Question 1

King William’s War

Accepted Answer

War between the British, French and their Native American allies over control of North America from 1689-1697.

Question 2

King Anne’s War

Accepted Answer

War between the British, French and their Native American allies over control of North America from 1702-1713 that resulted in the British gaining Nova Scotia from France.

Question 3

King George’s War

Accepted Answer

War between the British, French, Spanish and their Native American allies over control of North America from 1744-1748 that involved the colonists taking on an increased military role.

Question 4

Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

Accepted Answer

War between the British, French, Spanish and their Native American allies over control of North America that resulted in a British victory, but at a great financial cost.

Question 5

George Washington

Accepted Answer

Young colonel of British colonial militia forces who suffered several defeats during the French and Indian War, but gained valuable military experience.

Question 6

Edward Braddock

Accepted Answer

British general during the French and Indian War who suffered a disastrous defeat by a smaller force of French soldiers and their Native American allies near Fort Duquesne.

Question 7

Albany Plan of Union

Accepted Answer

Benjamin Franklin’s proposal for an intercolonial government that could recruit troops and collect taxes for common defense that was not adopted, but was the first attempt at colonial unity.

Question 8

Peace of Paris (1763)

Accepted Answer

Peace Treaty between Britain, France and Spain that ended the French and Indian War and resulted in British domination of North America east of the Mississippi River.

Question 9

Salutary Neglect

Accepted Answer

Unofficial policy of relaxed royal control over colonial trade and government, which only weakened enforcement of the Navigation Acts and allowed for opportunities for colonial self-rule.

Question 10

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Accepted Answer

Chief Pontiac led a vast Native American alliance against the British colonial frontier in an effort to stop the westward expansion of colonial settlers, but the British ultimately won.

Question 11

Proclamation of 1763

Accepted Answer

Law passed by the British Parliament in an attempt to stabilize the western frontier by making it illegal for colonists to settle land west of the Appalachian Mountains, which infuriated the colonists.

Question 12

Parliament

Accepted Answer

Representative legislative body of the British government that made laws for the whole British empire, but did not include any direct representative from the British North American colonies.

Question 13

King George III

Accepted Answer

Monarch of the British empire who encouraged Parliament to crack down on colonial rights and freedoms out of fear of losing the colonies, but as a result pushed the colonists toward independence.

Question 14

Sugar Act (1764)

Accepted Answer

Mercantilist law that attempted to reduce smuggling by lowering the tax, but increasing the enforcement of tax collection on sugar and other luxury items in order to raise revenue to pay war debt.

Question 15

Quartering Act (1765)

Accepted Answer

Law that required the colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers.

Question 16

Stamp Act (1765)

Accepted Answer

First direct tax placed on the colonists by requiring revenue stamps to be placed on all legal and economic documents, which greatly angered the colonists.

Question 17

Patrick Henry

Accepted Answer

A young Virginia lawyer who spoke out against the Stamp Act in the House of Burgesses and later helped lead the call for independence by saying “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

Question 18

Stamp Act Congress

Accepted Answer

Meeting between representatives from nine colonies that resolved that only their own elected representatives had the legal authority to approve taxes, which showed increased colonial unity.

Question 19

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Accepted Answer

Secret societies formed to protest against British taxes and organized actions such as boycotts, destroying revenue stamps, intimidating tax agents and the Boston Tea Party.

Question 20

Declaratory Act (1766)

Accepted Answer

Law passed by Parliament along with the repeal of the Stamp Act which asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies in all cases.

Question 21

Townshend Acts (1767)

Accepted Answer

Taxes passed by Parliament on tea, glass, paper and other items in order to pay crown officials directly instead of receiving their pay from colonial governments, which angered the colonists.

Question 22

Writ of Assistance

Accepted Answer

General licenses to search anywhere that crown officials could use to enter colonists homes or businesses instead of needing a warrant from a judge, which greatly angered the colonists.

Question 23

John Dickinson

Accepted Answer

Colonial rights leader and vocal critic of the Townshend Acts who argued colonial assemblies had the right to review taxes in his published Letters from Farmers in Pennsylvania.

Question 24

Letters from Farmers in Pennsylvania

Accepted Answer

Series of published letters written by John Dickinson that criticized the Townshend Acts and advocated for colonial assemblies to have the right to review taxes.

Question 25

James Otis

Accepted Answer

Co-author of the Massachusetts Circular Letter and lawyer from Massachusetts who advocated for the repeal of the Townshend Acts and famously said “no taxation without representation.

Question 26

Samuel Adams

Accepted Answer

Master anti-British propagandist and leader of the Sons of Liberty who co-wrote the Massachusetts Circular Letter and initiated the Committees of Correspondence.

Question 27

Massachusetts Circular Letter

Accepted Answer

Plea written by James Otis and Samuel Adams to all colonial assemblies to unite against the British and the Townshend Acts, which resulted in vastly increased tension with Britain.

Question 28

Lord Frederick North

Accepted Answer

New prime minister of Parliament who organized the repeal of the Townshend Acts, but was also prime minister throughout the American Revolution.

Question 29

Boston Massacre

Accepted Answer

Crowd formed outside the Boston customs house in March 1770 and started harassing the British soldiers who shot and killed five colonists, which became a rallying cry of anti-British sentiment.

Question 30

Crispus Attucks

Accepted Answer

Dockworker of mixed African and Native American heritage who was one of the five people killed by British soldiers in the Boston Massacre.

Question 31

Committees of Correspondence

Accepted Answer

Colonial organizations throughout the colonies that regularly exchanged letters about suspicious or potentially threatening British activity, which increased colonial unity.

Question 32

The Gaspee

Accepted Answer

British customs ship that caught several colonial smugglers that ran aground in Rhode Island and was destroyed by an organized group of colonists disguised as Native Americans.

Question 33

Tea Act (1773)

Accepted Answer

Law passed by Parliament that reduced the price of imported British tea below that of smuggled Dutch tea in an effort to end the boycott and help the British East India Company.

Question 34

Boston Tea Party

Accepted Answer

Sons of Liberty members disguised as Native Americans boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped their tea into the sea in protest of the Tea Act, which led to a harsh British response.

Question 35

Intolerable Acts

Accepted Answer

Name given by the colonists to the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act, which Parliament passed in response to growing anti-British sentiment and the Boston Tea Party.

Question 36

Coercive Acts (1774)

Accepted Answer

Four laws passed by Parliament with the goal of punishing the colonists of Boston and Massachusetts and bringing them back under strong British control.

Question 37

Port Act (1774)

Accepted Answer

Part of the Coercive Acts, this law closed the port of Boston and stopped trade in and out of the harbour until the destroyed tea was paid for.

Question 38

Massachusetts Government Act (1774)

Accepted Answer

Part of the Coercive Acts, this law reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature while increasing the power of the royal governor.

Question 39

Administration of Justice Act (1774)

Accepted Answer

Part of the Coercive Acts, this law allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in Great Britain instead of in the colonies.

Question 40

Quartering Act (1774)

Accepted Answer

Part of the Coercive Acts, this law expanded on the earlier Quartering Act and enabled British soldiers to be quartered in private homes in any colony.

Question 41

Quebec Act (1774)

Accepted Answer

Law passed along with the Coercive Acts that gave land along the Ohio River claimed by Massachusetts and other colonies to the colony of Quebec, which had no representative government.

Question 42

Enlightenment

Accepted Answer

Intellectual movement led by philosophers such as John Locke and Montesquieu that focused on reason over religion and emphasized the role of the individual in solving societal problems.

Question 43

Deism

Accepted Answer

Belief in God held by many Enlightenment thinkers, but in one who had established natural laws in creating the universe and then rarely intervened by allowing people to make their own choices.

Question 44

Rationalism

Accepted Answer

Belief held by many Enlightenment thinkers to trust human reason to understand the natural world and respond to societal issues.

Question 45

Social Contract

Accepted Answer

Enlightenment concept of the people holding all societal power, but entering an agreement to give up some of that power to form a government in exchange for protection of life and liberty.

Question 46

John Locke

Accepted Answer

Enlightenment philosopher who helped create the idea of the social contract, which heavily influenced colonial leaders such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Question 47

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Accepted Answer

Enlightenment philosopher who built on John Locke’s idea of the social contract in his work The Social Contract, which influenced many colonial leaders.

Question 48

Thomas Paine

Accepted Answer

Colonial leader and author who wrote Common Sense and was one of the earliest advocates for complete separation from the British empire and the forming of a new independent country.

Question 49

Common Sense

Accepted Answer

Widely read and influential pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that included easy to understand arguments for colonial independence and direct attacks on King George III and the monarchy.

Question 50

Intolerable Acts

Accepted Answer

Name given by the colonists to the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act, which Parliament passed in response to growing anti-British sentiment and the Boston Tea Party.

Question 51

First Continental Congress

Accepted Answer

Convention held by representatives from every colony except Georgia in response to the Intolerable Acts and continued British abuses of power, but little support for independence.

Question 52

Patrick Henry

Accepted Answer

Delegate from Virginia to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the more radical call for the greatest concessions from Britain.

Question 53

Samuel Adams

Accepted Answer

Delegate from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the more radical call for the greatest concessions from Britain.

Question 54

John Adams

Accepted Answer

Delegate from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the more radical call for the greatest concessions from Britain.

Question 55

George Washington

Accepted Answer

Delegate from Virginia to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the moderate call for some concessions from Britain, not too many.

Question 56

John Dickinson

Accepted Answer

Delegate from Pennsylvania to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the moderate call for some concessions from Britain, not too many.

Question 57

John Jay

Accepted Answer

Delegate from New York to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the conservative call for only a statement of protest being sent to Britain.

Question 58

Joseph Galloway

Accepted Answer

Delegate from Pennsylvania to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the conservative call for only a statement of protest being sent to Britain.

Question 59

Suffolk Resolves

Accepted Answer

Statement endorsed by the First Continental Congress that called for the immediate repeal of the Intolerable Acts and for colonies to start military preparations and boycott British goods.

Question 60

Declaration and Resolves

Accepted Answer

Statement passed by the First Continental Congress that urged the king to redress colonial grievances and restore rights, but also recognized Parliament’s right to regulate commerce.

Question 61

Economic Sanctions

Accepted Answer

Actions taken to harm the economy of Great Britain that were enforced by the Continental Association created by the First Continental Congress in order to pressure the British.

Question 62

Lexington and Concord

Accepted Answer

Places where the colonists were storing military supplies that became the first battle sites of the American Revolution when the British attempted to take the military supplies.

Question 63

Paul Revere

Accepted Answer

Silversmith and member of the Sons of Liberty that helped warn the Minutemen of the British march on Lexington and Concord.

Question 64

William Dawes

Accepted Answer

Member of the Sons of Liberty that helped warn the Minutemen of the British march on Lexington and Concord.

Term	Definition
King William’s War	War between the British, French and their Native American allies over control of North America from 1689-1697.
King Anne’s War	War between the British, French and their Native American allies over control of North America from 1702-1713 that resulted in the British gaining Nova Scotia from France.
King George’s War	War between the British, French, Spanish and their Native American allies over control of North America from 1744-1748 that involved the colonists taking on an increased military role.
Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)	War between the British, French, Spanish and their Native American allies over control of North America that resulted in a British victory, but at a great financial cost.
George Washington	Young colonel of British colonial militia forces who suffered several defeats during the French and Indian War, but gained valuable military experience.
Edward Braddock	British general during the French and Indian War who suffered a disastrous defeat by a smaller force of French soldiers and their Native American allies near Fort Duquesne.
Albany Plan of Union	Benjamin Franklin’s proposal for an intercolonial government that could recruit troops and collect taxes for common defense that was not adopted, but was the first attempt at colonial unity.
Peace of Paris (1763)	Peace Treaty between Britain, France and Spain that ended the French and Indian War and resulted in British domination of North America east of the Mississippi River.
Salutary Neglect	Unofficial policy of relaxed royal control over colonial trade and government, which only weakened enforcement of the Navigation Acts and allowed for opportunities for colonial self-rule.
Pontiac’s Rebellion	Chief Pontiac led a vast Native American alliance against the British colonial frontier in an effort to stop the westward expansion of colonial settlers, but the British ultimately won.
Proclamation of 1763	Law passed by the British Parliament in an attempt to stabilize the western frontier by making it illegal for colonists to settle land west of the Appalachian Mountains, which infuriated the colonists.
Parliament	Representative legislative body of the British government that made laws for the whole British empire, but did not include any direct representative from the British North American colonies.
King George III	Monarch of the British empire who encouraged Parliament to crack down on colonial rights and freedoms out of fear of losing the colonies, but as a result pushed the colonists toward independence.
Sugar Act (1764)	Mercantilist law that attempted to reduce smuggling by lowering the tax, but increasing the enforcement of tax collection on sugar and other luxury items in order to raise revenue to pay war debt.
Quartering Act (1765)	Law that required the colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers.
Stamp Act (1765)	First direct tax placed on the colonists by requiring revenue stamps to be placed on all legal and economic documents, which greatly angered the colonists.
Patrick Henry	A young Virginia lawyer who spoke out against the Stamp Act in the House of Burgesses and later helped lead the call for independence by saying “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
Stamp Act Congress	Meeting between representatives from nine colonies that resolved that only their own elected representatives had the legal authority to approve taxes, which showed increased colonial unity.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty	Secret societies formed to protest against British taxes and organized actions such as boycotts, destroying revenue stamps, intimidating tax agents and the Boston Tea Party.
Declaratory Act (1766)	Law passed by Parliament along with the repeal of the Stamp Act which asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies in all cases.
Townshend Acts (1767)	Taxes passed by Parliament on tea, glass, paper and other items in order to pay crown officials directly instead of receiving their pay from colonial governments, which angered the colonists.
Writ of Assistance	General licenses to search anywhere that crown officials could use to enter colonists homes or businesses instead of needing a warrant from a judge, which greatly angered the colonists.
John Dickinson	Colonial rights leader and vocal critic of the Townshend Acts who argued colonial assemblies had the right to review taxes in his published Letters from Farmers in Pennsylvania.
Letters from Farmers in Pennsylvania	Series of published letters written by John Dickinson that criticized the Townshend Acts and advocated for colonial assemblies to have the right to review taxes.
James Otis	Co-author of the Massachusetts Circular Letter and lawyer from Massachusetts who advocated for the repeal of the Townshend Acts and famously said “no taxation without representation.
Samuel Adams	Master anti-British propagandist and leader of the Sons of Liberty who co-wrote the Massachusetts Circular Letter and initiated the Committees of Correspondence.
Massachusetts Circular Letter	Plea written by James Otis and Samuel Adams to all colonial assemblies to unite against the British and the Townshend Acts, which resulted in vastly increased tension with Britain.
Lord Frederick North	New prime minister of Parliament who organized the repeal of the Townshend Acts, but was also prime minister throughout the American Revolution.
Boston Massacre	Crowd formed outside the Boston customs house in March 1770 and started harassing the British soldiers who shot and killed five colonists, which became a rallying cry of anti-British sentiment.
Crispus Attucks	Dockworker of mixed African and Native American heritage who was one of the five people killed by British soldiers in the Boston Massacre.
Committees of Correspondence	Colonial organizations throughout the colonies that regularly exchanged letters about suspicious or potentially threatening British activity, which increased colonial unity.
The Gaspee	British customs ship that caught several colonial smugglers that ran aground in Rhode Island and was destroyed by an organized group of colonists disguised as Native Americans.
Tea Act (1773)	Law passed by Parliament that reduced the price of imported British tea below that of smuggled Dutch tea in an effort to end the boycott and help the British East India Company.
Boston Tea Party	Sons of Liberty members disguised as Native Americans boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped their tea into the sea in protest of the Tea Act, which led to a harsh British response.
Intolerable Acts	Name given by the colonists to the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act, which Parliament passed in response to growing anti-British sentiment and the Boston Tea Party.
Coercive Acts (1774)	Four laws passed by Parliament with the goal of punishing the colonists of Boston and Massachusetts and bringing them back under strong British control.
Port Act (1774)	Part of the Coercive Acts, this law closed the port of Boston and stopped trade in and out of the harbour until the destroyed tea was paid for.
Massachusetts Government Act (1774)	Part of the Coercive Acts, this law reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature while increasing the power of the royal governor.
Administration of Justice Act (1774)	Part of the Coercive Acts, this law allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in Great Britain instead of in the colonies.
Quartering Act (1774)	Part of the Coercive Acts, this law expanded on the earlier Quartering Act and enabled British soldiers to be quartered in private homes in any colony.
Quebec Act (1774)	Law passed along with the Coercive Acts that gave land along the Ohio River claimed by Massachusetts and other colonies to the colony of Quebec, which had no representative government.
Enlightenment	Intellectual movement led by philosophers such as John Locke and Montesquieu that focused on reason over religion and emphasized the role of the individual in solving societal problems.
Deism	Belief in God held by many Enlightenment thinkers, but in one who had established natural laws in creating the universe and then rarely intervened by allowing people to make their own choices.
Rationalism	Belief held by many Enlightenment thinkers to trust human reason to understand the natural world and respond to societal issues.
Social Contract	Enlightenment concept of the people holding all societal power, but entering an agreement to give up some of that power to form a government in exchange for protection of life and liberty.
John Locke	Enlightenment philosopher who helped create the idea of the social contract, which heavily influenced colonial leaders such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau	Enlightenment philosopher who built on John Locke’s idea of the social contract in his work The Social Contract, which influenced many colonial leaders.
Thomas Paine	Colonial leader and author who wrote Common Sense and was one of the earliest advocates for complete separation from the British empire and the forming of a new independent country.
Common Sense	Widely read and influential pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that included easy to understand arguments for colonial independence and direct attacks on King George III and the monarchy.
Intolerable Acts	Name given by the colonists to the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act, which Parliament passed in response to growing anti-British sentiment and the Boston Tea Party.
First Continental Congress	Convention held by representatives from every colony except Georgia in response to the Intolerable Acts and continued British abuses of power, but little support for independence.
Patrick Henry	Delegate from Virginia to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the more radical call for the greatest concessions from Britain.
Samuel Adams	Delegate from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the more radical call for the greatest concessions from Britain.
John Adams	Delegate from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the more radical call for the greatest concessions from Britain.
George Washington	Delegate from Virginia to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the moderate call for some concessions from Britain, not too many.
John Dickinson	Delegate from Pennsylvania to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the moderate call for some concessions from Britain, not too many.
John Jay	Delegate from New York to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the conservative call for only a statement of protest being sent to Britain.
Joseph Galloway	Delegate from Pennsylvania to the First Continental Congress who helped lead the conservative call for only a statement of protest being sent to Britain.
Suffolk Resolves	Statement endorsed by the First Continental Congress that called for the immediate repeal of the Intolerable Acts and for colonies to start military preparations and boycott British goods.
Declaration and Resolves	Statement passed by the First Continental Congress that urged the king to redress colonial grievances and restore rights, but also recognized Parliament’s right to regulate commerce.
Economic Sanctions	Actions taken to harm the economy of Great Britain that were enforced by the Continental Association created by the First Continental Congress in order to pressure the British.
Lexington and Concord	Places where the colonists were storing military supplies that became the first battle sites of the American Revolution when the British attempted to take the military supplies.
Paul Revere	Silversmith and member of the Sons of Liberty that helped warn the Minutemen of the British march on Lexington and Concord.
William Dawes	Member of the Sons of Liberty that helped warn the Minutemen of the British march on Lexington and Concord.
Minutemen	Members of the colonial militia who could be summoned and ready within short notice, which resulted in them playing a major role in successfully repelling the British at Lexington and Concord.
Bunker Hill	Early battle of the American Revolution near Boston that resulted in the British taking the hill, but after suffering over a thousand casualties, which boosted morale for colonial forces.
Second Continental Congress	Convention held by colonial representatives in response to fighting breaking out that at first attempted to negotiate reconciliation with Britain, but ultimately voted for independence.
Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms	Statement written by John Dickinson that was passed by the Second Continental Congress to explain why the colonies had taken up arms.
Olive Branch Petition	Statement passed by the Second Continental Congress directly to King George III, in which they asked him to intervene and secure peace and the protection of colonial rights.
Prohibitory Act (1775)	Law passed by Parliament with King George III’s support after he rejected the Olive Branch Petition, which declared the colonies in rebellion and established a naval blockade of all the colonies.
Thomas Jefferson	Delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress and main author of the Declaration of Independence.
Declaration of Independence	Document adopted by the Second Continental Congress that declared the independence of the United States and the reasons why the colonists were fighting for their independence.
Patriots	Name given to colonists who supported the independence of the United States.
Tories / Loyalists	Name given to colonists who opposed the American Revolution and remained loyal to King George III and the British.
Valley Forge	Continental Army’s camp in Pennsylvania during the harsh winter of 1777-1778 that resulted in many deaths, but also allowed Baron von Steuben time to properly train the troops for future combat.
Continentals	Paper money issued by the Continental Congress that became essentially worthless due to rampant inflation.
Battle of Saratoga	Major American victory in which General Benedict Arnold secured the surrender of British General Burgoyne’s army, thus convincing the French to ally with the United States against the British.
Absolute Monarch	Royalty with control of almost all government power such as King Louis XVI, who did not originally want to join a revolutionary movement, but did want to hurt his traditional British enemy.
George Rogers Clark	Led the capture of a series of British forts in the Illinois country, which allowed the Americans to take control of vast parts of the Ohio territory.
Yorktown	Last major battle of the Revolutionary War in which General Washington, with the support of the French navy, forced the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis.
Treaty of Paris (1783)	Peace treaty that ended the American Revolution and resulted in the independence of the United States and established the Mississippi River as the western border of the United States.
Daughters of Liberty	Society formed by and for women to protest against British taxes and organized boycotts before the war and during the war provided supplies and supported the Continental Army.
Mary McCauley	Also known as Molly Pitcher, she assisted Continental Army troops, but took her husband's place in an artillery unit during the Battle of Monmouth.
Deborah Sampson	Disguised herself as a man in order to serve in the Continental Army for over a year.
Republican Motherhood	Idea that women needed to be educated in order to raise the next generation of citizens for the new republic, which elevated women to a newly prestigious role in society.
Abigail Adams	Early advocate for women’s rights who continually campaigned to her husband, John Adams, to expand the rights and involvement of women in American society and politics.
Articles of Confederation	Document written by the Second Continental Congress that formed the first government of the United States and gave a majority of government power to the individual states.
Treaty of Paris (1783)	Achievement under the Articles of Confederation, this peace treaty ended the American Revolution and resulted in the independence of the United States.
Land Ordinance of 1785	Achievement under the Articles of Confederation, this law established a policy for surveying and selling western land and set aside parcels exclusively for public education.
Northwest Ordinance	Achievement under the Articles of Confederation, this law set the rules for creating new states, granted limited self-government to the Northwest Territory and banned slavery in the territory.
Shay’s Rebellion	Uprising of Massachusetts farmers against high state taxes and other issues, which exposed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation because the national government could not respond.
Constitutional Convention	Meeting of representatives from each state to review and revise the Articles of Confederation that ended up creating a new government with the Constitution.
Mount Vernon	Home of George Washington, where he hosted several representatives from various states to discuss the problems with the Articles of Confederation, which led to the Annapolis Convention.
Annapolis Convention	Meeting of delegates from five states who agreed that Articles of Confederation needed revised and set up the Constitutional Convention.
James Madison	Representative from Virginia to the Annapolis Convention who helped set up the Constitutional Convention and author of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Alexander Hamilton	Representative from New York to the Annapolis Convention who helped set up the Constitutional Convention and favored the strong central government of the Constitution.
Gouverneur Morris	Representative from New York to the Constitutional Convention who wrote the Preamble to the Constitution and favored the strong central government of the Constitution.
John Dickinson	Representative from Delaware to the Constitutional Convention who helped write the Constitution and favored the strong central government of the Constitution.
Federalism	System of government included in the Constitution, in which power is shared between a strong central government and lower levels of government such as state or local governments.
Separation of Powers	System of government included in the Constitution, in which power is divided among different branches of government such as legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
Checks and Balances	System of government included in the Constitution, in which each branch of government is limited by the powers of the other branches.
Congress	Main entity of the legislative branch established under the Constitution that includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Virginia Plan	Proposal favored by larger states for the number of Congressional representatives each state is allocated to be based on population.
New Jersey Plan	Proposal favored by smaller states for the number of Congressional representatives each state is allocated to be equal, regardless of population.
Connecticut Plan (Great Compromise)	Proposal by Roger Sherman that was put into the Constitution for a bicameral Congress with both the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan being utilized.
Senate	Upper house of Congress with equal representation among the states (New Jersey Plan) and representatives elected to six year terms.
House of Representatives	Lower house of Congress with representation among the states based on population (Virginia Plan) and representatives elected to two year terms.
Three-Fifths Compromise	Constitutional compromise that determined each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person for apportioning taxes and representation, but would still be denied political rights.
Commercial Compromise	Constitutional compromise that allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, including placing tariffs on foreign imports, but not on exports.
Electoral College	Result of a constitutional compromise that created a system of electors to elect the president rather than a direct election in order to try and avoid mob rule.
Federalists	Name for people such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, who supported the Constitution and its strong central government.
Anti-Federalists	Name for people such as Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, who were opposed to the Constitution, wanted more powers given to the states and advocated for a Bill of Rights.
Federalist Papers	Series of highly persuasive essays published in newspapers that were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution.
Federalism	System of government included in the Constitution, in which power is shared between a strong central government and lower levels of government such as state or local governments.
Separation of Powers	System of government included in the Constitution, in which power is divided among different branches of government such as legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
Amendments	Changes and/or additions made to the Constitution which require two-thirds of the members of each house of Congress to approve it, and three-fourths of the states to ratify it.
Bill of Rights	First ten amendments to the Constitution, which focused on protecting against abuses by the central government as a compromise between Federalists and Anti-Federalists to ratify the Constitution.
Executive Departments	Government organizations under the direct supervision of the president within the executive branch led by chief officers appointed by the president and approved by the Senate.
Thomas Jefferson	Appointed by President Washington and approved by the Senate to be the first Secretary of State.
Alexander Hamilton	Appointed by President Washington and approved by the Senate to be the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Henry Knox	Appointed by President Washington and approved by the Senate to be the first Secretary of War.
Edmund Randolph	Appointed by President Washington and approved by the Senate to be the first Attorney General.
Cabinet	Chief officers of the executive officers and other advisors to the president who help guide and enforce national policy under the direct supervision of the president.
Supreme Court (SCOTUS)	Highest court of the federal judicial system with the authority to rule on the constitutionality of federal government decisions and laws.
Federal Courts	Lower courts of the federal judicial system created by Congress with lesser powers than the Supreme Court.
Judiciary Act of 1789	Law passed by Congress that established the number of Supreme Court Justices and provided for a system of district courts and circuit courts of appeals.
National Debt	Total amount of money the federal government owes after spending and borrowing from various entities.
National Bank	Controversial central bank proposed by Alexander Hamilton and established in 1791 in order to help stabilize the currency and the national economy.
French Revolution	People of France fought to overthrow the French monarchy, which created a controversy in the United States on whether or not to support the French people.
Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)	Decree issued by President Washington to keep the United States out of the French Revolution and accompanying wars raging in Europe.
Citizen Genêt	French ambassador to the United States that attempted to directly recruit American support for the French cause, which resulted in his removal from his post, but was allowed to live in the United States.
Jay Treaty	Unpopular treaty between the United States and Great Britain in which the British agreed to evacuate its forts in the western frontier of the United States, but included nothing about impressment.
Pinckney Treaty	Treaty between the United States and Spain that secured the United States use of the Mississippi River, right to deposit and clarified the American border with Spanish Florida.
Right of Deposit	Ability for American merchants to transfer cargoes in New Orleans without paying duties to the Spanish government.
Battle of Fallen Timbers	Battle between the United States led by General Anthony Wayne and an alliance of Native American tribes which resulted in American dominance of the Ohio Territory.
Treaty of Greenville	Peace treaty forced on the Native American tribes of the Ohio Territory after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, which resulted in the Native Americans surrendering their claims to the land.
Whiskey Rebellion	Uprising of farmers in western Pennsylvania over an excise tax, which was put down by President Washington sending in military forces and asserted the authority of the central government.
Public Land Act (1796)	Law passed by Congress that established orderly procedures for dividing and selling federal lands at moderate prices.
Federalist Era	Name for the 1790s because it was dominated largely by the economic and political policies of the Federalist Party.
Federalist Party	One of the first political parties formed in the United States, which supported a strong central government and Alexander Hamilton’s financial program.
Democratic-Republican Party	One of the first political parties formed in the United States, which supported Thomas Jefferson and his view on states’ rights and a weak central government.
Political Parties	Political organizations formed to gain political power by supporting certain policies, platforms and candidates.
Washington’s Farewell Address	Final speech by President Washington before leaving office that included warnings against getting involved in European affairs, permanent alliances, political parties and sectionalism.
Permanent Alliances	Lasting defense pacts that require the intervention of members if one of the members is attacked.
Two-Term Tradition	President Washington’s precedent of serving a max of two presidential terms before voluntarily stepping down that lasted until 1940.
John Adams	Vice president under George Washington and Federalist candidate for president who won the contentious election of 1796, but lost the contentious election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson.
XYZ Affair	President Adams sent a diplomatic delegation to France to try and negotiate an end to French impressment of American ships and sailors, but French ministers demanded bribes, which caused outrage.
Alien and Sedition Acts	Attempts by the Federalists to pass laws aimed at restricting the political power of the Democratic-Republicans, which resulted in public outcry and were repealed later.
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions	Statements written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that declared states had the right to nullify laws they viewed as unconstitutional.
Charles Wilson Peale	Contributed to the growth of American culture by painting several American Revolution leaders and opening one of the first museums/art galleries in the United States.
Pierre-Charles L’Enfant	Engineer who in the 1790s was commissioned to develop the design for the nation’s new capital in Washington D.C.
Gilbert Stuart	Famous American painter who was well known for his portraits of various Founding Fathers and American Revolution leaders.
Northwest Ordinance	Achievement under the Articles of Confederation, this law set the rules for creating new states, granted limited self-government to the Northwest Territory and banned slavery in the territory.
Indian Intercourse Act	Law passed by Congress that put the federal government in charge of all actions with Native Americans, which was largely ignored by traders and settlers.
Daniel Boone	Legendary scout and western settler who helped lead the way for American settlers across the Appalachian Mountains and into the western frontier.
Eli Whitney	Inventor of the cotton gin, which greatly reduced the time and labor involved in separating cotton from the seeds and resulted in cotton becoming profitable and increased demand for slave labor.
Cotton Gin	Device invented by Eli Whitney, which greatly reduced the time and labor involved in separating cotton from the seeds and resulted in cotton becoming profitable and increased demand for slave labor.

Unit 3

All Vocabulary

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