British Policies & Independence
This 1765 law placed a tax on paper goods like newspapers and legal documents.
What is the Stamp Act?
This document declared the colonies free from Britain.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
The Articles created a weak _______ government.
What is central?
This meeting took place in Philadelphia in 1787.
What is the Constitutional Convention?
Rights that cannot be taken away are called this.
What are unalienable rights?
Colonists responded to British taxes by refusing to buy goods.
What is a boycott?
The DOI is often called this type of “letter” to Britain.
What is a break-up letter?
This means “to formally approve.”
What is ratify?
This leader was chosen to preside over the convention.
Who is George Washington?
This term means “government power comes from the people.”
What is consent of the governed?
This event in 1770 involved British soldiers firing on protestors.
What is the Boston Massacre?
This Enlightenment philosopher inspired Jefferson’s ideas about natural rights.
Who is John Locke?
This 1786–87 event proved the Articles were too weak to handle crises.
What is Shays’ Rebellion?
The Virginia Plan favored states with ______ populations.
What are large populations?
A union of states with a weak central government is called this.
What is a confederation?
This April 1775 event marked the “first shots” of the war between Britain and the colonies.
What is Lexington and Concord?
This section of the Declaration lists formal complaints against the King.
What are the grievances?
These two major weaknesses made it nearly impossible to get things done under the Articles.
What are no power to tax and difficult to pass/amend laws?
This compromise created a two-house Congress.
What is the Great Compromise?
This group supported the Constitution without a Bill of Rights.
Who are the Federalists?
These harsh laws punished Boston after the Boston Tea Party — and helped unite the colonies against Britain. Name the laws and explain their purpose.
What are the Intolerable Acts, designed to punish Massachusetts and increase British control?
This Enlightenment idea explains why people can change or abolish their government if it abuses power. Name the idea and the philosopher who inspired it.
What is consent of the governed, inspired by John Locke?
Identify two major weaknesses of the Articles and explain why they made the national government ineffective.
No power to tax → couldn’t raise money; hard to pass/amend laws → government couldn’t act effectively.
This compromise increased Southern political power. Explain what it did and how it affected representation in Congress.
What is the Three-Fifths Compromise — enslaved people counted as 3/5 of a person for population, giving Southern states more seats in the House of Representatives?
These two compromises shaped the new Constitution. Identify each and explain what major conflict it solved.
1. Great Compromise – solved large vs. small state representation. 2. Three-Fifths Compromise – solved how enslaved people were counted.