Sectionalism
a rivalry or tension that develops between people who are loyal to their section or region of the country
Mayflower Compact
1620 - The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony
Master narrative
an incomplete, biased view of history that depicts all non-white citizens as immigrants, or the idea that one must be of European descent in order to be considered an American citizen
Colonists
people from England who settled in North America
Racist
any idea that suggests something is wrong or right, superior or inferior, better or worse about a racial group
Antiracist
any idea that suggests that racial groups are equals/people who love you because you're like you
Segregationist
people who think there is something wrong with Black people and try to get away from them
Assimilationist
believe there is something wrong with Black people as a group and that they can be changed for the better; people who try to transform Black people
Gomes Eanes de Zurara
first to publish racist ideas and defend black human ownership during the 1400s and inspired others to create more theories about African inferiority
Climate Theory
African origin theory that suggested that the heat in Africa made those who were born there less developed than other humans
Curse Theory
African origin theory that speculated that Ham violated Bible code and all of his descendants were cursed to be dark and symbols of trouble
John Cotton and Richard Mather
2 Puritans who spread spread Aristotle's beliefs of human hierarchy to the religious and educational systems in America; changed Aristotle's ideas to state that Puritans were superior to other groups; made it so Greek and Latin texts containing racist ideas were indisputable
White privileges
powers given to Whites to abuse Africans and made them exempt from crimes that Africans were punished for; created by Elite colonists to force division between Blacks and whites
Cotton Mather
elite colonist, grandson of John Cotton and Richard Mather, embellished recent suspicions about witchcraft in his book and provoked 1692 Salem Witch Hunt
Slave Codes
laws established after the slave population increased that stripped Africans of rights/opportunities and limited interaction between races
Ronald Takaki
writings focus on "different mirror", many underrepresented narratives + racial struggles
mentioned the "sambo" smiling slave (!!!)
Howard Zinn
writings focus on social and economic class struggles
Bacon's Rebellion (1676)
A rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon that raided American Indian villages and burned Jamestown after Governor Berkeley refused to take action against Native Americans
Declaration of Independence (written 1776)
Document created by Thomas Jefferson that outlined the reasons why America was justified to break political ties with Britain and become an independent nation
Natural Rights
Rights that people are born with and can never be taken away by anyone or any form of government:
Life, liberty, right to property, and the pursuit of happiness
Henry Clay
Known as the "Great Compromiser"; senator who pushed for compromise between the North and South and worked with Stephen Douglas; major figure in the passing of both the Missouri Compromise (1820) and Compromise of 1850
Social Contract
An agreement between the government and the people; the concept that a government gets power from the people to secure their rights, but the people can alter the government when it is not accomplishing this
Articles of Confederation (1781-89)
Form of government created after the Revolutionary War that allowed the states to be mostly independent and gave the central government little control
Shays's Rebellion (1786-87)
A revolt of Massachusetts farmers that attacked the state governments in a protest against high taxes, heavy debt, and rebelled against the state gov'ts for seizing farms from farmers who were unable to repay debt
Daniel Shays
leader of Shays's Rebellion
Northwest Ordinance (1787)
A law passed by Congress that set up a government in Northwest territory: guaranteed basic rights to white settlers, outlawed slavery, + provided a process for territory to become a state, created Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of MinnesotaF
Constitutional Convention (1787)
Meeting of delegates from most states that set out to revise the Articles of Confederation, but ultimately decided to create a new constitution
Virginia Plan
A proposal for a three-branch government with a two-house legislature, number of representatives were given to states based on their population; favored by larger states
New Jersey Plan
A proposal for a three-branch government with a one-house legislature, each state is given one vote; favored by smaller states
Great Compromise (1787)
Compromise of the VA and NJ Plans: proposed a 3 branch government with a 2-house legislature; House of Representatives replicates structure of VA Plan and Senate replicates structure of NJ Plan
House of Representatives
Lower House
Representatives elected by citizens
Representation is based on population
435 members
2 year term, no term limit
Senate
Upper house
Members originally elected by state legislatures
Members currently elected by citizens
Each state has two senators
100 members
6 year term, no term limit
3/5 Compromise
A compromise that counted slaves as 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation purposes
Roger Sherman
credited with the Great Compromise
Democracy
a system of government in which the people directly vote on issues
Presidential Power to Pardon
the ability of the president to absolve citizens of crimes
Republic
a system of government in which people vote to elect representatives to represent their interests
Veto
the ability of the President to reject a bill passed by Congress
Civic Republicanism
the tradition of encouraging citizen participation to promote the common good or the well-being of the community
Self-government
the concept that citizens can govern some aspects of their lives without intervention from the government
Enlightenment
belief that people could improve society through the use of reason
Separation of Powers
the concept in which a government is divided into three branches, each branch with its own tasks and abilities
Federalists
supporters of the Constitution
Antifederalists
people who opposed the Constitution
Federalist Papers (written 1787-88)
a series of essays that advocated for the ratification of the Constitution
Federalist 51
James Madison
part of the Federalist Papers
addresses the checks and balances of government
advocates separation of powers
Authors of the Federalist Papers
John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison
James Madison
"Father of the Constitution", federalist leader, VA delegate at the Constitutional Convention, co-proposer of the Virginia Plan, co-author of the Federalist Papers
"Objections to the Proposed Constitution..."
Antifederalist argument that the Constitution gives the government too much power and will result in corruption
Constitution
an agreement that describes how an organization is governed
Magna Carta (1215)
An English document that influenced capitalism in America and inspired the Framers of the Constitution to limit government powers, and protect people's rights to property + trial by jury
English Bill of Rights (1689)
An English document that inspired the Framers of the Constitution to create court systems, weapon laws, and regular elections
Thomas Jefferson
Founding father, author of the Declaration of Independence, initially tried to criticize slavery in the Declaration, publicized himself as an antiracist yet owned slaves
George Mason
Antifederalist, opposed to signing the Constitution, author of Objections to the Proposed Constitution
John Locke
Enlightenment philosopher who influenced the free enterprise system, emphasized the importance of natural rights, and was the first to write about the Social Contract
Charles-Louis Montequieu
Enlightenment philosopher who inspired the 3-branch government system and is credited with the idea of separation of powers
Edmund Randolph
co-proposer of the Virginia Plan, refused to sign the Constitution
King George III
King of England during the American Revolution, tyrannical dictator who oppressed his citizens and stripped them of religious freedom
George Washington
Commander during the Revolutionary War, VA delegate, president of the Constitutional Convention, first U.S. president, Constitution was written with him in mind as president
William Patterson
Credited with the New Jersey Plan
List of Grievances
A list of complaints about King George III stated in the Declaration of Independence that justified America's need for independence
Philis Wheatley
poet who challenged racist ideas on education of Black citizens
Popular Sovereignty
the idea that the people have the highest power and give the government its power
Limited Government
the idea that the government only has the powers that it is given in the Constitution and that government officials must follow the law
Checks and Balances
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches
Federalism
the idea that the Constitution balances a national (federal) government with the state governments; the federal government is "higher" than the state governments, but state governments have powers reserved for them
Republicanism
the idea that people do not directly vote on issues; they vote for representatives to govern on their behalf
Individual Rights
Basic liberties and rights of all citizens that are protected in the Bill of Rights
Bill
a draft of a proposed law presented to Congress to vote on
Override veto
the ability of the Senate and the House of Representatives to override the President's veto of a bill (2/3 of both houses must vote in favor of passing the bill)
How does a bill become a law?
proposed in either HOR or senate
goes to committee
if passed by simple majority in HOR goes to another committee
then goes to senate
if passed in both houses by simple majority goes to pres
pres can either veto it or pass it
if vetoed congress can override by a 2/3 majority in both houses
How does an amendment get ratified to the Constitution?
proposed by congress
2/3 majority in each house to propose
if that is achieved goes to state legislature which has to pass it by a 3/4 majority
Electoral College
a system for electing the U.S. President aside from the popular vote: electors from each state vote in favor of the candidate who represents the majority of the popular vote within that state, the candidate with the most electoral votes wins
Judicial Review
the power of the Supreme Court justices to determine whether acts or laws passed by the President are constitutional
Elastic Clause
Clause in the Constitution that allows Congress to address future law-making needs that could not have been predicted in 1787
Supreme Court
the highest federal court in the American judicial system; made up of 1 chief justice and 8 associate justices
Bicameralism
a two-house legislature
Executive Branch
the branch of government that carries out/enforces laws