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.
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.
Election of 1797
First contested election in American history, won by John Adams (Washington's vice president)
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
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.
Federalism
The division of powers between different levels of government.
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.
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.
Olive branch petition
Congress wanted king George to intervene on their behalf and end the violence. He didn’t read it.
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
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.
2nd Continental Congress
How would the colonists win? George Washington would lead an army
How would they pay for it? New currency
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
Delegates met in New York to send the "declaration of rights & grievances" to the king. They also organized a boycott of British goods.
George Washington's Presidency
Declaratory act
Parliament repealed the stamp act, but enacted the declaratory act, saying they could pass any law they wanted.
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.
Ethan Allen and the Green mountain boys surround fort Ticonderoga, steal it's cannons, and bring them back to Boston
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.
The Virginia plan
republican motherhood
the idea that women needed to become educated so that they could educate the new generation
First political parties
Divisions over neutrality in the French revolution, the Jay treaty, the financial plan, and existing sectionalism created the first political parties.
between US and spain, defined border US and spanish florida, guranteed US navigation rights in mississippi river
Secret meeting between delegates of 6 states to discuss how to fix the articles of confederation
Weak national government
The middle ground
Thomas Gage
