Revolutionary War
Founding Father. Authored the Declaration of the Independence. First Secretary of State (1779–1781). Second Vice President (1797–1801).
Thomas Jefferson
First Constitution that strongly favored states’ rights and forbid Congress from levying taxes and ratified in 1781.
Articles of Confederation
A meeting that took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787 to amend the Articles of Confederation.
Constitutional Convention
Political factions within a republican government. The Founding Fathers generally warned against such factions.
Political Parties
Supported an orderly, efficient central government that could protect their economic status
Federalists
Announced the colonies’ official break from England, making the United States a country in its own right. It contained a preamble that heavily reflected Enlightenment philosophy regarding natural rights.
Declaration of Independence
Established the basis for the Public Land Survey System whereby settlers could purchase land in the undeveloped West.
Land Ordinance of 1785
Founding Father from Virginia. Known as the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in drafting it and the Bill of Rights.
James Madison
Also known as the Connect Compromise, a proposal at the Constitutional Convention that membership in one branch of the legislature be based on state population, and the other branch (the Senate) have equal representation for all states, with each state having one vote.
Great Compromise
Post-revolutionary political faction that were wary of centralization and infringements upon individual liberties, especially when it came to taxation.
Anti-Federalists
Activists for independence from the British Empire.
Patriots
Established guidelines for attaining statehood: territories with at least 60,000 people could apply for statehood.
Northwest Ordinance of 1785
Founding Father and co-author of the Federalist Papers. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he set out to repair the nation’s credit and overall financial health.
Alexander Hamilton
The lower chamber of the United States Congress. Representation is proportional to population.
House of Representatives
Umbrella term for the first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It explicitly lists protections for individual rights and state sovereignty.
Bill of Rights
A general in the American Revolutionary War. He participated in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Saratoga. Most infamously remembered for defection to the British, which caused his name to become a byword for treason.
Benedict Arnold
An insurrection in Massachusetts (1786–1787) over oppressive taxes and debt collectors.
Shays' Rebellion
A plan put forth by Edmund Randolph at the Constitutional Convention that favored larger states. with houses based on population.
Virginia Plan
A compromise at the Constitutional Convention regarding how to elect the president. Electors cast votes as representatives of their states, which delegates believed would protect the election process from corruption and the influence of factions
Electoral College
A collection of letters written in the late 1780s urging ratification of the Constitution. Authors include Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
Federalist Papers
An umbrella term for two battles fought 18 days apart in Autumn 1777 which led to the introduction of French aid, reshaping the entire war.
Battle of Saratoga
A majority greater than one half, typically two-thirds.
Supermajority
A proposal by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation in the legislative branch.
New Jersey Plan
Infamous compromise at the Constitutional Convention. It held that enslaved person in the South was counted as three-fifths of a person.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Deemed the best movie franchise in history.
Star Wars