The middle ground
The areas where both colonists and native people would trade and coexist
2nd Continental Congress
How would the colonists win? George Washington would lead an army
How would they pay for it? New currency
Age of passion
Politics was very negative with the rise of political parties, political violence, and deep political divisions
In opposing the stamp act, the colonists said trade should be regulated instead. Parliament passed the townshend acts and began taxing imports and exports.
Common sense
Declaratory act
Parliament repealed the stamp act, but enacted the declaratory act, saying they could pass any law they wanted.
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.
Lexington and Concorde
Election of 1797
First contested election in American history, won by John Adams (Washington's vice president)
violent tax protest from 1791-1794.
the whiskey was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by president Washington to pay for the war. It unfairly burdened poor farmers west of the Appalachian mountains because they couldn't do business anymore
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.
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.
A dispute over a french fort spiraled into a global conflict. Indigenous tribes tried to play Britain and France off of each other.
Checks and balances
Different branches of government could check each other to prevent abuse of power.
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
The Albany conference
Stamp act
All paper products sold in the colonies had to be stamped and pay a small tax. It spurred on revolutionary ideals.
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.
They didn’t want it. Initially the revolution was a petition to get the same rights as other British citizens
Connecticut compromise
Congress would have 2 houses, one with equal representation and one with population based representation.
the idea that women needed to become educated so that they could educate the new generation
Virtual representation
Federalists
the character of a good participant in a system of gov
First political parties
Divisions over neutrality in the French revolution, the Jay treaty, the financial plan, and existing sectionalism created the first political parties.
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
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.
George Washington's Presidency
Established many precedents for the office of the president. Created a cabinet-style government, appointed cabinet officials based on merit, and stepped down after 2 terms
Annapolis convention
Thomas Gage
