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| 477550120 | Dominion of New England | James II consolidated Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Plymouth, New York, and the Jerseys into a single administrative unit, governed by Sir Edmund Andros. This supercolony was an attempt of England at royal centralization. | |
| 477550121 | Glorious Revolution | Refers to when William of Orange and Mary took control of England and created the English Bill of Rights. | |
| 477550122 | English Bill of Rights | Created by William and Mary, this weakened the power of the monarch to be more equal with Parliament. The crown was required to summon Parliament annually, sign all its bills, and respect traditional civil liberties. This basically made the English government more representative. | |
| 477550123 | Leisler's Rebellion | When Jacob Leisler took over New York during the Glorious Revolution in England. He was later arrested and hanged for being guilty of treason. | |
| 477550124 | Protestant Association | When John Coode and three others seized the capital in Maryland and removed all Catholics from office and requested a royal governor. From then on, Catholics lost the right to vote and thereafter could worship only in private. | |
| 477550125 | King William's War | The first of several European wars that was fought in part on North American soil. The war took the form of cruel but inconclusive border raids against civilians carried out by both English and French troops, ad their respective Indian allies. Of all the groups involved, the Five Nations Iropuois Confederacy bore the bloodiest fighting. | |
| 477550126 | Grand Settlement of 1701 | Two treaties which resulted in the Five Nations Iroquois making peace with France and its Indian allies in exchange for access to western furs, and redefining their alliance with Britain to exclude military cooperation. These treaties allowed the Iroquois to keep control of their lands, expand trade with Europeans and Indians, rebuild their decimated population, and avoid more losses in Europe's destructive wars. | |
| 477550127 | Queen Anne's War | A.k.a. The War of Spanish Succession, this conflict reinforced Anglo-Americans' awareness of their military wekness and their dependence on Great Britain. | |
| 477550128 | Mercantilism | The theory that each nation's power was measured by its wealth especially in gold. To secure wealth, a country needed to maximize its sale of goods abroad while minimizing foreign purchases and use of foreign shippers. These nations sought to produce everything they needed without relying on other nations, while obliging other nations to buy from them. Home country manufactures; colonies supply raw materials. | |
| 477550129 | Navigation Acts | A series of British acts that governed imperial commerce. The first act required that trade be carried on in English, including colonial-owned, vessels to replace Dutch shippers with English. The second act required that certain "enumerated" commodities be exported via England or Scotland, and barring imports from arriving in non-English ships. The third act stipulated that imports to the colonies arrive via England rather than directly from another country. Lastly, the Molasses Act taxed, at sixpence per gallon, all foreign molasses entering the mainland colonies.These acts affected the British colonial economy in four major ways. First, they limited all imperial trade to British-owned ships whose crews were at least three-quarters British. Secondly, the "enumerated" commodities lowered planters' profits, but not by much. Thirdly, they encouraged economic diversification. Lastly, these acts made the colonies a protected market for low-priced exports from Britain. | |
| 477550130 | Middle Passage | The name for the transporting of African slaves from Africa to America. The conditions aboard these ships were appalling by any standard. Africans were crammed into tight quarters with inadepuate sanitary facilities, and many died from disease. | |
| 477550131 | Stono Rebellion | Refers to when multiple africans seized guns and ammunition and marched south towards Florida, a well-known refuge for escapees, chanting "Liberty!" The slaves were quickly cut down by mounted militia. Afterwords, whites enacted a new slave code, which kept South Carolina slaves under constant surveillance. This event reinforced South Carolina's emergence as a rigid, racist, and fear-ridden society. | |
| 477550132 | Tuscarora War | When the Tuscaroras destroyed New Bern. After retaliation by Carolinian and Virginian troops, the Tuscaroras surrendered. The Tuscarora survivors migrated northward to what is now upstate New York and became the sixth nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. | |
| 477550133 | Yamasee War | When the Yamasees, Catawbas, Creeks, and other disaffected Carolina allies attcked English trading houses and settlements due to being poorly treated following the Tuscarora War. Only by enlisting Cherokees and arming slaves did Carolina crush the uprising. The results were that the Yamasees fled and the Catawbas ended up siding with Carolina for protection from the English and the Iroquois. | |
| 477550134 | Covenant Chain | A series of treaties by which the Iroquois Confederacy helped the colonies subjugate Indians whose lands the English wanted. The Iroquois were hoping that by helping the British obtain other Naties' lands, they would be deflecting English expansion to lands other than their own. | |
| 477550135 | Walking Purchase | The trade that the Penn brothers made with the Delawares. In this agreement, the Delawars agreed to sell their land as far westward as a man could walk in a day and a half. The two men hired for this walk covered sixty-four miles, and the Delawares had to hand over twelve hundred square miles of land and move inland under Iroquois supervision. | |
| 477550136 | James Oglethorpe | Dominated Georgia for a decade. He founded the port of Savannah. He wanted to keep slavery out of Georgia, saying that it degraded blacks, made whites lazy, and presented the terrible risk of slave revolts, which the Spanish could exploit. His plans failed completely, and the ban on slavery eventually was lifted. | |
| 477550137 | King George's War | A.k.a. The War of Austrian Succession, this was a small war in North America fought between the English and the French. The main significance of the war was that when England signed the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, they exchanged Louisbourg (taken during the war) for a British outpost in India that the French had seized. | |
| 477550138 | Benjamin Franklin | Had the greatest Enlightenment spirit in America. He was made famous for publishing Poor Ricard's Almanack. He believed that all true science would be useful in making everyone's life more comfortable. He was also one of the greatest political thinkers in America and was one of America's Founding Fathers. | |
| 477550139 | George Whitefield | The most popular member of the New Lights. He was a famous preacher during the Great Awakening. He toured America and was known for his loud, eloquent voice and strong messages. | |
| 477550140 | Boston Massacre | The situation in which multiple British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five people. What had happened was that a customs informer shot into a crowd picketing the home of a customs-paying merchant, killing an eleven-year-old boy. At the death of this boy, men were harrassing soldiers, throwing objects at them, to the point where one was knocked over after being hit by a block of ice and shouted "Fire! Fire!" to his fellow soldiers. | |
| 477550141 | Seven Years' War | War between French and British, which had ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Under terms of the treay, France gave up all its lands and claims east of the Mississippi to Britain. Spain ended up getting Cuba and Louisiana. The French colonists in America became British and Spanish subjects. As a result, the War fused the bonds between the British and the Anglo-Americans. Fighting side by side against the French Catholic enemy, Britons and colonists had further strengthened their common identity. The war also planted seeds of mutual misunderstanding and suspicion. | |
| 477550142 | George Washington | One of the best generals of all time, he was the Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He was one of the only advantages America had during the War. America may not have one if it were not for his great leadership. | |
| 477550143 | George III | English king during the Revolutionary era. He wanted to assert England's dominance over the colonies through England's various acts. He eventually claimed the colonies to be in a state of rebellion, giving them no choice but to fight the English. | |
| 477550144 | Pontiac's War | When some Indians, under the influence of Neolin and Pontiac, sacked eight British forts and besieged four others. They eventually had to make peace with Britain, though. This war gained some political concessions for Native Americans. This led to the Proclamation of 1763. | |
| 477550145 | Proclamation of 1763 | Issued by George III, asserted direct British control of land transactions, settlement, trade,and other activities of non-Indians west of a Proclamation Line along the Appalachian crest. This proclamation recognized existing Indian land titles everywhere west of the "proclamation line" until such time as tribal governments agreed to cede their land to Britain through treaties. This angered the colonies by subordinating their western claims to imperial authority and by slowing expansion. | |
| 477550146 | Sugar Act | Amended the Molasses Act, which taxed foreign molasses and rum entering the mainland colonies at sixpence per gallon. It also disregarded many traditional English protections for a fair trial. The law stipulated that smuggling cases be heard in vice-admiralty courts, where a British-appointed judge gave the verdict, rather than in colonial courts, in which juries decided the outcome. This Act irritated urban merchants and heightened colonists' sensitivities to the new direction of imperial policies.This was an external tax. | |
| 477550147 | Stamp Act | This law obliged colonists to purchase and use special stamped paper for newspapers, customs documents, various licenses, college diplomas, playing cards, and legal forms used for recovering debts, transferring property, and aking wills. Violaters would face prosecution in vice-admiralty courts, without juries. This was an internal tax, which meant that most people were affected by it. The tax itself was not what made the colonists angry. To many colonists, passage of this act demonstrated both Parliament's indifference to their interests and the shallowness of the theory of virtual representation. They were angry because they did not have a say. | |
| 477550148 | Sons of Liberty | These people sought to prevent outbreaks of violence against British customs officers.They recognized that people in the crowds were casting aside their customary deference toward their social "superiors", a development that could broaden to include all elites if not carefully constrained. They focused their demonstrations strictly against property and invariably left avenues of escape for their victims. They forbade their followers to carry weapons. | |
| 477550149 | Stamp Act Congress | Focused on the bold articulation of the principle that Parliament lacked authority to levy taxes outside Great Britain and to deny any person a jury trial. This session was a means of expressing the colonists anger towards the Stamp Act and virtual representation. | |
| 477550150 | Declaratory Act | Came after the Stamp Act repeal, this affirmed parliamentary power to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever". The colonies interpreted the measure as no more than a parliamentary exercise in saving face to compensate for the Stamp Act's repeal. The House of Commons inteded that the colonists take this literally to mean that they could not claim exemption from any parliamentary statute, including a tax law. | |
| 477550151 | Revenue Act | A.k.a. the Townshend duties, this law taxed glass, paint, lead, paper, and tea imported to the colonies from England. This act set moderate rates that did not price goods out of the colonial market; its purpose was to collect money for the treasury. The colonies viewed this just as they did the Stamp Act. The colonies would not have been so angry with this act had they have had a say about it. Parliament also used this to assert its authority over the colonies. | |
| 477550152 | "Committees of Correspondence" | Resistance leaders' first attempt to maintain close and continuing political cooperation over a wide area. Organized by Samuel Adams, this system was ment to connect all the colonies for purposes of communication. | |
| 477550153 | Tea Act | Eliminated all remaining import duties on tea entering England and thus lowered the selling price to consumers. This act alarmed many Americans, because it would raise revenue with which the British government would pay royal governors. The law thus threatened to corrupt Americans into accepting the principle of parliamentary taxation by taking advantage of their weakness for a frivolous luxury. The colonies then attempted to stop importing tea, but Boston failed to do this well. A few Bostonians ended up dressing up like Mohawk Indians and destroyed the cargo that was brought by the tea ships. | |
| 477550154 | Lord Dunmore's Proclamation | Lord Dunmore's promise of freedom to any slave who enlisted in the cause of restoring royal authority. | |
| 477550155 | "Intolerable Acts" | The name given to the four Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act. The first act ordered the navy to close Boston harbor unless the town arranged to pay for the ruined tea. The second act revoked the Massachusetts charter and restructured the government to become a royal colony. The third act permitted any person charged with murder while enforcing royal authority in Massachusetts to be tried in England or in other colonies. The fourth act allowed the governor to requisition empty private buildings for housing troops.Lastly, the Quebec Act retained Roman Catholicism as Quebec's established religion and gave Canada's governors sweeping powers but established no legislature. It also permitted property disputes to be decided by French law, which did not use juries. Also, the law extended Quebec's territorial claims south to the Ohio River and west to the Mississippi. All these acts convinced Anglo-Americans that Britain was plotting to abolish traditional English liberties throughout North America. | |
| 477550156 | Continental Congress | This was made in response to the "Intolerable Acts" to find a way of defending the colonies' rights in common. They resolved that the colonies owed no obedience to any of the Coercive Acts, that a provisional government should collect all taxes until the former Massachusetts charter was restored, and that defensive measures should be taken in the event of an attack by royal troops. This also voted to boycott all British imports after December 1 and to halt almost all exports to Britain and its West Indian possessions after Sepptember 1775 unless a reconciliation had been accomplished. This agreement would be enforced by locally elected committees of "observation" or "safety", whose members in effect woud be seizing control of American trade from the royal customs service. | |
| 477550157 | Olive Branch Petition | Basically the colonies last plea for peace. They demanded a cease-fire at Boston, repeal of the Coercive Acts, and negotiations to establish guarantees of American rights. Thi attempt failed. | |
| 477550158 | Common Sense | Written by Thomas Paine, this was made to convince the colonies that they needed independence from Britain and that they would be better off without being dependent upon Britain. It dissolved lingering allegiance to George III and Great Britain, removing the last psychological barrier to American Independence. | |
| 477550159 | Declaration of Independence | The document that formerly separated the colonies from Great Britain and stated that the United States of America was officially independent. | |
| 477550160 | Loyalists | A.k.a. The Tories, they were Americans who remained loyal to the British. They agreed with many political beliefs of the patriots, but disagreed about America gaining independence. They claimed that separation was an illegal act certain to ignite an unnecessary war. | |
| 477550161 | Joseph Brant | Mohawk chief who sided with the British to restrain American expansion into the West. He was known for being courageous in battle, skillful in diplomacy, and highly educated. | |
| 477550162 | Battle of Saratoga | The American victory that convinced France that the Americans could win the war. After this Battle, the French allied with America against the British. | |
| 477550163 | Battle of Yorktown | The last battle of America's War for Independence. The Americans and French overpowered the British to the point of surrender.The result of this battle was the Treaty of Paris and America's Independence. | |
| 477550164 | Treaty of Paris | Under these terms, Britain recognized American independence and agreed to withdraw all royal troops from the new nation's soil. There were several disputes that this failed to prevent. Also, this treaty made no reference to Native Americans. | |
| 477550165 | Abigail Adams | She was the most direct wartime challenge to established gender relations. She is well known for telling her husband to remember the Ladies. She told him that women deserved equality with men. | |
| 477550166 | Prince Hall | One of the mostt pominent free blacks to emerge during the Revolutionary period. He formed a separate African-American Masonic lodge, beginning a movement that spread to other northern cities and became an important source of community support for black Americans.He wanted African-Americans to be able to return to Africa. | |
| 477550167 | Articles of Confederation | Explicitly reserved to each state "its sovereignty, freedom, and independence". Under these, the national government consisted of a single-chamber Congress, elected by the state legislatures, in which each state had one vote. Congress could request funds from the states but could not enact any tax without every state's approval, and coud not regulate interstate or overseas commerce. The approval of seven states was required to pass minor legislation; nine states had to approve declarations of war, treaties, and the coining and borrowing of moner. Besides for taxes, unanimous approval was required to ratify and amend these. These did not provide for an independent executive branch. Rather, congressional committees oversaw financial, diplomatic, military, ad Indian affairs, and resolved interstate disputes. Nor was there a judicial system by which the national government could compel allegiance to its laws. These did eliminate all barriers to interstate travel and trade, and guaranteed that all states would reconize one another's judicial decisions. | |
| 477550168 | Ordinance of 1785 | This established procedures by which American families could settle what would soon be called the Northwest Territory. | |
| 477550169 | Northwest Ordinance | Congress defined the steps for the creation and admission of new states. This law designated the area north of the Ohio River as the Northwest Territory and prvided for its later division into states. It forbade slavery while the region remained a territory, although the citizens could legalize the institution after statehood. It also outlined three stages for admitting states into the Union. First, during the initial years of settlement, Congress would appoint a territorial governor and judges. Second, as soon as five thousand adult males lived in a territory, voters would apporve a territorial constitution and elect a legislature. Third, when the total population reaced sixty thousand, voters would ratify a state constitution, which Congress would have to approve before granting statehood. This also established a significant precedent for banning slavery from certain territories. | |
| 477550170 | Alexander McGillivray | Negotiated a secret treaty in which Spain promised weapons so that the Creeks could protect themselves "from the Bears and other fierce Animals". The Creeks used these weapons against the whites on their land. | |
| 477550171 | James Madison | Called for the establishment of a strong central government rather than a federation of states. He proposed the Virginia Plan. | |
| 477550172 | Virginia Plan | Madison's idea that would give Congress virtually unrestricted powers to legislate, levy taxes, veto state laws, and authorize military force against the states. Votes would be based on population. | |
| 477550173 | New Jersey Plan | Paterson's idea that recommended a single-chamber congress in which each state had an equal vote, as under the Articles. | |
| 477550174 | Constitution of the United States | Provided for a vigorous national authority that superseded that of the states in several significant ways. It had the authority to lay and collect taxes, to regulate interstate commerce, and to conduct diplomacy. The national government could use military force against any state. It was separated into three branches who went under a system of checks and balances so that no one branch would gain more power than the others. It gave the president the power to veto acts of Congress. It was bicameral, and votes depended both on state population and equal representation. This could be amended by the votes of three-fourths of the states.This established a national government whose sovereignty clearly superseded that of the states. Also, this had difficulty being ratified. This led to a national government that would be slowly democratized in ways unforeseen in 1787. | |
| 477550175 | Separation of Powers | One of the Constitution's methods to restrain the power of the central government. This separated the government's power into three branches: executive, legisllative, and judicial. | |
| 477550176 | Checks and Balances | One of the Constitution's methods to restrain the power of the central government. This made sure that none of the three branches would dominate each other. | |
| 477550177 | "Federalism" | A system of shared power and dual lawmaking by the national and state governments in order to place limits on central authority. | |
| 477550178 | "Three-fifths clause" | Allowed three-fifths of all slaves to be counted for congressional representation and in the electoral college. This made it so that wealthy slave owners in the South could not take advantage of the voting system by having many slaves. | |
| 477550179 | The Federalist | A series of eighty-five newspaper essays penned by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Their importance lay in articulating arguments defending the Constitution and addressing Americans' wide-ranging concerns about the powers and limits of the new federal government, thereby shaping a new political philosophy. The Constitution had a two-fold purpose: first, to defend the rights of political minorities against majority tyranny; and second, to prevent a stubborn minority from blocking well-considered measures that the majority believed necessary for the national interest. Critics had no reason to fear that the Constitution would allow a single economic or regional interes to dominate. The country's very size and diversity would neutralize the attempts of factions to push unwise laws through Congress. |
