Federalists
Strong national government
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
Congress wanted king George to intervene on their behalf and end the violence. He didn’t read it.
The New Jersey plan
Checks and balances
Different branches of government could check each other to prevent abuse of power.
British troops marched to take a militia's weapons. They we're beaten back and chased back to boston by militia minutemen
Philadelphia convention
12/13 states met to amend the articles of confederation. They eventually decided to draft a new constitution
Federalism
The division of powers between different levels of government.
French revolution
Ethan Allen and the Green mountain boys surround fort Ticonderoga, steal it's cannons, and bring them back to Boston
Parliament repealed the stamp act, but enacted the declaratory act, saying they could pass any law they wanted.
Politics was very negative with the rise of political parties, political violence, and deep political divisions
2nd Continental Congress
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.
civic virtue
the character of a good participant in a system of gov
Failures of the articles of confederation
Proclamation of 1763
Annapolis convention
Secret meeting between delegates of 6 states to discuss how to fix the articles of confederation
Colonial attitude towards independence
They didn’t want it. Initially the revolution was a petition to get the same rights as other British citizens
Weak national government
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.
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
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
Sugar act
Reduced the tax on molasses, but strengthened the court system to end smuggling, making many wealthy smugglers angry.
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 Albany conference
Meeting between leaders of 7 colonies to create a plan for joint defense and administration of the colonies. "Join or die"
Virtual representation
The idea that each representative in parliament represented the empire as a whole, and therefore, the colonies were represented.
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
Boston massacre
Battle of Bunker hill
British won, but had many casualties. They eventually abandoned Boston
