George Washington
virginian, father of america, first president,, Military commander of the American Revolution. He was the first elected president of the United States (1789-1799). (p. 581)
John Adams
The second President of the United States, 1797-1801. He was the first President to live in the White House. , He was the second president of the United States and a Federalist. He was responsible for passing the Alien and Sedition Acts. Prevented all out war with France after the XYZ Affair. His passing of the Alien and Sedition Acts severely hurt the popularity of the Federalist party and himself Massachusetts
Thomas Jefferson
Virginian, architect, author, governor, and president. Lived at Monticello. Father of the Declaration of Independence. Second governor of Virgina. Third president of the United States. Designed the buildings of the University of Virginia. 1801-1809
James Madison
Strict constructionist, 4th president, father of the Constitution, leads nation through War of 1812 1809-1817 Virginia democratic-republican
James Monroe
5th president, begins expansionism including Florida and Missouri, as well as reigning over the Era of Good Feelings 1817-1825 , 5th President of the U.S. 1817-1825 acquired Florida from Spain; declared Monroe Doctrine to keep foreign powers out. adam-onis treaty compromise of 1820 VIRGINIA
John Quincy Adams
Secretary of State, He served as sixth president under Monroe. In 1819, he drew up the Adams-Onis Treaty in which Spain gave the United States Florida in exchange for the United States dropping its claims to Texas. The Monroe Doctrine was mostly Adams' work., 6th U.S. President. 1825-1829. Democratic-Republican corrupt bargain MASSACHUSETTS
Andrew Jackson
The seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), who as a general in the War of 1812 defeated the British at New Orleans (1815). As president he opposed the Bank of America, objected to the right of individual states to nullify disagreeable federal laws, and increased the presidential powers. indian removal act DEMOCRAT ERA OF THE COMMON MAN tennessee
Martin Van buren
Served as secretary of state during Andrew Jackson's first term, vice president during Jackson's second term, and won the presidency in 1836, 8th President of the United States (1782-1862), Panic of 1837 new york democrat
William Henry Harrison
Govenor of the Indiana territory, that fought against Tecumseh and the Prophet in the battle of Tippecanoe, the first Whig president died in office 1862-1863 virginia
John Tyler
elected Vice President and became the 10th President of the United States when Harrison died 1841-1845, President responsible for annexation of Mexico after receiving mandate from Polk, opposed many parts of the Whig program for economic recovery, U.S. president who asked Congress in 1845 for a joint resolution in favor of annexing Texas VIRGINIA
James Polk
a Democrat expansionist who ran against Henry Clay in 1844: "54 40 or fight", Mexican-American War, 11th president, his expansionism led to the Mexican War and the annexation of California and much of the southwest. He also intended to terminated the joint occupation of the Oregon territory with the British, this led to a beneficial compromise, 1845-1849 NORTH CAROLINA
Zachary Taylor
General that was a military leader in Mexican-American War and 12th president of the United States. Sent by president Polk to lead the American Army against Mexico at Rio Grande, but defeated., 1849-1850, Whig president who was a Southern slave holder, and war hero (mexican-american war). won the 1848 election. he died during his term and his vice president was millard fillmore. VIRGINIA
Millard Fillmore
Successor of President Zachary Taylor after his death on July 9th 1850. He helped pass the Compromise of 1850 by gaining the support of Northern Whigs for the compromise., 1850-1853 Whig NEW YORK
Franklin Pierce
NEW HAMPSHIRE, an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States. Pierce's popularity in the North declined sharply after he came out in favor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, repealing the Missouri Compromise and reopening the question of the expansion of slavery in the West., 14th President of the United States (1804-1869) Democratic
James Buchanan
PENNSYLVANIA , The 15th President of the United States (1857-1861). He tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both North and South, and he was unable to forestall the secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860.
Abraham Lincoln
16th President of the United States saved the Union during the Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865), One of the most skillful politicians in Republican party. Lawyer. Tried to gain national exposure by debates with Stephen A. Douglas. The Lincoln-Douglas debates attracted much attention. Lincoln's attacks on slavery made him nationally known. He felt slavery was morally wrong, but was not an abolitionist. He felt there was not an alternative to slavery and blacks were not prepared to live on equal terms as whites. Won presidency in November election. ILLINOIS
Andrew johnson
A Southerner form Tennessee, as V.P. when Lincoln was killed, he became president. He opposed radical Republicans who passed Reconstruction Acts over his veto. The first U.S. president to be impeached, he survived the Senate removal by only one vote. He was a very weak president., 1865-1869, president after lincon was assassinated, tried to have a leinent plan like lincon, turned his back to violence towards African Americans in the south
Ulysses Simpson Grant
A Northern general who helped gain victory for the union. His first successful victories came at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in February 1862. These victories opened a door for the Union to the rest of the south. Eventually Grant was given command of the Union forces attacking Vicksburg. This would be his greatest victory of the war. Grant was made General-in-Chief after several more impressive victories near Chattanooga. Grant's final victory came when he defeated General Robert E. Lee at Richmond and forced him to surrender at Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865. , 18. 1869-1877) OHIO
Rutherford B Hayes
19th president of the united states, was famous for being part of the Hayes-Tilden election in which electoral votes were contested in 4 states, most corrupt election in US history, governor of ohio who ran for president as a republican in the election of 1876, President from 1877-1881 OHIO ended reconstruction made south handle with the free blacks
Magna Carta
the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
New england Colonies
Massachusets New Hampshire Connecticut and Rhode Island. They had a short growing season long and cold winters, rocky soil and Forests and economy was based on trading shipping and ship building
Middle Colonies
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
Southern colonies
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
The Great Awakening
This was a major religious revival in the colonies, which began in the 1730's with its leader being Jonathan Edwards.
Roger Williams
English clergyman and colonist who was expelled from Massachusetts for criticizing Puritanism founded Rhode island
Toleration act of 1649
est. religious toleration in Maryland; it meant free exercise of religious beliefs to anyone who believed in Jesus Christ
William Penn
English Quaker, founded Pennsylvania in 1682, after receiving a charter from King Charles II the year before. He launched the colony as a "holy experiment" based on religious tolerance.
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
This document was the first written constitution in the American colonies. It was prepared as the covenant for the new Puritan community in Connecticut, established in the 1630s.
plymouth
a town in Massachusetts founded by Pilgrims in 1620
Mayflower Compact
This document was drafted in 1620 prior to settlement by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Bay in Massachusetts. It declared that the 41 males who signed it agreed to accept majority rule and participate in a government in the best interest of all members of the colony. This agreement set the precedent for later documents outlining commonwealth rule.
House of Burgesses
the first elected legislative assembly in the New World established in the Colony of Virginia in 1619, representative colony set up by England to make laws and levy taxes but England could veto its legistlative acts.
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.
Queen Elizabeth the first
Returned England to Aglican Never married, Defeated the spanish Armada with her captain, Francis Drake, Brought England into the golden age, beheaded her cousin Mary Queen of Scots for Treason, Shakeespeare- her favorite playwright, the last Tudar Monarch
Roanoke
Established in 1587. Called the Lost Colony. It was financed by Sir Walter Raleigh, and its leader in the New World was John White. All the settlers disappeared, and historians still don't know what became of them.
John Smith
Helped found and govern Jamestown. His leadership and strict discipline helped the Virginia colony get through the difficult first winter
Pocahontas
a Powhatan woman (the daughter of Powhatan) (1595-1617) married John Rolfe
John Rolfe
He was one of the English settlers at Jamestown (and he married Pocahontas). He discovered how to successfully grow tobacco in Virginia and cure it for export, which made Virginia an economically successful colony.
French and Indian War
Was a war fought by French and English on American soil over control of the Ohio River Valley-- English defeated French in1763. Historical Significance: established England as number one world power and began to gradually change attitudes of the colonists toward England for the worse.
The proclamation Act of 1763
law forbidding english colonists to settle west of the appalachian mountains.
First continental Congress
The First Continental Congress convened on September 5, 1774, to protest the Intolerable Acts. The congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, voted for a boycott of British imports, and sent a petition to King George III, conceding to Parliament the power of regulation of commerce but stringently objecting to its arbitrary taxation and unfair judicial system.
Second Continental Congress
It met in 1776 and drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence, which justified the Revolutionary War and declared that the colonies should be independent of Britain.
Olive Branch Petition
On July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies. written by thomas jefferson
King George 3
Was the King of England who disbanded the colonial legislatures, taxed the colonies, and refused the Olive Branch Petition leading to the final break with the colonies
Battle of Bunker Hill
First major battle of the Revolutions. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. However, the British suffered more deaths., in 1775,
Benjamin Franklin
Printer, author, inventor, diplomat, statesman, and Founding Father. One of the few Americans who was highly respected in Europe, primarily due to his discoveries in the field of electricity. MASSACHUSETTS
Concord
the first battle of the American Revolution (April 19, 1775)
Lexington
The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots ("the shot heard 'round the world") of the Battle of Lexington, the first engagement of the American Revolution.
Thomas Paine
American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who supported the American colonist's fight for independence and supported the French Revolution (1737-1809), Wrote Common Sense
Declaration of Independence
the document recording the proclamation of the Second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain FATHER OF DOI=TJ says parliament zero times
Marquis de Lafayette
French soldier who served under George Washington in the American Revolution (1757-1834)
Valley Forge
Place where Washington's army spent the winter of 1777-1778, a 4th of troops died here from disease and malnutriton, Steuben comes and trains troops
John Paul Jones
American naval commander in the American Revolution (1747-1792) said " I have not yet begun to fight." Father of navy
Yorktown
The last major battle of the war in which Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington. The French helped us. The was over, and colonists had won! 1781
Treaty of Paris
agreement signed by British and American leaders that stated the United States of America was a free and independent contry 1783
Saratoga
A battle that took place in New York where the Continental Army defeated the British. It proved to be the turning point of the war. This battle ultimately had France to openly support the colonies with military forces in addition to the supplies and money already being sent. 1777
John Hancock
1737-1793. Patriot leader and President of the second Continental Congress; first person to sign the Declaration of Independence. Governor of Massachusetts from Massachusetts
Sugar Act
(1764) British deeply in debt part to French & Indian War. English Parliament placed a tariff on sugar, coffee, wines, and molasses. colonists avoided the tax by smuggling and by bribing tax collectors.
Stamp act
an act passed by the British parliment in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents
sons of Liberty
A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. The Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
Declaratory act
Act passed in 1766 just after the repeal of the Stamp Act. Stated that Parliament could legislate for the colonies in all cases.
Townshend Acts
Laws passed by Parliament in 1767 that set taxes on imports to the colonies
Boston Massacre
a riot in Boston (March 5, 1770) arising from the resentment of Boston colonists toward British troops quartered in the city, in which the troops fired on the mob and killed several persons.
Tea act
tax on tea; made the east india company the only tea company allowed to colonists; reason for Tea Party (1773)
Boston Tea Party
demonstration (1773) by citizens of Boston who (disguised as Indians) raided three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor
intolerable acts
series of laws passed in 1774 to punish Boston for the Tea Party
Quartering act
March 24, 1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.
election day
the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November
Independence Hall
the building in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was signed
Senate
term-6 years, number of members-100, requirements- must be 30 and a U.S. citizen for 4 years, leaders- Vice President, duties- represent each state.
President
Chief Executive of the United States, Head of State and Commander and Chief of the US Armed Forces. The President of the United States is elected every 4 years, by the Electoral College., must be 35, born in usa/ resident for 14 years, 4 year terms, 1 member, 2 term max ten years max
Vice President
presides over the Senate
inauguration day
Held January 20th - according to the 20th Amendment
Supreme Court
The pinnacle of the American judicial system. The court ensures uniformity in interpreting national laws, resolves conflicts among states, and maintains national supremacy in law. It has both original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction, but unlike other federal courts, it controls its own agenda.
pocket veto
a bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within ten days before Congress adjourns
override
An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
House of representatives
must be 25, 7 years of citizenship, 2 year term, 435 members, speaker of the house, no limit on terms, body which would ultimately decide the election of the President if no majority was reached
Legislative Branch
The branch of government that makes the laws Article 1
Executive branch
the branch of the United States government that is responsible for carrying out the laws Article 2
Judicial Branch
The branch of government that interprets laws Article 3
reserved powers
Those powers that the constitution does not grant to the National Government and does not, at the same time, deny to the states
impeach
to bring formal charges against a public official; the House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach civil officers of the United States
electoral college
group of persons chosen in each state and the district of columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the president and vice president 538
necessary and proper clauses
clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the impleid powers of congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government
framers
Group of delegates who drafted the United States Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787
enumerated powers
Powers specifically given to Congress in the Constitution; including the power to collect taxes, coin money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, and declare war., the expressed powers of Congress that are itemized and numbered 1-18 in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution
3/5 compromise
between Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths of the population of slaves would be counted for enumeration purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives. It was proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman.
Shay's Rebellion
this conflict in Massachusetts caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working; uprising led by Daniel Shays in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes
Philadelphia Convention
Beginning on May 25, 1787, the convention recommended by the Annapolis Convention was held in Philadelphia. All of the states except Rhode Island sent delegates, and George Washington served as president of the convention. The convention lasted 16 weeks, and on September 17, 1787, produced the present Constitution of the United States, which was drafted largely by James Madison.
New Jersey Plan
Opposite of the Virginia Plan, it proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote. This created a conflict with representation between bigger states, who wanted control befitting their population, and smaller states, who didn't want to be bullied by larger states. WILLIAM PATTERSON
Virginia Plan
Virginia delegate James Madison's plan of government, in which states got a number of representatives in Congress based on their population
Great Compromise
the agreement by which Congress would have two houses, the Senate (where each state gets equal representation-two senators) and the House of Representatives (where representation is based on population). Roger Sherman of Connecticut
Articles of confederation
this document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the second continental congress in 1781 during the revolution. the document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for self-government and statehood, included a Bill of Rights, and permanently prohibited slavery
Gouvernor Morris
chaired the commitee to put all the compromises of the constitution in words; is given credit for writting the constitution NEW YORK
establishment clause
the First Amendment guarantee that the government will not create and support an official state church
eminent domain
governmental power to take private property for public use. The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution requires the government to pay "just compensation" to anyone from whom it takes private property under eminent domain.
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
written in 1776 by Jefferson and Madison. Argued that the concept of compulsory religion is wrong, no forced religious worship or ministry and no discrimination on account of his opinions or belief but free to believe what they wish, and that these rights were natural rights of mankind.