., and passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives in February 1768 in response to the Townshend Acts.

Boston Massacre

A riot in Boston arising from the resentment of Boston colonists toward British troops quartered in the city, in which the troops fired on the mob and killed several persons.

Boston Tea Party

A political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, on December 16, 1773.

Coercive-Intolerable Acts

A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea party. They were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in throwing a large tea shipment into Boston harbor.

First Continental Congress

A meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies that met on September 5 to October 26, 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution.

Lexington and Concord

The first battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. British troops had moved from Boston toward Lexington and Concord to seize the colonists' military supplies and arrest revolutionaries.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Common people who were brought together as a response of the Stamp Act.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775-76 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies.

Parts of the Declaration of Independence

The Preamble, the Statement of Human Rights, Charges Against Human Rights, Charges Against the King and Parliament, and the Statement of Separation and Signatures.

British War Strategy

The initial British goal was to contain revolutionary sentiment to Massachusetts, but as time went on, the new strategy was to capture New York, where many Loyalists lived, and use it as a base to conquer the middle colonies.

American War Strategy

The Colonial strategy consisted of meeting the enemy wherever they emerged.

Tories

Americans colonist that supported the British side during the American Revolution.

Native Americans and the R.W.

Native Americans had to choose the loyalist or patriot cause or somehow maintain a neutral stance. But the Native Americans had distinctive issues all their own in trying to hold on to their homelands as well as maintain access to trade and supplies as war engulfed their lands too.

Battle of Yorktown

The last battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in 1781 near the seacoast of Virginia.

Battle of Saratoga

A major battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in 1777 in northern New York state. Benedict Arnold, who had not yet turned traitor, was a leader of the American offensive, which forced the surrender of British troops under General John Burgoyne.

Peace of Paris, 1783

Treaty signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War.

Republican Government

A government in which the political authority comes from the people.

Women/Republican Mothers

Elevated women to a prestigious role as the social keepers of the nations conscience. Educational opportunities expanded, and the expectation was that women would cultivate virtues of a republic into their families.

Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom

Drafted by Jefferson in Virginia in 1777, but it was not passed by the state legislature until 1786. The statute provides compelling arguments for freedom of belief and separation of religion and state.

African Americans

An American who is of African descent.

U.S. Economy

Britain put restrictions on the type of products that could be made in the colonies and put restrictions on trade outside the British Empire, so there was very little change in productivity and little in the way of introduction of new goods and services.

Articles of Confederation

The first attempt at a government after the Revolutionary War. It united the thirteen states under a weak central government, keeping states rights.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Land in Old Northwest should be sold and then used to pay off the national debt. The land would be split into towns that were 36 square miles, split into mile squares. There would be one set aside for the establishment of public schools.

Northwest Land Ordinance

In 1787, a process for admitting new states was established. Once a territory gained 60,000 inhabitants, it would be admitted by congress as a state.

Shay's Rebellion

Due to farmers in western Massachusetts losing their farms to high taxes and foreclosures, Daniel Shay led farmers to demand lower taxes, paper money, and the suspension of property taxes. This rebellion helped to show that the articles of confederation needed to be revised.

Mt. Vernon Meeting

Issues between Virginia and Maryland over Potomac river. The central government should take action and mediate but instead a private citizen does, George Washington.

Annapolis Convention

The control of commerce had become such a problem that Virginia called a convention at Annapolis. Few states sent delegates, but they called on Congress to hold a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

Congress issued a call to the states to send delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation. Each state chose representatives which met in Philadelphia.

Virginia Plan

Plan supported by the larger states, consisted of a two house legislature with representation based on population.

New Jersey Plan

Plan supported by the smaller states, consisted of a one house legislature with equal representation in congress.

Great Compromise

Two house legislature, equal representation in the Senate and representation based on population in the lower house.

Three Fifths Compromise

Three Fifths of slaves would be counted as population in determining representation in the House of Representatives and for the purpose of determining taxation.

Checks and Balances

Counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.

Federal System

A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.

Federalists

The supporters of the proposed Constitution, the adopted name implied a commitment to a loose, decentralized system of government.

Anti-Federalists

They opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution.

The Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay which promoted the ratification of the United States Constitution.

Brutus

The name of a series of anti-federalist writing published in the New York Journal during the same period The Federalist was appearing in New York newspapers. The essays were widely popular throughout the American states. The author is thought by most scholars to have been Robert Yates.

"Great Rights of Mankind"

Also known as the Bill of Rights, they establish certain rights that the government can not take away from the people.

Washington and the Whiskey Rebellion

A tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during the presidency of George Washington. It was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government.

Hamilton's Financial Plan

Hamilton wanted the government to fund the national debt and to assume the debts of the states. He proposed a national bank of the US. He wanted to address debt with custom duties from tariffs.

The US and Indians in the 1790s

The Indian Intercourse Act of 1790 banned the sale of Indian land unless it was authorized by the US. This allowed for peace between Native Americans and the Americans.

Strict Constructionism

Supported by Thomas Jefferson and the other Republicans and meant you follow the specific instructions and rules of the Constitution.

Loose Constructionism

Supported by Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists which meant you could take whatever action you wanted, as long as the Constitution did not specifically say you couldn't do it.

Proclamation of Neutrality

Proclaimed the government's official neutrality in the conflict between Britain and France. Warned American citizens to be impartial to both sides.

Why is Washington DC Located Where it is?

States with heavy debts liked Hamilton's proposal of the government taking over debt, but states like Virginia with little debt didn't like it. So Virginia was satisfied when they would place the capital along the Potomac, in return for their dislike of Hamilton's views.

Jay's Treaty

Washington sent John Jay to England to avert war. Britain agreed to pay damages for the seizures of american ships, but they didn't mention future seizures. They forced Jay to bind America to paying debts still owed from the revolutionary war. They also agreed to abandon their chain of posts on US soil.

Pickney's Treaty

Treaty with Spain, it gave the US free navigation of the Mississippi river, in addition to all of their requests that the British failed to recognize in Jay's Treaty.

Executive Priviledge

The privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information from the public.

Washington's Farewell Address

The final address by George Washington to his fellow citizens as he was leaving the presidency, he said: to avoid political parties, remain neutral, the president should serve only two terms, and he reminded the nation of the importance of the Constitution.

Election of 1796

The Federalists supported John Adams and the Democratic Republicans supported Jefferson; Adams won with the most electoral votes.

The XYZ Affair

An insult to the American delegation when they were supposed to be meeting French foreign minister, Talleyrand, but instead they were sent 3 officials Adams called "X,Y, and Z" that demanded $250,000 as a bribe to see Talleyrand.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws that were established aimed at foreigners. The sedition act gave the president the right to deport or imprison foreigners and the alien acts increased the residence requirement to become a citizen.

KY and VA Resolutions/Nullification

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures said that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional.

Revolution of 1800

Jefferson's election changed the direction of the government from Federalist to Democratic- Republican, so it was called a "revolution."

Virginia Dynasty

A phrase from the nineteenth century; that points out that four of the first five presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe ) were from Virginia.