A dispute over a french fort spiraled into a global conflict. Indigenous tribes tried to play Britain and France off of each other.
Effects: 7 years war
Britian doubled it's land holdings in north America and France was nearly kicked out. Natives couldn't play the empires off of each other for protection.
The middle ground
The areas where both colonists and native people would trade and coexist
The Albany conference
Meeting between leaders of 7 colonies to create a plan for joint defense and administration of the colonies. "Join or die"
British beliefs after 7 years war
They viewed the colonies as subordinates. They had spent billions on defending them, and thought they'd want to help pay the debt.
Proclamation of 1763
Britain didn't want to spend more money defending the colonies from the natives, so they banned settling beyond the Appalachian mountains
Virtual representation
The idea that each representative in parliament represented the empire as a whole, and therefore, the colonies were represented.
Sugar act
Reduced the tax on molasses, but strengthened the court system to end smuggling, making many wealthy smugglers angry.
Context: Sugar act
Before the act, most sugar was smuggled in, avoiding the tax. Now they were forced to pay it.
Stamp act
All paper products sold in the colonies had to be stamped and pay a small tax. It spurred on revolutionary ideals.
Stamp act congress
Delegates met in New York to send the "declaration of rights & grievances" to the king. They also organized a boycott of British goods.
Declaratory act
Parliament repealed the stamp act, but enacted the declaratory act, saying they could pass any law they wanted.
Townshend Acts
In opposing the stamp act, the colonists said trade should be regulated instead. Parliament passed the townshend acts and began taxing imports and exports.
Boston massacre
Parliament sent 1,000 troops to boston to enforce the townshend acts. Protesters began throwing snowballs, and eventually rocks at a group of soldiers. Someone fired a shot, and the soldiers killed 5 protesters
Thomas Gage
The new appointed governor of Massachusetts who began to strictly enforce parliaments laws
Lexington and Concorde
British troops marched to take a militia's weapons. They we're beaten back and chased back to boston by militia minutemen
Ethan Allen and the Green mountain boys surround fort Ticonderoga, steal it's cannons, and bring them back to Boston
Battle of Bunker hill
British won, but had many casualties. They eventually abandoned Boston
2nd Continental Congress
How would the colonists win? George Washington would lead an army
How would they pay for it? New currency
Colonial attitude towards independence
They didn’t want it. Initially the revolution was a petition to get the same rights as other British citizens
Olive branch petition
Congress wanted king George to intervene on their behalf and end the violence. He didn’t read it.
Common sense
Attacked the obstacles to independence. It was the best selling work in American history because it presented his ideas in a vernacular way.
Effects: Common sense
Led to widespread support for independence
Declaration of Independence
Written by Thomas Jefferson. Declared the colonies an independent country from Britain. Included a statement of intent, list of grievances, and a conclusion that dissolved ties with Britain
Articles of confederation
Looked to balance national coordination and states rights to prevent tyranny. It featured a unicameral legislature, but the federal government had no money and no military
Failures of the articles of confederation
France and others wanted their debt paid back, yet the national government didn’t have money. States had individual economies that didn’t collaborate.
Shay’s rebellion
Farmers had to take debt because they weren’t getting paid. Their land was being repossessed so they rebelled and closed the courts. They used Republican ideals to justify it.
Effects: Shay’s rebellion
Les many to worry if this was a sign of the articles of confederation failing, because the government didn’t have the power to end the rebellion.
Annapolis convention
Secret meeting between delegates of 6 states to discuss how to fix the articles of confederation
Philadelphia convention
12/13 states met to amend the articles of confederation. They eventually decided to draft a new constitution
Agreement: Philadelphia convention
3 branches, Congress would have the power to tax, states prohibited from taking property, government would represent the people.
Disagreements: Philadelphia convention
How much power to give the federal government? How to represent each state in Congress?
The Virginia plan
The plan for representation favored by large states. It called for 2 houses with population based representation and a strong national government.
The New Jersey plan
The plan for representation favored by small states. It called for 1 house of Congress with each state getting equal representation.
Connecticut compromise
Congress would have 2 houses, one with equal representation and one with population based representation.
Federalism
The division of powers between different levels of government.
Checks and balances
Different branches of government could check each other to prevent abuse of power.
George Washington's Presidency
Established many precedents for the office of the president. Created a cabinet-style government, appointed cabinet officials based on merit, and stepped down after 2 terms
Age of passion
Politics was very negative with the rise of political parties, political violence, and deep political divisions
civic virtue
the character of a good participant in a system of gov
republican motherhood
the idea that women needed to become educated so that they could educate the new generation
Hamilton's financial plan
1) Establish the U.S. credit worthiness 2) Unify the states' debt 3) Create a national bank 4) Whiskey tax to pay for the revolution 5) Establish tariffs to protect american businesses
the Compromise of 1790
Jefferson and Hamilton agreed to pass Hamilton's financial plan in exchange for making Washington D.C. the Capital of the country
French revolution
Ambassador from France came to America to encourage Americans to side with the French. Washington declared neutrality, but the ambassador remained in America to not get beheaded back home.
British impressment
The British continued to kidnap american sailors. Washington sent John Jay to london to negotiate
Jay treaty
Britain agreed to abandon outposts on the western frontier. In return the U.S. would favor trade with Britian. However, the treaty failed to address the british kidnapping, and American hatred of Britian caused riots.
First political parties
Divisions over neutrality in the French revolution, the Jay treaty, the financial plan, and existing sectionalism created the first political parties.
Federalists
Strong national government
Fear: Federalists
Mob rule
Constitution: Federalists
Loose constitution, open to interpretation
Policies: Federalists
Supported the National bank and industry. Only party to say democracy was dangerous in the hands of the people.
Demographics: Federalists
The wealthy elite, who lived in new england
Democratic Republicans
Weak national government
Fear: Democratic Republicans
Feared one man rule
Constitution: Democratic Republicans
Strict constitution
Policies: Democratic Republicans
Opposed the national bank, supported farming, and the idea of 'the american farmer'
Demographics: Democratic Republicans
Support from working class, southern and western americans
Whiskey rebellion
violent tax protest from 1791-1794.
the whiskey was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by president Washington to pay for the war. It unfairly burdened poor farmers west of the Appalachian mountains because they couldn't do business anymore
Effects: Whiskey rebellion
Showed the new U.S. constitution was much stronger than the articles of confederation, because the federal government was able to easily respond (Unlike the articles of confederation)
Election of 1797
First contested election in American history, won by John Adams (Washington's vice president)
XYZ affair
French and british continued to kidnap american sailors, so Adams sent ministers to negotiate. When they arrived, 3 agents demanded a bribe just to speak to the foreign minister. John Adams almost declared war.
Effects: XYZ affair
Quasi-war: Newly enlarged American navy began harassing the french back. Adams finally negotiated a truce, but lost the support of the federalists.
Fries rebellion
Farmers in southeast Pennsylvania stopped paying taxes for the larger military. John Fries led a peaceful protest, but John Adams ordered federal troops to stop the protest, and they made mass arrests, assaulted newspaper editors, and almost executed John Fries.
pinckney's treaty
between US and spain, defined border US and spanish florida, guranteed US navigation rights in mississippi river
alien laws
authorized the president to deport "aliens" and permitted their arrest imprisonment and deportation during war time
sedition act
applied restrictions to immigration and speech in US made it a crime for americans to print, utter, or publish any false, scandalous, malicious writing about the government
virginia and kentucky resolutions
drafted by thomas jefferson and james madison, claimed that alien and sedition acts were unconstitutional and overstepped federal authority under the constitition, and could therefore be nullified by the states
7 years war
A dispute over a French fort spiraled into a global conflict. Indigenous tribes tried to play Britain and France off of each other.
Effects: 7 years war
Britain doubled its land holdings in north America and France was nearly kicked out. Natives couldn't play the empires off of each other for protection.
Causes: 7 years war
Conflicting interests between European powers over territory and colonies