Download Standard 8-3 Vocabulary Key - Thomas C. Cario Middle School

Standard 8-3 Vocabulary Key
8-3.1: Upcountry vs. Lowcountry
Lowcountry
the area that surrounded the city of Charleston along the Atlantic
coast of South Carolina
(Coastal Zone & Coastal Plains)
Upcountry
area in the northwestern part of South Carolina
(Piedmont & Blue Ridge regions)
Cotton gin
machine which separates cotton fibers from the seeds
It uses a combination of a wire screen and small wire hooks to
pull the cotton through the screen, while brushes continuously
remove the loose cotton lint to prevent jams. The term "gin" is an
abbreviation for engine, and means "device".
8-3.2: Constitutional Convention
Constitution of 1787
a set of fundamental principles that make up the written
framework for the government of the United States
Philadelphia Convention
(now also known as the Constitutional Convention, the
Constitutional Congress or the Federal Convention, or the
"Grand Convention at Philadelphia") took place from May 25
to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address
problems in governing the United States of America, which had
been operating under the Articles of Confederation following
independence from Great Britain. Although the Convention was
purportedly intended only to revise the Articles of Confederation,
the intention of many of its proponents, chief among them James
Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was from the outset to create a
new government rather than "fix" the existing one. The delegates
elected George Washington to preside over the convention. The
result of the Convention was the United States Constitution. The
Convention is one of the central events in the history of the
United States
Virginia Plan
plan for government proposed at the Constitutional Convention in
which the national government would have three branches
(executive, legislative, judicial) and representation would be
determined by state population
New Jersey Plan
proposal to create a unicameral (one house) government with
each state having one vote
Great Compromise
(Connecticut Compromise)
agreement between large and small states reached during
the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 that in part defined the
legislative structure and representation that each state would have
under the United States Constitution. It proposed a bicameral
legislature, resulting in the current United
States Senate and House of Representatives.
Three-Fifths Compromise
a compromise between Southern and Northern states reached
during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths
of the population of slaves would be counted
for enumeration purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes
and the apportionment of the members of the United States House
of Representatives. It was proposed by delegate James Wilson.
Commerce Compromise
A compromise that promised that the federal government would
not tax exports or attempt to regulate the international slave trade
for at least 20 years.
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that guarantee
the fundamental rights and privileges of US citizens
Federalists
Statesmen and public figures supporting ratification of the
proposed Constitution of the United
States between 1787 and 1789
anti-Federalists
One of party opposed to a federative government; -- applied
particularly to the party which opposed the adoption of the
constitution of the United States
8-3.3: Principles of Government
Articles of Confederation
preliminary constitution of the United States in effect between
1781-1789 (replaced by the current U.S. Constitution in 1789)
Constitution
written framework of government for the United States
Bill of Rights
(8-3.2)
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that guarantee
the fundamental rights and privileges of US citizens
Legislative Branch
the branch of the United States government that has the power to
pass, amend, and repeal laws
Congress – House of Representative and Senate
Judicial Branch
branch of the United States Government that includes the courts
of law that interprets law
Supreme Court
Executive Branch
branch of the United States Government that is composed of the
President and his staff (Vice President, Cabinet members, etc.)
that is responsible for carrying out the laws
8-3.4: Issues of the Early 1800’s
National Bank
The First Bank of the United States was a central bank, chartered
for a term of twenty years, by the United States Congress on
February 25, 1791. Establishment of the Bank was included in a
three-part expansion of federal fiscal and monetary power (along
with a federal mint and excise taxes) championed by Alexander
Hamilton.
Most of the Southern members of Congress had any particular
interest in Hamilton's recommendations: the establishing of an
official government Mint, and the chartering of the Bank of the
United States. They believed this centralization of power away
from local banks was dangerous to a sound monetary system and
was mostly to the benefit of business interests in the commercial
north, not southern agricultural interests, arguing that the right to
own property would be infringed by these proposals.
Furthermore, they contended that the creation of such a bank
violated the Constitution, which specifically stated that congress
was to regulate weights and measures and issue coined money
(rather than mint and bills of credit).
Federalists
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from
the early 1790s to 1816. The Federalist policies called for a
national bank, tariffs, and good relations with Britain. Hamilton
developed the concept of implied powers, and successfully
argued the adoption of that interpretation of the United States
Constitution.
Democratic-Republicans
The Democratic-Republican Party, was the political party
organized by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1791. It
stood in opposition to the Federalist Party. It ruled the USA from
1800 to 1825. The party was strongest in the South and weakest
in the Northeast; it favored states' rights and the rights of the
yeoman (small) farmers.
X, Y, Z Affair
The XYZ Affair was a political and diplomatic episode in 1797
and 1798. An American diplomatic commission was sent to
France in July 1797 to negotiate issues that were threatening to
break out into war. The diplomats, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney,
John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry, were approached through
informal channels by agents of the French Foreign Minister
Talleyrand, who demanded bribes and a loan before formal
negotiations could begin. The Americans were offended by them,
and eventually left France without ever engaging in formal
negotiations.
The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills passed in 1798 by the
Federalists in the aftermath of the French Revolution.
Alien and Sedition Acts
states’ rights doctrine
According to this theory, the federal union is a voluntary
association of states, and if the central government goes too far
each state has the right to nullify that law.
Embargo Act
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general embargo enacted by the
United States Congress against Great Britain and France. The
embargo was a financial disaster for the Americans.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the
forces of the United States of America and those of the British
Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons,
including trade restrictions brought about by Britain's ongoing
war with France, the impressment of American merchant sailors
into the Royal Navy, British support of American Indian tribes
against American expansion, outrage over insults to national
honour after humiliations on the high seas and possible American
desire to annex Canada.
War Hawk
person who advocates for war
(in particular an American jingo that favored war with Great
Britain around 1812)