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Semester 1 Review Packet (Periods 1-5)
GEORGE WASHINGTON (1789-1797)
Judiciary Act of 1787 - Established lower federal court system with district courts in each state
First Bank of the United States (1791) - Central banking system to establish U.S. credit and manage
finances - Nation’s capital in the South as deal for bank
Eleventh Amendment (1795) - Citizen may not sue another state without state’s consent
Jay’s Treaty (1794) - American sovereignty in Northwest Territory and favorable trade status with Britain
Pinckney’s Treaty (1795) - Spain recognized American trade rights on Mississippi River and in New
Orleans
Washington’s Farewell Address (1797) - Avoid permanent alliance and political parties
JOHN ADAMS (1797-1801)
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) - Increased naturalization requirements and deportation of enemy aliens;
prohibited criticism of federal government - Reaction to XYZ Affair and designed to weaken Democratic-
Republicans
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions - Reacting to Alien and Sedition Acts, established concept of states’
rights of nullification of federal laws
Judiciary Act of 1801 - Increase federal court positions for Adams to fill (Midnight Judges)
AGE OF JEFFERSON THOMAS JEFFERSON (1801-1809)
Marbury v. Madison (1803) - Established judicial review
Louisiana Purchase (1803) - Acquired land west of Mississippi River to Rocky Mountains from France for
$15M
Twelfth Amendment (1804) - Revised Electoral College for separate ballots for President and VP
Embargo Act of 1807 - In response to impressments, prohibited foreign trade; led to recession
JAMES MADISON (1809-1817)
Non-intercourse Act of 1809 - Prohibit foreign trade with belligerents Britain and France
Macon’s Bill No. 2 (1810) - Prohibit foreign trade with either Britain or France if one promises to cease
impressments and seizing American ships
Fletcher v. Peck (1810) - First case to rule a state law unconstitutional and reinforce Contracts Clause
Treaty of Ghent (1814) - Status quo before
War of 1812 Tariff of 1816 - First major protectionist tariff to promote domestic industries
Second Bank of the United States (1816)
JAMES MONROE (1817-1825)
Rush-Bagot Treaty (1918) - Demilitarized the Great Lakes between U.S. and Great Britain
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) - Second Bank of United States ruled necessary and proper and Maryland
could not tax based on Supremacy Clause
Dartmouth College v. Woodard (1819) - Upheld the colonial charter of Dartmouth College per the
Contracts Clause
Adams-Onis Treaty (1819) - Spain ceded Florida to U.S. and established western U.S. border
Missouri Compromise (1820) - Missouri admitted as slave state and Maine as a free state; established
36’30 line, north free, south slave
Monroe Doctrine (1823) - U.S. proclaimed Western Hemisphere free from European interference and
further colonization
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) - Expanded interstate commerce power to include navigation
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS (1825-1829)
Tariff of Abominations (Tariff of 1828) - High protective tariff triggering Nullification Crisis with South
Carolina
AGE OF JACKSON ANDREW JACKSON (1829-1837)
Indian Removal Act of 1830 - Land-exchange treaties with natives east of the Mississippi leading to forced
relocation and Trail of Tears
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) - Native tribes are not foreign nations and subject to federal jurisdiction
Worcester v. Georgia (1832) - States prohibited from violating sovereignty of native tribal lands
Force Bill (1833) - Authorized President Jackson to use military force against South Carolina to enforce the
Tariff of 1828; led to tariff compromise
Specie Circular (1836) - Land sales paid in gold or silver; major cause of Panic of 1837
MARTIN VAN BUREN (1837-1841)
Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837) - States rights victory as private contract cannot work to
disadvantage of public
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON (1841) – Assassinated
JOHN TYLER (1841-1845)
Commonwealth v. Hunt (1841) - Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled labor unions legal organizations and
strikes as legal action
Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842) - Established northern boundary and Great Lakes border with Great
Britain/Canada
Texas Annexation (1845) - Joint resolution annexing Texas leading to border dispute and Mexican-
American War
JAMES K. POLK (1845-1849)
Oregon Treaty (1846) - Avoided “54’40 or Fight” and established 49th Parallel boundary in Oregon
Territory
Wilmot Proviso (1846) - Prohibited slavery in Mexican Cession; Rejected
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) - Ended Mexican-American War; ceded California and American
Southwest for $15M
ZACHARY TAYLOR (1849-1850)
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850) - Established joint American-British effort to build a canal in Nicaragua
MILLARD FILLMORE (1850-1853)
Compromise of 1850 - California admitted as free state, reinforced
Fugitive Slave Law, popular sovereignty in Mexican Cession, prohibited slave trade in D.C.
FRANKLIN PIERCE (1853-1857)
Gadsden Purchase (1853) - Acquisition of territory on U.S.-Mexican border to eventually build a southern
transcontinental railroad
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) - Stephen Douglas negotiated popular sovereignty in Nebraska Territory and
Kansas Territory; virtually dissolved Missouri Compromise and led to Bleeding Kansas, end of Whig
Party, and beginning of Republican Party
JAMES BUCHANAN (1857-1861)
Scott v. Sandford (1857) - Blacks are not citizens, slaves are property, Missouri Compromise ruled
unconstitutional
Lecompton Constitution (1857-1858) - Pro-slavery Kansas constitution pushed by Buchanan and rejected
by Congress
Crittenden Compromise (1860) - Last-minute compromise to divide nation into free North and slave South;
rejected
ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1861-1865)
Ex Parte Merryman (1861) - Congress, not the President, may suspend habeas corpus
Confiscation Acts (1861-1862) - Authorized Union generals to confiscate properties (slaves) as a means to
free them
Morrill Land Grant Act (1862) - Created land-grant colleges for agriculture and mechanics education
Homestead Act of 1862 - Sold federal lands for $10 for 160 acres and full ownership after five years of
improvements
Pacific Railway Act (1862) - Authorized construction of railroad between Union Pacific and Central
Pacific Railroads to eventually complete first transcontinental railroad Emancipation Proclamation (1863) -
Freed all Southern slaves
Enrollment Act of 1863 - Conscription allowing for substitutions and $300 commutations
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (1863) – Ten Percent Plan and pardons for Southerners
except leaders and generals Wade-Davis Bill (1864) - 50% must take ironclad oath
Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) - Federal government assistance program for displaced former slaves and whites
ANDREW JOHNSON (1865-1869)
Thirteenth Amendment (1865) - Abolished slavery
Ex parte Milligan (1866) - Citizens may not be tried in military tribunals if civilian courts functioning
Reconstruction Acts of 1867 - Former Confederate states placed in military districts and readmission
subject to ratification of 14th Amendment
Alaska Purchase (1867) - Acquisition of Alaska from Russia; known as Seward’s Folly or Seward’s Icebox
Fourteenth Amendment (1868) - Established Citizen Clause, Due Process Clause, Equal Protection Clause
applied to states; punishments for former Confederate states not applying Civil War amendments;
prohibited pardons for Confederate leaders
ULYSSES S. GRANT (1869-1877)
Fifteenth Amendment (1869) - Right to vote for blacks
Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) - Privileges and immunities only applied to federal government, not states
Coinage Act of 1873 - Removed silver from circulation and became known as the “Crime of 1873”
Civil Rights Act of 1875 - Equal protection for Blacks in public accommodations and transportation and
prohibit jury service exclusion
Munn v. Illinois (1877) - States allowed to regulate private businesses in matter of public interest; Granger
laws
Compromise of 1877 - Hayes (R) becomes president and federal troops removed from the South
Constitutional Amendments
***Notes: The first ten amendments were passed in 1791 and are collectively called the Bill of Rights.
1. Five freedoms—separation of church and state; freedom of speech, press, and assembly; right to petition
government for settlement of a complaint or to make up for wrongdoing
** (RAPPS) – Religion, Assembly, Petition, Press, Speech
2. Right to bear arms
3. Quartering of troops prohibited in peacetime without permission
4. No unreasonable search and seizure
5. Rights of accused persons—capital crimes require Grand Jury indictment; can’t be tried twice for the same
crime (no double jeopardy); can’t be compelled to testify against yourself; can’t be deprived of life, liberty,
or property without due process of law; owner must be compensated for private property taken for public
use
6. Right to speedy, public trial
7. Right to trial by jury in civil cases
8. Limits of fines and punishments—no excessive bail nor cruel or unusual punishment
9. Rights of the people—rights stated in the Constitution are not the only rights that people have
10. Powers not delegated to the federal government nor denied to the states by the Constitution are reserved to
the states or the people
11. Lawsuits against states (1798) Federal judicial power does not extend to lawsuits brought against individual
states.
12. Election of executives (1804) Established procedures for the Electoral College to vote for specific
candidates for president and vice-president.
13. 13th Amendment (1865) - abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
14. 14th Amendment (1868)
a. All persons born in the US are citizens of the US
b. All citizens are guaranteed equal treatment under the law
c. Punished states that denied adult male the right to vote
15. 15th Amendment (1870) - state and federal gov. shall not deny a citizen the right to vote based on, race,
color, or previous condition of servitude.
***Note: The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are known as the Civil Rights or Civil War Amendments
First Two-Party System
Federalists v. Republicans, 1780s - 1801
Federalists Republicans
1. Favored strong central government.
2. "Loose" interpretation of the Constitution.
3. Encouragement of commerce and
manufacturing.
4. Strongest in Northeast.
5. Favored close ties with Britain.
6. Emphasized order and stability.
1. Emphasized states' rights.
2. "Strict" interpretation of the Constitution.
3. Preference for agriculture and rural life.
4. Strength in South and West.
5. Foreign policy sympathized with France.
6. Stressed civil liberties and trust in the people
[In practice, these generalizations were often blurred and sometimes contradicted.]
Second Two-Party System
Democrats v. Whigs, 1836 - 1850
Democrats Whigs
1. The party of tradition.
2. Looked backward to the past.
3. Spoke to the fears of Americans
4. Opposed banks and corporations as. state-
legislated economic privilege.
5. Opposed state-legislated reforms and preferred
individual freedom of choice.
6. Were Jeffersonian agrarians who favored farms
and rural independence and the right to own
slaves.
7. Favored rapid territorial expansion over space
by purchase or war.
8. Believed in progress through external growth.
9. Democratic ideology of agrarianism, slavery,
states rights, territorial expansion was favored
in the South.
1. The party of modernization.
2. Looked forward to the future.
3. Spoke to the hopes of Americans.
4. Wanted to use federal and state government to
promote economic growth, especially
transportation and banks.
5. Advocated reforms such as temperance and
public schools and prison reform.
6. Were entrepreneurs who favored industry and
urban growth and free labor.
7. Favored gradual territorial expansion over time
and opposed the Mexican War.
8. Believed in progress through internal growth
9. Whig ideology of urbanization,
industrialization, federal rights, commercial
expansion was favored in the North.
Mid-19th Century Political Crisis
Disputes over slavery in the territories first erode, then destroy what had become America's second two-party
system. The erosion began in the 1840s as various factions opposed to the post-Jackson Democratic political
coalition begin to form.
Liberty Party Free Soil Party
1. Run abolitionist candidate James Birney, for
president in 1844.
2. Won only 2% of the vote but drew votes from
the Whigs, especially in New York.
1. Not abolitionist but opposed to expansion of
slavery in the territories.
2. Won 10% of the popular vote with Martin Van
Buren as their candidate in 1848.
3. Lost 50% of their support in 1852 when their
candidate repudiated the Compromise of 1850
Whigs American Party
Split over slavery into:
1. Southern, "Cotton" Whigs who eventually
drifted into the Democratic Party.
2. Northern, "Conscience" Whigs who moved to
new parties, i.e. Free Soil and, later, into the
Republican Party.
1. Popularly known as the "Know Nothing" Party.
2. Nativist party based on opposition to
immigration and on temperance.
3. Run Millard Fillmore in 1856 and win 21% of
the popular vote.
4. Absorbed into the Republican Party after 1856.
Republican Party
1. Formed in 1854 when a coalition of Independent Democrats, Free Soilers, and Conscience Whigs united
in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Bill.
2. Stressed free labor and opposed the extension of slavery in the territories ("Free Soil, Free Labor, Free
Men!").
3. Moderates, like Abraham Lincoln, could, therefore, oppose slavery on "moral" grounds as wrong, while
admitting that slavery had a "right" to exist where the Constitution originally allowed it to exist.
4. John C. Fremont was the first Republican presidential candidate in the election of 1856.
The Election of 1860
Democrats Republicans
1. Split at its 1860 Convention in Charleston,
South Carolina when a platform defending
slavery was defeated and Deep South delegates
walked out.
2. At a splinter convention held at Baltimore,
Maryland, Stephen Douglas of Illinois was
nominated as presidential candidate on a
platform opposing any Congressional
interference with slavery..
3. Southern delegates met and nominated John
Breckenridge of Kentucky as a candidate on a
pro-slavery platform.
1. The Republicans, by this time a overtly
sectional and decidedly opposed to slavery
draw in most northerners with a platform
favoring a homestead act, a protective tariff,
and transportation improvements.
2. The platform opposed the extension of slavery
but defended the right of states to control their
own "domestic institutions."
3. Abraham Lincoln is nominated presidential
candidate on the third ballot.
Treaties
Treaty of Paris - 1763, This treaty ended the French & Indian War
Treaty of Paris - 1783, This treaty ended the American Revolution
Jay’s Treaty 1794, signed by Jay and Grenville; tried to resolve US – Britain trade and other issues and
preserve American neutrality in European wars
Louisiana Purchase - 1803, Monroe and Livingston bought 800,000 square miles from Talleyrand and
Napoleon for $15 million (under Thomas Jefferson’s presidency)
Treaty of Ghent - 1814, This treaty ended the War of 1812
Adams – Onis Treaty - 1819, Spain ceded Florida to US
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848, This treaty ended the Mexican-American War
Notable American Women
Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643). Early champion of religious liberty and free speech, this midwife was put
on trial in 1637 for her outspoken views. The Massachusetts General Court found her guilty of sedition and
banished her from the Colony.
Phyllis Wheatley (1753-1784). One of the best-known poets of the Revolutionary period. Wheatley
learned English and was taught to read and write, and within sixteen months of her arrival in America she
was reading passages from the Bible, Greek and Latin classics, astronomy, geography, history, and British
literature. In 1773 thirty nine of Wheatley’s poems were published in London as Poems on Various
Subjects, Religious and Moral. This collection, Wheatley's only book, is the first volume of poetry to be
published by an Afro-American.
Deborah Sampson (1760-1827). Signing up for the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under an assumed male
name, she became the first woman to enlist as a soldier in the American army. After being wounded
nineteen months later, she received an honorable medical discharge and, later, a military pension.
Sacajawea (c. 1789-c. 1812). A Shoshone Indian, she was captured by an enemy tribe who eventually sold
her to the French Canadian trapper she later married. In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark hired
her to help lead them as they explored the western United States, Bringing along her newborn son, she
acted as interpreter and guide and was later credited by the men with the success of their expedition.
Dorthea Dix - (1802-1887). Crusader of rights for the mentally ill in North America and Europe, she
founded or improved over thirty hospitals for the mentally ill and influenced government legislation with
her research. In 1861, she was appointed first Superintendent of U.S. Army Nurses.
Harriet Beecher Stowe - (1811-1896). Author of short stories, poetry and the biggest best-seller of the
nineteenth century, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The novel, which first appeared in serialized version in National
Era magazine, was the first major American work in which a black man appeared as the central hero. The
book had a remarkable impact on pre-Civil War society, stirring the nation's opposing passions regarding
slavery and hastening the conflict. When President Abraham Lincoln later met Stowe, he addressed her as
"the little woman who made this great war."
Harriet Tubman (1815-1913). As a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, this fugitive slave helped
thousands of blacks escape north prior to the Civil War. During the War, she served as a Union nurse and
military spy.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902). Known, along with Susan B. Anthony, as one of the foremost
figures of the movement for women's equality. Her outrage at being excluded from an antislavery
convention because of her gender inspired her to co-organize the 1948 Seneca Falls (NY) Women's Rights
Convention. There, she drafted. her famous Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on Declaration of
Independence. Her accomplishments included co-founding the newspaper Revolution, heading the National
Woman Suffrage Association for twenty years and being first president of the National American Woman
Suffrage Association.
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906). Leader in the American Anti -Slavery Society, she later turned her life's
devotion to women's suffrage and, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, founded the National Woman Suffrage
Association and the newspaper Revolution. She was so widely considered a symbol of the women's
suffrage movement that the 19th Amendment finally giving women the right to vote was commonly
referred to as the Anthony Amendment and her likeness was later etched on an American silver dollar
American Legislation, Acts, Bills, Ordinances, Amendments, and Provisos
Northwest Ordinances - 1787, divided territories in the Midwest into townships and allowed them to
eventually become states; supported public schools; prohibited slavery in the region; written by Dane
Naturalization Act - 1798, increased citizen residency requirement from 5 to 14 years; repealed in
1802
Alien Act - 1798, allowed President to deport any alien considered dangerous; expired in 1800
Sedition Acts - 1798, prohibited printing of libel or fostering opposition to US laws
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions - 1798, drafted by Jefferson and Madison in opposition to
infringements of civil liberties in the Alien and Sedition Acts; later cited by nullification proponents
Missouri Compromise - 1820, Clay's (KY) proposal allowed slave state MO and free state ME to
enter (keeping balance at 12 each);
Wilmot Proviso - 1846, proviso added by Wilmot (PN) to appropriations bill preventing slavery in
lands acquired from Mexico; removed from the bill by the Senate
Compromise of 1850 - 1850, Clay's (KY) proposal included ending of slavery in DC, admission of
CA, a new Fugitive Slave Law, establishment of NM and UT territories, and $10 million payment to
TX
Kansas – Nebraska Act - 1854, Douglas's (IL) proposal created KS and NE, and allowed settlers in
both states to decide slavery issue for themselves, repealing Missouri Compromise
Enrollment Act 1863, instituted a draft for the Civil War, allowing exception by the payment of $300
Freedman’s Bureau 1865, also Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands; established
Freedmen's Bureau to help freed slaves; headed by Howard
American Conferences, Conventions, and Congresses
Albany Congress (1754, NY) – meeting between American colonies and Iroquois in preparation for war
with France; Franklin presented a plan of union for the colonies
First Continental Congress (1774, PN) – met at Carpenter's Hall; Randolph was president; issued
Declaration of Rights and Grievances; established Continental Association, protected by Committees of
Safety
Second Continental Congress - (1775 – 1777, PN) – drafted Declaration of Independence; Dickinson
headed committee that wrote Articles of Confederation, contributed to by Burke; Hancock was president
Constitutional Convention (1787, PN) – framed new Constitution; Washington was president
Hartford Convention (1814 – 1815, CT) – NE Federalists, opposed to the War of 1812, proposed
constitutional amendments, including 2/3 majority for war or new states, and one-term presidency;
disbanded when Treaty of Ghent was signed; led by Cabot and Otis
Seneca Falls Convention (1848, NY) – adopted Declaration of Sentiments for women's rights, especially
suffrage; led by Mott and Stanton
Hampton Roads Conference (1865, VG) – Lincoln and Seward (Union) met with Stephens, Campbell,
and Hunter (Confederate) aboard the River Queen but reached no agreement on ending Civil War
Policies, Plans, Systems, Doctrines, and Diplomacies
Virginia Plan - 1787, proposed by Randolph and Madison; provided Congressional representation for states
on the basis of population
New Jersey Plan - 1787, proposed by Patterson, provided equal Congressional representation for each state
Great Compromise - 1787, also CT Compromise, proposed by Sherman and Ellsworth, provided for
bicameral Congress
American System - 1820s, Clay's policies, calling for high tariffs, internal improvements, and a strong
national bank
Monroe Doctrine 1823, Monroe's statement that European powers should not interfere in the affairs of nations
in the Western Hemisphere
Doctrine of Nullification - 1832, Calhoun and SC declared a state could suspend federal laws; Webster
argued the issue with Hayne in the Senate
Freeport Doctrine - 1858, Stephen Douglas’s support for popular sovereignty on the slavery issue, espoused
during his debates with Lincoln in Illinois Senate election
Important Presidential Elections
1796 - 1st election with two political parties: Federalists (Adams) vs. Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson)
1800 - “Peaceful Revolution”: 1st peaceful transfer of power between political parties; Jefferson; “We are
all Republicans, we are all Federalists”; Aaron Burr ties Jefferson – leads to 12th Amendment
1816 - last election for Federalists who die afterward. Ushers in “Era of Good Feelings” with only one
political party (Democratic-Republicans)
1824 - “The Corrupt Bargain”: Jackson has largest vote but loses election in House of Representatives
when J.Q. Adams gets support from Henry Clay (who is appointed Secretary of State three days later)
1828 - Jackson is the first president from the West; Democratic-Republicans are renamed “Democrats”
1836 - Whigs emerge from National Republican faction to form second major party
1860 - Republican Lincoln wins with a minority of the popular vote; Democrats are split; South Carolina
secedes in December
1864 - Union Party wins election—coalition of Republicans and War Democrats
1876 - “Compromise of 1877” ensues when Republicans get Hayes elected in return for Union troop
removal from South – ends Reconstruction
Supreme Court Cases
Marbury v Madison - (1803, Marshall). The court established its role as the arbiter of the
constitutionality of federal laws, the principle is known as judicial review
Fletcher v Peck - (1810, Marshall). The decision stems from the Yazoo land cases, 1803, and upholds the
sanctity of contracts.
McCullough v Maryland - (1819, Marshall). The Court ruled that states cannot tax the federal
government, i.e. the Bank of the United States; the phrase “the power to tax is the power to destroy”;
confirmed the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States.
Dartmouth v Woodard - (1819, Marshall). New Hampshire had attempted to take over Dartmouth
College by revising its colonial charter. The Court ruled that the charter was protected under the contract
clause of the U. S. Constitution; upholds the sanctity of contracts.
Gibbons v Ogden (1824, Marshall). Clarified the commerce clause and affirmed Congressional power
over interstate commerce.
Worcester v Georgia (1832, Marshall). Established tribal autonomy within their boundaries, i.e. the
tribes were “distinct political communities, having territorial boundaries within which their authority is
exclusive.”
Scott v Sanford - (1857, Taney). Speaking for a widely divided court, Chief Justice Taney ruled that Dred
Scott was not a citizen and had no standing in court; Scott's residence in a free state and territory had not
made him free since he returned to Missouri; Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in a territory
(based on the 5th Amendment right of a person to be secure from seizure of property), thus voiding the
Missouri Compromise of 1820.
Major Government Acts/Orders/Legislation
Mayflower Compact - (1620) - First example of documented self-government in the colonies
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) - First written constitution in America
Toleration Act (1649) - Religious freedom among Christians in Maryland
Navigation Acts - Mercantilist policies restricting trade between English colonies and England
Proclamation of 1763 - Restriction of colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid war
Sugar Act (1764) - Revenue tax applied to colonial merchants to offset French and Indian War debt
Stamp Act (1765) - Direct tax on colonists for legal documents, newspapers
Tea Act - (1773) - Designed to provide a monopoly for struggling British East India Co. and threatened
colonial merchants; led to Boston Tea Party
Intolerable Acts - (1774) - Coercive Acts limiting colonial representation in reaction to Boston Tea Party
Olive Branch Petition - (1775) - Last colonial offering of peace; King George III ruled colonies in
rebellion
Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation - (1775) - British offered slaves freedom in exchange for fighting against
the colonists
Declaration of Indepdence (1776) - Justification for independence with outlined natural rights and
grievances against King George III and
Articles of Confederation - Loose alliance of states with weak central government with a unicameral
legislature unable to tax or regulate interstate commerce - Proven weak by Shays’s Rebellion
Three - Fifths Compromise - Each slave counted as 3/5ths a person and slave importation ended by 1808
Bill of Rights - First ten amendments to Constitution as required by Anti-Federalists for ratification
Vocabulary Terms
Iroquois - Alliance of five peoples living in present-day New York and Pennsylvania - the Mohawk, Oneido,
Cayuga, Seneca, and Onondaga - which formed a Great League of Peace
Mestizos - Spanish word for person of mixed Native American and European ancestry
John Winthrop - The first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Indentured Servant - Settler who signed on for a temporary period of servitude to a master in exchange for
passage to the New World
Puritans - English religious group that sought to purify the Church of England; founded the Massachusetts
Bay Colony under John Winthrop in 1630
Quakers - Religious group in England and America whose members believed all persons possessed the
"inner light" or spirit of God; they were early proponents of abolition of slavery and equal rights for women
Pilgrims - Puritan Separatists who broke completely with the Church of England and sailed to the New
World aboard the Mayflower, founding Plymouth Colony on Cape Cod in 1620
John Smith The strict, disciplined leader of the early Virginia colony
Columbian Exchange - The transatlantic flow of goods and people that began with Columbus's voyages.
Halfway Covenant - A Puritan compromise allowing for the baptism and a subordinate church
membership for grandchildren of those who emigrated during the Great Migration
Atlantic Slave Trade - The systematic importation of African slaves from their native continent across the
Atlantic Ocean to the New World, largely fuelled by rising demand for sugar, rice, coffee, and tobacco
Headright System - A system in which any colonist who paid for his own or another's passage from London
was rewarded with fifty acres of land
Great Awakening - Fervent religious revival movement in the 1720s through the 1740s that was spread
throughout the colonies by ministers like New England Congregationalist Jonathan Edwards and English
revivalist George Whitefield
Mercantilism - A theory that government should regulate economic activity as to promote national power
Encomienda System - A Spanish system under which the first settlers had been granted authority over
conquered Indian lands with the right to extract forced labor from the native inhabitants
American Enlightenment - Revolution in thought in the eighteenth century that emphasized reason and
science over the authority of traditional religion
Bacon’s Rebellion - 1676 revolt against Virginia governor William Berkeley's administration because of
governmental corruption and because Berkeley had failed to protect settlers from Indian raids and did not
allow them to occupy Indian lands
Stono Rebellion - An uprising in South Carolina by slaves that led to a severe tightening of the slave code
and the temporary imposition of a prohibitive tax on imported slaves
Salem Witch Trials - A crisis of trials and executions in Salem, Massachusetts, that came about from
anxiety over witchcraft in 1692
Navigation Acts - Passed by the English Parliament to control colonial trade and bolster the mercantile
system, 1650 1775; enforcement of the acts led to growing resentment by colonists
House of Burgesses - The first elected assembly in colonial America
Sons of Liberty - Organizations formed by Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and other radicals in response to
the Stamp Act.
Benedict Arnold - A former commander under George Washington that defected and almost succeeded in
turning over to the British the important fort at West Point on the Hudson River.
Shay’s Rebellion - Farmers seeking debt relief through issuance of paper currency and lower taxes,
attempted to prevent courts from seizing property from indebted farmers.
Marbury v Madison - First U.S. Supreme Court decision to declare a federal law, the Judiciary Act of
1801, unconstitutional.
Crispus Attucks - A mixed Indian-African white colonist who died in the Boston Massacre and was hailed
as the first martyr of the American Revolution.
Checks and Balances - A systematic balance to prevent any one branch of the national government from
dominating the other two.
Loyalists - Colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain during the War of Independence.
Boston Massacre - Clash between British soldiers and a Boston mob, March 5, 1770, in which five
colonists were killed.
Alien and Sedition Acts - Four measures passed during the undeclared war with France that limited the
freedoms of speech and press and restricted the liberty of noncitizens.
Whiskey Rebellion - Violent protest by western Pennsylvania farmers against the federal excise tax on
whiskey.
Anti-Federalists - Opponents of the ratification of the Constitution.
Separation of Powers - Feature of the U.S. Constitution which power is divided between executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of the national government so that no one can dominate the other two and
endanger citizens liberties.
Federalist Papers - Collection of eighty-five essays that appeared in the New York press in support of the
Constitution; written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and published under the
pseudonym Publius.
Common Sense - A pamphlet that appeared in January 1776 that attacked the Constitution of England and
the principles of hereditary rule and monarchical government.
Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom - Written by Thomas Jefferson, this bill eliminated religious
requirements for voting and office holding and government financial support for churches.
Market Economy - People trade their goods and labor for cash, which they then use to buy other peoples’
labor grow or goods
Eli Whitney – responsible for two revolutionizing inventions, the cotton gin and interchangeable parts
Lowell System - work enticement program that guaranteed employees housing in respectable, chaperoned
boarding houses; cash wages; and participation in cultural and social events organized by the mill
Midnight Appointments - William Marbury (a last minute appointee) sued Secretary of State, James
Madison, for refusing to certify his appointments to the federal bench. (Led to the Marbury v Madison
court case that established judicial review.
Embargo Act of 1807 – prohibited American ships from sailing in foreign ports, it crippled the US
economy and was a cause/catalyst for the War of 1812.
Intercourse Act of 1809 - Reopened trade with most nations but officially banned trade with the two most
significant partners, France & Britain
Macon’s Bill No. 2 – Reopened trade with France and Britain, however, if one of them was willing to stop
interfering with US neutrality then we agreed to cut off the other country, France took advantage and
Britain was cut off from trade once again – more friction leading up to war of 1812
War Hawks - new group of members of Congress that supported going to war with Great Britain
Era of Good Feelings - Name given because of popular support when James Monroe was elected president
Sectionalism - loyalty to the interests of one's own region or section of the country
Spoils System - Replaced government officials with political supporters (same as those before him) but
those positions had been held by the same people
Nat Turner’s Rebellion - One of the most famous rebellions, Nat Turner was a well-read preacher that had
a vision and believed it was a sign from God that a black liberation movement would succeed. He rallied a
gang that killed and mutilated the corpses of 60 whites. 200 slaves were executed in retaliation
Indian Removal Act - Authorized the president to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in
exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders.
Trail of Tears - Between 1835 and 1838, thousands of Cherokees walked to Oklahoma under the
supervision of the US Army; Thousands died of sickness and starvation
Cult of domesticity, also known as the Cult of True Womanhood - is an opinion about women in the
1800s. They believed that women should stay home and should not do any work outside of the home
Nativism - hatred against those not born in the United States
Southern Paternalism - Many southerners convinced themselves that the slave system benefited everyone,
even slaves. The attitude was based on the belief that slaves were like children and couldn’t take care of
themselves.
Second Great Awakening - a Protestant religious revival movement during the early 19th century in the
United States. The movement began around 1790, gained momentum by 1800 and, after 1820, membership
rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement. The
movement focused on 3 themes, abolition, suffrage, and temperance.
Transcendentalists , a group of non-conformists Unitarian writers and philosophers who drew their
inspiration form European romanticism. (Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo
Emerson.
William Lloyd Garrison - publisher of a popular abolitionist newspaper called the Liberator, helped found
the American Anti-slavery Society.
Frederick Douglass - published his influential newspaper, The North Star. Douglass was an escaped
slave; gained fame as a gifted writer and eloquent advocate for freedom and equality
‘Slave Power’ – rich Southerners who allegedly were “pulling strings” in the government, believed to have
a hand in the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the beginning of the Mexican America War.
Fugitive Slave Law - All runaway slaves had to be returned to their owners, part of the Compromise of
1850 that was later overturned with the Dred Scott court case decision.
Border Ruffians - Just prior to the Kansas legislature election (brought on by the Kansas-Nebraska Act),
thousands of proslavery Missourians called Border Ruffians temporarily relocated to Kansas. As a result,
several rival constitutions were sent to Washington DC, an anti-slavery one from Topeka and a proslavery
one from Lecompton.
John Brown – abolitionist that led a raid on proslavery camps which started “bleeding Kansas,” he also
was killed at Harper’s Ferry and became a martyr for the cause.
Fort Sumter – skirmish where no one was killed, signified the beginning of the Civil War
Gettysburg – bloodiest battle of the war, most deaths of the war occurred here
Battle of Appomattox Court House – Robert E. Lee (confederacy) surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant
(union), bringing an end to the Civil War
Habeas Corpus – protects against unlawful imprisonment, suspended by Lincoln and Davis during the
civil war.
Conscription - The South imposed conscription (military draft) requiring small farmers to serve in the
Confederate Army, causing greater poverty as many family couldn’t tend their farms without their men
Emancipation Proclamation – Lincoln freed all slaves in the confederate states, lavery still occurred in
states that were part of the union.
Sherman’s March to the Seas – William Sherman marches all over the South, destroying Southern cities,
transport lines for the Confederacy & military supply targets. Atlanta and Savannah were burned down.
Reconstruction - The process of putting the nation back together following the Civil War
Andrew Johnson – first and only impeached president, vetoed
Black Code Laws – Laws establishing conditions very similar to slavery for black Americans, eventually
turned into Jim Crow Laws in the South.
Freedmans’ Bureau - Oversaw relief activities designed to aid former slaves: provide food & clothing,
established schools for black children, helped to re-unite families separated under slavery. Congress voted
to expand the Bureau’s funding and President. Johnson vetoed its renewal in 1866
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