Mountain range in the Eastern United States; became a natural western boundary for the 13 original English colonies

Largest river system in the United States; flows North to south; begins in Minnesota and empties into the Gulf of Mexico

a major tributary of the Mississippi; flows from East to West into the Mississippi; was the southern boundary for the Northwest Territory

Runs through New York state in the Northeastern United States; important to Middle Colonies for trade

"Separatists" who wanted to break away from the Church of England; settled Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620 for religious freedom

English Protestants who wanted to purify the Church of England; came to America for religious freedom and settled Massachusetts Bay but did not offer religious freedom (strict religious rules had to be followed)

1620 - The first agreement for self-government in America; written to establish order for new colony; established principles of self-government and majority rule

the document that establish Connecticut's system of Government; limited power of governor, allowed non-church members to vote, expanded idea of representative government

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island; due to harsh climate and rocky soil most colonists there were subsistence farmers; fishing, whaling and timber became important industries

first successful English settlement; founded for profit by the London Company of Virginia in 1607; suffered high mortality rate in early years but became successful after John Rolfe introduced the tobacco crop

founded Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers on land the king gave his father; his Quaker beliefs influenced how his colony was governed

Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey; rich soil and moderate climate led to economy based on cash crops of grain (Breadbasket Colonies); most diverse population

first form of representative government in the thirteen colonies

This colony was established by James Oglethorpe as a refuge for debtors; also established as a military outpost to guard the English colonies from attacks from the Spanish

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia: because of mild climate and fertile soil they developed an economy based on agriculture (farming); large plantations using slave labor growing rice, tobacco and indigo

Economic idea that colonies exist for the Mother Country; by turning raw materials from the colonies into manufactured goods a nation could export more than it imported and bring gold into its treasury

founded by Pilgrims and Puritans seeking religious freedom

Passed by the English Parliament in 1689; made Parliament more powerful than the king; established principle that English government would be based on laws made by Parliament, not the desires of the king

Journalist who was jailed for criticizing the royal governor of New York; he was found innocent and his trial helped establish freedom of the press in the colonies (and later 1st Amendment)

England's law-making assembly made of House of Lords (birth) and House of Commons (elected); had authority over English Colonies but interfered very little in their affairs in the first half of the 18th century (salutary neglect)

1st English document to limit the power of the king and extend rights to citizens (nobles): written in 1215; ensured the king could not seize a noble's property and guaranteed trial by jury to nobles accused of crime

18th century intellectual movement that emphasized the use of reason and the scientific method as means of obtaining knowledge; influenced colonists to question government authority if government was not protecting rights

Government in which citizens elect representatives to make laws.

religious movement that swept through the colonies in the 1730s and 40s; encouraged ideas of equality and the right to question authority

rights individuals are born with that cannot be taken away and governments must protect; according to John Locke they include life, liberty and property

fought between French and British over land and fur trade in the Ohio River Valley; British won but ended up with war debt which led them to abandon salutary neglect toward the colonies - they began to pass laws and taxes that were enforced

Plan written by Benjamin Franklin to unite the colonies against the French; colonial leaders reject the plan at the time but his "Join or Die" slogan will later inspire colonists to unite against the British

officially ended the French and Indian War; Britain received all land East of the Mississippi River; Spain (France's ally) received all land West of the Mississippi River and New Orleans; France lost all claims to land in North America

following attacks by Native Americans (Pontiac's Rebellion) British government forbids American colonists from settling on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains; passed and enforced to limit cost of protecting settlers from Native attacks; angers colonists who had fought the French & Indian War in order to gain that land;

American Revolutionary leader and patriot; organized the Committees of Correspondence; Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence

defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre - argued that they fired in self-defense; went on to become a member of the Continental Congress, first VP of the US and 2nd POTUS

Member of the House of Burgesses and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies and taxation without representation Anti-Federalist; did not attend Convention because he "Smelled a rat in Philadelphia tending towards monarchy."; feared national government would be too strong and executive was too much like a king

sailor of African and Native American descent; first to die in Boston Massacre

passed by Parliament in 1774 in reaction to the Boston Tea Party; closed Boston Harbor until tea was paid for, stronger version of the Quartering Act, banned the Committees of Correspondence, and allowed British officers to be tried in England for crimes committed in colonies; British called them the Coercive Acts

started with an argument between colonists and a British soldier; escalated to violence; five colonists were killed; used by Sons of Liberty as anti-British po

law that taxed paper goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.

protest against Tea Act in which Boston Sons of Liberty disguised as Native Americans dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor; led Parliament to pass the Coercive / Intolerable Acts to punish the colonists

A radical political organization formed to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies; protests included both non-violent and violent actions (boycotts, Committees of Correspondence, tar & feathering)

reflected the colonists' belief that they should not be taxed because they had no direct representatives in Parliament

law that gave British East India company monopoly on colonial tea; despite lower price of tea colonists were still angry over taxation without representation and merchants and smugglers were worried it would cost them profits

first direct tax Parliament place on the colonists; taxed imported sugar and molasses

first shots of the American Revolution (shot heard 'round the world); British troops march from Boston to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams at Lexington; destroy militia supplies at Concord; Paul Revere alerted minutemen

delegates from the colonies met in Philadelphia after passage of Intolerable Acts to organize and plan response to British actions

sent to King George III by the 2nd Continental Congress as a last attempt at peace; his response was new laws to punish colonies

pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to persuade Americans that a total break with Britain was necessary; argued that God does not give Kings right to rule, that all monarchs are corrupt, that America can sustain an independent economy and that America's destiny is to be independent from Britain

The document that formalized the colonies' separation from Britain; included unalienable rights, purpose of government and grievances against King George III; written in Philadelphia by Thomas Jefferson in 1776

Patriot author; wrote "Common Sense" to persuade colonists that a total break with Britain was necessary; wrote "The American Crisis" to inspire Continental soldiers to keep fighting

primary author of the Declaration of Independence; first Secretary of State; felt the average person should have a say in the government; wanted state government to be strong; strict constructionist; promoted US economy based on farming

Date the Declaration of Independence was signed

rights that people are born with that cannot be taken away; "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"

Enlightenment philosopher who argued all men have natural born rights of life, liberty and property; influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence

Member of the Continental Congress who was sent to Paris, France during the war to convince the French to ally with the Americans

Commanded an American ship in a famous Revolution naval battle; declared "I have not yet begun to fight" when ordered to surrender to British; goes on to win the battle

wealthy French nobleman who came to America to fight; was given command of a division of the Continental Army

wife of John Adams who was an early advocate of women's rights ("remember the ladies..."); organized groups to assist families in need during the Revolution

friend of John and Abigail Adams who wrote poems and plays to convince people to become patriots; after the war wrote one of the earliest histories of the American Revolution

Commander of the Continental Army; President of the Constitutional Convention; first POTUS

American victory here proved to be the turning point in the American Revolution because it convinced European nations (France and Spain) to ally with America against the British

a site outside of Philadelphia that served as the Continental Army's camp during the winter of 1777-1778; where conditions were harsh; supplies were low and many died; Washington used this time to train his men and instill discipline

British monarch (king) during the American Revolution

last major battle of the Revolution; British troops led by Cornwallis were trapped on the peninsula between a combined American & French army and the French Navy and were forced to surrender

officially ended American Revolution; US was recognized as an independent nation; boundaries were set - Canada to the North, Mississippi River to West and Spanish Florida to South

First governing document of US - created a WEAK national government and gave sovereignty to the states

national government too weak; war debt but no power to tax; fighting among the states; one branch (no executive to enforce laws or judicial to judge laws/law breakers or settle disputes between states); no respect from foreign nations

a region of the United States bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes. The region was given to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783

defined process for territories to become states (population reached 60,000), forbade slavery in the new territories

date the US Constitution was approved and signed by delegates in Philadelphia; would then be sent to states for ratification

author of the Virginia Plan which became the basic framework for the US Constitution; due to his contributions he became known as the "Father of the Constitution"; Federalist and one of the authors of the Federalist Papers

A compromise that proposed two houses of Congress; one where a state's population would determine representation (House of Representatives) to pleased the large states and another (Senate) where all states were represented equally with two votes per state to please the small states

Constitutional compromise for counting slaves as part of a states population for determining both representation in the House of Representatives and the amount of taxes each state would send to the federal government; 3 out of every 5 slaves would be included in the state's population

opposed the Constitution; felt it gave too much power to the national government and took too much power from the state governments; worried it did not protect individual rights and demanded a Bill of Rights be added

a meeting in Philadelphia in 1787; called to revise the Articles of Confederation after Shay's Rebellion; 55 delegates ended up writing a new plan for government: the US Constitution

supported the ratification of the Constitution; supported a strong federal government and felt it created a good balance of federal and state powers

Federalist; one of the authors of the Federalist Papers; first Secretary of Treasury; felt government should be left in the hands of the wealthy and well-educated; wanted federal government to be strong; loose constructionist; promoted US economy based on business and industry

series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to convince states to ratify the US Constitution

first 10 amendments to the US Constitution; purpose is to protect personal freedoms; added to gain support from Anti-Federalists for the new Constitution

The idea that political power belongs to the people; "We the people..."

A system in which power is divided/shared between the national and state governments

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

System in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches

In this type of government everyone, including all authority figures, must obey laws and government power is restricted by the Constitution

Basic liberties and rights of all citizens

A change to the Constitution; allows Constitution to change as the US changes

guarantees freedom of religion, assembly, press, petition, speech (RAPPS)

Right of Accused Persons: Due process (legal procedures must be followed), Grand Jury, Can't take my property (without paying), No Double Jeopardy, Right to remain silent

A formal announcement issued by President George Washington declaring the United States a neutral nation in the conflict between Great Britain and France.

as POTUS, Washington used force against Native Americans in the Northwest Territory; Natives were defeated at this battle

farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against tax on whiskey; the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion; the incident proved that the new government under the Constitution could and would enforce federal laws

Washington's parting advice for the nation; included 1) don't form political parties - they will divide the nations 2) don't form alliances with other nations - they will pull you into war

1. pay all debt (including the assumption of state debts); 2. institute taxes and tariffs to raise government revenue; 3. creation of national bank

broad or flexible interpretation of the Constitution; allows federal government to expand its power by using the "necessary & proper" clause (elastic clause) - Hamilton's political philosophy

interpretation of the Constitution that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can - Jefferson's political philosophy

capital city of US; part of compromise over federal assumption of state debts - South agreed to national government paying state debts if capital city would be moved from New York City to the South

a tax on imported goods; helps government by raising revenue, helps industry by making American products cheaper and therefore more desirable to consumers

Hamilton supported its creation in order to store federal revenue, make loans and issue uniform currency; Jefferson disagreed because it was not a power specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution and he felt it gave the federal government too much power over the economy

looking for all-water route to Asia for spice trade; to spread religion (God); to increase wealth (gold); to expand empire (glory)