 | Term | Definition |
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Federalist Papers |
a series of essays written by three leading Federalists-James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay (they suppoerted a form of government that divided power between a strong central government and the states) |
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Federalists |
those favoring ratification of the Constitution and the federalist form of government |
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Anti-Federalists |
those opposed to the Constitution because they feared the power of the national government in the new federal system |
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1607 |
In this year, representatives of the Virginia Company of London established the first permanent English settlement in North America. The settlement was called Jamestown in honor of King James I of England |
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1776 |
On July 4 of this year, fifty-six representatives from the thirteen colonies unanimously approved the Declaration of Independence |
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1787 |
Between May 25 and September 17 of this year, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead they drafted, debated, compromised, and finally approved for ratification of the Constitution of the United States. |
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Founding Fathers |
This term applies to those individuals who played a major role in declaring U.S. independence, fighting the Revolutionary War, or writing and adopting the U.S. Constitution. They include Thomas jefferson, George Washington, and James Madison. |
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French and Indian War |
This struggle between the British and the French in the colonies of North America was part of a worldwide war known as the Seven Years' War. |
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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut |
This document was the first written constitution in the American colonies. It was prepared as the covenant for the new Puritan community in Connecticut, established in the 1630s. This document described a system of government for the new community. |
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1803 |
The U.S., under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson, acquired the Louisiana Territory from France during this year. The purchase more than doubled the area of the United States. |
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1861-1865 |
The American Civil War was fought during these years. It began with the firing on Fort Sumter and ended with the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House almost four years later. |
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Articles of Confederation |
This document, the nation's first constitution, was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1781 during the Revolution. The document was limited because states held most of the power, and Congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage. |
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Philadelphia Convention of 1787 |
This meeting was held "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation." Instead the attendees decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation and create a new plan for government. Of the 55 delagates who attended, 39 signed the document they created-- the U.S. Constitution. |
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15th Amendment |
The amendment granted black men the right to vote. |
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13th Amendment |
This amendment freed all slaves without compensation to the slaveowners. It legally forbade slavery in the United States. |
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Plantation System |
A system of agricultural production based on large-scale land ownership and the exploitation of labor and the environment. This system focused on the production of cash crops and utilized slave labor. |
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Popular Sovereignty |
The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government |
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Protective Tariff |
A tax on an imported product instituted to protect local industries |
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Representative Government |
Power is held by the people and exercised through the efforts of representatives elected by the people. |
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Republicanism |
A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed. |
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Reform Movements |
Work to change society for the better. Focused on improving conditions for the poor, enslaved, imprisoned, women, and disabled. |
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Monroe Doctrine |
A statement of foreign policy which proclaimed that Europe should not interfere in affairs within the United States or in the development of other countries in the Western Hemisphere. |
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Northwest Ordinance |
Enacted in 1787, it is considered one of the most significant achievements of the Articles of Confederation. It established a system for setting up governments in the westen territories so they could eventually join the Union on an equal footing with the origan 13 states. |
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Marbury v. Madison |
This was the first judgment by the Supreme Court which supported the federal system of government. In 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall, a Federalist, upheld and strengthened the authority of the federal judiciary. He established the principle of judicial review, the power of the judiciary to determine that a law can be declared unconstitutional. |
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14th Amendment |
This amendment declared that all persons born or naturalized in the United States were entitled to equal rights regardless of their rights were protected at both the state and national levels. |
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Abolitionist Movement |
The movement concentrated on ending slavery in the U.S. |
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Bessemer Steel Process |
The process of removing impurities from iron to make steel by blasing the melted iron with hot air. |
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Mercantilism |
A set of economic principles based on policies which stress government regulation of economic activities to benefit the home country |
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Emancipation Proclamation |
Issued by Abe Lincoln on September 22, 1862, it declared that all slaves in the rebellious Confederate states would be free. |
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Nullification Crisis |
Southerners favored freedom of trade and believed in te authority of states over the federal government. Southerners declared federal protective tariffs null and void. |
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English Bill of Rights |
King William and Queen Mary accepted this document in 1689. It guaranteed certain rights to English citizens and declared that elections for Parliament would happen frequently. By accepting this document, they supported a limited monarchy, a system in which they shared their power with Parliament and the people. |
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Quote from: Declaration of Independence |
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government..." |
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Federalism |
The distibution of power between a federal government and the states within a union |
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Gibbons v. Ogden |
Supreme Court decision that ruled that the Constitution gave control of interstate commerce to the U.S. Congress, not the individual states through which a route passed. |
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Individual Rights |
Theses are protected by the Bill of Rights and include economic rights related to property, political rights related to freedom of speech and press, and personal rights related to bearing arms and maintaining private residences. |
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Judicial Review |
Provides for the judicial branch of the government to determine if laws are constitutional. |
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Checks and Balances |
A sytem that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |
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Civil Disobedience |
Henry David Thoreau advocated this pricess of defying codes of conduct within a community or ignoring the policies and government of a state or nation when the civil laws are unjust. |
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McCulloch v. Maryland |
In 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall continued to define the limits of the U.S. Constitution and of the authority of the federal and state governments. One side in the case was opposed to the establishment of a national bank and challenged the authority of the federal government to establish one. The Supremee Court ruled that the power of the federal government was supreme over that of the states and that the states could not interfere. |
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Manifest Destiny |
This expression was popular in the 1840s. Many people believed that the United States was destined to secure territory from "sea to sea," from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This rationale drove the acquisition of territory. |
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Industrial Revolution |
During this rapid period of industrial growth more and more contries adopted mass production. Handmade goods were quickly replaced by machine-made goods. Factory laborers replaced craftsmen and home production. |
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Limited Government |
In this type of government everyone, including all authority figures, must obey laws. Constitutions, statements of rights, or other laws, define the liits of those in power so they cannot take advantage of the elected, appointed, or inherited postitions. |
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Gettysburg Address |
Speech given by Abraham Lincoln which captured the spirit of liberty and morality ideally held by citizens of a democracy. That ideal was threatened by the Civil War. |
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Declatation of Independence |
This document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It established the 13 colonies as independent states, free from rule by Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the majority of this document. |
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Unalienable Rights |
These rights are fundamental or natural rights guaranteed to people naturally instead of by the law. They include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. |
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Seperation of Powers |
The division of a central government into two or more branches, each having its own responsibilites and authorities. |
