Period 3 Study Guide

Virginia and Kentucky Resolves

Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional.

Proclamation of 1763

the British government issued a proclamation that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

The Boston Tea Party

There was a tea tax parliament passed on the colonists. As a ship came into the Boston Harbor, a group of Bostonians dressed up as American Indians and threw 342 chests of tea off the ship.

“Common Sense”

Paine argued in clear and forceful language that the colonies should become independent states and break all political ties with the British monarchy.

“No taxation without Representation”

This was a colony saying that the British government couldn’t tax them without having any representation in Parliament.

Treaty of Paris- 1763

This concluded the Seven Years War

Loyalists and Patriots

These were American colonists who supported Great Britain.

Stamp Act

This was an act that the British government put on the colonists that adde a tax to all paper products.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

a protest against the stamp act. This was a secret society that was organized for the purpose of intimidating tax agents.

Olive Branch Petition

This was adopted by Congress on July 5,1775, to be sent to the King as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared.

1st and 2nd Continental Congress

They met to declare their independence from England.

Virtual Representation

this was an idea developed in the British colonial period that said members elected to parliament represented the whole British empire, not specific people or geographic locations.

The Boston Massacre

On March 1770, a crowd of colonists harassed the guards near the customs house. The guards fired into the crowd killing five people.

The Sugar Act

placed taxes on foreign sugar and luxuries.

Tea Act

Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773, which made the price of the company’s tea, even with the tax included, cheaper than that of smuggled Dutch tea.

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence.

Articles of Confederation

a written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain.

Shay’s Rebellion

This was a series of violent attacks on the courthouses and other government properties in Massachusetts that began in 1786 and led to a full military confrontation in 1787. Ex revolutionary war soldiers that were turned farmers who opposed state economic policies causing poverty and property foreclosures.

Northwest Ordinance

this was a structure settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation.

Connecticut “Great Compromise”

this was an agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention to settle a disagreement between large and small states about representation in Congress.

Judicial Review

the power of the courts to determine whether laws and government actions follow the Constitution and to strike them down if they do not

Bill of Rights

this is the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, added in 1791. They were created to protect individual freedoms and limit the power of the federal government.

Whiskey Rebellion

this was a protest by farmers in western Pennsylvania against a federal tax on whiskey imposed in 1791. I demonstrated the federal government’s ability to enforce its laws.

XYZ Affairs

this was a scandal in which French agents demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats, causing anger in America and worsening relations between the United States and France.

Alien and Sedition Acts

these laws were passed in 1798 that increased federal control over immigrants and restricted criticism of the goverement, leading to debates about free speech and government power.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

This ended the American Revolution. Britain recognized US independence, Americans gained territory from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. Americans received fishing rights off Canada.

Republican Motherhood

A belief that women should educate children to become virtuous and informed citizens. Women still couldn’t vote.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Found in article 1 of the constitution. Allows Congress to make laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers. Called the Elastic Clause because it stretches congressional power.

Checks and Balances

The Constitution divides power between three branches. Legislative, executive, judicial. Prevents one branch from becoming too powerful.

Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

Washington warned Americans about political parties, regional divisions, and permanent foreign alliances.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)

Britain punished Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party by closing the harbor, limiting self government, expanding quartering requirements. United many colonists against Britain and helped spark the First Continental Congress.

Non- Importation Agreements

Colonists boycotted British goods. Refused British tea, textiles and other imports.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

Native Americans tribes led by Pontiac attacked British forts after the French and Indian war. This was caused by British settlers moving west and loss of native lands. The result of this would be Proclamation of 1763.