Unit 4
What is mercantilism?
This economic system was designed to enrich England by controlling colonial trade and resources.
What was the Stamp Act?
This 1765 law required colonists to purchase special stamps for printed materials.
What were the Articles of Confederation?
This was the first framework of government for the United States, but it created a weak national government with no power to tax.
What is the Middle Passage?
This forced ocean voyage carried enslaved Africans across the Atlantic under horrific conditions of disease, violence, and confinement.
What is “No taxation without representation”?
This phrase summarized the colonial argument that Parliament should not tax them without elected representatives from their communities.
What was the Great (Connecticut) Compromise?
This compromise created a two-house Congress with representation based on population in one chamber and equal representation for each state in the other.
What is the task system?
In this colonial labor system, enslaved workers were assigned specific daily jobs and could sometimes have more control over their remaining time after completing their tasks.
What were the Committees of Correspondence?
These colonial communication networks shared news and arguments between colonies and helped coordinate resistance to British policies.
What were the Federalist Papers?
This group of essays, written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, defended the ratification of the Constitution and argued for a stronger federal government.
What was the Stono Rebellion?
This 1739 South Carolina uprising demonstrated organized armed resistance by enslaved people and led to a harsh colonial response.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
This 1773 protest involved colonists destroying tea as a direct challenge to Parliament’s authority and British trade policies.
What was the Whiskey Rebellion?
This 1794 uprising by western farmers challenged a federal tax and demonstrated that the new national government could enforce its laws.
What was the French and Indian War?
This war ended with the 1763 peace settlement, dramatically changing the balance of power in North America and creating new tensions between Britain and its colonies.
What was the Battle of Saratoga?
This battle is considered a major turning point because it helped convince France that the American rebellion could succeed, leading to crucial French military and naval support.
What was Marbury v. Madison?
This Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review, giving the Court the authority to determine whether laws were constitutional.