First Semester Exam Study Guide

France and Great Britain fought in the French and Indian War France and Great Britain fought over disputed territory (land) in the Ohio River Valley region France lost almost all land in North America; Britain gained French territory & Florida; British also gained debt, leading to taxation, leading to the Revolution The colonists need to unite to stop the French from taking over North America When laws are made (ex. Taxes imposed) citizens should be able to elect a representative fighting for what they want The Sons of Liberty were more violent in resisting the British (attacking tax collectors, etc.) Committees of Correspondence spread information about how to resist new laws

Patrick Henry’s writings and speeches inspired others to join in resisting the British George Washington was put in charge of the Continental Army and later became 1st President Boycott- refuse to buy certain goods Repeal- to end or abolish (an act) Olive Branch Petition was sent to the King in the hopes of keeping the peace Sugar Act- lowered the tax on sugar, tried to stop smuggling Townshend Acts- tax on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea

Boston Massacre- British soldiers killed colonists; only two soldiers convicted Tea Act- actually lowered the tax on tea, but gave the British East India Company a monopoly on American tea trade Boston Tea Party- Sons of Liberty protested the Tea Act by dumping tea into Boston Harbor British passed Intolerable Acts as punishment for Tea Party Thomas Jefferson; July 4, 1776 Rights of man; Complaints against the King; colonies are breaking away British had world’s largest navy, a powerful well-trained military, more resources and control of the Atlantic; Americans had home field advantage and were fighting for a cause they believed in Patriots fought for independence from Great Britain; Loyalists remained loyal to Great Britain

Bunker Hill was a moral victory; it showed Americans could compete against the British After Saratoga other countries (namely France and Spain) agreed to help the Americans Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War, which saw the defeat of the world’s greatest power and inspired other revolutions Great Britain had to recognize America’s independence; U.S. got lands in the Ohio River region; Treaty came two years after Battle of Yorktown The 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November Straight ticket is voting for members of one political party only; split ticket is voting for members of two or more political parties

The electoral college is the method used to select the president; states’ electoral votes are determined by their total number of members of Congress (ex. Indiana has 2 Senators and 9 members of the House of Representatives to give us 11 electoral votes) Federal: U.S. Senator (6 years), U.S. Representative (2 years); State: State Senator (4 years), State Representative (2 years) The Articles of Confederation had 1 branch of government, 1 house of Congress, 1 vote per state, and a weak central government Shays Rebellion showed the weakness of the government under the Articles of Confederation, and led to the creation of the Constitution

George Washington led the Constitutional Convention; Held in Philadelphia in May 1787; Rhode Island did not send representatives; their goal was to improve or revise the A of C James Madison wrote the Virginia Plan and many of his ideas were used in the Constitution- he is sometimes known as the “Father of the Constitution” Federalists believed in a strong central government, while antifederalists believed the states should have all the power The Great Compromise settled the issue of governmental structure by creating a two-house legislature, with every state equal in the Senate and the House based on population

Counted only three-fifths of a state’s slaves in their population Influences on U.S. Constitution: Great Law of Peace, Mayflower Compact, Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights Federalism is the sharing of power between the state and federal governments; Reserved- powers kept by the states ; Concurrent- powers for both central government and the states Delegated- powers given to central government; ratification is official approval; Legislative is Congress and they make the law; Executive is the President and they enforce they law; Judicial is the Courts and they interpret the law The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution; 1st Amendment: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press, Right to Petition, Freedom of Assembly; 2nd Amendment: Right to Bear Arms, Right to State Militias