AMSTUD Unit 3A

French and Indian War (Seven Years War)

A war (1754-1763) between Great Britain and France (and their respective allies) over North American territory, particularly the Ohio River Valley. British victory led to France losing most of its North American possessions. This victory also resulted in significant British debt, leading to new taxes and stricter control over the American colonies, ultimately fueling colonial resentment and contributing to the American Revolution.

Albany Plan of Union

A proposal developed in 1754 by Benjamin Franklin that aimed to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies to better coordinate defense and relations with Native Americans during the French and Indian War.

Benjamin Franklin

A pivotal figure during this period, notable for proposing the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, serving as a diplomat during the Revolution, and signing both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Peace (Treaty) of Paris, 1763

The treaty that ended the French and Indian War, establishing British dominance in North America and ceding Canada and Florida to Britain while France ceded Louisiana to Spain.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

A conflict between Native American tribes and British forces in 1763, sparked by British policies following the French and Indian War, leading to a series of attacks on British forts and settlements in the Great Lakes region.

Proclamation of 1763

An edict issued by the British Crown that prohibited colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflicts with Native Americans after the French and Indian War.

virtual representation

The British political theory that colonists were represented in Parliament by virtue of being British subjects, even without direct electoral representation, used to justify taxation and laws imposed on the American colonies.

Sugar Act, 1764

A British law that lowered the molasses tax but enforced it strictly, imposed new duties on colonial imports (sugar, wine, coffee), and expanded the use of vice-admiralty courts. It was the first act explicitly designed to raise revenue from the colonies, sparking colonial protest over "no taxation without representation."

Vice Admiralty Courts

British courts established in the colonies to try cases involving violations of navigation laws and other imperial legislation, notably those related to the Sugar Act. These courts operated without juries, placing the burden of proof on the accused, and were presided over by a royally appointed judge. Colonists viewed them as a violation of their right to a trial by jury and a tool of British oppression, contributing significantly to colonial discontent.

Quartering Act, 1765

A British law passed by Parliament that required American colonies to provide housing, food, and supplies for British troops stationed in the colonies. This act mandated that if barracks were unavailable, soldiers could be quartered in public houses, inns, or even private homes

Stamp Act, 1765

A British parliamentary act that mandated the use of specially stamped paper for virtually every printed material in the colonies, including newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, and even dice.

Patrick Henry

A prominent American attorney, planter, and orator from Virginia, recognized as one of the most influential figures in the American Revolution. He famously declared, "Give me liberty or give me death!" during a speech to the Second Virginia Convention in 1775, powerfully articulating the colonists' resolve for independence.

Stamp Act Congress

A meeting held in New York City in October 1765, attended by delegates from nine of the Thirteen Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina). This extralegal convention was convened in response to the Stamp Act, a British law that imposed a direct tax on various printed materials in the colonies.

Sons of Liberty

A secret patriotic society formed by American colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, primarily after the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765.

Declaratory Act, 1766

An act passed by the British Parliament in March 1766, simultaneous to the repeal of the Stamp Act. defiantly asserted Parliament's absolute power to legislate for and tax the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever," thus explicitly reaffirming British parliamentary sovereignty and disregarding colonial claims of "no taxation without representation." It laid the groundwork for future imperial-colonial conflicts by maintaining the constitutional principle of British authority over the colonies.

Townshend Acts, 1767

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1767, named after Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. These acts were designed to: raise revenue from the colonies to pay the salaries of colonial governors and judges (making them financially independent of colonial assemblies, thus strengthening British control); enforce trade regulations more effectively; and punish the New York assembly for its failure to comply with the Quartering Act of 1765.

writ of assistance

A general search warrant issued by British colonial courts, allowing customs officials to search any ship or building for smuggled goods without a specific reason or probable cause.

John Dickinson/Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania

An American lawyer, politician, and statesman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, known as the \"Penman of the Revolution\" for his influential writings. He was a moderate voice in the early stages of the American Revolution, seeking reconciliation with Britain while defending colonial rights.

Samuel Adams

A prominent American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, … was a leading figure in the movement that led to the American Revolution. He was known for his fervent opposition to British taxation and his efforts to organize colonial resistance.

Boston Massacre, 1770

A confrontation on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of Bostonians, killing five colonists. This event significantly escalated tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies and became a powerful symbol of British tyranny.

Committees of Correspondence

Shadow governments formed by patriotic leaders in the Thirteen American Colonies on the eve of the American Revolution. These networks served as a vital system for communication and coordination among the colonies, helping to articulate and disseminate colonial grievances against British policies.

Tea Act, 1773

a law passed by the British Parliament that gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies

Boston Tea Party, 1773

a political protest in 1773 where American colonists, disguised as Native Americans, dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act and the broader issue of "taxation without representation"

Coercive Acts, 1774

a series of four punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and to assert greater British control.

Quebec Act, 1774

a 1774 British law that angered American colonists by extending the boundaries of Quebec to the Ohio River, granting religious freedom to French Catholics, restoring French civil law, and denying a representative assembly to the new territory.

Deism

the Enlightenment-influenced belief that a Supreme Being created the universe and then allowed it to operate by natural laws, without any further intervention in human affairs or supernatural intervention

Thomas Paine/ Common Sense

a pamphlet arguing for American independence, widely popularizing concepts of republicanism and democracy by condemning British monarchy and urging colonists to abandon reconciliation and fight for their own liberty and self-governance.

John Locke/social contract/Jean Jacques Rousseau

individuals acquire civil rights by accepting the obligation to respect and protect the rights of others, thereby relinquishing certain personal freedoms in the process.