The middle ground
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.
Declaratory act
alien laws
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
the Compromise of 1790
pinckney's treaty
between US and spain, defined border US and spanish florida, guranteed US navigation rights in mississippi river
Philadelphia convention
12/13 states met to amend the articles of confederation. They eventually decided to draft a new constitution
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.
Connecticut compromise
Congress would have 2 houses, one with equal representation and one with population based representation.
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.
Sugar act
Reduced the tax on molasses, but strengthened the court system to end smuggling, making many wealthy smugglers angry.
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
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.
the idea that women needed to become educated so that they could educate the new generation
Whiskey rebellion
Congress wanted king George to intervene on their behalf and end the violence. He didn’t read it.
The Albany conference
Meeting between leaders of 7 colonies to create a plan for joint defense and administration of the colonies. "Join or die"
Election of 1797
First contested election in American history, won by John Adams (Washington's vice president)
A dispute over a French fort spiraled into a global conflict. Indigenous tribes tried to play Britain and France off of each other.
All paper products sold in the colonies had to be stamped and pay a small tax. It spurred on revolutionary ideals.
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.
Shay’s rebellion
First political parties
Divisions over neutrality in the French revolution, the Jay treaty, the financial plan, and existing sectionalism created the first political parties.
Thomas Gage
Democratic Republicans
Weak national government
Federalists
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
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.
