unit 3 review: 1754-1800

republicanism

emphasized how power is corrupting and the people in power need to put public good over their self interest

john locke and the enlightenment

a philospher who argued that the mind starts as a blank slate and is influenced by the environment its raised in. he led people to push back against tradition instead of just blindly accepting it

sons of liberty

a group formed to direct and organize resistance to british control, and they laid the groundwork for the american revolution

continental congress

a congress where delegates from each of the states came together to write a letter to england with their "rights and grievances," which finalized the states coming together to form a government to fight against england

common sense by thomas paine

argued for independence by denouncing the monarchy and challening the logic of the english empire. it was the perfect combination of religion and resistance, which convinced people to revolt

lord dunmore's proclamation

he declared that any enslaved person that fought for england would be freed, which unnerved loyal white southerners and led to unwanted unrest in the south

battle of saratoga

when the continental army defeated burgoyne and his men, which was the first real american victory and convinced france to recognize the united states and become their allies

battle of yorktown

where the continental army and the french trapped the british and forced a surrender. the british lost left them without any public support, forcing the end of the war

republican motherhood

the idea that american women were very important for educating their children about american ideals, which opened more oppurtunities for them

this expanded women's access to education to ensure they could properly teach their sons about liberty and government

bank of the united states

an idea proposed by hamilton to increase unity under the federal government and for the federal government to take responsibility for all state debts.

this was unpopular among the democratic republicans because it would place a lot of power in the national government, power that wasn't specifically given by the constitution

whiskey rebellion

a rebellion by farmers over the tax on whiskey, which showed the economic divide between the rich and poor, and the divide between the east and west

was put down by the army (allowed by the constitution), which enraged democratic republicans

jay's treaty

the treaty forced the british out of their forts in the ohio river valley and other western lands

it failed to stop the british from impressing american sailors into their navy, and was seen to the french as a betrayal and an alliance with england

federalists and democratic republicans

the first politcal parties that laid the groundwork for current political parties

federalists: led by alexander hamilton, and was the descendant of the federalists from the era of the ratification of the constitution. supported strong federal government

democratic republicans: led by thomas jefferson, and was descended from the anti federalists. supported strong state governments

alien and sedition acts

weakened free speech rights and civil liberties and highlighted the divide in america after the french revolution.

these acts made it possible for the government to use federal power to silence dissenting opinions about federalist policies

virginia and kentucky resolutions

stated that the national government's power only extended through rights stated in the constitution, and that states can declare federal laws unconstitutional

embargo act of 1807

a law passed that stopped u.s. ships from engaging in international trade to try and get european countries to respect american neutrality

battle of tippecanoe

a battle between native americans and u.s. citizens that weakened native resistance to westward expansion

hartford convention

meeting of people in connecticut where they aired grievances about the war of 1812, which led the to discrediting of the federalist party

french and indian war

a conflict between france, britain, and numerous different tribes of native americans over the ohio river valley

it started in north america but later spread to the rest of the world between britiain and france

this led to britain being in a large amount of debt, due to rapid population growth in the colonies

treaty of paris 1763

spain gave florida go england

france gave territory west of the mississippi river to spain

france gave territory in the ohio river valley to england

proclamation of 1763

created the boundary line in the appaliachan mountains where no colonist could settle west of, leading to temporary peace between the colonists and native americans

this was because england's funds were depleted from the war, so it couldn't cover any further conflicts between colonists and natives

committees of correspondance

legal committees created in every colony in north america to spread information about colonial grievances

they mainly fought for the repeal of the stamp act

stamp act congress

where delegates from nine colonies petitioned the british parliament to repeal the stamp act

they only wanted to remain british subjects without having their british rights infringed upon

declatory act

passed after the stamp act was repealed, it stated that parliament was in charge and did whatever it wanted

coercive/intolerable acts

passed in retaliation for the boston tea party, these acts closed the boston port and instituted a new quartering act

social contract

humans must construct governments of their own will, and these governments must protect their natural rights (life, liberty, and property, given to them by god)

british advantages

1. loyalist opposition in colonies: 15-20% of the population of the colonies did not want independence

2. military superiority: britain had a huge army and the deadliest navy in the world, and they had experience beating their enemies

american advantages

1. george washington: he was a skilled military leader and was able to win some extremely important victories, especially during the first 6 months of the war when the british were winning by a lot

2. alliance with france: after the battle of saratoga, the french sent supplies and men to fight to in the war, leading to an american victory and allowing the french to get revenge on britain for the french and indian war

3. colonist committment and resilience: they were motivated to protect their liberty and throw off tyranny

treaty of paris 1783

officially ended the revolutionary war, recognizing the us as it's own country

doubled the land holdings of the us

secured fishing rights off the coast british canada

resolved issues with american debts

provided fair treatment of loyalists

allowed american and british use of the mississippi river

french revolution

inspired by the american revolution, the french people overthrew the monarchy and established a republic

this created a conflict between federalists and democratic republicans over getting involved. the DRs believed the us SHOULD get involved since the french helped them win the revolutionary war, but eh federalists were worried about getting involved in international conflicts

haitian revolution

inspired by the american revolution, the slave population rose up against their french masters and took control of the island

this established the first black led republic in history

state governments

power was concentrated in the legislature, as opposed to an executive governor or mayor

this was because the legislature was a representative body of the people

voting rights were still limited to white, property owning men

federal government

• originally the articles of confederation made the federation gov. extremely weak to prevent tyrannical takeovers like in england, giving most of the power to the state governments

• later the constitution created a government that was balanced by the separation of powers, and where power was shared between state and federal governments (federalism)

federal weakness (under articles)

1. international trade: england cut the us off from trading with the british west indies, and spain forbade trade up the mississippi river, but the weak government couldn't fix these problems

2. financial problems: the federal gov had no power to collect taxes from states, so they had no money

3. interstate commerce: states put tariffs on goods and hampered free trade, and the federal gov had no authority to settle commerce disputes

4. foreign relations: britain was violating the treaty of paris by keeping soldiers in several forts, but the us couldn't stop them due to them having no ability to raise an army

5. shay's rebellion

shays rebellion

the federal government didn't have the money to pay veterans from the war, so a group of farmers attacked courthouses in massachusetts, intending to get the money they were owed

this attack showed the unacceptable weakness of the articles of confederation, leading to the creation of a new constitution

northwest ordinance of 1787

regulated the large, unsettled piece of western territory gained from the treaty of paris

it required land be reserved for schools and banned slavery in the territory

created rules for how western territories could become offical states

viriginia plan vs new jersey plan

virginia plan: representation should be based on population, favoring large states

new jersey plan: representation should be equal with one representative per state, favoring small states

great compromise

established a bicameral legislature where the house of representatives was based on population and the senate was equal

international slave trade

congress could not outlaw it until 20 years after the ratification of the constitution, and after that it was abolished in 1808

washington's farewell address

warned of two potential traps in the future:

1. the divisiveness of political parties and factions

2. getting involved in permanent foreign alliances that would drag the us into war

battle of fallen timbers

started because the british had not vacated their forts in the ohio river valley, and started arming natives american groups to resist american expansion

us troops won

treaty of greenville

opening the ohio river valley to american settlers looking for new land without resistance

pinkney treaty

formally recognized the border between america and spain, and opened louisiana and the mississippi river to us merchants