U.S History Chapter 9 Test

bill of rights

Term for the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The amendments secure key rights for individuals and reserve to the states all powers not explicitly delegated or prohibited by the Constitution.

judiciary act of 1789

Organized the federal legal system, establishing the Supreme Court, federal district and circuit courts, and the office of the attorney general.

funding at par

Payment of debts, such as government bonds, at face value. In 1790, Alexander Hamilton proposed that the federal government pay its Revolutionary War debts in full in order to bolster the nation's credit.

assumption

Transfer of debt from one party to another. In order to strengthen the union, the federal government assumed states' Revolutionary War debts in 1790, thereby tying the interests of wealthy lenders with those of the national government.

tariff

Tax levied on imports. Traditionally, manufacturers support this as protective and revenue-raising measures.

excise tax

Tax on goods produced domestically. Particularly the 1791 tax on whiskey, were a highly controversial component of Alexander Hamilton's financial program.

strict construction

Philosophy that emphasizes literal interpretation of law. They tend to favor limiting the power of the federal government and preserving the authority of the states.

bank of the united states

Chartered by Congress as part of Alexander Hamilton's financial program, the bank printed paper money and served as a depository for Treasury funds. It drew opposition from Jeffersonian Republicans, who argued that the bank was unconstitutional.

battle of the wabash

Also known as 'St. Clair's Defeat,' battle in the Northwest Territories between an American military expedition and a coalition of Native Americans led by Little Turtle of the Miamis. The lopsided Indian victory caused alarm in Washington and a larger invasion two years later.

whiskey rebellion

Popular uprising of whiskey distillers in southwestern Pennsylvania in opposition to an excise tax on whiskey. In a show of strength and resolve by the new central government.

reign of terror

Ten-month period of brutal repression when some forty thousand individuals were executed as enemies of the French Revolution.

haitian revolution

War incited by a slave uprising in French-controlled Saint Domingue, resulting in the creation of the first independent black republic in the Americas.

neutrality proclamation

Issued by George Washington, it proclaimed America's formal neutrality in the escalating conflict between England and France, a statement that enraged pro-French Jeffersonians.

battle of the fallen timbers

Decisive battle between the Miami Confederacy and the U.S. Army. British forces refused to shelter the routed Indians, forcing them to attain a peace settlement with the United States.

treaty of greenville

The Miami Confederacy agreed to cede territory in the Old Northwest to the United States in exchange for cash payment, hunting rights, and formal recognition of their sovereign status.

jay's treaty

Negotiated in an effort to avoid war with Britain, the treaty included a British promise to evacuate outposts on U.S. soil and pay damages for seized American vessels, in exchange the United States was bounded to repay pre-Revolutionary war debts and to abide by Britain's restrictive trading policies toward France.

pinckney's treaty

Signed with Spain, which, fearing an Anglo-American alliance, granted Americans free navigation of the Mississippi and the disputed territory of Florida.

farewell address

George Washington's address warning against 'permanent alliances' with other nations. Washington did not oppose all alliances, but believed that the young, fledgling nation should forge alliances only on a temporary basis, in extraordinary circumstances.

xyz affair

Conflict between France and the United States when American envoys to France were asked to pay a hefty bribe for the privilege of meeting with the French foreign minister.

quasi war

Undeclared naval conflict between the United States and the French. Diplomatic tension led to mutual attacks on shipping. The Convention of 1800 ended the brief conflict.

convention of 1800

Agreement to dissolve the United States' treaty with France, originally signed during the Revolutionary War. The difficulties posed by America's peacetime alliance with France contributed to Americans' long-standing opposition to entangling alliances with foreign powers.

alien laws

Acts passed by a Federalist Congress raising the residency requirement for citizenship to 14 years and granting the president the power to deport dangerous foreigners in times of peace.

sedition act

Enacted by the Federalist Congress in an effort to clamp down on Jeffersonian opposition, the law made anyone convicted of defaming government officials or interfering with government policies liable to imprisonment and a heavy fine.

virginia and kentucky resolutions

Statements secretly drafted by Jefferson and Madison for the legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia. Argued that states were the final arbiters of whether the federal government overstepped its boundaries and could therefore nullify national legislation they deemed unconstitutional.

george washington

Revolutionary War general, established himself as a military hero during the French and Indian War. He served as commander in chief of the Continental army during the War of Independence, securing key victories at Saratoga and Yorktown. Unanimously elected president under the new national Constitution in 1788, he served two terms, focusing primarily on strengthening the national government, establishing a sound financial system, and maintaining American neutrality amidst the escalating European conflict.

alexander hamilton

Revolutionary War soldier and first Treasury secretary of the United States. A fierce proponent of a strong national government, he attended the Philadelphia convention and convincingly argued for the Constitution's ratification in The Federalist. As Treasury secretary, he advocated the assumption of state debts to bolster the nation's credit and the establishment of a national bank to print sound currency and boost commerce.

louis xiv

King of France from 1774 to 1792; he and Queen Marie Antoinette were beheaded during the French Revolution.

edmond genet

Representative of the French Republic who in 1793, tried to recruit Americans to invade Spanish and British territories disregarding Washington's Neutrality Proclamation.

little turtle

Miami Indian chief whose warriors crushed American forces in 1790 and 1791 along the Ohio frontier. In 1794, he and his braves were defeated by General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

mad anthony wayne

Revolutionary War soldier and commander in chief of the U.S. Army from 1792 to 1796, he secured the Treaty of Greenville after soundly defeating the Miami Confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

john jay

American revolutionary and diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Paris and, later, the Jay Treaty of 1794, he also served as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court from 1789 to 1795, a post he left to become governor of New York.

john adams

American revolutionary, statesman, and second president of the United States. One of the more radical patriots on the eve of the Revolution, he involved himself with international diplomacy, serving as minister to France, Britain, and the Netherlands. After serving as Washington's vice president, he was elected president in his own right in 1796. His administration suffered from Federalist infighting, international turmoil, and domestic uproar over the Alien and Sedition Acts, which led to his defeat in the election of 1800.

charles maurice

French foreign minister whose attempts to solicit bribes from American envoys in the infamous XYZ Affair prompted widespread calls for war with France.