APUSH Period 3 Key Terms - With Dates and Authors

French and Indian War (1754–1763)

War between Britain and France in North America; Britain wins but gains debt.

Proclamation Line of 1763

Britain banned colonists from moving west of the Appalachians.

Loyalists

Colonists who supported Britain during the Revolution.

Republicanism

Idea that people choose leaders and government gets power from the people.

Impressment

Forcing men into military service (especially by the British Navy).

Sons and Daughters of Liberty (1765+)

Colonial protest groups against British taxes.

Parliamentary Acts that fueled Colonial Resistance (1760s–1770s)

British taxes (Stamp Act 1765, Townshend Acts 1767, Tea Act 1773) that angered colonists.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers killed 5 colonists during a protest.

Crispus Attucks (1770)

First person killed in the Boston Massacre.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Colonists dumped British tea to protest the Tea Act.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Meeting of colonies to organize resistance against Britain.

Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775)

First battles of the Revolutionary War.

Paul Revere (1775 ride)

Warned colonists that the British were coming.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet convincing colonists to support independence. Author: Thomas Paine.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Colonies united to oppose the Stamp Act.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Document stating America’s independence from Britain. Primary author: Thomas Jefferson.

Second Continental Congress (1775–1781)

Ran the war effort and created the Declaration of Independence.

Articles of Confederation (ratified 1781)

America’s first government; very weak central power.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the Revolutionary War; recognized U.S. independence.

Shays’s Rebellion (1786–1787)

Farmers rebelled; showed the Articles of Confederation were too weak.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Created rules for new states in the Northwest Territory.

Republican Motherhood (1780s–1800s)

Idea that women must teach republican values to children.

U.S. Constitution (1787; ratified 1788)

New strong framework of government replacing the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention of 1787

Meeting to write the U.S. Constitution.

Virginia Plan (1787)

Representation based on population. Author: James Madison.

New Jersey Plan (1787)

Equal representation for all states. Author: William Paterson.

Connecticut Plan / Great Compromise (1787)

Two-house Congress: one by population, one equal. Proposed by Roger Sherman.

Separation of Powers

Government divided into 3 branches.

Federalism

Power shared between national and state governments.

Proportional Representation

Representation based on population size.

Electoral College (1787)

System used to elect the President.

Three-Fifths Clause (1787)

Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for representation.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists (1787–1788)

Debate over Constitution (Federalists for it, Anti-Feds against it).

The Federalist Papers (1787–1788)

Essays supporting the Constitution. Authors: Hamilton, Madison, Jay.

Bill of Rights (1791)

First 10 amendments protecting individual freedoms.

Bank of the United States (1791)

National bank created by Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton’s Commercial Nation vs. Jefferson’s Agrarian Vision (1790s)

Hamilton wanted industry; Jefferson wanted farming.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Farmers rebelled over whiskey tax; Washington stopped it.

John Adams (President 1797–1801)

2nd President; Federalist.

Thomas Jefferson (President 1801–1809)

Author of the Declaration; 3rd President; Democratic-Republican.

XYZ Affair (1797–1798)

French officials demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Laws targeting immigrants and limiting speech against the government.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1798–1799)

Said states could nullify unconstitutional laws. Authors: Jefferson (KY), Madison (VA).

Election of 1800

Peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans.

Democratic-Republican (Party, 1790s–1820s)

Party favoring limited government and farming interests.