Checks and balances
Different branches of government could check each other to prevent abuse of power.
Declaratory act
Parliament repealed the stamp act, but enacted the declaratory act, saying they could pass any law they wanted.
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.
Proclamation of 1763
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
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.
The idea that each representative in parliament represented the empire as a whole, and therefore, the colonies were represented.
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.
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.
Democratic Republicans
Weak national government
French revolution
British impressment
The British continued to kidnap american sailors. Washington sent John Jay to london to negotiate
Failures of the articles of confederation
Colonial attitude towards independence
The plan for representation favored by large states. It called for 2 houses with population based representation and a strong national government.
alien laws
authorized the president to deport "aliens" and permitted their arrest imprisonment and deportation during war time
the character of a good participant in a system of gov
12/13 states met to amend the articles of confederation. They eventually decided to draft a new constitution
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
Election of 1797
First contested election in American history, won by John Adams (Washington's vice president)
Articles of confederation
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.
The plan for representation favored by small states. It called for 1 house of Congress with each state getting equal representation.
Lexington and Concorde
British troops marched to take a militia's weapons. They we're beaten back and chased back to boston by militia minutemen
pinckney's treaty
republican motherhood
the idea that women needed to become educated so that they could educate the new generation
The middle ground
The areas where both colonists and native people would trade and coexist
Boston massacre
Parliament sent 1,000 troops to boston to enforce the townshend acts. Protesters began throwing snowballs, and eventually rocks at a group of soldiers. Someone fired a shot, and the soldiers killed 5 protesters
Stamp act
Congress wanted king George to intervene on their behalf and end the violence. He didn’t read it.
