13 Colonies
The British colonies that eventually became the original United States: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Magna Carta (1215)
the first ever attempt to limit the power of the British King, guaranteed all people certain rights. Influenced the U.S. Constitution
Mayflower Compact (1620)
The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony.
English Bill of Rights
document that gave England a government based on a system of laws and a freely elected parliament (like congress)
Social Contract
An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed
House of Burgesses, 1619
The first elected lawmaking body in North America, established by the Virginia Company to allow representative government in Virginia.
Thomas Hobbes
Enlightenment thinker. Believed that people are born bad and selfish. People need a strong central government to keep them in check
John Locke
English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. He was a big supporter of a social contract.
Montesquieu
French philosopher who advocated the separation of powers in government.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A French philosopher who believed that Human beings are naturally good & free & can be trusted. Government should exist to protect common good, not to control the people. Wrote "The Social Contract.
French and Indian War
a war in North America between France and Britain. Britain won, gaining new territory. Policies surrounding this territory led to colonial discontent.
Salutary Neglect
an English policy of relaxing the enforcement of regulations in its colonies. Led to American self-government.
Proclamation of 1763
law forbidding English colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains
Mercantilism
Nations sought to become wealthier and more powerful by selling more goods than they bought
Great Awakening (1739-1744)
A sudden and passionate religious movement that swept through the colonies. One of the first events to unify the colonies.
Stamp Act (1765)
a law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.
Tea Act (1773)
a tax on tea. Led to the Boston Tea Party
Quartering Act (1765)
this act forced colonists to house and feed British troops in their homes
Intolerable Acts
these acts took away self-governance and many rights for Massachusetts colonists. This happened in response to the Boston Tea Party
Boston Massacre (1770)
An incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were teasing and taunting them; five colonists were killed.
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation
Declaration of Independence
Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free country.
New England Colonies
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire
Middle Colonies
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
Southern Colonies
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia