History Vocab Ch. 6,7,& 9

Front 1

Constitution

Back 1

a document that sets out the laws, principles, organization, and processes of a government

Front 2

Articles of Confederation

Back 2

first American constitution, passed in 1771, which created a loose alliance of 13 independent states

Front 3

Ceded

Back 3

give up

Front 4

Currency

Back 4

money

Front 5

Land Ordinance of 1785

Back 5

law setting up a system for settling the Northwest Territory

Front 6

Northwest Ordinance

Back 6

a 1787 article that set up a government for the Northwest Territory, guaranteed basic rights to settlers, and outlawed slavery there

Front 7

Depression

Back 7

is a period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment rises

Front 8

Olive Branch Petition

Back 8

Peace petition sent to king George by colonial delegates after the battles of Lexington and Concord, declaring their loyalty to the king and asking him to repeal the Intolerable Acts

Front 9

Green Mountain Boys

Back 9

Vermont colonial militia led by Ethan Allen which made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga giving Americans control of the key route into Canada

Front 10

Continental Army

Back 10

Army established by the second continental congress to fight the British

Front 11

Patriot

Back 11

Colonists who favored war against Britain

Front 12

Loyalist

Back 12

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain

Front 13

Blockade

Back 13

the shutting of a port to keep people or supplies from moving in or out

Front 14

Mercenaries

Back 14

troops for hire

Front 15

Common Sense

Back 15

Published in 1776, an essay by Thomas Paine that urged the colonies to declare independence

Front 16

Traitor

Back 16

is a person who betrays his or her country

Front 17

Declaration of Independence

Back 17

a 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a free and independent nation

Front 18

Preamble

Back 18

introduction

Front 19

Natural Rights

Back 19

rights that belong to all people from birth

Front 20

Battle of Long Island

Back 20

a 1776 battle in New York in which more than 1,400 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured

Front 21

Battle of Trenton

Back 21

a 1776 battle in New Jersey in which George Washington's troops captured a Hessian encampment in a surprise attack

Front 22

Battle of Saratoga

Back 22

in 1777, the first major American victory in the Revolution, which ended the British threat to New England

Front 23

Allies

Back 23

work together to achieve a common goal

Front 24

Cavalry

Back 24

troops on horseback

Front 25

Valley Forge

Back 25

Pennsylvania site of Washington's Continental Army encampment during the winter of 1777-1778

Front 26

Battle of Cowpens

Back 26

a 1781 battle in south Carolina, where Americans won an important victory over the Britain

Front 27

Guerrilla

Back 27

hit-and-run, tactics

Front 28

Siege

Back 28

when an army surrounds and blockades an enemy position in an attempt to capture it

Front 29

Treaty of Paris

Back 29

Peace treaty between the U.S. and Britain, ratified in 1783, that organized the United States as an independent nation

Front 30

Ratified

Back 30

approved

Front 31

Constitutional Convention

Back 31

gathering of state representatives on May 25, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation

Front 32

Virginia Plan

Back 32

plan at at the Constitutional Convention, favored by larger states, that called for a strong national government with 3 branches and a 2-chamber legislature

Front 33

Legislative Branch

Back 33

branch of government that passes laws

Front 34

Executive Branch

Back 34

branch of government that carries out laws

Front 35

Judicial Branch

Back 35

branch of government that decides if laws are carried out fairly

Front 36

Compromise

Back 36

a settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to reach an agreement

Front 37

Great Compromise

Back 37

plan at the Constitutional Convention that settled the differences between large and small states

Front 38

Three-Fifths Compromise

Back 38

agreement at the Constitutional Convention that 3/5 of the slaves in any state be counted in its population

Front 39

Founding Fathers

Back 39

James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other leaders who laid the groundwork for the United States

Front 40

Republic

Back 40

a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives

Front 41

Dictatorship

Back 41

a government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority

Front 42

Magna Carta

Back 42

signed in 1215, a British document that contains 2 basic ideas: Monarchs themselves have to obey the law and citizens have basic rights

Front 43

Habeas Corpus

Back 43

the idea that no person could be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime

Front 44

Separations of Powers

Back 44

designed to keep any person or group from gaining too much power

Front 45

The Bill of Rights

Back 45

written lists of freedom that a government promises to protect; the 10 amendments became known as this

Front 46

Federalists

Back 46

Supporters of the Constitution

Front 47

Antifederalists

Back 47

people who oppose the Constitution

Front 48

Federalists Papers

Back 48

a series of essays wrote by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

Front 49

Amend

Back 49

change

Front 50

Inauguration

Back 50

the ceremony in which the President officially takes the oath of office

Front 51

Precedent

Back 51

an act or a decision that sets an example for others to follow

Front 52

Judiciary Act

Back 52

a 1789 law that created the structure of the Supreme Court and set up a system of district courts and circuit courts for the nation

Front 53

Cabinet

Back 53

group of officials who head government departments and advise the President

Front 54

National Debt

Back 54

the total amount of money that a government owes to others

Front 55

Bond

Back 55

certificate that promises to repay the money loaned, plus interest, on a certain date

Front 56

Speculator

Back 56

someone who invests in a risky venture in the hope of making a large profit

Front 57

Bank of the United States

Back 57

bank set up in 1791 to hold government deposits, to issue paper money to pay government bills, and to make loans to farmers and businesses

Front 58

Tariff

Back 58

tax

Front 59

Whiskey Rebellion

Back 59

a 1794 protest over a tax on all liquor made and sold in the United States

Front 60

Battle of Bunker Hill

Back 60

in 1775, first major battle of the Revolution

Front 61

English Bill of Rights

Back 61

a 1689 document that guaranteed the rights of English citizens

Front 62

New Jersey Plan

Back 62

plan at the Constitutional Convention, favored by the smaller states, that called for three branches of government with a single-chamber legislature