Declaration of Independence
1776 statement, issued by the Second Continental Congress, explaining why the colonies wanted independence from Britain.
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd president of the United States
Committee of Five
Chosen to create a document that gave reasons for separation from England (Declaration of Independence); Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston
Alliance
a joining together for some common purpose
Diplomacy
The practice of conducting negotiations between countries
Baron von Steben
Prussian military officer who under Washington reform the American troops to become more skilled and disciplined
Marquis de Lafayette
French soldier who served under George Washington in the American Revolution (1757-1834)
Valley Forge
Pennsylvania site of Washington's Continental Army encampment during the winter of 1777-1778
Battle of Trenton
The Americans surprised the Hessian troops guarding Trenton and took most of them prisoner; the Americans won.
Battle of Saratoga
Turning point of the American Revolution. It was very important because it convinced the French to give the U.S. military support.
Battle of Yorktown
1781 American victory in Virginia that forced the British to surrender
Treaty of Paris 1783
Treaty Between England and the Colonies , formally ended the American Revolutionary War
Articles of Confederation
1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)
Land Ordinance of 1785
A law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships to facilitate the sale of land to settlers.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Federal order that divided the Northwest Territory into smaller territories and created a plan for how the territories could become states.
Shays' Rebellion
A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes
Constitutional Convection
gathering of state representatives on May 25, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation
Great Compromise
agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation
Virginia Plan
Virginia delegate James Madison's plan of government, in which states got a number of representatives in Congress based on their population
New Jersey Plan
A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress
Limited Government
A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment)
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.
Federalists
Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.
The Federalist (Papers)
A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.
Alexander Hamilton
1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.
James Madison
Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.
Bills of Rights
10 amendments that guaranteed freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly