Origins of American Government Key Terms

American Independence Chapter 2, section 2

Bicameral Two chamber legislature.

New England Confederation Alliance formed in 1643 by the Plymouth, Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay and New Haven colonies in order to defend themselves from threats posed by Native Americans and by settlers from nearby Dutch colonies.

Iroquois Confederation Alliance of six Native American nations formed in 1570 to end wars between nations and to stand together to resist European takeover. Mowhawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora

Albany Plan of Union The first plan for uniting the colonies; proposed by Benjamin Franklin. (1754)

Stamp Act A law passed by the English Parliament that required a government tax stamp on paper goods and all legal documents, such as contracts and licenses. (1765)

First Continental Congress A meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to respond to the abuses of authority by the British government. (1774)

Second Continental Congress A meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to react to fighting between colonists and British troops at Lexington and Concord. (1775)

Virginia Declaration of Rights A declaration of citizens’ rights issued by the Virginia Convention. (1776)

Articles of Confederation Chapter 2, Section 3

Articles of Confederation (1777) The document that created the first central government for the United States; it was replaced by the Constitution in 1789.

Ratified Formally approved

Northwest Ordinance (1787) Legislation passed by Congress to establish a plan for settling the Northwest Territory, which included areas that are now Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Shays’ Rebellion (1786 – 1787) A revolt led by a former Revolutionary War captain named Daniel Shays in order to prevent judges in Massachusetts from foreclosing on the farmers who could not pay taxes the state had levied.

The Constitutional Convention Chapter 2, section 4

Framers Delegates of the Constitutional Convention who developed the framework for the government and wrote the Constitution.

Virginia Plan (1787) the plan for government in which the national government would have supreme power and a legislative branch would have two houses with representation determined by state population.

New Jersey Plan (1787) a proposal to create a unicameral legislature with equal representation of states instead of representation by population.

Great Compromise (1787) an agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention establishing that a state’s population would determine representation in the lower house of the legislature, while each state would have equal representation in the upper house.

Three-fifths Compromise (1787) an agreement stating that three- fifths of the slave population would be counted when determining a state’s population for representation in the lower house of Congress.

Ratification and the Bill of Rights Chapter 2, Section 5

Federalists A group of people who supported the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and a strong national government.

Antifederalists A group of people who opposed the adoption if the U.S. Constitution.

Publius The pen name of the Framers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay used when writing the Federalist Papers. Latin for ‘public man’

Federalist Papers A collection of essays on the principles of government written in defense of the constitution.

Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution concerning basic individual liberties.