American Revolution

Taxation without representation

One major cause of the American Revolution.

British military presence

One major cause of the American Revolution.

Enlightenment ideas

One major cause of the American Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

The document that declared the colonies' independence in 1776.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty that officially ended the American Revolution.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. government after independence.

Northwest Ordinance

One major success of the Articles of Confederation.

No power to tax or enforce laws

The biggest weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

Called in 1787 to revise the Articles—but they ended up writing the Constitution.

The Great Compromise

The compromise that combined the Virginia and New Jersey Plans.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The compromise that settled how enslaved people were counted for representation.

The Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

To satisfy Anti-Federalists' demands for individual protections

The reason why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.

Federalists

Those who supported a strong central government and the Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Those who favored strong state governments and opposed the original Constitution.

Alexander Hamilton and James Madison

Two famous Federalist leaders.

Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry

Two famous Anti-Federalist leaders.

The Federalist Papers

Documents that defended the Constitution and encouraged ratification.

It lacked protections for individual rights

The Anti-Federalists' main concern about the Constitution.