Cat. 1
Colonial legislature that opposed the Stamp Act
Stamp Act Congress
Government may only do what the people tell it to do
Limited Government
British Act allowing Parliament to tax and make laws for the colonies in “all cases whatsoever.”
Declaratory Act
Document stating that the English monarch could not perform certain actions without approval from Parliament, such as suspend laws and create special courts
English Bill of Rights
Political philosophy stressing that political authority lies with the people and the rule of law
Classical Republicanism
New England tradition where citizens vote on local issues by a simple majority of the whole; a form of direct democracy
Town Meetings
First English colony in America
Jamestown
Form of government that places political authority in the hands of the people, stresses rule of law, and governs through elected representatives
Republic Government
Social Contract of the Pilgrims that created the first direct democracy in the colonies
Mayflower Compact
Rights people have simply by virtue of being people, especially those of life, liberty, and property as coined by John Locke
Natural Rights
Court orders authorizing British troops to search for smuggled goods during colonial times
Writs of Assistance
Legislative body in England
Parliament
Groups organized by the Sons of Liberty to write pieces in support of independence from Great Britain
Committees of Correspondence
First shots at Lexington and Concord to start the American Revolution
“Shot heard round the world”
Laws passed by Congress in 1785 and 1787 organizing the Northwest Territory for settlement and statehood
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
British 1760’s law requiring colonists to supply the basic needs of British soldiers, including their housing
Quartering Act
Gathering of colonial delegates that resulted in the writing of the Declaration of Independence
Second Continental Congress
Document that limited the power of the King of England
Magna Carta / Great Charter
Philosophical idea that people consent to be a part of a state and covered by its laws
Social Contract
First legislative body in the New World, specifically Jamestown
Virginia House of Burgesses
Meeting of colonial delegates in 1774 to oppose the Intolerable Acts
First Continental Congress
Early rebellion by farmers that displayed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Shays’ Rebellion
Document from 1776 explaining why the American colonies were separating from Great Britain
Declaration of Independence
Influential 1776 pamphlet that called for independence from Great Britain
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
the first attempt at a U.S. Constitution; it was replaced by the Constitution because of its many weaknesses.
Articles of Confederation