S.S.- Vocab.
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Created by:
LaurynBass on October 3, 2010
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62 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 adjourn | to suspend a meeting of legistature |
| amendment | official change, correction, or addition to a law or constitution |
| antifederalists | people who opposed ratification of the Constitution |
| articles of confederation | 1777) the document that created the first central government for the United States; was replaced by the Constitution in 1789 |
| bill of rights | the first 10 amendments to the Constitution; ratified in 1791 |
| bill | proposed law |
| boston massacre | 1770) an incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five people |
| checks and balances | a system established by the Constitution that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful |
| common sense | 1776) a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that criticized monarchies and convinced many American colonists of the need to break away from Britain |
| daniel shays | 1747?-1825) Revolutionary War officer who led Shays's Rebellion, an uprising of farmers in western Massachusetts that shut down the courts so that farmers would not lose their farms for tax debts. He was defeated and condemned to death, but pardoned |
| depression | a steep drop in economic activity combined with rising unemployment |
| domestic | of or pertaining with the home |
| duties | something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation |
| english bill of rights | 1689) a shift of political power from the British monarchy to Parliament |
| enumeration | an act of numerating |
| executive branch | the division of the federal government that includes the president and the administrative departments; enforces the nation's laws |
| federalism | U.S. system of government in which power is distributed between a central government and individual states |
| federalists | people who supported ratification of the Constitution |
| first continental congress | 1774) a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to respond to the closing of Boston Harbor, increased taxes, and abuses of authority by the British government; delegates petitioned King George III, listing the freedoms they believed colonists should enjoy |
| george washington | 1732-1799) Revolutionary War hero and Patriot leader, he served as a representative to the Continental Congresses, commanded the Continental Army, and was unanimously elected to two terms as president of the United States |
| habeas corpus | the constitutional protection against unlawful imprisonment |
| immigrants | a person who moves to another country after leaving his or her homeland |
| impeach | to bring charges against a public official |
| indentured servants | colonist who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years |
| inflation | increased prices for goods and services combined with the reduced value of money |
| intolerable acts | 1774) laws passed by Parliament to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party and to tighten government control of the colonies |
| james madison | 1751-1836) American statesman, he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, the fourth president of the United States, the author of some of the Federalist Papers, and is called the father of the Constitution for his proposals at the Constitutional Convention. He led the United States through the War of 1812 |
| john paul jones | 1747-1792) American naval officer famed for bravery, his most famous victory was the defeat of the British warship Serapis, during which he declared, "I have not yet begun to fight!" |
| john smith | 1580-1631) English colonist to the Americas who helped found Jamestown Colony and encouraged settlers to work harder and build better housing |
| judicial branch | the division of the federal government that is made up of the national courts; interprets laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes between states |
| land ordinance of 1785 | 1785) legislation passed by Congress authorizing surveys and the division of public lands in the western region of the country |
| legislative branch | the division of the government that proposes bills and passes them into laws |
| loyalists | colonists who sided with Britain in the American Revolution |
| magna carta | 1215) a charter of liberties agreed to by King John of England, it made the king obey the same laws as citizens |
| mayflower compact | 1620) a document written by the Pilgrims establishing themselves as a political society and setting guidelines for self-government |
| mercenaries | hired foreign soldiers |
| middle passage | voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies |
| minute men | American colonial militia members ready to fight at a minute's notice |
| northwest ordinance of 1787 | 1787) legislation passed by Congress to establish a political structure for the Northwest Territory and create a system for the admission of new states |
| ordain | act of establishing law |
| pardon | freedom from punishment |
| patriots | American colonists who fought for independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War |
| peter stuyvesant | 1610-1672) Director general of the Dutch New Netherland colony, he was forced to surrender New Netherland to the English. |
| posterity | future generations |
| preamble | an introductory to a document |
| quorum | the number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally, usually a majority |
| ratification | an official approval |
| redcoats | British soldiers who fought against the colonists in the American Revolution; so called because of their bright red uniforms |
| second continental congress | 1775) a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to react to fighting at Lexington and Concord |
| stamp act of 1765 | 1765) a law passed by Parliament that raised tax money by requiring colonists to pay for an official stamp whenever they bought paper items such as newspapers, licenses, and legal documents |
| staple crops | a crop that is continuously in demand |
| suffrage | voting rights |
| tarrif | a tax on imports or exports |
| tea act | 1773) a law passed by Parliament allowing the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies, undermining colonial tea merchants; led to the Boston Tea Party |
| thomas jefferson | 1743-1826) American statesman, and member of two Continental Congresses, chairman of the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration's main author and one of its signers, and the third president of the United States |
| thomas paine | 1737-1809) American political philosopher and author, he urged an immediate declaration of independence from England in his anonymously and simply written pamphlet, Common Sense |
| three | fifths compromise- 1787) an agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention stating that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining a state's population for representation in the lower house of Congress |
| tranquility | a state of peacefulness |
| treaty of paris of 1783 | 1783) a peace agreement that officially ended the Revolutionary War and established British recognition of the independence of the United States |
| veto | to cancel a law |
| william penn | 1644-1718) Quaker leader who founded a colony for Quakers in Pennsylvania; the colony provided an important example of representative self-government and became a model of freedom and tolerance |
| writ | formal order under seal |
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