US History Flashcards

Flashcards for US History Review

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the Revolutionary War; led to French alliance.

Articles of Confederation

First U.S. government; weak central authority, strong states' rights.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Law for admitting new states; banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)

Uprising of Massachusetts farmers; showed the weakness of the Articles.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

Meeting to revise the Articles; created the U.S. Constitution.

Great Compromise

Combined the Virginia and New Jersey Plans; established a bicameral legislature.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted 3/5 of every 5 enslaved people for representation and taxation.

Federalism

Division of power between national and state governments.

Federalists

Supported the Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Wanted a Bill of Rights.

Federalist Papers

Essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay promoting the Constitution.

Bill of Rights (1791)

First 10 amendments to the Constitution; guaranteed individual freedoms.

George Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

Warned against political parties and foreign alliances.

Alexander Hamilton's Financial Plan

Included national bank, assumption of state debts, and excise taxes.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Protest of Hamilton's excise tax; showed federal government's strength.

Jay's Treaty (1794)

Treaty with Britain; criticized for favoring British interests.

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

Treaty with Spain granting U.S. access to the Mississippi River.

XYZ Affair (1797)

French officials demanded bribes from U.S. diplomats; led to Quasi-War with France.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Laws targeting immigrants and limiting speech critical of the government.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798)

Argued that states could nullify unconstitutional laws.

French and Indian War (1754–1763)

Conflict between Britain and France in North America; led to British debt and new colonial taxes.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

Benjamin Franklin's proposal to unite the colonies for defense; rejected by colonies and Britain.

Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Sugar Act (1764)

British tax on sugar and molasses; aimed to raise revenue from the colonies.

Stamp Act (1765)

First direct tax on printed materials; sparked widespread protest and boycotts.

Sons of Liberty

Secret group formed to resist British taxes and policies; used intimidation and propaganda.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Repealed the Stamp Act but affirmed Parliament's right to legislate for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever.'

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imported goods like paper and tea; reignited colonial resistance.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers killed five colonists; used as propaganda by patriots.

Tea Act (1773)

Gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales; led to the Boston Tea Party.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Harsh laws passed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Delegates from colonies met to oppose the Intolerable Acts.

Lexington and Concord (1775)

First battles of the American Revolution.

Second Continental Congress (1775)

Managed the war effort and appointed George Washington as commander.

Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine urging independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Document declaring U.S. independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson.