APUSH Unit 2 Vocab

Albany Plan

plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown

Benjamin Franklin

American intellectual, inventor, and politician He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.

Boston Massacre

The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.

Coercive Acts

This series of laws were very harsh laws that intended to make Massachusetts pay for its resistance. It also closed down the Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined tea. Also forced Bostonians to shelter soilders in their own homes.

Committees of Correspondence

Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies

Daughters of Liberty

This organization supported the boycott of British goods. They urged Americans to wear homemade fabrics and produce other goods that were previously available only from Britain. They believed that way, the American colonies would become economically independent.

Declaratory Act

Act passed in 1766 after the repeal of the stamp act; stated that Parliament had authority over the the colonies and the right to tax and pass legislation "in all cases whatsoever."

First Continental Congress

Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met to discuss problems with Britain and to promote independence

Fort Necessity

A hastily built British fort where Washington attempted to defeat the French. However, the French took the fort and forced Washington to surrender.

French and Indian War

(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area. The English won.

King George III

King of England during the American Revolution

Impressment

The British practice of taking American sailors from American ships and forcing them into the British navy; a factor in the War of 1812.

Iroquois Confederacy

An alliance of five northeastern Amerindian peoples (after 1722 six) that made decisions on military and diplomatic issues through a council of representatives. Allied first with the Dutch and later with the English, it dominated W. New England.

Lexington and Concord

The first battle of the American Revolution (April 19, 1775)

Patrick Henry

A leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799)

Patriots

American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won

Paul Revere

Boston silversmith who rode into the countryside to spread news of British troop movement.

Paxton Boys

Armed march on Philadelphia by Scotts-Irish frontiersmen in protest against the Quaker establishment's lenient policies toward Native Americans.

Pontiac

Famous chief of the Ottawa who led an unsuccessful rebellion against the British (1715-1769)

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Seven Years War

worldwide struggle between France and Great Britain for power and control of land

Sons of Liberty

A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. They incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies. The leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc; made colonies realize they were being taxed without their consent.

Sugar Act

Law passed by the British Parliament setting taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies

Tea Act

1773 act which eliminated import tariffs on tea entering England and allowed the British East India Company to sell directly to consumers rather than through merchants. Led to the Boston Tea Party.

Townshend Duties

Popularly referred to as the Townshend Duties, the Revenue Act of 1767 taxed glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea entering the colonies. The colonists objected to the fact that the act was clearly designed to raise revenue exclusively for England rather than to regulate trade in a manner favorable to the entire British empire.

Virginia Resolves

In response to the 1765 Stamp Act, Patrick Henry persuaded the Virginia House of Burgesses to adopt several strongly worded resolutions that denied Parliament's right to tax the colonies. Known as the Virginia Resolves, these resolutions persuaded many other colonial legislatures to adopt similar positions.

Virtual Representation

British governmental theory that Parliament spoke for all British subjects, including Americans, even if they did not vote for its members

William Pitt

The Prime Minister of England during the French and Indian War. He increased the British troops and military supplies in the colonies, and this is why England won the war. He promised the colonists reimbursements for quartering and supplying soliders.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create.

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Battle of Fallen Timbers

1794 battle in which federal troops defeated the Miami Confederacy of Native Americans

Benedict Arnold

American General who was labeled a traitor when he assisted the British in a failed attempt to take the American fort at West Point.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation

Continental Army

Army formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington

Declaration of Independence

Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state.

George Washington

1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)

John Jay

United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)

Lord Cornwallis

British general whose campaigns in the South led to his defeat at Yorktown

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation

An offer by the British governor and military commander in Virginia for freedom to any slave who escaped to his lines and bore arms for the king.

Loyalists (Tories)

American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence

Northwest Ordinance

Enacted in 1787, it is considered one of the most significant achievements of the Articles of Confederation. It established a system for setting up governments in the western territories so they could eventually join the Union on an equal footing with the original 13 states

Republicanism

A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed.

Republican Motherhood

The idea that American women had a special responsibility to cultivate "civic virtue" in their children

Saratoga

A battle that took place in New York where the Continental Army defeated the British. It proved to be the turning point of the war. This battle ultimately had France to openly support the colonies with military forces in addition to the supplies and money already being sent.

Second Continental Congress

They organized the continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence

Shay's Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence

Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty

A constitutional guarantee of religious freedom written in 1786, by Thomas Jefferson, which called for a complete separation of church and state

Yeoman Farmers

family farmers who hired out slaves for the harvest season, self-sufficient, participated in local markets alongside slave owners

Yorktown

1781; last battle of the revolution; Benedict Arnold, Cornwallis and Washington; colonists won because British were surrounded and they surrended

Aaron Burr

served as the 3rd Vice President of the United States. Member of the Republicans and President of the Senate during his Vice Presidency. He was defamed by the press, often by writings of Hamilton. Challenged Hamilton to a duel in 1804 and killed him.

Alexander Hamilton

1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.

Alien and Sedition Acts

These consist of four laws passed by the Federalist Congress and signed by President Adams in 1798: the Naturalization Act, which increased the waiting period for an immigrant to become a citizen from 5 to 14 years; the Alien Act, which empowered the president to arrest and deport dangerous aliens; the Alien Enemy Act, which allowed for the arrest and deportation of citizens of countries at was with the US; and the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials. The first 3 were enacted in response to the XYZ Affair, and were aimed at French and Irish immigrants, who were considered subversives. The Sedition Act was an attempt to stifle Democratic-Republican opposition, although only 25 people were ever arrested, and only 10 convicted, under the law.

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government, generally.

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution

Checks and Balances (Separation of Powers)

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Citizenship

informed and active membership in a political community; citizens

Constitution

A document which spells out the principles by which a government runs and the fundamental laws that govern a society

Constitutional Convention

The meeting of state delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation. It instead designed a new plan of government, the US Constitution.

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president; represented by number of Senators and Representatives by state

Executive Branch

the branch of government that carries out laws

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Federalists

A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures.

First Party System

The original party structure in which political parties were loose caucuses of political notables in various locations. It was replaced around 1824.

House of Representatives

the lower house of Congress, consisting of a different number of representatives from each state, depending on population

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.

Jay's Treaty

Was made up by John Jay. It said that Britain was to pay for Americans ships that were seized in 1793. It said that Americans had to pay British merchants debts owed from before the revolution and Britain had agreed to remove their troops from the Ohio Valley

John Adams

America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained."

Judicial Branch

Interprets the laws

Legislative Branch

the branch of government that makes the laws

National Bank

Hamilton's big idea; fiercely opposed by Jefferson and Democratic-Rep. The bank would regulate money and draw investors; showed that the constitution could be construed in many a way.

New Jersey Plan

A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress

Pinckney's Treaty

Agreement between the United States and Spain that changed Florida's border and made it easier for American ships to use the port of New Orleans

Quasi War

Undeclared war fought entirely at sea between the United States and France from 1798 to 1800. The French began to seize American ships trading with their British enemies and refused to receive a new United States minister when he arrived in Paris in December 1796.

ratification

Formal approval

Republicans (Democratic-Republicans)

Rivals of the Federalists who believed in a smaller government based on state rights. Their rivalry sparked tensions with Federalists, creating a political party system.

Revolution of 1800

Jefferson's election changed the direction of the government from Federalist to Democratic- Republican, so it was called a "revolution."

Senate

A council of representatives (2 from each state were selected).

The Federalist Papers

a series of 85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay (using the name "publius") published in NY newspapers and used to convince readers to adopt the new constitution

The Great Compromise

Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment)

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Resolutions passed in 1798 that attacked the Alien and Sedition Acts as being unconstitutional

Virginia Plan

"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.

Whiskey Rebellion

In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay's Rebellion.

XYZ Affair

An insult to the American delegation when they were supposed to be meeting French foreign minister, Talleyrand, but instead they were sent 3 officials Adams called "X,Y, and Z" that demanded $250,000 as a bribe to see Talleyrand.