limited w/ London control, but bec of distance had self government

 -several colonies made own const & establ rights: basis for US Const

tea & goods (3rd tax)

 -repealed except for tax on tea

British Monopoly on tea

 (smuggled tea from Holland- the comp made price lower than Dutch tea to force colonist to buy)

Boston Tea Party

 -Sam. Adams led 50 men (Sons of Liberty) dressd as Mohawk Indians

-boarded 3 Brit trade ships

-dumped 350 chests of tea in Boston Harbor 

to penalize colonist

 -closed Boston Harbor

-placed gov of Mass. under Brit control

focused on passing a resolution of grievances to the king & boycotting Brit goods (not indep)

 -12/13 attended

Delegates decide to form Rev Army & name G. Wash C-in-C

 -Peaceful @ first, but skirmishes grew b/t Rev & Brit

(came during Rev. War)

 -asked colonies to establish free trade w/ all countries but Engl

Revolutionary War

 (started by 2nd Continental Congress)

brought colonist together against Brit

 -argued that monarchy created more bloodshed & war in history than any other factors

 -Amer ppl need to rule by their own hand

author: Thomas Jefferson

(written in week)

 ideas from John Locke (ppl posses natural rights)

Articles of Confederation (1st gov) features

1. Majority of power in Congress- only leg

2. Congress was unicameral - each st has 2-7 members, but only 1 vote. Amendments need all st.'s consent

3. Congress can declare war & conduct foriegn policy, but can't tax st.s 

(no centrel gov, states bickered)

1. only 1 branch & poor form of representation

2. couldn't tax or control interstate commerce (trade)

Shay's Rebellion

led by Daniel Shay in Mass. to protest taxes on farmers

-st.s see situation and reallise that Articles need to be revised to create strong federalist gov that maintain public welfare & have power to tax

Constitutional Convention

(every st. but RI sent delegates to Philadelphia)

-to create strong Constitution & figure out how st.s should be represented in leg.

(favored big st.s)

-bicameral leg w/ lower ch. chosen by ppl

(# of representatives proportional to pop.)

-upper chamber chosen by lower chamber 

(nominees elected by st. leg.s)

(same: 1 st, 1 vote)

-suggested that Congress could regulate trade & impose taxes

-all acts of Congress would be supreme law of the land;

several ppl would be elected by Congress to form executive office, wich would appoint a supreme court

compromise b/t NJ & VA Plans

-one chamber of congress based on pop. (House of Representatives)  

-other had 2 from each state elected by st. leg.s

-slaves considered property & 3/5 free man

-south wanted slaves counted as free & North not at all

-agreed that Congress couldn't ban importaton of slaves till after 1808

-Thomas Jefferson had to remove his condemation of slavery form Decl to appease GA & NC

1. Congress

2. Pres

3. Court

5. Amendments

6. (Supremacy Clause)

(Representation)

House

Senate

Congress abilities

House: 25yr, 7yr citzen,  2 yr term

Senate: 30 yr, 9 yr citzen, 6 yr terms

Congress abilities: tax, reg commerce, coin $, declare war, make all laws

-35 yr old

-natural born

-4 yr term

9/13 had to ratify

which took a year & 3 years for all 13

Federalist Papers

most influental & import. Amer pol. doc.s

pseudonym "Publis"

-James Madison

-Alexander Hamilton

-John Jay