Unit 6

Valley Forge

Winter camp for Washington’s army from 1777–1778 where soldiers faced harsh conditions like hunger, disease, and lack of supplies. Baron von Steuben trained the troops and improved the army’s discipline.

Battle of Yorktown

Final major battle of the Revolutionary War in 1781 where American and French forces surrounded and forced British General Cornwallis to surrender. The victory effectively ended the war.

Treaty of Paris

Agreement that officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. independence. The U.S. gained land stretching to the Mississippi River. 1783

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. constitution that created a weak national government with most power left to the states. Congress could not tax, raise an army, or enforce laws effectively

Shays’ Rebellion

1786 uprising led by farmers protesting high taxes, debt, and farm foreclosures. It revealed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and increased support for a new constitution.

Northwest Ordinance

Law that created a process for territories to become states and organized land in the Northwest Territory. It also banned slavery there and supported public education. 1787

The Great Compromise

Agreement at the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate giving equal representation to each state.

3/5 Compromise

Agreement that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes.

Fugitive Slave Clause

Constitutional clause requiring escaped enslaved people to be returned to their enslavers even if they fled to free states.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Federalists supported the Constitution and a stronger national government, while Anti-Federalists feared too much central power and pushed for the addition of the Bill of Rights.

Constitutional Convention

Meeting in Philly with 55 delegates from all states expect Rhode Island. They met to revise the Articles of Confederation and craft the constitution. 1787