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| 220826389 | Second Continental Congress | A group of representatives that convened after the battles of Lexington and Concord. They were responsible for establishing a Continental Army, printing money, and creating government offices to supervise policy. They were also the ones responsible for choosing George Washington to lead the army. | 0 | |
| 220826390 | Hessians | Soldiers for hire that were brought over to the colonies to fight for the British (came from the principality of Hesse, Germany). The fact that Britain was bringing foreigners into the mix angered colonists on a personal level and led to asking the French for help. | 1 | |
| 220826391 | Thomas Paine | English printer who published the pamphlet "Common Sense". He advocated for colonial independence and also argued for the rights of republicanism over monarchy. | 2 | |
| 220826392 | George Washington | The leader of the Continental Army chosen because he was both well-liked and a wealthy Southerner (which meant he would even out the huge numbers of the army coming from the North, bolster the support in an area with many loyalists, and not make it look like he was out in the war for the money). | 3 | |
| 220826393 | Marquis de Lafayette | A French aristocrat who played a leading role in the American Revolution. He respected the concepts of liberty and freedom and constitutional government. He came over to the colonies with the support of several French officers, allowing the colonists to gain an extensive French reinforcement. | 4 | |
| 220826394 | Baron Von Steuban | A Prussian immigrant that helped whip the unprofessional and weak Continental Army into shape. | 5 | |
| 220826395 | John Burgoyne | One of the more important British generals in the Revolutionary War. He was responsible for leading several attacks against the Americans--most importantly a campaign to conquer the Hudson River Valley and cut New England off from the rest of the colonies. Because of his failures, especially the one at Saratoga, the Americans were able to receive French reinforcements and win against the British. | 6 | |
| 220826396 | Benedict Arnold | A very effective leader who supervised campaigns against the British along the battle lines of New York and Canada. He successfully warded off General Burgoyne at strategically significant battles. A few years into the Revolutionary War, he turned traitor and plotted with the British to sell out a key stronghold the Americans for money and an officer's commission, but the plot was detected in the nick of time and Arnold fled to the British side | 7 | |
| 220826397 | Treaty of Paris, 1783 | The agreement in which the British formally recognized the independence of the United States; in addition, they granted generous boundaries, stretching majestically to the Mississippi on the west, to the Great Lakes on the north, and to Spanish Florida. | 8 | |
| 220826398 | Battle of Trenton | An invasion of Hessian troops by Washington and his men. The successful attack weakened the British opposition that would have helped the British at the Battle of Saratoga. | 9 | |
| 220826399 | Battles of Lexington and Concord | A planned assault to confiscate American weapons from Concord, MA by the British. A group of colonial farmers opposed the attack at Lexington (where they lost) and Concord where they surprisingly won. Because of their victory, American morale significantly increased since a group of farmers beat the world's strongest empire. | 10 | |
| 220826400 | Battle of Saratoga | A battle between the American and the British forces at the Hudson River Valley. The victory for the Americans immensely revived the faltering colonial cause, and it made possible the urgently needed foreign aide from France, which in turn helped ensure American independence | 11 | |
| 220826401 | Battle of Yorktown | A battle between the American and British forces at the Chesapeake Bay. Because of French naval forces and George Washington's swift march of soldiers to the Chesapeake from the New York area, the revolutionary forces were able to surround the British and forced the surrender of over seven thousand men. The war was thought to be lost at this battle because of the huge loss in numbers on the British side. | 12 | |
| 220826402 | Articles of Confederation | The first national constitution sent to the colonies by the Continental Congress for ratification. It was more of an effort to prohibit the government from gaining too much power (it really just set limitations to the government's power) rather than empowering it to function effectively. But it served as a major step towards writing the Constitution. | 13 | |
| 220826403 | John Locke's Second Treatise of Government | A book by an English philosopher, whose ideas of the natural rights--life, liberty, and property--being made free to all, heavily inspired the areas of main focus for the Constitution. | 14 | |
| 220826404 | Federalist | The group of men who fought for the new Constitution for the federal government. They used their power and money to argue their point of view in pamphlets and books, such as the Federalist Papers, so that select states that were still opposed to the Constitution would give in and allow its ratification. | 15 | |
| 220826405 | Republican Government | The idea that the only legitimate government was one based on the consent of the governed and that the powers of government should be limited. These concepts were the more democratic ideals that the founding fathers wished to incorporate in the Constitution. | 16 | |
| 220826406 | Land Ordinance of 1785 | A governmental decree that provided that the acreage of the Old Northwest should be sold and that the proceeds should be used to help pay off the national debt; it called for a process in which the land would be surveyed and used for the benefit of the colonies as a whole, thereby setting an example of what future colonial expansion should be like. | 17 | |
| 220826407 | New Ordinance of 1787 | The governmental decree that related to the governing of the Old Northwest and came to grips with the problem of how a nation should deal with its colonies; the solution provided was a judicious compromise: temporary support then equality. This then set the stage for this aspect future governing of colonial expansion. | 18 | |
| 220826408 | Necessary and Proper Clause | Clause of the Constitution that sets forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government. It is significant because it prevented the Congress then and the Congress now from being stalled on making important decisions. | 19 | |
| 220826409 | Federalist Papers | Propaganda anonymously authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, in the attempt that it would sway the opinion of anti-federalist NY to the federalist side. They were critical in the success of NY eventual ratification of the Constitution as well as other states. | 20 | |
| 220826410 | Shays's Rebellion | An alarming uprising caused by impoverished backcountry farmers that were losing their farms through mortgage foreclosures and tax delinquencies; these desperate debtors demanded cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and a suspension of property takeovers. The rebellion revealed the lingering resentment on the part of the back-country towards the coastal elite. | 21 | |
| 220826411 | Annapolis Convention | An attempt to revise the Articles of Confederation that ended with laughable results. But thanks to Alexander Hamilton, the convention led to another one being called in Philadelphia the next year to actually get the job done. | 22 | |
| 220826412 | Philadelphia Convention | A convention held to revise the Articles of Confederation in which every state chose representatives, except for independent-minded Rhode Island; these leaders were all appointed by the state legislatures, whose members had been elected by voters who could quality as property holders—this brought together a select group who were appointed with practically writing up the Constitution with the benefit of all in mind. | 23 | |
| 220826413 | Delegated Powers | Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money. Part of the compromises made to make the Constitution work from all points of view. | 24 | |
| 220826414 | Reserved Powers | Powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the states.Part of the compromises made to make the Constitution work from all points of view. | 25 | |
| 220826415 | Concurrent Powers | Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes. Part of the compromises made to make the Constitution work from all points of view. | 26 | |
| 220826416 | Supremacy Clause | The constitutional provision that makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws. Part of the compromises made to make the Constitution work from all points of view. | 27 | |
| 220826417 | Anti-Federalists | Those who opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it gave more power to the federal government and less to the states, and because it did not ensure individual rights. They were instrumental in obtaining passage of the Bill of Rights as a prerequisite to ratification of the Constitution in several states. | 28 |
