APUSH Chapters 4, 5, and 6: Colonial Resistance, American Revolution, and the New Republic

Vocabulary review flashcards covering British colonial policy, causes of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation, the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, and the Federalist Era.

Salutary Neglect

The British colonial policy, exemplified by Prime Minister Robert Walpole's lax enforcement of the Navigation Acts, that allowed the colonies relative economic and political autonomy.

Navigation Acts

Acts passed by Great Britain requiring the American colonists to trade exclusively with Britain, leading to widespread smuggling during the period of salutary neglect.

Albany Plan of Union

A 1754 proposal drafted by Benjamin Franklin calling for an intercolonial government; approved by conference delegates but rejected by colonial assemblies fearing tax powers and by Britain for granting too much colonial autonomy.

Peace of Paris of 1763

The treaty concluding the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) that essentially removed France from North America and left Great Britain with massive imperial debt.

Pontiac's Rebellion

A 1763 Native American uprising in the Northwest Territory (present-day Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan) against British expansion following the French and Indian War.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A British decree enacted directly after Pontiac's Rebellion that forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Sugar Act of 1764

British legislation designed to curb illegal smuggling by taxing sugar and establishing vice-admiralty courts where accused smugglers had no jury trial and were presumed guilty until proven innocent.

Currency Act of 1764

An act of Parliament prohibiting American colonies from issuing paper money, creating hardship due to the scarce domestic supply of gold and silver.

Stamp Act of 1765

A direct British tax on 50 paper goods and legal documents, including playing cards, newspapers, and marriage licenses, enacted without the consent of colonial assemblies.

Stamp Act Congress

A meeting of delegates in New York that represented the first organized effort at colonial unity specifically aimed against British imperial taxation.

Virginia Resolves

Resolutions introduced by Patrick Henry asserting that Virginians possessed the same rights as the English and could only be taxed by their own colonial assembly.

Sons of Liberty

An organization of colonial protesters who actively opposed British taxation, frequently terrorizing, tarring, and feathering stamp collectors and purchasers of British goods.

Declaratory Act

A 1766 British statute issued immediately upon the repeal of the Stamp Act, declaring that Parliament held the sovereign authority to legislate for the colonies in all cases whatsoever.

Quartering Act of 1765

A British law compelling colonists to provide housing and provisions for British troops without compensation, leading to the suspension of the New York colonial assembly.

Townshend Duties

Taxes levied by Charles Townshend in 1767 on imported lead, paint, paper, and tea; all were repealed in 1770 except for the tax on tea.

Nonimportation Agreements

Colonial boycotts against imported British goods that fostered the American homespun movement and encouraged the expansion of domestic manufacturing.

Boston Massacre

The March 5, 1770 event in which British soldiers fired into a hostile colonial crowd, killing five colonists; widely circulated across the colonies as anti-British propaganda through Paul Revere's engraving.

Committees of Correspondence

Intercolonial communications networks proposed by Samuel Adams in 1772 to share grievances and promote revolutionary sentiment across the colonies.

Virtual Representation

The British defense against 'no taxation without representation,' asserting that members of Parliament represented the interests of all subjects throughout the empire regardless of whether they voted.

Tea Act of 1773

British legislation designed to bail out the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly that lowered tea prices below smuggled tea, prompting boycotts and the Boston Tea Party.

Intolerable (Coercive) Acts

Punitive acts closing Boston Harbor, curtailing Massachusetts colonial self-government, and establishing extraterritoriality so royal officials accused of crimes were tried in Great Britain.

Quebec Act

A 1774 law extending the boundary of Quebec south to the Ohio Valley and granting legal protection to Roman Catholics, provoking alarm among American colonists.

First Continental Congress

A 1774 meeting in Philadelphia attended by delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies (excluding Georgia) in response to the Intolerable Acts; advocated boycotts and military preparations while seeking a return to salutary neglect rather than independence.

Olive Branch Petition

A July 1775 appeal adopted by the Second Continental Congress to King George III seeking reconciliation and an end to hostilities; firmly rejected by the King.

Hessians

German mercenary soldiers hired by King George III to assist British regular troops in suppressing the colonial rebellion.

Common Sense

A 1776 pamphlet written by Thomas Paine arguing that an entire continent should not be ruled by a small island and urging undecided colonists to embrace complete independence.

Battle of Saratoga

A decisive 1777 military engagement that served as the turning point of the Revolutionary War by convincing France to provide direct military and financial assistance to the United States.

Republicanism

The political philosophy embraced during the Revolutionary era asserting that legitimate governmental power originates entirely from the people.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing framework of the United States (1777); created a weak central legislature lacking an executive branch, the authority to tax, and the power to regulate interstate commerce.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A congressional system for surveying and selling western public lands divided into 36-square-mile townships, reserving the revenue of the 16th section specifically for funding public schools.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Legislation establishing that a territory could apply for statehood upon reaching a population of 60,000, while formally prohibiting slavery within the Northwest Territory.

Treaty of Greenville

A treaty compelling Native American tribes to cede large tracts of territory in present-day Ohio and Indiana to the United States government.

Shays' Rebellion

A 1786 armed uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays demanding paper currency, tax relief, and an end to foreclosures; demonstrated the military and financial weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Newburgh Conspiracy

A planned mutiny in 1783 by Continental Army officers over unpaid military pensions that was successfully averted by George Washington's direct intervention.

Annapolis Convention

A 1786 interstate conference attended by delegates from only five states to discuss trade barriers; resulted in Alexander Hamilton calling for a broader constitutional convention in Philadelphia.

Virginia Plan

James Madison's proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with representation in both chambers based on population, favored by large states.

New Jersey Plan

William Paterson's proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a unicameral legislature giving each state equal representation, favored by small states.

Great Compromise

Roger Sherman's Connecticut plan establishing a bicameral Congress consisting of a population-based House of Representatives and a Senate with equal representation (two per state).

Three-Fifths Compromise

A constitutional agreement stipulating that three out of every five enslaved individuals would be counted for both taxation and congressional apportionment.

Elastic Clause

The 'Necessary and Proper' clause of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, granting Congress the authority to pass all laws essential to carrying out its enumerated powers.

The Federalist Papers

A series of political essays published by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay designed to convince states to ratify the proposed United States Constitution.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Legislation passed by the First Congress organizing the federal judiciary and establishing the Supreme Court with one Chief Justice and five Associate Justices.

Funding at Par

Alexander Hamilton's financial principle requiring the federal government to redeem all Revolutionary War national debts at full face value plus accumulated interest.

Whiskey Rebellion

A 1794 insurrection by western Pennsylvania farmers opposing Alexander Hamilton's federal excise tax on whiskey; quickly halted by a federal militia led by President Washington.

Citizen Genêt Affair

An international incident sparked when French diplomat Edmond Genêt bypassed the federal government to recruit American citizens to fight against Great Britain.

Jay's Treaty

A 1794 treaty negotiated with Great Britain by John Jay that secured compensation for seized American vessels and promised the evacuation of British frontier forts, but drew severe criticism in the South.

Pinckney's Treaty

A 1795 agreement negotiated with Spain granting the United States navigation rights along the Mississippi River and the right of deposit in New Orleans.

XYZ Affair

A 1797 diplomatic crisis in which three French emissaries solicited a $250,000$ bribe from American envoys to arrange talks with the French foreign minister, sparking anti-French war hysteria.

Quasi-War

An undeclared naval war between the United States and France fought from 1798 to 1800 following the XYZ Affair, concluding when Napoleon took power in France.

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798 Federalist laws designed to suppress Republican opposition by raising residency requirements for citizenship, authorizing the deportation of dangerous non-citizens, and criminalizing criticism of the government.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Resolutions anonymously authored by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson asserting that individual states retain the right to nullify unconstitutional federal laws such as the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Revolution of 1800

The presidential election in which Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams, establishing the first peaceful transfer of executive control between opposing political parties in U.S. history.

Midnight Judges

Federalist judicial appointees, including John Marshall, commissioned by President John Adams in the final days of his presidency pursuant to the Judiciary Act of 1801.