Ch 6 - Making War and Republican Governments

Hessian

18th-century German mercenary soldier hired by the British Empire to fight against the American colonists during the Revolutionary War; Recruited from Hesse-Kassel, a German state

British Advantages:

1.) Higher Population (11 million vs. 2.5 million)

2.) Wealth from South Atlantic System + Industrial Revolution

3.) Most Powerful Navy + Large Army

4.) American Loyalists + Native American Allies (Cherokees in Carolinas + Shawnees in Kentucky)

American Disadvantages:

1.) Economically + Militarily Weak

2.) Lacked Strong Central Government

3.) No reliable source of Tax Revenue

4.) Inexperienced Continental Army

Continental Army

The official, unified military force established by the second Continental Congress in June 1775 to oppose British rule. Commanded by General George Washington to move beyond localized colonial militias and form a professionalized national fighting force

Battle of Long Island

The first major engagement of the new Continental army, defending against 32,000 British troops outside of New York City. The Continentals, under General Washington, retreated, eventually crossing the Hudson River to New Jersey.

Battle of Saratoga

Multi-stage battle in New York that ended with the surrender of British General John Burgoyne (Gentleman Johnny) to American General Horatio Gates; Became the Turning point of the Revolutionary War

The Battle at Saratoga ensured the…

diplomatic success of American representatives in Paris, who won a military alliance with France

The Treaty of Alliance

Pivotal military pact that secured a formal defensive alliance between the United States and France during the Revolutionary War

Committees of Safety

Committees formed by Patriots to collect taxes and seize property of those who refused to pay

Valley Forge

Place were George Washington’s army retreated to during the Winter of 1777. Harsh conditions led to many deserting, resigning, and dying

Baron von Steuben

Former Prussian military officers who joined the American cause and instituted a strict drill system while improving officers to create a better-disciplined force

Office Corps

Collective body of commissioned miltary leaders during Revolutionary War

Philipsburg Proclamation

Declared that any slave who deserted a rebel master would receive protection, freedom, and land from Great Britain; Inspired by Lord Dunmore’s proclamation for his Ethiopian Regiment

Triangular War

African Americans fought both sides which created an opportunity for Britain but problems for Patriots

Guerrilla Warfare

Irregular combat tactic where small, mobile bands of independent fighters use surprise raids, hit-and-run ambushes, and sabotage against a larger military force

War of Attrition

Military strategy where a side tries to wear down an enemy over time by constantly destroying their resources, soldiers, and morale until they can’t fight anymore

Currency Tax

implicit, hidden tax created by the rampant inflation of Continental currency being issued during the American Revolutionary War

Battle at Yorktown

A battle in which French and American troops and a French fleet trapped the British army under the command of General Charles Cornwallis . The Franco-American victory broke the resolve of the British government and brought the end of the war.

Treaty of Paris

Great Britain formally recognized American independence and relinquished its claims to lands South of the Great Lakes and East of the Mississippi River

Treaty of Versailles

Britain made peace with France (received Caribbean island of Tobago despite national debts quadrupling) and Spain (reclaimed Florida from Britain but not Gibraltar)

Shays's Rebellion

A 1786-1787 uprising led by farmers centered in western Massachusetts many of them Revolutionary War veterans, protesting the taxation policies of the eastern elites who controlled the state's government.

Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776

Created a unicameral (one house) legislature with complete power with no governor to exercise a veto; Mandated system of elementary education and protected citizens from imprisonment for debt

Why did some Patriot leaders dislike the Pennsylvania Constitution?

They believed it was too radically democratic and lacked a proper separation of powers

Thoughts on Government

Written by John Adams, a 1776 influential pamphlet and letter written to help colonial leaders design new, independent state constitutions based on republican principles; Spurred because of the Pennsylvania Constitution

Mixed government

Sharing of power among the monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons

Checks and Balances

Theory of the U.S. Constitution that government should be divided into three branches and each branch be made to limit and oppose the power of the others

Articles of Confederation

The written document defining the structure of the government from 1781 to 1788 under which the Union was a confederation of equal states, with no executive and limited powers, existing mainly to foster a common defense.

Constitutional Convention (Philadelphia Convention)

Took place in Philadelphia from May to September 1787, where 55 delegates met to address the severe weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation following events like Shays' Rebellion.

Nationalists

Elite property owners and professionals who favored stronger national government to defend the country and promote economic growth and the security of property

Virginia Plan

A plan drafted by James Madison and presented at the opening of the Philadelphia constitutional convention. Proposing a powerful three-branch government and tying representation in both houses of the congress to population, this plan would have eclipsed the voice of small states in the national government.

New Jersey Plan

An alternative plan drafted by delegates from small states, retaining the Confederation's single-house congress with one vote per state. It shared with the Virginia Plan enhanced congressional powers to raise revenue, control commerce, and make binding requisitions on the states.

Great Compromise

the resolution of the conflict between the New Jersey Plan (all states equally represented) and the Virginia Plan (states with larger population have more representatives than smaller states); House of Representatives based on population; Senate based on equality of states (2 Senators each)

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution of 1787, which created a strong central government capable of defending the minority propertied party in each state from the majority tyranny of the masses.

Federal System

the division of power between the state governments and the federal government

The Federalist Papers

collection of essays commentomg and defending in detail the new U.S. Constitution during the ratification debtes; written anonymously by Madison, Jay, and Hamilton

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution. This group feared a powerful and distant central government would be out of touch with the needs of citizens. They also complained that it failed to guarantee individual liberties in a bill of rights.

Bill of Rights

First Ten Amendments to U.S. Constitution drafted by James Madison in the First Congress to meet the objections of many Antifederalists that there was no protection against abusive governmental power

3/5 Compromise

Controversy over population representation for House of Representatives. North didn't wanted slaves to count; South wanted to count them fully. Convention tied representation and taxation together--> the more slaves the South claimed, the higher their tax bill. Compromise: count each slave as 3/5 a person for both purposes.

Fugitive Clause

Clause in the U.S. Constitution requiring non-slave states to return the escaped property of the slave states

Necessary and Proper clause

Clause in U.S. Constitution authorizing Congress to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carrying out the ends of the constitution; also referred toas the "elastic clause" since its language could be made to stretch to defend almost any government action.

Ratification Debate

the proposed U.S. Constitution had to be approved in 9 state constitutional conventions before it would become law

The Northwest Orinance of 1787

A land act that established a process by which settled territories would become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It also banned slavery in the Northwest Territory. The land ordinances provided for orderly settlement and the admission of new states on the basis of equality with existing states.

General Charles Cornwallis

A top British military commander during the American Revolutionary War whose surrender at Yorktown effectively ended the conflict

General William Howe

Commander-in-chief of British land forces in North America during the early years of the American Revolutionary War

Nathanael Greene

Major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War who served as one of George Washington's most trusted and talented subordinate officers

General Horatio Gates

Major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his crucial role in the American victory at Saratoga

Robert Morris

Wealthy Philadelphia merchant known as the "Financier of the American Revolution" for personally funding and managing the fragile wartime economy

Judith Sargent Murray

Judith Sargent Murray was an early American feminist writer and advocate for women's equality who argued that men and women possess equal intellectual capabilities

James Madison

Founding Father, the fourth U.S. President, and the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights

Benedict Arnold

Brilliant early Revolutionary War General for the Continental Army who later turned traitor by conspiring to surrender the fort at West Point to the British