Studied by 81 peoplemagna carta
a charter of liberties agreed to by king John of England; it made the king obey the same laws as citizens
constitution
a set of basic principles and laws that states the powers and duties of the government
virginia statute for religious freedom
a document that declared that no person could be forced to attend a particular church or be required to pay tax money to a church (religious freedom)
suffrage
the right to vote
Articles of Confederation
the document that created the first central government for the US; was replaced by the constitution in 1789
ratification
official approval
- Magna Carta
- English Bill of Rights
- Mayflower Compact
- Declaration of Independence
What documents influenced ideas about government in the United States?
- trading issues
- Great Britain cut off trade
- Spain cut off trade in the Mississippi river
What problems did the United States experience with Spain and Great Britain?
To fix the Articles of Confederation
Why did Madison and Hamilton call for the constitutional convention?
constitutional convention
a meeting held in Philadelphia at which delegates from the states wrote the constitution
virginia plan
the plan for government proposed at the constitutional convention in which the national government would have supreme power and the legislative branch would have two houses with representation determined by state population
new jersey plan
a proposal to create a unicameral legislature with equal representation of states rather than representation by population
great compromise
an agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention establishing that a state's population would determine representation in the lower house of the legislature, while each state would have equal representation in the upper house of the legislature
3/5 compromise
an agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention stating that only three-fifths of the slaves in a state would count when determining its population for representation in the lower house of Congress
legislative branch
Congress; responsible for proposing and passing laws
executive branch
the president/governor/mayor; makes sure laws are carried out
judicial branch
the courts; interprets laws
checks and balances
a system established by the Constitution that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful
antifederalists
people who opposed ratification of the Constitution
To revise the Articles of Confederation
Why did the confederation congress call for a constitutional convention?
federalists
people who supported ratification of the Constitution
federalist papers
a series of essays that defended and explained the Constitution and tried to reassure Americans that the states would not be overpowered by the proposed national government
amendments
official change, correction, or addition to a law or constitution
Bill of Rights
the first 10 amendments to the constitution; ratified in 1791
No taxation without representation
an expression used by colonists to protest taxes passed by the British king and parliament
Boston Massacre
an incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five people
Boston Tea Party
a protest against the Tea Act in which a group of colonists boarded British tea ships and dumped more than 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
Intolerable Acts
laws passed by Parliament to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party and to tighten government control of the colonies
First Continental Congress
a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to respond to the closing of Boston Harbor, increased taxes, and abuses of authority by the British government; delegates petitioned King George III, listing the freedoms they believed colonists should enjoy
Shot Heard 'Round the World
a phrase that refers to the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
marked the start of the American War of Independence
Battle of Bunker Hill
a revolutionary war battle in Boston that demonstrated that the colonists could fight well against the British army
Dorchester Heights
a site where Colonists expelled British forces in Boston in 1776, overlooks the harbor and the South Boston neighborhood
George Washington
Commander of the Continental Army
Continental Army
the army created by the second continental congress in 1775 to defend the american colonies from Britain
patriots
American colonists who fought for independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War
redcoats
British soldiers who fought against the colonists in the American Revolution; so called because of their bright red uniforms.
minutemen
American colonial militia members ready to fight at a minute's notice
Common Sense
a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that criticized monarchies and convinced many American colonists of the need to break away from Britain
Thomas Paine
Author of Common Sense; argued that citizens should make laws, not kings and queens.
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote the Declaration of Independence; argued that all people possess unalienable rights, including the rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
loyalists
colonists who sided with Britain in the American Revolution
Declaration of Independence
the document written to declare the colonies free from British rule
Mercenaries
hired foreign soldiers
Battle of Trenton
a Revolutionary War battle in New Jersey in which Patriot forces captured more than 900 Hessian troops
Battle of Princeton
was a battle of the revolutionary war that was fought near Princeton, New Jersey.
Battle of Saratoga
a Revolutionary War battle in New York that resulted in a major defeat of British troops; marked the Patriots' greatest victory up to that point in the war
Battle of Yorktown
the last major battle of the revolutionary war; site of British general Charles Cornwallis's surrender to the patriots in Virginia
Treaty of Paris
A peace agreement that officially ended the Revolutionary War and established British recognition of the independence of the United States.
General Charles Cornwallis
British general who fought the Patriots in the south; surrounded at Yorktown and surrendered to George Washington
Spain
What European country controlled much of North and South America after the Treaty of Paris?
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay
Who helped negotiate the treaty of Paris?
shortage of food, clothing, and medicine
What difficulties did the patriots face at Valley Forge?
France and Spain
Which European countries helped the colonists in the Revolutionary War?
Note
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