1. The American Revolution

If it was not for the American Revolution, we would not be living in the United States today.

The war between the American colonies and Great Britain (1775-1783), leading to the formation of the independent United States

[image]

2. Bastille

The Bastille probably held hundreds of prisoners.

midieval fortress used as a prison; french angry mob broke into it and killed the guards, releasing the prisoners, but found no weapons

[image]

3. Boston Massacre

A lot of people saw the Boston Massacre as a planned killing and this angered people even more.

British army soldiers open fired on a protesting crowd, killing 5 civilian men (March 5, 1770)

[image]

4. Boston Tea Party

During the Boston Tea Party, the North American colonists poorly disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians.

A political protest against the tax policy of the British government that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies (Dec. 1773)

[image]

5. Bourgeoisie

The bourgeoisie were constantly taxed in order to support the king and the government.

the middle class; part of the Third Estate

[image]

6. Checks and Balances

The system of Checks and Balances is still used in our government today.

from Montesquieu, a fundamental democratic principle of American government which ensures that one branch does not accumulate too much power

[image]

7. Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson.

An act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were "Free and Independent States" and that "all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved."

[image]

8. Estate-General

The Estate-General is in a way very similar to the British Parliament. 

the legislative body consisting of representatives of the three estates

[image]

9. Executive

The president of the United States holds the executive position in our government.

the part of a government that makes sure decisions and laws work well

[image]

10. Federal Republic

Under a federal republic the states are allowed to create their own laws as long as they do not supercede the laws of the national government.

Created in the U.S. Constitution, it divides the power between the federal (or national) government and the states

[image]

11. French Revolution

The second phase of the French Revolution is often referred to as the "Reign of Terror."

the anticlerical (anti-power of the clergy) and republican revolution in France from 1789 until 1799, when Napoleon seized power

[image]

12. Judicial

In our government the judicial branch is run by the Supreme Court.

relating to the law, judges, or their decisions

[image]

13. Judicial Review

The judicial branch has the right to give a judicial review if legislature passes a law that they see is unfit to the Constitution.

Power of courts to review decisions of another department or level of government

[image]

14. Legislature

The legislative branch of our government is made up of Congress.

an institution that has the power to make or change laws

[image]

15. Limited Power

The United States government runs on limited power.

a type of government in which its functions and powers are prescribed, limited, and restricted by law

[image]

16. Louis XVI

Louis XVI refused to make any changes to the French government.

well-meaning but weak and indecisive French ruler who inherited the throne deeply in debt; summoned the Estates-General together for the first time in 175 yrs, where citizens aired grievances and ultimately created the National Assembly

[image]

17. National Assembly

Louis XVI did not want he 3rd Estate to create the national assembly.

created by the disgruntled delegates of the french Third Estate, joined by reform-minded clergy and nobles

[image]

18. Popular sovereignty

In a democratic government, there is a principle of popular sovereignity.

all government power comes from the people

[image]

19. Separation of Powers

Separation of Powers is one of the six principles of the United States Constitution.

division of governmental authority among the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The US Constitution uses this principle in setting up the presidency, the Congress, and the courts

[image]

20. Stamp Act

The Stamp Act is one of the many actions that angered a lot of colonists and resulted in contreversy between the colonists and Great Britian.

a law passed by the British Parliament requiring all publications and legal and commercial documents in the American colonies to bear a tax stamp (1765)

[image]

21. Tennis Court Oath

The Tennis Court Oath was a way that they national assembly got the king to agree to their plans.

when the new National Assembly was locked out of their meeting hall, they assembled in a nearby tennis court, where they swore to meet until a Constitution was established

[image]

22. Treaty of Paris

The signing of the Treaty of Paris is an important event in the history of the United States of America.

American, French, and British diplomats signed this treaty that ended the Revolutionary war and Britain recognized the independence of the United States of America (1783)

[image]

23. U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution provides American citizens with a list of their natural and given rights as a citizen of the U.S.

document that replaced the Articles of Confederation, defined the system of government in the newly established America and contains additional amendments when ratified (1787)

[image]

24. Yorktown, Virginia

Yorktown, Virginia was the final resting place of the American Revolution.

Where G. Washington forces the surrender of the British army, thereby ending the American Revolutionary war (1781)

[image]