Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in North America, found in East Virginia
Plymouth
Colony settled by the Pilgrims. It eventually merged with Massachusetts Bay colony.
House of Burgesses
Elected assembly in colonial Virginia, created in 1618.
Boston Massacre
The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote the Declaration of Independence
George Washington
Commander of the Continental Army
James Madison
Father of the Constitution
Federalists
a person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several states unite under a central authority.
Antifederalists
Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government, generally.
Declaration of Independence
Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state.
Loyalist
American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence
Patriot
American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won
Stamp Act
1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.
Tea Act
1773 act which eliminated import tariffs on tea entering England and allowed the British East India Company to sell directly to consumers rather than through merchants. Led to the Boston Tea Party.
Boston Tea Party
A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.
Proclamations of 1763
Prohibited settlements west of the Appalachian mountains. Restriction on colonial growth. Following the French and Indian war.
American Revolution
the revolution of the American colonies against Great Britain
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation
Articles of Confederation
A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.
U.S. Constitution
A document that embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which the United States is governed.
bicameral legislature
a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts
amendments
Changes to the Constitution
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
Separation of Powers
an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies.
Legislative Branch
the branch of government that makes the laws
Judicial Branch
Branch of government that decides if laws are carried out fairly.
exectutive branch
the branch of government that carries out laws
Representative Government
system of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections
Marbury v. Madison
This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review
Gibbons v. Ogden
Regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government
Judicial Review
Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's speech to honor fallen soldiers
Civil War (1861-1865)
deadliest war in American history; conflict between north (union) and south (confederacy); 11 southern slave states wanted to secede from Union
Emancipation Proclamation
Proclamation issued by Lincoln, freeing all slaves in areas still at war with the Union.