Foundations of Government
This 1215 document limited the powers of the English king and established the principle that everyone, even the monarch, was subject to the law.
What is the Magna Carta?
This type of company allowed investors to pool their resources to fund colonial ventures, sharing profits and risks.
What is a joint stock company?
This economic theory held that colonies existed primarily to provide raw materials to the mother country and serve as markets for manufactured goods.
What is mercantilism?
Written by Thomas Paine in 1776, this pamphlet advocated for American independence by criticizing monarchy and promoting democratic government.
What is Common Sense?
This legal concept refers to a decision made by a court that serves as an example or rule for future cases with similar issues.
What is a precedent?
This term refers to a law-making body, such as the U.S. Congress or the British Parliament, responsible for creating and passing laws.
What is a legislature?
Signed in 1620 by Pilgrims, this document established a self-governing colony based on majority rule
What is the Mayflower Compact?
This British law imposed a direct tax on printed materials in the American colonies, sparking widespread protests and cries of "no taxation without representation."
What is the Stamp Act of 1765?
This was the first constitution of the United States, establishing a weak central government with limited powers, which proved ineffective in managing the country’s needs.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
This legal system is based on court rulings and judicial precedents rather than written statutes, and it originated in England.
What is common law?
Signed in 1689, this document further limited the powers of the monarchy (king/queen) and set out basic civil rights, influencing the U.S. Bill of Rights.
What is the English Bill of Rights?
These people worked for a period of time in exchange for passage to the colonies, food, and shelter, often for 4-7 years.
Who are indentured servants?
Passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, these punitive laws aimed to tighten British control over Massachusetts and other colonies, further inflaming colonial resistance.
What are the Intolerable Acts?
his 1786 uprising by farmers in Massachusetts protesting economic injustices highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and led to calls for a stronger central government.
What is Shay’s Rebellion?
This philosopher argued that government should be based on the "general will" of the people and wrote The Social Contract.
Who is Jean-Jacques Rousseau?
This Enlightenment thinker argued that government’s role was to protect natural rights, including life, liberty, and property.
Who is John Locke?
This trade system involved the exchange of goods, including slaves, between Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the colonial period.
What is the Triangular Trade?
This 1774 meeting of colonial delegates was convened to address grievances against British policies and to organize a collective colonial response, including a boycott of British goods.
What is the First Continental Congress?
Passed in 1787, this legislation established a system for governing the Northwest Territory and outlined the process for admitting new states to the Union.
What is the Northwest Ordinance?
This 1786-1787 uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting high taxes and economic hardships exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and prompted calls for a stronger central government.
What is Shay's Rebellion?
According to this political theory, people give up some freedoms in exchange for the protection and order provided by the government.
What is the social contract?
Adopted in 1639, this is considered one of the first written constitutions, outlining a democratic government for a New England Colony.
What are the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?
This religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s emphasized emotional faith and personal connections to religion, sparking a sense of individualism and questioning authority.
What is the Great Awakening?
This term refers to the official approval process of a document or agreement, such as when nine states needed to approve the U.S. Constitution for it to go into effect.
What is to ratify?
This belief promotes the idea that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities, often influencing democratic societies.
What is egalitarianism?