New England colonies
• Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire • Puritans settled-seeking religious freedom • Covenant community — direct democracy through town meetings
Middle Colonies
• New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware • Mixed settlers, Quakers, Baptist, Methodists • Pennsylvania — Quakers — William Penn
Southern colonies
• Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina • England ruled settlement of southern colonies • Middle Passage — slaves forcibly brought from Africa
Mayflower Compact
• First governing document of the New World • Written by the colonists later known as the Pilgrims
House of Burgesses
• First representative body in the New World • Virginia Assembly today
Jamestown
• First permanent English settlement in New World, Virginia - 1607 • First blacks to arrive — 1619 • Tobacco — cash crop
John Smith
• One of leaders of the new colony of Jamestown • No work — no eat policy
Cavaliers
•Virginia's elite settlers given large land grants from King of England
Proclamation of 1763
• British decision that colonist were not to move west of the Appalachians
Stamp Act 1765
• British parliament passes this act to collect money on debts • Imposes a tax on printed documents including wills, newspapers, and playing cards.
Patrick Henry
• Led opposition of the Stamp Act and is famous for his quote "Give me liberty or give me death!" • Anti-Federalist — opposed the Constitution for he feared it would take power from the states.
Townshend Acts
• Taxed goods that were imported into the colonies....such as lead, glass, paint, paper and tea. • 'Taxation without Representation' screamed the colonists. Protested the Act....later repealed.
Boston Massacre 1770
• Also known as the Boston ript, was an incident in Boston which lead to deaths of five civilians at the hands of British soldiers.
Boston Tea Party
• As a result of the Tea Act in 1773, the colonists organized the Boston Tea Party, in which the colonists dumped British tea into the Boston harbor.
John Locke
• Major influence on the founding fathers especially Thomas Jefferson.... with his ideas of individual liberties, social contract, and limited government. • One passage of the Declaration of lndependence...straight from John Locke's writings.
'Common Sense' 1776
• Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. • Argument for the freedom from British rule. • People were undecided as to break away from England.
Declaration of Independence 1776
• Author — Thomas Jefferson was selected as the draft composer. • Document announcing to King George of Britain and the rest of the world...our independence from England and no longer under British rule. All men created equal....life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.
Articles of Confederation
• Served as U.S. first constitution -1777 • Many weaknesses — proved govt was not strong enough • No Executive, No Judiciary, No power to tax, No Military draft. No power to regulate interstate disputes • One vote per state
Minutemen
• Select groups of colonial militia....highly mobile, rapidly deployed forces to respond to war threats immediately...hence their name.
Shays Rebellion
• Daniel Shays — lead farmers on protest of higher state taxes in Mass. • Showed government was not strong enough to respond to crisis situations • Farmers faced problems from debts they owed to creditors
New Jersey Plan
• Small states favored • Representation in Congress based on equality — one vote/state • Unicameral legislature
Virginia Plan
• Big states favored • Representation in Congress based on population • Bicameral legislature
Great Compromise
• Roger Sherman — Connecticut • Compromised NJ & VA Plans • Two houses — one based on equality, one based on population
3/5 Compromise
• North and South disagreed as how slaves were to be counted towards population for representation in Congress • Each slave counted 3/5 of a man • Every 5 slaves =3 people
Federalists
• Supported the U.S. Constitution • Wanted strong, central government • James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay
Anti-Federalists
• Opposed the U.S. Constitution • Feared a strong, central government • Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee
James Madison
• Of Virginia • Father of the U.S. Constitution • Author of the Virginia Plan • Federalist, Author Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights
• Anti-Federalists wanted to include Bill of Rights to ratify, the Constitution • 1st 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution • Rights, Liberties, Freedoms
Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom -1777
• Thomas Jefferson — enacted for the people to have the freedom of religion • Virginia Assembly adopted in 1786 • Influenced 1st amendment freedom of religion
Virginia Declaration of Rights
• Drafted 1776 — claim inherent rights of the people • Influenced Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights • George Mason - author
United States Constitution
• Supreme law of the land —framework for the organization of the United States • Preamble — We the People(purpose of the government) • 7 Articles
United States Constitution 1787
Major Events led to Constitution: • First Continental Congress • Second Congress • Shays Rebellion • Articles of Confederation • Federalists v. Anti-Federalists • 3/5 Compromise • Revolutionary War
Checks and Balances
• Each branch has the power to check the other branches.... to ensure no branch has too much power
Separation of Powers
• Power divided among 3 independent branches of government • Making stronger government and limiting govt at same time
George Washington
• his leadership helped the continental army to stay intact, and survive long enough to await France's help. Despite the fact that his men lacked food and ammunition. • 1st President of the U.S.
Ratification of U.S. Constitution
• 9 of 13 states needed to ratijy for it to go into effect. • 1st - Delaware, Last - Vermont
McCulloch v. Maryland
• States can not tax the national bank • Supremacy Clause
Land Ordinance of 1785
• Under the Articles of Confederation, did not have power to tax • So, to raise money for govt, sale of land west of the original states
Marbury v. Madison
• Court case established power of Judicial Review • Marbury appointed by President Adams as Justice of Peace in DC but paperwork not delivered • Petitioned Supreme Court for Secretary of State — Madison to deliver documents — approve decision
Gibbons v. Ogden
• Court case — power to regulate interstate commerce • Over use of waterways between NY & NJ
Natural Rights
• Rights that can not be taken away • Inalienable Rights —John Locke — life, liberty, property
Patriots
• American colonists wanting independence from British rule
Loyalists
• American colonists against breaking away from British rule...Ioyal to British empire.
Ben Franklin
• Constructed a treaty of alliance with France, France comes to U.S. aid
Trenton
• the daring attack by Washington on Christmas Eve to get supplies, food, clothing and ammunition