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Jamestown
-The first successful settlement in the Virginia colony
-Harsh conditions nearly destroyed the colony and the population remained low due to a lack of supplies -
Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan
-A plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes
-the plan was turned down by the colonies -
French and Indian War begins in America
-Part of Europe's Seven Years' War
-The colonies fought under British commanders -
Anglicanism established in Georgia
-Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising the Church of England
-Anglicans constituted the largest and most influential group of Christians in Georgia -
Writs of Assistance introduced in colonies
-issued to enable British soldiers stationed in the colonies to search colonial homes and ships for smuggled goods
-enraged colonists as they thought their privacy had been infringed upon unfairly.
-4th Amendment was created -
Treaty of Paris ends French & Indian War
-The French and Indian War was concluded by a treaty signed by Britain, France, and Spain
-The loss of land by the French contributed to greater British rule and expansion in the new world. -
Proclamation Act of 1763
-created to alleviate relations with natives after the French and Indian War
-started that Americans were not permitted to pass the Appalachian Mountains, creating a boundary known as the proclamation line. -
Pontiac’s Rebellion
-a collection of Native tribes attempted to overthrow the British in the North West region
-Native peoples would work together to combat foreign invasion -
Sugar Act
-(The American Revenue Act of 1764) was a law that sought to reduce sugar and molasses smuggling in the colonies by lowering tax rates and enforcing duty collection. -
End of Salutary Neglect
-period in which England did not strictly enforce Parliamentary laws
-allowed the colonies to flourish as almost independent states for many years. -
Currency Act
-the British ban on printing colonial money to assuage British creditors' fears of being paid in the colonists' depreciated currency
-an attempt to curb the inflation caused by Virginia's decision to get out of debt by issuing more paper money, outlawed the manufacture of paper money in the colonies. -
Stamp Act
-The British Parliament imposed the first direct internal tax on American colonists.
-came at a time when the British Empire was heavily in debt as a result of the Seven Years' War and was looking to its North American colonies for revenue. -
Quartering Act
-British soldiers were forced to be housed in barracks provided by the colonies. -
Sons of Liberty
-political organization for colonial independence formed after the passage of the Stamp Act
-committees of Correspondence continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies
-leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere -
Declaratory Act
-to demonstrate to the American colonists that the British parliament had the authority to tax them
-to assert to the colonists that they had the authority to make laws, and it was a response to the stamp act's failure. -
Mason-Dixon Line drawn
-originally drawn to settle the borders between Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, but
-came to symbolize the North-South divide over slavery in the 1760s. -
Townshend Acts
-a set of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1767 that taxed goods imported into the American colonies
-American colonists had no voice in Parliament, saw the Acts as an abuse of power
-British troops sent to America to implement the unpopular new laws -
Boston Massacre
-began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier
-quickly escalated to a chaotic, bloody slaughter between the angry colonists and the British troops
-The British soldiers shot into the mob and killed around 10 people -
Boston Tea Party
-frustrated and angry at Britain for introducing "taxation without representation"
-American colonists poured 342 chests of tea shipped by the British East India Company into the harbor, -
First Continental Congress
-Delegates from twelve of Britain's thirteen American colonies met to discuss America's future under growing British aggression.
-Delegates established an Association, which called for a complete boycott of British goods. -
Intolerable Acts
-Series of punitive measures passed in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party.
-Revoking a number of rights in the Massachusetts colonial charter. -
Quartering Acts
-extended to all of the American colonies, not just Massachusetts
-required royal governors, not colonial legislatures, to find homes and buildings to quarter or house British soldiers. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
-The first major battle (showed that the Americans had the potential to win)
-British defeated the Americans -
Olive Branch Petition
-colonies final offer of peace to Britain, to avoid going to war
-agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their rights as British citizens. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
-Began the Revolutionary War between the British and the American colonists.
-British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord to prevent the colonists from loading arms.
-The war begins with the firing of the first shots in Lexington. Following the fighting -
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
-argued that colonists should break free from British rule and form their own government based on Enlightenment principles. -
Declaration of Independence
-the document that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain -
Saratoga
-American forces under Horatio Gates forced John Burgoyne to surrender his entire command.
-after the colonists won, the French decided to support the colonies with money, troops, ships, etc. -
Valley Forge
- encampment where George Washington's ill-equipped army endured a long, cold winter -Showed Americans army's lack of consistent equipment and munitions.
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Federalist Papers
-collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
-explained how the new government/constitution would work. -
Articles of Confederation ratified
-established a confederal system of government in which the majority of power resided with state governments
-established a government consisting of only a legislative branch that had limited power. -
Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
-British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered to the colonists at Yorktown
-effectively ended the Revolutionary War
-Lacking resources, the British government appealed to the Americans for peace. -
Treaty of Paris
-signed by Britain and the United States
-ended the American Revolutionary War
-recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. -
Land Ordinance
-US government would sell land for a minimum of $1 an acre
-Profit used to pay off the national debt
-Outlaws slavery in all Northwest territory -
Annapolis Convention
-meeting incipiently aimed at constructing uniform parameters to regulate trade between states
-stepping-stone to the creation of the Constitution -
Shays’ Rebellion
-rebellion by farmers in western Massachusetts
-led by Daniel Shays against Boston creditors
-threatening the economic interests and contributing to the demise of the Articles of Confederation -
Northwest Ordinance
-defined the process by which new states could be admitted into the Union
-forbade slavery in the territory
-allowed citizens to vote on the legality of slavery once statehood had been established -
Constitutional Convention
-convention held to consider problems of trade and navigation
-it issued the call to Congress and the states for what became the Constitutional Convention.
-Discussed possible amendments of the Articles of Confederation. -
Hamilton’s Fiscal Program
-Federalist (supports a strong central government)
-Bank of the US
-Wanted the national government to take on state debts
-Wanted the country to always have debt. -
Bill of Rights ratified
-first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
-confirmed the fundamental rights of its citizens -
First Bank of the US chartered
-Bank of the United States was first chartered by the US Congress
-proposed by Alexander Hamilton
-to handle the financial needs and requirements of the newly formed United States. -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
-Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional
-Resolutions argued that the states had the right to declare unconstitutional acts of Congress that were not authorized by the Constitution -
Cotton Gin
-invented by Eli Whitney
-machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds -
Whiskey Rebellion
-uprising of farmers in Pennsylvania
-in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government.
-key incident in the development of the First Two-Party System in the United States. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
-warned that the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's domestic affairs threatened the stability of the Republic -
XYZ Affair
-diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats
-resulted in a limited, undeclared war (Quasi-War)
-U.S. and French negotiators restored peace with the Convention of 1800 (the Treaty of Mortefontaine) -
Alien and Sedition Acts
-four laws passed by the U.S. Congress
-restricted the activities of foreign residents in the country and limited freedom of speech -
Revolution of 1800
-election of 1800
-Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican Party defeated John Adams of the Federalist Party -
John Marshall appointed Chief Justice of Supreme Court
-Secretary of State under John Adams.
-President Adams nominated him to be chief justice
-responsible for constructing and defending both the foundation of judicial power and the principles of American federalism. -
Louisiana Purchase
-U.S. purchase of Louisiana from France for $15 million
-the Louisiana Territory extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
-expedition that documented the wildlife and plants
-allowed Jefferson to know what it was like in the western parts of the U.S. before settling
-encountered to make good relations to the Native Americans -
Marbury v. Madison
-declared part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional
-establishing an important precedent in favor of judicial review -
Hamilton-Burr Duel
-duel fought at Weehawken, New Jersey between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
-had been political rivals
-Hamilton was shot -
War of 1812
-A war between the U.S. and Great Britain
-caused by American outrage over the impressment of American sailors by the British
-the British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Indians attacking the Americans on the western frontier. -
Hartford Convention
-meeting of New England Federalists
-Federalist opposed the War of 1812 and held the convention to discuss and seek redress by Washington for their complaints and wrongs that they felt had been done. -
Burning of Washington
-incident during the War of 1812 between the British Empire and the United States of America
-led by General Robert Ross, a British force set fire to many public buildings following the American defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg. -
Treaty of Ghent
-ending the War of 1812.
-terms of the treaty; all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada. -
Battle of New Orleans
-U.S. achieved its greatest land victory of the War of 1812 at New Orleans
-American troops, led by Andrew Jackson, defeated the much larger British force, which bolstered U.S. hopes for a speedy end to the war -
Second Bank of the US
-established in order to bring stability to the national economy
-essential function of the bank was to regulate the public credit issued by private banking institutions through the fiscal duties it performed for the U.S. -
Era of Good Feelings
-reflected rising nationalism in America
-collapse of the Federalist Party
-westward expansion and economic prosperity, the years immediately following the war -
McCulloch v. Maryland
-most important Supreme Court cases on federal power
-Supreme Court held that Congress has implied powers listed in Article I, Section 8
-The “Necessary and Proper” Clause gave Congress the power to establish a national bank. -
Missouri Compromise
-meant to create a balance between slave and non-slave states
-Admitting Missouri as a slave state -
Monroe Doctrine
-A statement of foreign policy
-Europe should not interfere in affairs within the United States or in the development of other countries in the Western Hemisphere. -
“Corrupt Bargain” Election
-Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, he did not win enough Electoral College votes to be elected.
-The decision fell to the House of Representatives
-John Quincy Adams was elected -
Gibbons v. Ogden
-Supreme Court affirmed Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce
-state laws “must yield” to constitutional acts of Congress. -
American System (Henry Clay)
-national economic plan by Senator Henry Clay (Whig party)
-three components: Pass high taxes on imports to protect American businesses and to increase revenues, Re-establish a Bank of the United States, and support internal capital improvements. -
Erie Canal Opens
-provided overland water transportation between the Hudson River on the east and Lake Erie at the western end -
Andrew Jackson elected president
-Known as the "people's president"
-Jackson destroyed the Second Bank of the United States
-founded the Democratic Party -
Kitchen Cabinet
-Jackson's group of unofficial advisors
-Jackson used the Kitchen Cabinet more than his official Cabinet. -
Spoils system
-the political tactic of employing and promoting civil servants who are the supporters and friends of the group in power to office.
-started by Andrew Jackson;He fired most of the previous President's appointees and put his own people in place -
Maysville Road Veto
-Congress passed a bill in 1830 providing federal funds to complete the project.
-Jackson vetoed the bill on the grounds that federal funding of intrastate projects of this nature was unconstitutional. -
Indian Removal Act
-signed into law by President Andrew Jackson
-Ordered the removal of Indian Tribes still residing to the newly established Indian Territory
-forcibly removed by American forces -
Worcester v. Georgia
-Georgia law had required whites in the territory to get licenses authorizing their residence and take an oath of allegiance to the state.
-Two refused and were sentenced to four years at hard labor
-did not prevent the Cherokee from being removed -
Ordinance of Nullification
-declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 “null, void, and no law, nor binding upon this State, its officers or citizens.” -
Jackson’s veto of the Bank of the US
-Jackson vetoed the bill re-chartering the Second Bank
-He thought it interfered with the rights of states and the liberties of the people. -
Whig Party
-formed opposing the policies of Jackson and the Democratic Party
-supported the importance of Congress over the importance of the executive branch -
Republic of Texas’ Independence
-War in Texas began as a Civil War between Federalists and Santa Anna.
-Texans declared independence wanting to be their own country
-Texans won and Texas became its own country. -
Underground Railroad
-A network of abolitionists secretly helped slaves escape to freedom
-Harriet Tubman is a key person to its success
-resulted in freedom for many -
Amistad Case
-53 African slaves were kidnapped and sold into the Spanish slave trade
-placed aboard a Spanish slave ship, the slaves revolted, killing most of the crew
-U.S. seized the ship and imprisoned the Africans, bring the issue of slavery to the forefront of American politics. -
Dorothea Dix
-activist who changed the medical field
-advocated for both the mentally ill and indigenous populations
-challenged 19th-century notions of reform and illness