u.s. history midterm

Beginning of the Battle of New York - 32,000 British troops in New York Harbor (and Staten Island), George Washington had 19,000 men. Washington tried to flee the British multiple times before going to New Jersey.

The Battle of Long Island - took place in Brooklyn on August 27. George Washington started with 19,000 men and lost 2,200 of them. A great British victory as Washington fled to Manhattan (deus ex machina with the weather saving him). The loyalists were spies that told the British of the Whig whereabouts.

Manhattan - Washington flees further up Manhattan until the Battle of Harlem Heights (9/16/1776)

Losses in New York - White Plains (October 28, 1776) causes Washington to hook across the Hudson and away from upstate New York. Fort Washington (November 16, 1776) and Fort Lee (NJ and November 20, 1776) are taken by Hower and Washington runs across NJ.

Retreat Across NJ - terrible time for NJ with only 4,000 men left, little food, clothing, or blankets. Hamilton covered their escape as best as he could at the Raritan Bay with his cannons.

Battle of Trenton - December 12, 1776 - an American morale booster where the Patriots ambush Hessians. A trick where half of Washington’s men made a fire on the other side of the Delaware River the other half ambushed the Hessians. The battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777) proceeds as another American victory.

Philadelphia in 1777 and 1778 - Howe leaves NY to take Pennsylvania (not strategic, maybe a jab at Burgoyne). Battle of Brandywine (September 11, 1777) was a good battle but a British victory while the Battle of Germantown (October 4, 1777) had friendly fire.

Battle of Monmouth - The Whigs chase General Henry Clinton out of New Jersey

Battle of Vincennes - November of 1778 where George Rogers Clark battles General Hamilton of the British. This victory gave the U.S. claims over the land west of the Appalachians.

Battle of Charles Town - The greatest American loss (1780), where General Benjamin Lincoln attempts to evacuate, but the mayor threatens to support the British. He unconditionally surrenders his 5,000 men to General Cornwallis.

Battle of Camden - another American loss (1780), General Gates is outmaneuvered by Cornwallis’s men and loses 5,000 men to 2,000 Brits. This enrages Washington, who has Nathanael Greene replace Gates.

Battle of Yorktown - October 19, 1781, Cornwallis is trying to flee the South while expecting British help (cut off by deGrasse of the French in the Battle of Capes), but he is trapped. Hamilton, Lafayette, and Deux-Pont capture redoubts and get closer to the British as artillery wears them down. With 18,000 men, the British are outnumbered and outgunned.

Treaty of Paris - April 15, 1783, happened due to the financial burden, unpopular war, and it hurt trade. It recognizes the 13 Colonies and the land up to the Mississippi River. The British also had to get fishing rights in the Great Banks, Newfoundland, and other fisheries. The United States has to stop persecuting the loyalists and pay back the debts of the loyalist properties.

Ben Franklin - a freemason in Pennsylvania, a currency cutter, scientist, and ambassador of the colonies during the Treaty of Paris. Member of the Pennsylvania militia (led by Joseph Reed) and the governor of Pennsylvania.

Battle of Saratoga - October 17, 1777, under General Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold, the Whigs beat down British General John Burgoyne’s battalion and forced his surrender. With 9000 casualties for the British, it was a devastating loss, and it was the battle that brought France and Spain into the revolution.

Paul Revere - a great messenger throughout the American Revolution and prior. He would send secret messages to spread word about the British tyranny. He was the major person remembered in the Midnight Ride, where he, along with Dawes and Prescott, warned Hancock and Adams of their potential doom, while Prescott warned Concord of Britain’s goals.

Siege of Boston - April 19, 1775 - March 17, 1776, containing multiple battles such as the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775). The Patriots lost but made a good battle, where the British lost too many soldiers, and the Patriots lost due to the lack of supplies. General Thomas Gage is replaced by General William Howe. Howe flees when Knox brings the cannons from Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights.

Lexington and Concord - April 19, 1775. The British tried to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams and empty out the weapons warehouse in Concord. They were met with Minutemen and other citizens who pushed them back to Boston. The soldiers were not able to leave Boston until March 17, 1776.

Sam Adams - the leader of the Sons of Liberty and a radical by all means. He was strongly against power in the central government and became a thorn in the side of King George III. He was one of the men hunted down in Lexington.

John Hancock - the head of the Second Continental Congress. He was also hunted down in Lexington.

John Adams - A lawyer from Massachusetts, the vice president to George Washington and the anglophile of the Founding Fathers. Famously married to his wife, Abigail.

George Washington - Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the U.S. From Virginia and was a planter and surveyor. He joined the British army young before supporting revolution. One of the most tactful generals in history and listened to his subordinates. Took control during the Siege of Boston and with the help of his subordinates, kicked the British out of Boston. Also lead the army out of New York campaign, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Yorktown.

Thomas Jefferson - the great writer of all the Founding Fathers. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. Note he’s from Virginia and became President. He was also the first Secretary of the State, the chief Anti-Federalist, and the francophile.

King George III - the British king during the American Revolution. He is known for being not a good politician, and he likes going headfirst into war.

The Coercive Acts - 1773-1774 - includes of many acts, and along with the Quebec Acts make up the Intolerable Acts. This creates the beginning of the First Continental Congress. They write the Declaration of Rights and Grievances and plan to meet if the situation is not handled by May 1775.

Thomas Paine - a radical Whig that wrote Common Sense. He had ideas that and island should not rule a continent, a hatred for monarchy, along with other ideals.

Hamilton - Washington’s right-hand man and eventual Secretary of the Treasury. He was the leader of the Federalists and wrote the Federalist papers with Madison (29) and Jay (5). This person wrote 51 of the essays.

Jay - the first Supreme Court Chief Justice, and played a role in the discovery of Washington’s assassination plot

Madison - the Father of the Constitution, he also wrote the Bill of Rights. He was also one of the presidents, but he was a Federalist who ended up switching to anti-Federalism.

Federalism - the sharing of powers, in this case it is of the government

The making of the Constitution - Originally to edit the Articles of Confederation, not to make a new document for the government

Constitutional Compromises - The 3/5 Compromise where the entire slave population makes up 3/5 of their actual number for taxes and representation in Congress. The Great Compromise where Congress was made bicameral with one house with representatives chosen by population while the other house has representatives by statehood. Overall ratification of the Constitution, where the Federalists had to promise to protect individual rights, state rights, and have these written down in the Bill of Rights

Common Sense - Thomas Paine’s pamphlet to the common man explaining why they should support revolution. Contains the ideas that an island should not rule a continent, that kings would always be tyrannical, etc.

American Crisis (one or two questions)

John Dickinson - writer of the Articles of Confederation

How many Amendments - 27

17th Amendment - the Senate elections are voted by majority

23th Amendment - DC gets three votes in the Electoral College

Tyranny of the majority - the majority drown out the say of the minority

Democracy (direct democracy) - each person has a say in the government. We do not have a true democracy, but a republic. Referendums are examples of direct democracy

The Constitution - the core document that has more power than the entire U.S. government. It provides the groundwork, rights of the people, and other general laws.

The Senate - the elite house of Congress, made up of 50 members. VP is the President of the Senate, and the majority leader is the chosen leader for the party in charge of the Senate

The House of Representatives - the lower house of Congress with 435 members based on population. They elect the Speaker of the House, the one who decides anything that happens in the House.

Electoral College - A group of electors according to the number of representatives in each state. Each state votes for their electors who will vote for the candidate of choice. The candidate with more votes gets all of the votes equivalent to the number of electors

Parts of the Declaration of Independence - The Preamble, Declaration of Rights, List of Grievances, Statement of Independence

Article 1 of the Constitution - Congress’s rights

Article 2 of the Constitution - Executive Branch

Article 3 of the Constitution - Judicial Branch

Article 4 - Interstate Relations

The Gaspee affair - A schooner known as the Gaspee, lead by Captain Duddington, kept harassing ships in that one bay in Rhode Island. When it tried to stop the sloop, the Hannah, the sailors grounded the ship on a sandbar, where they then told the other Rhode Islanders who took over the ship and imprisoned everybody.

Give Me Liberty or Give me death speech and circumstances (alot)

George Washington’s Assassination Plot - 1776, by royal governor William Tyron and mayor David Matthews. They convinced one of Washington’s Lifeguards, Thomas Hickey, to attempt to assassinate him. Coincidentally, he got thrown in jail for suspicion of fraud, where he was heard bragging about the assassination attempt. John Jay, leader of the Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies, reported him to Washington, who put him on trial. He was court-martialed for mutiny and treason and was executed June 22 of 1776, having been sentenced two days prior. Hickey was the first man to be executed for treason in the United States.

The Great Fire of NY 1776 - September 20, 1776, six days before the British invasion of New York, the fire spread and burned around 493 buildings and houses, with a total of two casualties and Trinity Church burning down and needing to be fixed. The Fire started around a wooden building near the Whitehall Slip in Lower Manhattan, where 20% of the buildings burned. Southwestern winds further spread the fire, and the British soldiers attempted to put out the fire. However, the Whigs sabotaged the fire equipment. Around 200 Whigs were arrested. George Washington was suspected of starting the fire, but he retreated before the fire had happened. It was more likely to be an accident. The British built a fire department and did not repair the damage.

enumerated powers - what you have written down in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution

reserved powers - the 9th Amendment states that people have rights not mentioned in the Bill of Rights or in the Constitution. The 10th Amendment claims that the states can make laws on what the federal government has not acted on

concurrent powers - shared by the state and federal government, such as collecting taxes

implied powers - Article I, Section 8, states that the states can make laws that are necessary and proper

Locke - all people are inherently good, and the government is made to serve the governed and protect them. If it fails to do so, then it should be replaced

Hobbes - people have their agenda and will do whatever if nobody keeps them in check. The government protects people from themselves and will do whatever it takes to do so. The people may not argue with the government’s actions, and kings are perfectly fine. “Covenants without the sword are but words”

Montesquieu - checks and balances are necessary in the government to prevent any one person or one branch from becoming too powerful and causing potential tyranny