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Checks and balances
The principle of checks and balances is that each branch has power to limit or check the other two, which creates a balance between the three separate branches of the state. -
The Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global war fought between 1756 (disputed) and 1763. It involved all five European great powers of the time and spanned five continents. The conflict split Europe into two coalitions: one was led by Great Britain and Prussia; while the other was led by France, Austria, the Holy Roman Empire, smaller German states, and the Russian Empire (until 1762). -
Salutary neglect
In American history, salutary neglect was the policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, especially trade laws, meant to keep British colonies obedient to England, in the 18th century. After 1763, Britain began to try to enforce stricter rules and more direct management, leading eventually to the American Revolutionary War. -
The Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris (1763), was signed by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, after Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War. The signing of the treaty formally ended the Seven Years' War, known as the French and Indian War in the North American theater. Great Britain gained much of France's possessions in North America. The treaty did not involve Prussia and Austria as they signed a separate agreement. -
The Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the Seven Years' War. It forbade all settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains, which was delineated as an Indian Reserve.This created discontent between Britain and colonial land speculators and potential settlers. -
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
In response to the Stamp and Tea Acts, the Declaration of Rights and Grievances was a document written by the Stamp Act Congress and passed on October 14, 1765. American colonists opposed the acts because they were passed without the consideration of the colonists’ opinion. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest. The acts took away self-governance and historic rights of Massachusetts, triggering outrage and resistance in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Minutemen
Minutemen were civilian colonists who independently organized to form well-prepared militia during the American Revolutionary War. They were also known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. The minutemen were among the first to fight in the American Revolution. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in America. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in a final attempt to avoid war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in America. In August 1775, the colonies were formally declared to be in rebellion by the Proclamation of Rebellion, and the petition was rejected by the British government. -
Common Sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Paine used moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for egalitarian government. It was published anonymously at the beginning of the American Revolution, and became an immediate sensation. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776. The Declaration explained why the Thirteen Colonies at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. With the Declaration, these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. It was approved, after much debate, and sent to the states for ratification. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. A guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America, ended the American Revolutionary War. The treaty set the boundaries between the British Empire in North America and the United States of America. Details included fishing rights and restoration of property and prisoners of war. -
Three-Fifths Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise reached among state delegates during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. It determined how slaves would be counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxing purposes. -
Unicameralism
Unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. This differs to the US' bicameral legislature (Congress). -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the bitter debate over the ratification of the Constitution, it addressed the objections raised by Anti-Federalists. The Bill of Rights added to the Constitution, giving guarantees of personal freedoms and rights. -
Proclamation of Neutrality
The Proclamation of Neutrality was a formal announcement issued by President George Washington on April 22, 1793 that declared the nation neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. It threatened legal proceedings against any American providing assistance to any country at war. -
The XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a political and diplomatic episode in 1797-1798, involving a confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to the Quasi-War. The name derives from the substitution of the letters X, Y and Z for the names of French diplomats. -
Election of 1800
Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party defeated incumbent President John Adams of the Federalist Party. The election was a realigning election that ushered in a generation of Democratic-Republican rule.
