Chapter 10 of the American Pageant
[aka "The Constitution and New Republic", 1787-1800]
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| 225708405 | Mt. Vernon Conference | Meeting presided over by George Washington at his home at Mt. Vernon, Va, 1785. Representatives from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland discussed serious issues of the nation and, upon realizing that they couldn't yet overcome them, agreed to meet in 1786 to further discuss with representatives from all states (the Annapolis COnvention) | |
| 225708406 | Annapolis Convention | Followed (1786) the Mt. Vernon Conference, although only 5 states sent representatives. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton persuaded the attendees to go to another meeting, whose purpose would be to revise the Articles of Confederation, at Philadelphia. | |
| 225708407 | Constitutional Convention | At which 12/13 states sent delegates (not Rhode Island, distrusting the other states) to meet and discuss a revision of the Articles, in Philadelphia. The meetings were kept secret from the public until they had finished the work. G. Washington was elected Chairman, and the task of revision was left to James Madison ("Father of the Constitution") | |
| 225708408 | Framers of Constitution | The Delegates present during the Philadelphia conference who had decided on the draft of the Constitution, who (anticipating opposition) specified that only 9/13 states would be needed to ratify the document. Each state would vote on the proposed constitution. The Framers themselves were 55 white, male, college educated men (a number of them Lawyers) and generally very wealthy. Many had also helped to write their own state's Constitutions | |
| 225708409 | James Madison | Strict constructionist, 4th president; "Father of the Constitution", leads nation through War of 1812. | |
| 225708410 | Alexander Hamilton | United States statesman and leader of the Federalists; (1789-1795) was the First Secretary of the Treasury, and advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt (which put him into conflict with James Madison). | |
| 225708411 | Governor Morris | Statesman and a Founding Father of the United States. A native of New York, he represented Pennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and was author of many sections of, as well as signed, the Constitution of the United States; Led a five-man Committee of Style in writing the final draft of the constitution. Proposed that the president would be elected by the people ("commander-in-chief") | |
| 225708412 | John Dickinson | Drafted a declaration of colonial rights and grievances, and also wrote the series of "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania" in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts. Although an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies, Dickinson opposed the Revolution, and, as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. | |
| 225708413 | Checks and Balances | System of power where one branch of government has enough power to check the others. | |
| 225708414 | Virginia Plan | Madison's proposal towards representatives in Congress, which favoured large states; presented to the Constitutional Convention and proposed the creation of a bicameral legislature with representation in both houses proportional to population (which in the south was far larger, and therefore not supported by the North). | |
| 225708415 | New Jersey Plan | Countered the Virginia Plan in that it favoured small states; proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote. This created a conflict with representation between bigger states, who wanted control befitting their population, and smaller states, who didn't want to be bullied by larger states. | |
| 225708416 | Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise | Synthesis of New Jersey and VIrginia Plans-- provided for a 2-house COngress, where each state would be given equal representation in the Senate but represented according to population in the House of Representatives. j | |
| 225708417 | House of Representatives | One of the two parts of Congress, considered the "lower house." Representatives are elected directly by the people, with the number of representatives for each state determined by the state's population. | |
| 225708418 | Senate | Has an equal number of representatives from each state, "upper house" of Congress. | |
| 225708419 | 3/5 Compromise | Counted each slave as 3/5ths a person for the state's level of taxation and representation (thereby power in the nation) | |
| 225708420 | Electoral College System | delegates assign to each state a number of electors equal to the total of that state's representatives and senators; instituted because the delegates at Philadelphia feared that too much democracy might lead to mob rule | |
| 225708421 | Federalists | Those who supported the Constitution and a strong centralized federal Government (ex. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton); began during the period of ratification of the draft for the Constitution. Mostly near the COast and in large cities. Opposed by the Anti-federalists. | |
| 225708422 | Anti-federalists | Generally small farmers/ settlers along the western frontier; were against the creation of a string centralized government for fear of their individual states losing power to a "tyranny" and created the Bill of Rights to protect personal liberties from the nation; Ex. Patrick Henry, John Hancock. | |
| 225708423 | "Federal Papers" | 85 Essays written for a New York newspaper by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison in favour of the Constitution, attacking the faults of the Articles of Confederation. (attempted) Counteraction by the "Anti-federalist papers", which advocated the opposite and spread by those who opposed the Constitution. | |
| 225708424 | Bill of Rights/ Amendments | Added to the Constitution for a greater support towards the ratification process from the Anti-federalists; contained list of personal rights that the government could not violate. Aka the First 10 Amendments (ex. "...right to keep and bear arms in a state militia", 1st Amendment) | |
| 225708425 | Legislative Branch | the lawmaking branch of government | |
| 225708426 | Congress | The legislative branch of government, as described in Article I of the US Constitution, consisting of the House of Representatives and Senate. Primarily responsible for making laws. | |
| 225708427 | Executive Dpt. | New departments organized by Washington in the executive branch; the cabinet formed continued four positions, Secretary of State (then T. Jefferson), Secretary of the Treasury (A. Hamilton), Secretary of War (H. Knox) and Attorney General (E. Randolph). These positions still form the cabinet today. | |
| 225708428 | Cabinet | Advisors with whom the president meets regularly to discuss major policy issues, for obtaining advice and information from key leaders in the administration. | |
| 225708429 | Henry Knox | Secretary of War under Washington; was a trusted general of the American Revolution (In 1775 George Washington ordered him to bring the British artillery back to the siege of Boston that was captured at Fort Ticonderoga) | |
| 225708430 | Edmund Randolph | General Washington's aide-de-camp at dawn of Revolution; served both as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress and as Governor of Virginia from 1786-1788; submitted the Virginia Plan at the Constitutional Convention (although refused to sign the Constitution); served as the first U.S. Attorney General, and succeeded Jefferson as Secretary of State. Resigned from office after being falsely accused of receiving money from France to influence Washington's administration against Great Britain, although the French government eventually cleared his name | |
| 225708431 | Judiciary Act (1789) | In 1789 Congress passed this Act which created the federal-court system/ established the basic three-tiered structure of the Federal court system. The act managed to quiet popular apprehensions by establishing in each state a federal district court that operated according to local procedures and a Supreme Court with 6 justices, 3 circuit courts and 13 district court; Created the federal court system and allowed the president to create federal courts and to appoint judges. | |
| 225708432 | Federal Court | Court of original jurisdiction for most federal cases. The only one that holds trials in which juries and witnesses are used. | |
| 225708433 | Supreme Court | The highest court in the United States. This court primarily serves an appellate function;the only court officially established by the Constitution and also the only one to declare something "unconstitutional" | |
| 225708434 | National Debt | Hamilton proposed it be paid at face value by the government who would then have to assume the war debts of the states. In exchange for Jefferson's support of this plan, Hamilton would agree to the creation of a National Capital along the Potomac River in the South, today Washington DC | |
| 225708435 | "Citizen" Edmond Genet | French minister to the USA, who appealed directly to American citizens to support the French cause in the Revolution-- Washington (supported unanimously by the Cabinet) asked that the diplomat be recalled, though by then Genet chose to stay in the US, become a citizen and marry an American. | |
| 225708436 | Process of Neutrality (1793) | Washington's decision to stay out of foreign affairs due to the commercial complications this would have on European markets and a desire to form no permanent alliances in Europe as a young and struggling nation. Jefferson dropped out of the Cabinet from disagreement | |
| 225708437 | French Revolution | Contemporary to the Presidency of G. Washington, under whom states were either for helping the french revolution due to an alliance (however, the Americans were allied with the Monarchy, not the rebels) and the fact that Britain was seizing American trade ships headed to France (who was also fighting the British) and forcing them to join the English Navy; but the public was also disturbed by the mob hysteria, mass executions and general anarchy. This divided American Support. | |
| 225708438 | tariffs/Excise taxes | Created to raise revenue for the Government to dissolve debt after the war; however, the tariffs were set too low for Hamilton who then proposed an excise tax (ex. Whiskey) | |
| 225708439 | national bank | Plan proposed by Hamilton as a depository of excess funds, allowing the Government to control the national supply of money and establish a strong paper currency; though opposed by Jefferson/ Anti-federalists at first ("unconstitutional"), passed by the Elastic Clause ("necessary and proper") | |
| 229502691 | French Revolution | ... | |
| 229502692 | Proclamation of Neutrality | - A formal announcement issued by President George Washington on April 22, 1793, declaring the United States a neutral nation in the conflict between Great Britain and France that had begun with the French Revolution. It threatened legal proceedings against any American providing assistance to warring countries. | |
| 229502693 | "Citizen" Edmond Genet | French government representative asking for assistance for the French Revolution. Sparked support for the French Revolution and led to the creation of the Democratic-Republican party | |
| 229502694 | Jay Treaty | Was made up by John Jay. It said that Britain was to pay for Americans ships that were seized in 1793. It said that Americans had to pay British merchants debts owed from before the revolution and Britain had agreed to remove their troops from the Ohio Valley | |
| 229502695 | Pinckney Treaty | 1795 - Treaty between the U.S. and Spain which gave the U.S. the right to transport goods on the Mississippi river and to store goods in the Spanish port of New Orleans | |
| 229502696 | right of deposit | right to transfer goods at a destination without having to pay fees for the cargo | |
| 229502697 | Whiskey Rebellion, 1794 | One of the first domestic taxes was on whiskey which angered farmers because the liquid form of wheat was whiskey. Whiskey was what farmers made regularly because it was easier to bring into town. Hamilton convinced Washington that federal authority was being challenged and to send troops, which he did. | |
| 229502698 | Public Land Act | 1796, Act that set up an orderly procedure for dividing and selling public lands | |
| 229502699 | Federalist Era | 1790s were dominated by two Federalist figures around which political parties formed: Hamilton and Jefferson; Hamilton's federalists supposed his financial programs (loose interpretation of Constitution but strong central government) | |
| 229502700 | Democratic-Republican parties | political party founded in the 1790s that sought to preserve the power of the state governments and promote agriculture | |
| 229502701 | political parties | organization that tries to influence gov. policy by promoting its ideas and backing candidates for office | |
| 229502702 | Washington's Farewell Address | Warned Americans not to get involved in European affairs, not to make permanent alliances, not to form political parties and to avoid sectionalism. | |
| 229502703 | "Permanent Alliances" | - making a permanent pack with another country that you will support them and they will support your economically and in war, Washington warned against creating these permanent alliance. | |
| 229502704 | two-term tradition | - The two term tradition was created by or originated from George Washington, basically every president would work for two years and then voluntarily resign, even though there were no laws that said that they had to resign at a specific time. This tradition was carried out until the 1940 election of Franklin Roosevelt | |
| 229502705 | John Adams | America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained." | |
| 229502706 | XYZ Affair | incident of the late 1790s in which French secret agents demanded a bribe and a loan to France in lieu of negotiating a dispute over the Jay Treaty and other issues, instead of allowing the American delegates to meet with Talleyrand for negotiations | |
| 229502707 | Alien and Sedition Acts | These consist of four laws passed by the Federalist Congress and signed by President Adams in 1798: the Naturalization Act, which increased the waiting period for an immigrant to become a citizen from 5 to 14 years; the Alien Act, which empowered the president to arrest and deport dangerous aliens; the Alien Enemy Act, which allowed for the arrest and deportation of citizens of countries at was with the US; and the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials. The first 3 were enacted in response to the XYZ Affair, and were aimed at French and Irish immigrants, who were considered subversives. The Sedition Act was an attempt to stifle Democratic-Republican opposition, although only 25 people were ever arrested, and only 10 convicted, under the law. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which initiated the concept of "nullification" of federal laws were written in response to the Acts. | |
| 229502708 | Kentucky and Virginia Revolutions | deceleration passed in 1798 and 1799 that claimed that each state has the right to decide whether a federal law is deemed unconstitutional withing a state's borders; this was a bad decision because it gave the states too much power; although it was a plan to give the states some role in the government-- failed | |
| 229502709 | Revolution of 1800 | Jefferson's view of his election to presidency. Jefferson claimed that the election of 1800 represented a return to what he considered the original spirit of the Revolution. Jefferson's goals for his revolution were to restore the republican experiment, check the growth of government power, and to halt the decay of virtue that had set in under Federalist rule. |
