Albany Plan
Rejected (unsuccessful) plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies at the Albany Congress on July 10, 1754.
Battle of Bunker Hill
June 17, 1775 in Massachusetts (Breed's Hill). First stage of the American Revolution. American Patriots vs. the British (victory). Colonists held back the British advance until they ran out of ammunition.
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Albany Plan
Rejected (unsuccessful) plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies at the Albany Congress on July 10, 1754.
Battle of Bunker Hill
June 17, 1775 in Massachusetts (Breed's Hill). First stage of the American Revolution. American Patriots vs. the British (victory). Colonists held back the British advance until they ran out of ammunition.
Battle of Saratoga
1777. America (victory) vs. the British. British General John Burgoyne was defeated by General Willam Howe's troops (major turning point in the war). France joined sides with America.
Battle of Yorktown
1781. Washington marched his troops from New York to Virginia to trap General Charles Cornwallis (Britain). Continental & French armies beat the British to Yorktown for supplies. Led to the forced surrender of Cornwallis (October 17, 1781).
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770. British soldiers (Redcoats) shot people (Boston mob) in a crowd outside the Custom House. Crispus Attucks, a formerly enslaved man turned free dockworker, died (1 out of 5 that died).
Boston Tea Party
December 16, 1773. Protest by the Sons of Liberty (dressed as Native Americans) against taxes on tea & mercantilism. Threw 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor.
Chattel Slavery
System that allowed people (legal property) to be bought, sold, & owned forever.
Civic Duty
Responsibility citizens have because they live & benefit from the services provided to them (owed to a country).
Committees of Correspondence
American political organizations to coordinate opposition to the British Parliament. Sent delegates to the Continental Congress. Promoted a sense of colonial unity.
Common Sense
Written by Thomas Paine. Argued independence by denouncing monarchy (corrupt government) & challenging the logic behind the British Empire.
Continental Army
Army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies (later known as the United States). Created on June 14, 1775 during the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776. Main authors = Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, & John Adams. Official separation of the 13 colonies from Britain.
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Passed by the Stamp Act Congress (represented by delegates of 9 colonies). Idea that colonists were entitled to the same rights as British citizens.
Deism
Opposed barriers to moral improvement & to social justice. Belief that a divinity set the world in motion & then did not interfere.
First Continental Congress
September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia. Meeting of delegates from 12 out of the 13 colonies. Discuss the crisis caused by the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.
French & Indian War
Fought between France (& colonists / Native American tribes) & Great Britain (victory). Conflict over control of the Ohio River Valley.
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
Parliament passed 4 Acts (Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, & Quartering Act). Purpose was to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party.
Lexington and Concord
April 19, 1775. First confrontation between minutemen & British soldiers. Leading military engagements of the American Revolution.
Loyalists
In the 13 colonies, but remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution.
Minutemen
Militia members of the colonial side. 1770s.
Natural Rights
John Locke - life, liberty, & property. Declaration of Independence - life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.
Olive Branch Petition
Adopted by Congress on July 5, 1775. Sent to the King to prevent formal war from happening.
Patriots
Colonists of the 13 Colonies who opposed the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Proclamation Line of 1763
Created by the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Marked the Appalachian Mountains as the boundary between the British colonies and land held by Native Americans.
Quartering Act
Part of the Coercive Acts. Allowed the British army to quarter newly arrived soldiers in colonists' homes.
Second Continental Congress
Governed from May 10, 1775 to the end of the war. Established an army, created its own money, & declared independence.
Social Contract
Age of Enlightenment. Agreement that establishes moral & political rules of behavior.
Sons of Liberty
(1775) Founded to advance the rights of the colonists & to fight taxation by the British government.
Stamp Act
Passed by Parliament in March 1765. Acquired that many documents be printed on paper that had been stamped to show the duty had been paid.
Stamp Act Crisis
Parliament had the right to regulate colonial trade. It denied that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies.
Sugar Act
Passed by Parliament in 1764. Combat widespread smuggling of molasses in New England by cutting the duty in half but increasing enforcement.
Taxation without Representation
1768. Population required to pay taxes to a government without having any say in that government's policies.
Tea Act
1773. Allowed the East India Company to sell its tea in the colonies without paying the usual export tax in London.
The Enlightenment
Creation of a nation without an established religion. Main ideas - individual liberty & religious tolerance.
The Great Awakening
Encouraged nationalism & individual rights. Series of evangelical religious revivals. Mid 1700s.
Townshend Acts
June of 1767. Created new customs duties on common items (lead, glass, paint, & tea) instead of direct taxes.
Treaty of Paris 1763
Formally marked the end of the Seven Years' War. Signed by Great Britain, France, & Spain, w/ Portugal in agreement.
Treaty of Paris 1783
Signed by representatives of King George III & representatives of the United States. Britain formally recognized American independence. Ended the American Revolution. Britain gave up their land south of the Great Lakes & east of the Mississippi River.
Valley Forge
Brutal winter in 1777 & 1778. Over 2,500 Americans died from disease & exposure. Continental Army under George Washington camped out here.
Abigail Adams
Wife & closest advisor of John Quincy Adams. One of the women who suffered on the homefront during the war. "Remember the ladies" when discussing equality! Example of what women faced during those difficult times.
Baron von Steuben
Prussian military officer & a founding father of the United States. He reformed the Continental Army into a professional fighting force.
Benedict Arnold
American military officer & a Son of Liberty. Became major general before defecting to the British in 1780 (betrayed the Continental Army).
Benjamin Franklin
Founding father of the United States. Signed the Declaration of Independence. Successfully got the French to join the United States in the war (alliance). Science! Does not care much about faith. Colonial leader from Pennsylvania.
George Washington
Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States. Commander in chief of the Continental Army. President of the Constitutional Convention.
George Whitefield
Anglican cleric. Founded the Methodist Movement. Preacher of Calvinist sermons (appealed to people's emotions). He united colonies around his focused religious messages. Invited everyone to be born again.
John Adams
Founding Father who serves as the second president of the United States. Signed the Declaration of Independence (helped edit the document). Massachusetts delegate in the first and second Continental Congress. A Boston lawyer & part of the Sons of Liberty.
John Dickinson
Founding Father of the United States. Delegate who attended the Stamp Act Congress in New York City. Represented Pennsylvania. He opposed taxation w/o representation. Also opposed to declaring independence.
John Hancock
Founding Father of the United States & prominent Patriot of the American Revolution (Bostonian). President of the Second Continental Congress. Part of the Boston Sons of Liberty (took part in the Tea Act / Party). 1st to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Jonathan Edwards
American Revivalist preacher. Leading figure of the Enlightenment. Congregationalist theologian (studied the nature of God & religious belief). "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" -> his most famous sermon.
King George III
Took the crown of Britain in 1760. He lost the American colonies in war. Brought Tories into his government. He forbade settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains in an attempt to limit war with Native Americans.
Marquis de Lafayette
French military officer (aristocrat) who joined the Continental Army.
Patrick Henry
Founding Father of the United States & radical Virginian. "Give me liberty, or give me death!" said at the Virginia Convention in 1775.
Samuel Adams
Founding Father of the United States. Leader of the Boston Sons of Liberty. Continental Association & Declaration of Independence. Served as a delegate for Massachusetts.
Thomas Jefferson
Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States. Drafted / signed the Declaration of Independence (principal author of the document). Chief writer of the Declaration of Independence.
Alien Act
(1798) gave the president power to deport foreign nationalists (any foreigner he felt was dangerous) many times they were referred to as aliens who are citizens of the countries that are at war with the U.S. Not enforced a lot, the scare was enough to make many of the "aliens" leave.
Antifederalist
Opposed the creation of a stronger U.S federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. They wanted to fix the articles of confederation. Also were the ones who advocated for a Bill of Rights.
Articles of Confederation
It was the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. Gave more power to the state rather than the federal government. Written by John Dickinson, a delegate from Delaware.
Bank of the United States
(1791) This was part of Hamilton's financial system (fiscal policy). It helped fund the public debt left from the American Revolution, facilitated the issuance of a stable national currency, and provided a convenient means of exchange for all the people of the US.
Battle of New Orleans
(January 8, 1815) - the US achieved its greatest land victory of the War of 1812 at New Orleans. It defeated the British in their attempt to take control of the major US port. This victory forced the British to recognize the US claims to Louisiana and West Florida and to ratify the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war. The American General was Andrew Jackson and the British general was Edward Pakenham.
Battle of Tippecanoe
(November 7, 1811) - took place in Battle Ground, Indiana. The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought between American soldiers and Native American warriors. Catalyst for the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States because the US saw the Indians had British weapons which means the English were helping them. This got the US very mad.
bicameral
(of a legislative body) having two branches or chambers.
Bill of Rights
(October 2, 1789) - first 10 Amendments of the Constitution. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. Created by James Madison.
cabinet
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders.
check and balances
Provides each branch of government with individual powers to check the other branches and prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
Congress
A national legislative body. The US Congress was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state sends elected representatives and senators to Congress. The Constitution assigned to Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers.
Constitutional Convention
(May and September of 1787) met to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.
Democratic-Republican Party
Also referred to as Jeffersonian Republican Party. Believed the people should have political power, favored strong state governments, emphasized agriculture, favored strict interpretation of the constitution, were pro-French, opposed national banks, and opposed protective tariff. Founded by Jefferson.
electoral college
538 electors the process we use in the US to elect a president.
Embargo Act of 1807
Closed U.S. ports to all exports and restricted imports from Britain.
excise tax
A legislated tax on specific goods or services at purchase such as fuel, tobacco, and alcohol.
executive branch
The executive branch consists of the President, his or her advisors and various departments and agencies. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land.
federalism
The division and sharing of power between the national and state governments.
Federalist Party
Nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. It dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
Federalists
Led by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government. The main leaders of the Federalists were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
Fort McHenry
Known as 'The Birthplace of the National Anthem,' during the War of 1812, the Fort's garrison stood firm during a severe naval bombardment by British forces.
Gabriel's Rebellion
In 1800, a highly intelligent and literate enslaved man named Gabriel conceived and organized a plan for a widespread slave uprising. The state of Virginia executed 27 blacks, including Gabriel, by public hanging.
gradual emancipation
A legal mechanism used by some states to abolish slavery over some time without causing unrest among slave-owners and without making slavery immediately illegal.
Hartford Convention
A meeting of New England Federalists held in Hartford, Connecticut in the winter of 1814-15. These Federalists opposed the War of 1812 and held the convention to discuss and seek redress by Washington for their complaints.
House of Representatives
Makes and passes federal laws. It's the lower house of the United States Congress, based on the population of the states.
implied powers
The abilities and powers that a government branch has that are not explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution but are suggested to be applicable in some or all cases.
Impressment
The practice of forcing men to serve in the military against their will, most often used by the British Navy.
Indian Confederacy
A loose confederacy of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States created after the American Revolutionary War.
internal improvements
Public works from the end of the American Revolution, such as the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canals, and harbors.
Jay Treaty of 1794
Settled unresolved tensions since American independence and helped avert war between the two nations.
judicial branch
Decides the constitutionality of federal laws and resolves other disputes about federal laws, including the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
judicial review
Power of the Supreme Court and federal courts to declare a Legislative or Executive act in violation of the Constitution.
Judiciary Acts of 1798 and 1801
Eliminated a Supreme Court seat and relieved justices of circuit court responsibilities.
Land Ordinances of 1785
Passed to regulate trade in the Northwest Territory and gave states claims to western lands.
legislative branch
Established by Article I of the Constitution, consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
(1804-1806) A federally funded venture to explore the North American West, sponsored by President Jefferson.
loose or broad interpretation
The Federal government can do what is good for the country even if the Constitution doesn't explicitly allow it.
Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River, doubling its size.
Marbury v. Madison
(February 24, 1803) The U.S. Supreme Court first declared an act of Congress unconstitutional, establishing the doctrine of judicial review.
narrow or strict interpretation
Interpreting the Constitution based on a literal and narrow definition of the language without reference to modern conditions.
Neutrality
The state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict.
New Jersey Plan
Called for each state to have one vote in Congress instead of the number of votes being based on population.
Northwest Ordinances of 1787
Chartered a government for the Northwest Territory and provided a method for admitting new states to the Union.
Pinckney Treaty of 1787
Defined the border between the United States and Spanish Florida, and guaranteed navigation rights on the Mississippi River.
popular sovereignty
The leaders of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people.
Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793
Announcement issued by U.S. President George Washington declaring the nation neutral in the conflict between revolutionary France and Great Britain.