Launching the New Nation: Articles of Confederation and Constitutional Convention

The Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution

• The adoption of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, was a result of the ratification process of the U.S. Constitution.
• Federalists, who supported a strong central government, included Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.

The American Colonies and the Revolution

• The primary crop grown in Virginia and other southern colonies was tobacco.
• The Tea Act of 1773 led to a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies for the British East India Company.
• The turning point in the American Revolution, which led to France allying with the United States, was the Battle of Saratoga.
• The Olive Branch Petition's purpose during the American Revolution was to attempt to reconcile with Britain and avoid war.
• The Battle of Yorktown, which led to the surrender of General Cornwallis, marked the final major battle of the American Revolution.
• Prussian military officer Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben trained the Continental Army at Valley Forge, helping to turn them into a more professional fighting force.
• British soldiers during the American Revolution were nicknamed "Redcoats" due to their red uniforms.

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

• The Articles of Confederation, which was the 1st Constitution of the U.S. from 1781-1788, had weaknesses that led to the need for a new constitution.
• Daniel Shays led the armed uprising known as Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts, which was a protest against perceived economic and civil rights injustices.

The Constitutional Convention

• The Virginia Plan, proposed at the Constitutional Convention, called for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature and representation based on population.
• The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, created a bicameral legislature with representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate.
• The Three-Fifths Compromise counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person to determine representation and taxation.

Government and Constitution

• The system of government that divides power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful is called separation of powers.
• The system of checks and balances gives each branch of government the power to limit the actions of the other branches to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
• Amendments are changes or additions made to the U.S. Constitution.