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Checks & Balances
Check and Balances "is the principle of government under which separate branches are employed to prevent actions by the other branches and are induced to share power." Those who wrote the U.S. Constitution found this policy necessary for the government to run smoothly. With this system, each of the three government branches can limit the powers of others to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful. -
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global conflict that occurred from 1754 to 1763 and pitted a coalition of Britain and its allies against a coalition of France and its allies. The war involved the five European great powers at the time and many others affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. This changed economic, political, and social relations between Britain and its colonies plunging Britain into debt, almost doubling the national debt. -
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Peace of Paris 1763
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 was signed on February 10, 1763 ending the French and Seven Years' War between Britain and France, as well as their allies. Regarding the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively ending any foreign military threat to British colonies there. -
Proclamation 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was declared by Britain at the end of the French and Indian War in North America, mainly intended to appease the Native Americans by checking the encroachment of settlers on their settlements. It prohibited American colonists from settling west of Appalachia. The proclamation was issued after Britain won the Seven Years' War and gained land in North America. -
Intolerable Laws
The Intolerable Laws were a set of punitive laws passed by Britain in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. They were meant to punish Massachusetts colonists for their resistance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by Britain to the loss of colonial goods. -
Lexington & Concord
Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775 in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in Lexington, Concord, and many other towns.The British set out from Boston to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington and destroy the Americans collection of weapons and ammunition in Concord. America won the battles and proved to the British that the U.S. army was not just a bunch rebels, but a respectable army. -
Prohibitory Act
The Prohibitory Act was was passed by Britain in late 1775 that cut off all trade between the American colonies and England, removing the colonies from the protection of the crown, and allowing Britain to seize American ships at sea. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a pivotal victory to the Americans over Britain in the American Revolutionary War. This battle is known as the turning point of the Revolutionary War due to British general John Burgoyne's surrender to the American forces. That surrender is what resulted in the major victory for the U.S. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
The Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed on September 3, 1783, in Paris by representatives of King George III of Britain and representatives of the U.S. The treaty ended the American Revolutionary War. And the British acknowledged the independence of the U.S., so the colonial empire of Britain was destroyed in North America. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion, lead by Daniel Shays, was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts that opposed a debt crisis among citizens and state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. This rebellion occurred during 1786 to 1787. This proved that the Articles of Confederation, seeming sound in terms of providing freedom to the states, was unworkable when it came to creating a national government, being one reason for the creation of the U.S. Constitution. -
Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise
The Connecticut Plan, or Great Compromise, was an agreement between large and small states regarding how much power state would have under the U.S. Constitution. The Great Compromise provided a dual system of congressional representation; in the House or Representatives each state would be assigned a number of seats in proportion to its population. -
3/5s Compromise
The 3/5s Compromise was a compromise between the North and South in the U.S. in 1787, discussed during a debate over whether or not slaves should be counted when a state determines its total number of residents for legislative and tax purposes. The solution of the compromise was to count 3/5s slaves as people, meant to give Southern states 1/3 more seats in Congress and a 1/3 more electoral votes than if slaves had been ignored, but fewer than if slaves and free people had been counted equally. -
Judiciary Act
The Judiciary Act was a U.S. federal statute adopted on September 24, 1789, in the first session of the First U.S. Congress. It was passed by George Washington establishing a Supreme Court, but gave Congress the right to create lower federal courts as needed. -
Bill of Rights
The U.S. Bill of Rights was created on September 25th, 1789, but it was ratified on December 15, 1791. The Bill of Rights consisted of the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution. It stated the most important rights to the citizens of a country, and was to protect rights against infringement from public officials and private citizens. -
Proclamation of Neutrality
The Proclamation of Neutrality was a formal announcement issued by George Washington on April 22, 1793 declaring the U.S. neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain.The proclamation also pledged the U.S. to "pursue a course friendly and impartial" toward the belligerents and enjoined observance on all citizens upon pain of prosecution. -
Jay Treaty 1794
The Jay Treaty of 1794 was an agreement that relieved antagonisms between the U.S. and Britain, established a base upon which America could build a secure national economy, and assured its commercial prosperity. The treaty proved unpopular with the American public but accomplished the goal of maintaining peace between the two and preserving U.S. neutrality. Tensions between the U.S. and Britain remained high after the Revolutionary War as a result of three key issues. -
Pinckney Treaty 1795
The Pinckney Treaty was signed in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on October 27, 1795 establishing intentions of friendship between the U.S. and Spain. This was an important diplomatic success for the U.S., resolving territorial disputes between the two nations and granted U.S. ships the right to free navigation of the Mississippi River and duty-free transport through the port of New Orleans, which was under the control of Spain at the time. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was political/diplomatic incident between the French and U.S. diplomats resulting in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War due to increased tensions between the two. Because of the war, Congress chose to increase defenses through the department of the Navy and warships. French and U.S. negotiators restored peace with the Treaty of Mortefontaine. -
Alien & Sedition Acts
The Alien & Sedition Acts are a series of laws that were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed by John Adams. These laws included powers allowing for the deportation of foreigners and making it harder for new immigrants to vote. They were argued to have violated the first amendment of the Constitution, but Federalists countered that by defining the first amendments rights in the narrow English manner. -
Revolution of 1800
The Revolution of 1800 refers to the election of 1800 in which Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party defeated John Adams of the Federalist Party. The election of 1800 was a big deal, it was a realigning election that lead the generation of Democratic-Republican rule. Jefferson called it a revolution because it was the first time power in America had passed from one party to another.
