APUSH Period 3 Flashcards

French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War)(1756-1763)

A global conflict fought over colonial territory between France and Britain which ended in British victory, leading Britain to gain majority of French territories and making French power in North American nearly non-existent.

• led to large amount of war debt, leading to colonial taxation

Albany Plan of Union

An attempt among the colonies to establish a general government for taxation and common defense purposes. It failed because each colony was concerned of losing their autonomy, especially taxation

Peace of Paris (1763)

Ended the war; GB acquired French Canada and Spanish Florida; France ceded the Louisiana territory to Spain

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

Chief Pontiac led an attack on colonial settlements and forts, destroying all of them from NY to Virginia

• British Response - sent British regulators to put down the uprising rather than relying on the colonists to handle it themselves.

Proclamation of 1763

Prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachians in order to prevent hostility between colonists and Natives

• in defiance, thousands moved west past the drawn line

Sugar Act (1764)

Placed additional tax on foreign sugar from Dutch and French West Indie plantations while also providing a stricter enforcement of the Navigational Acts

Quartering Act (1765)

Required the colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers

Stamp Act (1765)

first direct tax; required most printed paper in the colonies, including legal documents, newspaper,s pamphlets, and ads to have a revenue tax

Stamp Act Congress

Representatives from 9 colonies met to declare only their own elected reps had the legal authority to approve taxes

Declaratory Act (1766)

Asserted that parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”

Townshend Act (1767)

Enacted new duties to be collected on imports of tea, glass, and paper, made royal officials independent of colonial assemblies, and provided the search of private homes for smuggled goods without a judges warrant

The Boston Massacre (1770)

A crowd of colonists harassed guards who were quartered in Boston to protect customs officials from attacks by the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. Guards fired into the crowd, killing 5 and injuring 6

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Many colonists resisted buying British tea though it was cheaper, and in December of 1773, a group of bostonians boarded a british ship and dumped all the tea into the harbor

Intolerable/Coercive Acts of 1774

• Port Act - closed the port of boston until destroyed tea was paid for

• Massachusetts Government Act - reduced the power of the MA legislature while increasing the power of the royal governor

• Administration of Justice Act - allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in GB

• Quartering Act - expanded to include private homes and all colonies

John Locke

Natural rights such as life, liberty, and property

Baron de Montesquieu

Separation of powers

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Social contract; citizens willingly give up some liberties for the sake of order

First Continental Congress (1744)

A meeting of delegates from twelve American colonies in Philadelphia to address grievances against Great Britain, specifically the Intolerable Acts. Did not wish to separate at this time

Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775)

First battle of the revolution; British troops sent to seize military supplies in concord, and though minutemen fought back, the british destroyed military supplies in concord

The Second Continental Congress (1775)

a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met in Philadelphia that served as the de facto national government of the colonies during the Revolutionary War. It organized the colonial war effort, established the Continental Army under George Washington, and eventually adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776

Declaration of Independence (June 7, 1776)

the foundational document that formally separated the thirteen American colonies from British rule by listing Enlightenment-based principles of natural rights and the right of the people to revolt against tyrannical government

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Turning point of th war; American generals surround and attack British troops forcing them to retreat, leading the French to openly ally with the colonists

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Last major battle of the war; fought on the shores of Chesapeake bay as GW’s army forced a surrender from General Cornwallis

Treaty of Paris, 1783

Britain would recognize the US as independent , created the MS river as the western boundary, gave American fishing rights off the coast of canada, and required Americans to pay debts to British merchants

Articles of Confederation

the United States' first constitution , creating a weak central government with most power residing in the states. This loose confederation had a unicameral Congress but no executive or national judiciary, lacked the power to tax and regulate commerce, and ultimately proved ineffective, leading to the creation of the stronger U.S. Constitution. 

The Constitutional Convention (1787)

a meeting in Philadelphia where delegates from twelve states drafted the U.S. Constitution to create a stronger federal government, replacing the weak Articles of Confederation

• Great Compromise - House representatives based on population Senate representatives are all equal

• 3/5ths Compromise - Slaves would count as 3/5ths of a person for representation and taxation

Whisky Rebellion (1794)

An armed uprising in western Pennsylvania in 1794, where farmers protested a federal excise tax on whiskey, viewing it as an unjust burden and an infringement on their rights. President George Washington led 13,000 troops to put down the rebellion, which demonstrated the new federal government's power to enforce its laws

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

• Naturalization Act - passed by federalists weaken Dem-Reps as many immigrants supported them; increased the waiting period of immigrants to vote to 14 years

• Alien Acts - extended resident requirement for citizenship; gave president right to deport citizens

• Sedition Act - criminalized the criticism of government in newspapers

Land Ordinance of 1785

a law passed by the Confederation Congress to establish a systematic process for surveying and selling land in the Northwest Territory

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

a law passed by the Confederation Congress that set up a government for the Northwest Territory, prohibited slavery in the region, established a process for territories to become states, and included a bill of rights for settlers

Common Sense

the title of a 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that argued forcefully and directly for American independence from Great Britain

Olive Branch Petition

a final attempt by the Second Continental Congress in July 1775 to avoid a full-blown war with Great Britain

Salutary Neglect (1763)

British policy of loose enforcement of laws in the colonies from the late 17th century until the end of the French and Indian War

Quebec Act (1774)

Law expanding Quebec’s territory and religious freedom for Catholics; angered Protestant colonists

Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

Speech warning against political parties and foreign alliances.