Definitions:

1. State of nature → what life would be like without government, or before government existed 

2. Natural Rights → rights the people are born with

3. Social Contract → an agreement between the government and the people for the people to follow the laws and in return for the government to protect their rights (created by John Locke)

4. Articles of Confederation → the first constitution of America

5. Northwest Ordinance → a bill that gave people in the northwestern lands the right to organize their government

6. Treaty of Paris → the treaty that recognizes America as a country

7. Declaration of Independence → declares that the 13 colonies as independent states, free from Britain

8. Tories/Loyalists → people that stayed loyal to Britain

9. Patriots → colonists that supported America

10. Shays’ Rebellion → Farmers protested against the Articles of Confederation because they were struggling with debt from taxes, causing delegates to rewrite the Articles of Confederation

11. Constitutional Convention → the “editing” of the Articles of Confederation

12. Checks and Balances → provides each branch of the government to check the other branches and prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful

13. New Jersey Plan (Equal Representation) → each state should get the same amount of voters. 

14. Virginia Plan (Proportional Representation) → states with more population should get more votes and states with less population should get fewer votes

15. Great/Connecticut Compromise → The Congress split into two, one for the small states and big states' representation

16. 3/5 Compromise →  ⅗ of a slave for both taxation and representation

17. Fugitive Slave Clause → Slaves to be returned to their owners if they escaped

18. Enumerated Powers → specific and celery written laws in the Constitution (limited powers)

19. Necessary and Proper Clause → Gives Congress the power to write the laws written in the Constitution (broad powers)

20. Federalists → supported the ratification of the United States Constitution

21. Anti-Federalists → opposed the ratification of the United States Constitution

22. Bill of Rights → amendments that were added after the Constitution

23. Ratification → approval

Revolutionary War ↴

The Revolutionary War lasted six long years and ended in victory for the former American colonists.

• Early in the war, the American Military was struggling greatly 

• During the winter of 1777-78, the American Military regroup found hope in the Valley Forge

• In 1778, an American Diplomat named Benjamin Franklin helped secure a treaty with France to help the American Military

•  Benedict Arnold was the American General who committed treason by switching sides with the British

• The Treaty of Paris was a formal action that officially ended the Revolutionary War and brought Victory to the colonists 

Battle of Saratoga - A war where the French helped America get supplies

Diplomacy -  the practice of carrying formal relationships with governments of other countries

Quebec campaign -  When the Americans invaded Canada

“The Shot Heard ‘round the world” -  the first gunshot of the Revolutionary War

Treason -  the betrayal of one's country

Treaty of Paris -  the treaty that ended the American Revolution

Yorktown surrender - The French blocked their retreat by a body of water, causing the British to surrender

Articles of Confederation ↴

America's first constitution was needed to unify the states and to conduct the war between Great Britain and the 13 colonies. It did not work as it involved a weak national government

• Fears when creating the Articles of Confederation

  • People's fear of a strong government

  • Some states have more power than others in a national government

• Major achievements

  • Fought the War for Independence against Great Britain

  • negotiated the Treaty of Paris to end the American Revolution

• Major problems

  • Citizens thought their property rights were threatened

  • Congress had no power to regulate the trade of states

  • Congress had no power over the state government of citizens

  • The national government was only split into Congress 

Shays’ Rebellion ↴

Farmers protested against the Articles of Confederation because they were struggling with debt from taxes, causing delegates to rewrite the Articles of Confederation. It showed that The Articles of Confederation was weak and a stronger government was necessary.

Constitutional/Philadelphia Convention↴

The Philadelphia Convention was to improve the Articles of Confederation. 55 of the delegates, young and rich/decently wealthy, attended the meeting in Philadelphia. They became known as the framers of the Constitution.

Important Delegates

Important rules the delegates followed

Thomas Jefferson and James Adams did not attend the convention because they were in Europe 

The Big States and the Small States ↴

The Big States believed that the states with a greater population should have more votes (“Proportional Representation”). The small states believed that each state should have the same number of representatives in Congress (“Equal Representation”). In the end, a great compromise was created to give the best of both worlds.

The North and South ↴

The Southern States wanted the slaves to be counted as they didn't have a lot of citizens. on the other hand, the northern states didn't have many slaves, so they just counted the citizens.

Slave Trade - Slave trade continued between North and South, and would not end before 1808

⅗ Compromise - 3/5 of a slave for both representation and taxation

Tariffs - A tax on goods and products imported from other nations 

The Constitution ↴

A new constitution was written where 9 out of the 13 states had to ratify the Constitution to make it official in New Hampshire.

Anti-federalists - The Anti-Federalists disliked the Constitution as it gave too much power to the national government; allowing the states to have more power 

Federalist - The Federalists liked the new constitution as it was a strong national government that would maintain order