Tensions in Colonial America
What is the Stamp Act?
Law passed by Parliament in 1765 that taxed colonists for paper and all paper products.
When was the Declaration of Independence published?
July 4th, 1776
What were the Articles of Confederation?
The first government of the United States.
What are the 3 branches of government?
Legislative, executive, and judicial
What is a Precedent?
An unwritten rule based on the actions of an early leader
What was the Quartering Act?
Required colonists to house British soldiers stationed in their city/town
What is the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
To declare the 13 colonies’ independence from Britain.
True or False: Under the Articles of Confederation the US government could not raise an army.
False, the US government could raise an army but struggled to pay for one.
What is the purpose of the Constitution?
To define how the US government works
What were the first political parties in America?
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
How did colonists react to the new taxes from Britain?
They protested and resisted them including boycotts, attacking tax collectors, and destroying British goods.
What are the unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Which event proved to many founding fathers that the Articles of Confederation were too weak?
Shay’s Rebellion
What is federalism?
The division of power between different levels of government including federal, state, and local governments.
Why was Thomas z jefferson opposed to the creation of a national bank?
The Constitution did not give the government the power to create a bank and by assuming state debt it would disproportionately benefit Northern states.
How did the French and Indian War contribute to tensions in Colonial America?
Britain went into debt and created new taxes on the colonies to pay back their debt, they also acquired new territory but refused to let colonists settle west of the Appalachian mountains
The ideas of the Declaration of Independence were inspired most directly by which Enlightenment thinker?
John Locke
How many branches did the national government have under the Articles of Confederation?
1, Legislative
What was the ratification debate about?
Whether or not the Constitution protected individual rights.
What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?
Laws passed by John Adam’s and the federalists in Congress that gave the government the ability to imprison or expel foreign nationals when the US is at war and fine/imprison US citizens for criticizing the government.
What is the significance of the Boston Massacre?
British troops fired on colonists protesting excise taxes, Paul Revere’s engraving served as anti-British propaganda
What officially ended the American Revolution?
The Treaty of Paris in 1783
Why did the founding fathers want a weak national government under the Articles of Confederation?
They were afraid a strong national government would lead to tyranny similar to what they experienced under British rule.
What was the Great Compromise at the constitutional convention?
The creation of a bicameral legislature with one representatives in one house based on state population and each state having the same number of representatives in the other.
What is the significance of the election of 1800?
The electoral college was tied between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr which meant the House of Representatives determined the next President.