Unit 3 Period 3 - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from AP U.S. History Period 3 (1754–1800), including wars, legislation, governance, and social changes.

Seven Years' War (French and Indian War)

A global conflict (primarily 1754–1763 in North America) between Britain and France, with Native American alliances; Britain's victory in 1763 expanded imperial power and set the stage for colonial tax tensions.

Albany Plan of Union

Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 proposal for a loose intercolonial government to coordinate defense; ultimately not adopted, but a precedent for later colonial cooperation.

Peace of Paris (1763)

Treaty ending the Seven Years' War; Britain gained Canada and Florida, France ceded territory west of the Mississippi to Spain, and Britain’s North American empire expanded.

Proclamation of 1763

Royal decree forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to stabilize the frontier; angered colonists seeking land westward.

Salutary neglect

Britain’s early lax enforcement of trade laws and governance policies that allowed colonial self-rule; ended after the Seven Years' War.

Sugar Act (1764)

Tax on imported sugar and certain luxuries; tightened enforcement of the Navigation Acts and allowed admiralty courts without juries for smuggling cases.

Quartering Act (1765)

Required colonies to provide housing and supplies for British troops stationed in North America.

Stamp Act (1765)

Direct tax on printed materials in the colonies; sparked widespread protest and helped unite colonies in opposition.

Stamp Act Congress

1765 gathering of representatives from nine colonies to organize colonial opposition to the Stamp Act and argue for representative taxation.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Parliament’s assertion that it could legislate for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever,” after repealing the Stamp Act.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Placing duties on imported goods (tea, glass, paper) to raise revenue; used to fund crown officials in the colonies and authorized searches (writs of assistance).

writ of assistance

General search warrants allowing officials to search without specifying the place or items; used to curb smuggling.

Boston Massacre (1770)

Clash in which five colonists were killed by British soldiers; used as propaganda for anti-British sentiment and mobilization.

Committees of Correspondence

Organized by Samuel Adams beginning in 1772 to coordinate communication among colonies about British threats and actions.

Gaspee affair

1772 event in which colonists burned a British revenue ship; fueled anti-British sentiment and calls for unified colonial action.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest against the Tea Act in which colonists dumped East India Company tea into Boston Harbor; intensified crackdown by Britain.

Tea Act (1773)

Parliamentary law that made tea cheaper for the colonies but reinforced Parliament’s right to tax and regulate trade.

Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) (1774)

Punitive measures aimed at Massachusetts (Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, expanded Quartering Act) after the Tea Party.

Quebec Act (1774)

Expanded Quebec’s territory and guaranteed Catholicism; resented by colonists who feared it would undermine colonial self-government.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Colonial assembly in Philadelphia that coordinated a response to the Intolerable Acts and established the Continental Association to enforce economic sanctions.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Final attempt by the colonies to reconcile with Britain and restore rights before full-scale war; rejected by King George III.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Declared the colonies’ independence from Britain and articulated Enlightenment principles of natural rights and equality.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Turning point victory for the Americans; convinced France to ally with the United States, greatly aiding the war effort.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the Revolutionary War; Britain recognized U.S. independence and set western boundary at the Mississippi River.

Articles of Confederation

First national framework (1777) creating a weak central government; lacked power to tax or regulate commerce.

Land Ordinance of 1785

System for surveying and selling western lands; established funding for education by reserving land for schools.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Set the process for admitting new states from the Northwest Territory and prohibited slavery there.

Shays’s Rebellion (1786–87)

Massachusetts farmer uprising that highlighted weaknesses of the Articles and spurred calls for a stronger central government.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

Meeting in Philadelphia to revise the Articles, resulting in the U.S. Constitution and a stronger federal framework.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan)

Bicameral Congress: Senate with equal representation and House with representation by population; resolved representation disputes.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Three-fifths of enslaved people would count for representation and taxation purposes in Congress.

Commercial Compromise

Congress could regulate interstate and foreign commerce but could not tax exports.

Electoral College

System for selecting the president: each state has a number of electors equal to its total representatives and senators.

Federalists

Supporters of a strong central government and the Constitution; included Madison, Hamilton, and Jay.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution who feared centralized power and demanded a Bill of Rights.

The Federalist Papers

Essays by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay defending the Constitution and explaining its provisions.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments protecting individual liberties; added to reassure Anti-Federalists and limit federal power.

Separation of Powers

Division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny.

Federalism

Division of power between national and state governments.

National Bank (Bank of the United States)

Hamilton’s plan to stabilize national finances via a central bank; sparked debate about implied powers.

Jay Treaty (1794)

Agreement with Britain to evacuate frontier posts and resolve maritime issues; helped maintain neutrality.

Pinckney Treaty (1795)

Agreement with Spain granting open access to the Mississippi River and rights of deposit in New Orleans.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Western Pennsylvania revolt against a federal tax on whiskey; demonstrated strong federal authority under Washington.

Northwest Territory

Region acquired from the Revolution; governed by the Northwest Ordinance and opened to settlement.

Republican Motherhood

Idea that women should be educated to raise virtuous citizens; expanded female public influence in the home.

Abolition of aristocratic titles and primogeniture

Post-revolution move to end hereditary nobility and aristocratic privileges in state constitutions.

Separation of Church and State

Efforts to disestablish established churches and reduce government funding of religion.

Republicanism and the two-term tradition

Praxis of rotating leadership and suspicion of entangled political parties; Washington’s two-term precedent.

Farewell Address (George Washington)

Warnings against entangling alliances, permanent alliances, political parties, and sectionalism; stressed national unity.