APUSH: Period 3 Timeline of Major Ideas and Events (1754-1800)

Seven Year's War (1754-1763)

The first 3 years of war focused on battles in Europe with those in the colonies secondary. However, afterwards both enemies, France and Britain, understood the importance of the North American colonies and began shipping troops to support colonists of both sides.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

The plan was made for the purpose of coordinating colonial defense. The plan was developed by Benjamin Franklin when 7 colonies met in Albany; Franklin's plan provided for intercolonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes for colonial defense.

Pontiac's Rebellion (1763)

This would stand as the first major test of the new British imperial policy. Chief Pontiac led a major attack on the colonial western frontier when indians began to become angered by the western encroachment of land and the British refusal to offer gifts as the French had done.

Proclamation of 1763

This prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains in hope of prevention towards future hostilities among British colonists and Native Americans.

Sugar Act of 1764

This act placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries with the soul purpose of raising money for the British monarchy. However, this also provided stricter enforcement of the Navigation Acts of 1651 by sending troops into the colonies by the British.

Quartering Act of 1765

The Quartering Act required colonists to provide food and a living quarters for British troops which the British found justified as they soldiers were sent to protect the colonists from indian invasions. However, this further angered colonists as they voluntarily did this prior to the enforcement, causing further discontent.

Stamp Act of 1765

This act required that revenue stamps be placed on most printed documents including legal documents and newspapers. It was put in act in effort to raise funds for the British military forces.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Representatives from nine colonies met in New York to discuss the enforcement of the Stamp Act. The team resolved that only their elected representatives had the legal authority to approve such taxation.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

The Sons and Daughters of Liberty was a secret society of radical colonists who organized for the purpose of intimidating tax agents. This included but was not limited to destroying stamps and tarring and feathering tax collectors, which many colonists considered to be much too radical.

Declaratory Act (1766)

With a new King in control, this asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies in "all cases whatsoever". This attitude led to renewed conflict among colonists and British rule.

The Townshend Acts (1767)

The Townshend Acts enacted duties to be collected on colonial imports of glass, tea, and paper. This income was used to pay crown officials stationed in the colonies and also allowed for unauthorized search and seize of homes for smuggled goods which we would later see repealed in the Bill of Rights.

Dickinson's Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767-1768)

Dickinson wrote this letter stating that Parliament could regulate commerce but argued that because duties were a form of taxation, they could not be levied on colonies without the consent of their elected representative assemblies.

Massachusetts Circular Letter (1768)

The letter was written cohesively by James Otis and Samuel Adams who urged various colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts. After attempts by Parliament to retract the letter from circulation, colonists conducted boycotts against taxed goods.

Repeal of the Townshend Acts (1770)

With yet another new king in control, Lord Frederick North, the British urged the repeal of the Townshend Acts because they damaged trade and generated a disappointingly small amount of revenue.

Boston Massacre (1770)

After a crowd of colonists harassed British guards near customs homes, guards fired into the crowd killing 5. However, troops were tried in Britain while colonists dramaticized the event to inflame anti-British feelings.

Committees of Correspondence (1772)

The committees kept alive the view that British officials were undermining colonial liberties. Adams began practicing the organization of communities that would exchange letters of suspicious or threatening British behavior.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

After the enactment of the Townshend Acts in 1767 and colonists began refusing to purchase the British East India Company's tea, a group of Bostonians- the Sons of Liberty- disguised themselves as Indians, boarded British ships, and dumped 342 chests of the tea into Boston Harbor.

Coercive Acts (1774)

These acts were directed mainly as punishment for the acts committed in the Boston Tea Party. 1) The British closed Boston Harbor. 2) The power of the legislature was decreased while royal power and authority increased. 3) Royal officials would now be tried in Great Britain rather than in the colonies. 4) British troops would be upgraded from customs homes to private homes in an increasingly enforced Quartering Act.

Quebec Act (1774)

This law organized the Canadian lands gained from the French following the French and Indian War. French Canadians were accepting while colonists resented this act. The act also established Roman Catholicism as the primary religion, established a government without representative assembly, and extended Canadian borders past the Ohio River.

First Continental Congress (September 1774)

The purpose of the congress was to respond to what delegates viewed as Britain's alarming threats to colonial liberties. These views ranged from radical to conservative, however with loyalists unrepresented. The congress eventually called for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts, urged the king to redress colonial grievances, created a network of committees to enforce economic sanction, and declared colonial rights.

Lord Dunmore's War (1774)

A conflict that arose prior to the Revolutionary War between colonists in Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indians.

Lexington and Concord (April 18, 1775)

British troops were sent to seize colonial military supplies in Concord. However, with news of such, Paul Revere and William Dawes set out on their "midnight ride" to warn of the terrible news. Americans were forced to retreat after a devastating blow to their colonial militia. However, who shot that first shot "heard round the world"?

Second Continental Congress (May 1775)

At this congress, delegates had become divided. One group of delegates, mostly from the northern New England colonies, believed the colonies should declare independence. However, many delegates representing the middle colonies hoped that conflict may be resolved and subside with negotiation of a new relationship with the king.

Bunker Hill (June 1775)

British forces attacked a colonial militia of mostly farmers on the outskirts of Boston. Though Americans suffered great loss of troops, they claimed victory having succeeded in inflicting heavy losses upon British troops.

Olive Branch Petition (July 1775)

The Olive Branch Petition was a final straw to hoping for a repaired relationship between the colonists and the British monarchy. It pledged colonial loyalty and asked the king to intercede with Parliament to secure peace and protection of colonial rights. It was instead rejected, thus lighting a fire under the burning fuel of angry colonists.

Common Sense (1776)

Thomas Paine's essay arguing an idea previously seen as radical till now- a clear and forceful argument for colonies to become independent states, a clear act of treason. The pamphlet also discussed the idea of "unalienable rights," an idea to later be used by Thomas Jefferson in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence (adopted July 4, 1776)

After a year, the Second Continental Congress favored independence. Thus five delegates formed to write the document declaring a list of grievances and expressing basic principles justifying revolution.

Patriots

The largest number of Patriot fighters was located in the northern New England colonies. Many would serve a local militia unit for a short period, leave to work and tend to farms, and return to fight. This allowed for over hundreds of thousands of troops to fight with no more than 20,000 under Washington's control at once.

Loyalists (Tories)

The Revolutionary War acted as a sort of civil war as well- a war between those willing to fight against the British and those who pledged allegiance to the monarchy, the Loyalists. Those who maintained allegiance divided not just the nation but also families and relationships.

Battle of Trenton (December 1776)

The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal battle in the American Revolutionary War. This battle is best depicted in the infamous painting of Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware River under harsh winter conditions, leading his main body of the Continental Army.

Battle of Saratoga (October 1777)

The British's objective was to cut off New England from the remainder of the colonies, a seemingly well developed plan. However, the British were instead attacked by ambush, an unfamiliar style of fighting for the British, led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold.

Valley Forge (Winter 1777)

Where Washington's demoralized troops suffered through a very harsh winter after a major loss in Philadelphia.

Murray's "On the Equality of the Sexes" (1779)

Murray was a strong advocate for women's rights. "On the Equality of the Sexes" argued that women had equal intellect as men and should thus share similar rights.

Philipsburg Proclamation (1779)

A 1779 proclamation that declared that any slave who deserted a rebel master would receive protection, freedom, and land from Great Britain.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle in the American Revolutionary War. It was strongly supported by French naval and military forces until Washington's army forced General Cornwallis' surrender, a major British army commander at this time.

Articles of Confederation (ratified 1781)

The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States as a nation. It established central government but a stronger state government as colonists feared overly powerful federal governments. One major accomplishment of the articles was the success of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 which established a system of creating new states and prohibited the expansion of slavery beyond the Ohio River. However, one major issue was the federal government's inability to tax as there remained an overwhelming debt carried over from the costs of the American Revolutionary War.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris provided for 1) recognition of the United States as an independent nation, 2) the Mississippi River would be established as the western border, 3) Americans would receive fishing rights off of the coastline of Canada, and 4) Americans would be responsible for paying off debts owed to British merchants.

Separation of Church and State

Most states had adopted this principle which refused to give any state financial support to any religious groups. The practice was finally discontinued completely in the 1830s after New England states had been disobeying this act.

Annapolis Convention (1786)

The purpose was to review what could be done about the country's inability to overcome critical problems. After discussing ways to improve commercial relations, many were persuaded to hold a second convention in Philadelphia.

Shay's Rebellion (1786-1787)

An armed uprising in Massachusetts where Daniel Shay led 4,000 rebel farmers in a protest against perceived economic and civil rights injustices.

United Stated Constitution (September 1787)

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Originally comprised of 7 articles, it delineates the national frame of government.

Great Compromise

The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature for the soul purpose of appeasing lowly and highly populated states. The first, upper house would receive representatives equally- 2 per state. However, the lower of the two would be based solely on population.

Three-Fifths Compromise

When citizens found that the lower house's representation would be based on population, debates arose arguing if slaves would be considered part of the population or not. It was decided in the Three-Fifths Compromise that one slave would be considered 3/5 a person in the population of a state.

Commercial Compromise

This allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. However, it prohibited tariffing on exported goods. This compromise incorporated the needs of both federalists and anti-federalists to a certain degree.

Electoral College

Presidents would not be elected directly at the hands at the people as they feared that too much democracy would lead to mob rule. This created an electoral college where candidates would not only be elected by the popular vote but must also reach a specific number of electoral votes to officially win.

The Federalist Papers

Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to persuade people to support the ratification of the Constitution.

Ratification of the Constitution (1878-1790)

Federalists advocated for such. However, after the ratification, anti-Federalists became known as democratic-republicans. This also included the approval of a Bill of Rights.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Established a successful system of creating new states whilst also prohibiting the expansion of slavery beyond the Ohio River.

Bill of Rights (1789, adopted 1791)

A list of the first ten amendments in the United States Constitution which guarantee basic individual rights, also referred to as "unalienable rights". George Mason's opposition to a constitution led to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.

Washington's Cabinet (1789)

Four positions of assistance:

1) Secretary of War- Knox

2) Secretary of State- Jefferson

3) Secretary of Treasury- Hamilton

4) Attorney General- Randolph

Judiciary Act of 1789

An act to establish the judicial courts of the United States. Article III of the Constitution established the Supreme Court, however with most authority laying in the hands of Congress.

Hamilton's "Report on the Public Credit" (1790)

Called for payment in full on all government debts as the foundation for establishing government credit.

Creation of the National Bank (1790)

Anti-Federalists against creation of such while Federalists supported the idea. When the creation was approved, Hamilton conceived of the bank to handle colossal war debt.

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

A formal announcement issued by Washington declaring the nations neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. In fact, it threatened to take legal action against anyone who assisted either country at times of war.

Jay Treaty (1794)

The British agreed to leave forts on the frontier of the newfound nation. However, it did not stop the British from the harassment of American ships or native issues, yet it did keep the Americans neutral.

Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)

The final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between tribes affiliated with western confederacy.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

A major tax protest during Washington's presidential rule. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on domestic products by the federal government.

Treaty of Greenville (1795)

Refers to one or two treaties in what is today known as Greenville, Ohio. This followed the loss of Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

Established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain and recognized the 31st parallel as the southern border.

Public Land Act of 1796

Minimum price of land at $2 per acre was unchanged in which the price was doubled from that set by the Land Ordinance of 1785.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

This urged Americans to avoid excessive political party spirit and geographic distinction as well as warned against long-term alliances with other foreign nations.

XYZ Affair (1797-1798)

A diplomatic incident between the French and the United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war- the Quasi War. French negotiators, only known by the titles of "X, Y, and Z" restored peace in the Convention of 1800.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

A series of laws passed by the Federalist Congress to restrict immigration. However, because immigrants oftentimes favored Jeffersonian ideology, this restricted Anti-Federalist support where the Jeffersonians would eventually nullify the acts.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1799)

Political statements drafted in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures found the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional.

Election of 1800

The fourth election in the United Stats between Federalist Adams and Anti-Federalist Jefferson where Adams would reign as president with Jefferson serving as Vice President.