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Declaration Of Independence
The Declaration of Indepence was a formal address to the King Of Great Britain, from the colonist, written by the members of the Continential Congress , officially announcing their seperation from Great Britain, and forming their own independent states, while detailing their reasons for the seperation. Although the text of the Declaration was ratified on July 4, the official signing did not occur until August 2, 1776 -
Articles Of Confederation
The Articles Of Confederation, was the original documentation that established the initial government of the United States Of America, following the division from Great Britain. Fearing that one individual would become to powerful , as the king had done, the Articles limited the authority of the Federal government, thus producing a weak government. As a result the Articles were replaced by the current US constitution. -
Treaty Of Alliance 1778
Formed in the middle of the American Revolutionary War, the Treaty Of Alliance, was an agreement between the United States and France, where both countries jointly promised military support, in case of a British attack, anytime in the future. This Alliance was annulled however, by the US congress and with the death of King Louis the XVI -
Treaty Of Paris 1783
Treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and The United States Of America. -
Land Ordinance Of 1785
An attempt by Congress to immediately raise funds for the United States , by selling large amounts of unmapped territory west of the original state acquistions, because under the Articles of Confederation, Congress lacked the authority to raise revenue through direct taxation of citizens. -
Shay's Rebellion
An uprising that occured in Massachusetts, by a multitude of disgruntled farmers, because of the governments unfair spike in taxes. The rebellion in named after it's leader, Daniel Shays -
Annapolis Convention
The Annapolis Convention was the meeting of 12 delegates from the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennslyvania, and Virgina, in Annapolis,Maryland, in order to discuss and remedy the weak government, engendered by the "Articles of Confederation". All delegates unanimously voted for a constitutional congress, and as a direct result Constitutional Convention occured in 1787 -
3/5 Compromise
An agreemnet between Northern and Southern states, that a slave would account for 3/5 of a man, when determining representation, based of population -
Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Virginia Plan: Called for a bicameral legislature with representation for each state based on population.
New Jersey Plan: Called for a single house legislature, with representation kept at one to one per state. -
Conneticut (Great) Compromise
The Great Compormise was a compromise reached at the Constitutional Congress in 1787, that defined the legistlative structure of the United States, and the way representation would be distributed across states. The Compromise concluded that in the lower house states would retain proportional representation, however in the upper house all states would be represented equally. The compromise also adopted the bicarmel legistature , originally present in the Articles Of Confederation -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was a resistance from farmers who used certain types of grain, in the form of whiskey, as a trade medium, upon learning about the excise tax placed upon the consumable item. The tax was apart of Hamilton's idea, to increase government funds. -
Bank Of The US
Championed by Alexander Hamilton, The 1st Bank Of The US was a central bank of the US for 20 years, that Hamilton believed would stabalize and improve the nations credit, while improving the handling of the US's financial business, under the new Constitution. Originally, that idea of the bank faced widespread criticism among those who opposed the idea of an increase, in federal power, this including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison -
Haitian Rebellion
A slave revolt in the French Colony of Saint-Domingue, in 1791, that eventually resulted in the slaves of the colony forming their own Republic, the Republic of Haiti. Although the slaves were legal seperated from colonial France, France continued to affect Haiti, economically. -
Cotton Gin/Eli Whitney
The Cotton Gin(short for Cotton Engine) was a machine created by Eli Whitney that simplified the removal of the cotton fiber, from the seed, a painful job otherwise performed by hand. Whitney begin producing the "Gin" in 1793, however a patent for it was not issue until 1794 -
Jay Treaty
The official resolution of issues remaining between Great Britain and the United States, that had trickled into society, since the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The treaty is credited with averting war between Britain and the Unitied States. -
Pinckney's Treaty
The Pinckey Treaty(Names after Thomas Pinckney) was a treated that established intentions of friendship, between The US and Spain. The treaty also established the boundaries of the US and the Spanish Colonies, giving the US access to navigate the Mississippi River. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address was a letter written by President George Washington, addressed to the American people, during the end of his 2nd term. Within the letter, that originally appeared in The American Daily Advertiser, Washington detailed his plans for retirement, after years of service to his country. Washington initially began this letter after his 1st term, however he ran for a 2nd term with fear of the Federalist and Democratic Republicans, destroying the nation, in his absence -
The XYZ Affair
The XYZ affair was a diplomatic affair, that strained US and the newly founded French Republic's relationship, and almost potentially caused another war. The affair was due to France sending 3 diplomats, "XYZ" , and demanding enormous concessions from the US, in order for peace negotiations. -
Alien And Sedition Acts
Passed in 1798, The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of 4 bills(Naturalization Act, Alien Act, Alien Enemies Act, and Sedition Act), signed into law by president John Adams, during the Quasi-War(Naval war with France). The Acts were used as an attempt to effectively control the actions of foreigners , within the United States, during time of war. -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Kentucky and Virginia came to the conclusion and position that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. The two states argued that they legally had the authority to declare that any action of congress was unconstitional, if it is not authorized by the constitution. -
Revolution of 1800
The peacefully transition of poltical power from the federalists to the democrat-republicans, after the presidential election between adams and Jefferson. -
Gabriel Prosser's Rebellion
Gabriel Prosser's rebellion was a planned rebellion by literate, skilled slave Gabriel Prosser in Richmond, Virginia. The rebellion was scheduled to occur on August 30, 1800, however due to the rain, the rebellion was postponed. The postponing lead to 2 slaves revealing the information to their masters, betraying Gabriel, which eventually lead to his hanging. -
Marbury Vs Madison
The US supreme court case in which Marshall ruled that Marbury, who had been appointed Justice Of Peace by John Adams, prior to the end of his term , had no authority to force James Madison to relinquish the documentation concerning this appointment, by writ of mandamus. This case established the idea of judicial review. -
The Louisiana Purchase
Under Napoleon's rule, France successfully acquired the Louisiana territory back from Spain, to whom they had given it. However, Napoleon desperately needed funding, in order to continue his European conquest , so therefore he sold the Louisiana territory to the US, for an extremely unvalued price of 15 Million Dollars(3 cents per acre.) -
Lewis and Clark(Expedition)
The Lewis And Clark expedition was the 1st transcontinental expedition in North America, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. The assignment of the expedition was given to two Virginia Born Indian War veterans, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their objective was to study the plant life , animal life, and geography of the rest. They were assisted by a Native American women by the name of Sacagawea -
Orders In Council
Were decrees made in Great Britain during the Napoleonic War. Because of its dealings with commercial warfare, in resulted to being a major cause for the War of 1812, between the British and The United States. -
Embargo Act 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was an act that set a general embargo on Britain and France, during the Napoleonic Wars. The Embargo was a response to the radical Europeans infringing on the US neutrality, especially the British, who resulted in the Impressment of US citizens. -
Hartford Convention
A series of secret convention held in New England by Federalists who were concerned on the increasing power of the Federal governmnet. Discussions within the meetings included succession from the union and revisions of the 3/5ths compromise, however shortly after the meetings began to minimize, Andrew Jackson's popularity in New Orleans discredited the Federalists as a major political force. -
Treaty Of Ghent
Treaty that officially ended The War Of 1812 between the US and Great Britain. The treaty restored relationships between the two nations, resulting in no loss in territory on either side. -
Era Of Good Feeling
The Era of Good Feeling was a period between1815-1825, and is commonly associated with the presidency of James Monroe. The era encompassed a national mood of the United States, one of nationalism and unity, immediately following the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. -
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society was an organization , in which men(usually wealthy caucausian ones) supported and advocated for the idea of returning freed African slaves, back to Africa, as apart of "Greater Freedom". This organization, whose founders include Henry Clay, Richard Bland Lee, and John Randolph extracted a multitude of these ideologies from Paul Cuffee , a New England Quaker of mixed descent. Helped to found the Liberia colony, in Africa, for freedmen -
The Adams-Onis Treaty
Considered to be an extreme progression in American Diplomacy, The Adams-Onis treaty (named for John Quincy Adams of the US and Luis De Onis of Spain) resulted in the giving of Florida to the US from Spain, and the settlement of land disputes, as to who legally had claim to the area of "New Spain" (modern Mexico) -
Missouri Compromise
An agreement between the proslavery south and the antislavery north, as to how new territories would be annexed into the union. Problems arose when the people of the Missouri territory petitioned to become a state. The North wanted Missouri to be a free state, however the South disagreed. The conclusion resulted in a resolution with Missouri becoming a slave state, Maine being admitted to the union as a free state, and the federal government following the 30-60-30 line -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine(actually written by John Quincy Adams) was a doctrine that stated that if any European country attempted to colonize or interfere with North or South American affairs, the United States would be required to intervene. -
Gibbons Vs Ogden
The court case in which the supreme court, under the leadership of Marshall, decided that the authority to regulate interstate commerce rested in the hands of Congress. -
Erie Canal
A waterway in New York, the Erie Canal is 363 miles long and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. Although it was originally proposed in 1807, the canal did not begin construction until 1817, and official opened in1825
