American Colonial and Revolutionary History: Key Events, Laws, and Figures

Columbian Exchange

90% of Native Americans die to small pox. New goods go to Europe and Americas.

Colonial Regions

New England (Puritans, subsistence farming), Middle Colonies (NYC, Philadelphia, Bread Basket, TRADE), Chesapeake (Virginia, Maryland, tobacco farms)

Jamestown

Joint Stock Company, Cannibalistic Winter

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Mayflower, Separatists, Puritans

Maryland

Catholics

Pennsylvania

Quakers, Amish

Rhode Island

Separation of religion and state

Virginia House of Burgesses

First elected legislative in colonies, 2 representatives from each county

Mayflower Compact

1620 first civil government to enact laws

Fundamental Orders

1635 first constitution with laws to limit governments, needed to own land and regularly go to church

Bacon's Rebellion

1676-indentured servants become outnumbered by slaves. Attack on natives too

Great Awakening

Led to a more democratic way of thinking

Mercantilism

Export more than you import, theory that a balance of trade needs tariffs and laws

Salutary Neglect

Britain doesn't enforce laws on trade for colonies

Navigation Acts

Colonists could only trade with Britain (didn't get enforced, no one followed)

Molasses Act

1733, Imposed a tax of 6 cents per gallon (unenforced)

1754 French and Indian War

Braddock (led 1,500 British and pushed Virginia militia out of Fort Clauderdale), Pitt (comes up with plan to block Canada), Peace of Paris (British acquire Canada and Florida), Iroquois Confederation (Iroquois ally with Britain/Colonists)

Albany Plan

Benjamin Franklin made a plan to keep colonies united and to draft soldiers, but fails due to colonist jealousy of power

Proclamation Line of 1763

Britain enforces to keep colonists from advancing West

Sugar Act

Enforces sugar taxes for real but only 2 cents

Stamp Act

Paper tax

Proclamation Act

Puts Proclamation line into place

Townshed Acts

Imported British china, glass, paper, lead, paint, tea

Intolerable Acts

Closes Boston Harbour

Sons of Liberty

Sam Adams leads group against Britain

Boston Massacre

1770, 5 people killed

Boston Tea Party

1773, response to intolerable acts

Republicanism

Power belongs to the people not a monarch

First Continental Congress

1774 all colonies come together to discuss tensions (excluding Georgia, rights Declaration of Rights)

Second Continental Congress

1775, Appointed George Washington

Declaration of Independence

Signed 1776

American Revolution

Lexington & Concord (1775 'Shot Heard Around the World), Trenton (Christmas night George Washington surrounds Hessians in ambush), Saratoga (Turning Point, Get French support against the British), Valley Forge (Washington loses many men to starvation and cold in winter), Yorktown (British Cornwallis surrenders)

1783 Treaty of Paris

Ends American Revolutionary War

Articles of Confederation

Congress has the power - limited tyrannical central power, Only states can tax, No power to draft troops

Land Ordinance and Northwest Ordinance

1787, settlement guidelines included building schools, pioneers could purchase land from federal government and laid out process for admitting new states into the union, Also forbid extension of slavery in old Northwest

Shay's Rebellion

State taxes caused farmers to lose land (leads to the call for a stronger central government since there wasn't an army)

NJ Plan vs Virginia Plan

Virginia wanted three branched government (legislative, executive, and judicial) and a strong central government; NJ plan favored the states (equal voting representation for each state)

3/5 Compromise

Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person in population count

The Great Compromise

Bicameral (Senate and House of Representatives) Only federal controls tariffs, Slave trade is allowed for 20 years then cut off, Electoral college (each state selects representatives to vote for president)

Constitutional Convention

Federal vs. Anti-federal... Federal (Strong central government, trade with England, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay constitution) Anti-Fed. (Weaker central government, trade with France, Patrick Henry, George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, Bill of Rights, Articles of Confederation)

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments (necessary 6-- 1.) Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, Petition) 2.) Right to bear arms 3.) You don't have to quarter soldiers 4.) Valid Arrests and Searches 5.) Rights of Accused Crimes (right to remain silent) 10.) Powers kept by the states and or people

Direct Cause of the French and Indian war

Ohio river valley