APUSH Unit 2: Road to Independence & Creating a New Nation

Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains; angered colonists who wanted to expand westward after the French and Indian War

No Taxation Without Representation

Colonial argument that Britain couldn't tax them because colonists had no representatives in Parliament; became rallying cry for resistance

Stamp Act (1765)

First direct tax on colonists requiring tax stamps on all printed materials (documents, newspapers, pamphlets, books); led to colonial protests and formation of Sons of Liberty

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imported British goods (china, glass, lead, paint, paper, tea); led to non-importation agreements and increased colonial resistance

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing 5 colonists; used as propaganda by Sam Adams and Paul Revere to turn colonial opinion against Britain

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Sons of Liberty dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest Tea Act and British East India Company's monopoly; showed colonial willingness to take direct action

Intolerable Acts (1774)

British punishment for Boston Tea Party: closed Boston Harbor, canceled Massachusetts charter, forced quartering of soldiers, extended Quebec territory; united colonies in opposition

Whigs

Political party believing in limited government power, protection of individual liberties, and opposition to concentrated authority; influenced colonial resistance (in opposition to Andrew Jackson- the democratic party founder)

Republican theory of government

Government derives authority from consent of the governed; citizens have right to resist tyranny; emphasized civic virtue and fear of corruption

Common Sense (1776)

Monarchy is absurd and unjust; America shouldn't be ruled by distant island; British connection hurt trade; America could govern itself; break away and form a republic

Influence of Common Sense

Written in plain language ordinary people understood; sold 500,000+ copies; appealed to American self-interest; shifted opinion from reconciliation to revolution

Enlightenment ideas in Declaration of Independence

Natural Rights (Locke) - life, liberty, pursuit of happiness; Social Contract Theory - government from consent; Right to Revolution - overthrow tyranny; Equality

Purpose of government according to the Declaration

To secure and protect the natural rights of the people (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)

First Continental Congress (1774)

Meeting of delegates from all colonies except Georgia; issued 'Declaration of Rights' to King George III; told militias to prepare

Second Continental Congress (1775-1781)

Meeting of delegates to manage the colonial war effort and move incrementally towards independence

George Washington as Commander

Appointed George Washington as Commander of Continental Army; managed war effort; eventually declared independence.

Reason for Washington's Selection

Military experience and to gain Southern support; his leadership symbolized united colonial resistance.

Olive Branch Petition

Final attempt to reconcile with King George III; affirmed loyalty while asking for repeal of oppressive measures; rejected by the King.

Lexington & Concord

"Shot heard 'round the world" - first military engagement; British tried to seize weapons; minutemen forced British retreat; showed colonists could fight.

Bunker Hill

British victory but heavy casualties (Pyrrhic victory); proved colonials could fight effectively; "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes"; boosted colonial confidence.

Trenton

Washington crossed Delaware River in surprise attack; defeated Hessian mercenaries; crucial morale boost after defeats; showed tactical brilliance.

Saratoga

TURNING POINT - Major American victory; British General Burgoyne surrendered; convinced France to ally with America; proved Americans could win.

Valley Forge

Harsh winter conditions, 2,000 died; Baron von Steuben trained troops; army emerged stronger and more professional; tested commitment to cause.

Yorktown

Final major battle; Cornwallis surrendered; American-French forces trapped British; French navy blocked escape; effectively ended the war.

Colonists' Advantages

Home field advantage on familiar territory; strong motivation fighting for freedom; French alliance; British had long supply lines; guerrilla tactics; Washington's leadership; British fighting multiple enemies.

Articles of Confederation Structure

Only Congress (no executive or judicial branch); each state one vote; 9/13 needed for major laws; unanimous consent to amend; states retained sovereignty.

Weaknesses of the Articles

No executive to enforce laws; no national courts; couldn't tax; couldn't regulate trade; couldn't force state compliance; nearly impossible to amend.

Economic Problems under Articles

No power to levy taxes; printed too much money causing inflation; Spain cut off trade; France demanded loan repayment; weak army.

Shays' Rebellion

Uprising of Massachusetts farmers unable to pay war debts; many were unpaid veterans; federal government had no army to respond; exposed weakness of Articles.

Significance of Shays' Rebellion

Showed federal government couldn't maintain order; created urgency for stronger national government; directly led to Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Philadelphia Convention Purpose

Called to revise the Articles of Confederation (but ended up creating entirely new Constitution).

--War Phases--

Phase 1:

New England

-Lexington and Concord

-Bunker Kill

Phase 2

Middle Colonies

-Trenton

-Saratoga

Phase 3

-Winter at Valley Forge

-Yorktown

--IDs--

Salutary Neglect

British policy of not strictly enforcing laws and indirectly allowed for self governance within the colonies (until the French + Indian war)

Albany Plan of Union

plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes (plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown)

French and Indian War

(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area. English won.

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government (King George) which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains + required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Sugar Act

law passed by the British Parliament setting (indirect) taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies - put in place to raise money to pay for the debt form the French and Indian War/to cover the cost of the British troops stationed in the Colonies

Stamp Act

1765; law that (directly)taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc. - required to purchase a stamp for various paper goods

Sons of Liberty

A group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies + unfair taxation at the time of the American Revolution

Declaratory Act

Act passed in 1766 after the repeal of the stamp act; stated that Parliament had authority over the the colonies and the right to tax and pass legislation "in all cases whatsoever."

Townshend Act

A tax that the British Parliament passed in 1767 that was placed on leads, glass, paint and tea to extort more profit from the colonies + enforce trade regulations/authority

Non-Importation Agreements

A series of Boycotts were the colonial merchants refused to import/buy goods from Great Britain

Boston Massacre

Escalated incident in 1770 where provoked British troops open fired on a group of colonists - Paul Revere's propaganda crafted a narrative that swayed the colonists to the brink of revolution

Virtual Representation

What-British concept that members of parliament represented all of their subjects, including those in the colonies

Tea Act

Tax on tea, allowed British East India Company to have monopoly on tea sales. Damage to colonial economy

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor (news spread quickly and encouraged other acts of resistance).

Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts

British laws that closed the Boston Harbor

First Continental Congress

Agreed to ban all imports and exports to and from England, sign of protest from the colonists

Olive branch Petition

An appeal to the king which the British government rejected, it was the colonies attempt to avoid a full war with Britain. - was meant to show that the colonies where loyal and wanted to restore peace - asked king to stop fighting and repeal unfair laws/allow

Articles of Confederation

Who: 13 original American states

What: first constitution of the US, established weak central gov

When: Adopted in 1781 during the Revolutionary War

Where: The US

Why: To unite the states under a national gov

Significance:

created the first national gov, enabled the negotiation of the treaty of paris - laid groundwork for the future US consitution by showing need for stronger fed gov

Flaws of the Articles of Confederation

* no power to tax (gov had to approach states for funds)

* inability to print money (states were able to print money + caused inflation)

* cannot draft troops (hard to create a military/army, no way to acquire troops for war)

* no executive branch

* amendments required unanimous approval

Republicanism

Liberty over monarchy, challenging British authority, power to the people (small groups of elected representatives vs all citizens)

Shay's Rebellion

An armed uprising of farmers protesting high taxes, debt, and economic hardship (Location Massachusetts, Daniel Shays led it + other farmers from Mass)- why: farmers were losing their farms to debt + foreclosures

Stamp Act (FRQ)

-tax on any piece of printed paper used in the colonies, such as newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards

- colonists argued that since they had no representatives in the British Parliament, Parliament had no right to impose direct tax on them

Thomas Paine (FRQ)

famous for his pamphlet, Common Sense, -> pivotal work in the American Revolution

Advocacy for independence, cirtuque of monarchy, advocacy for a republic, accessible writing style, influence, Broader cause

Declaration of Independence (FRQ)

- Natural Rights

- Popular Sovereignty

- Purpose of Government

- Right to Revolution

- Grievances

Hessians

German mercenaries hired by the British