APUSH Unit 3 Test Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key individuals, events, and legal documents of the American Revolution and the Early Republic as outlined in the Unit 3 review.

George Washington

Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the first President of the United States.

Benjamin Franklin

Founding father and diplomat who proposed the Albany Plan of Union and helped secure French aid during the Revolution.

George Grenville

British Prime Minister who ended salutary neglect and enforced the first direct taxes on the colonies to pay for the Seven Years' War.

Samuel Adams

A leader of the Sons of Liberty and a key protagonist in the agitation against British taxation policies.

Crispus Attucks

A man of African and Native American descent who was the first person killed during the Boston Massacre.

John Adams

A prominent lawyer who defended British soldiers after the Boston Massacre and served as the second President of the United States.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas on natural rights and the social contract heavily influenced the American Revolution.

John Jacques Rousseau

Enlightenment thinker whose ideas on the social contract and popular sovereignty influenced revolutionary political theory.

Adam Smith

Economist whose book "Wealth of Nations" established the principles of modern capitalism and free-market theory during the late $18$th century.

King George III

The monarch of Great Britain during the American Revolution and the period of colonial resistance.

Thomas Paine

Author of "Common Sense," a pamphlet that argued for American independence based on Enlightenment principles.

Thomas Jefferson

Primary author of the Declaration of Independence and advocate for strict constructionism as the third President.

Charles Cornwallis

British general who surrendered his army at the Battle of Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

Abigail Adams

The wife of John Adams who famously urged her husband to "remember the ladies" while drafting new laws for the republic.

Benjamin Rush

Founding father and physician who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a leader in the American Enlightenment.

Alexander Hamilton

Federalist leader and first Secretary of the Treasury who proposed a five-part financial plan for the new nation.

James Madison

Known as the "Father of the Constitution," co-author of the Federalist Papers, and proponent of the Virginia Plan.

John Jay

Founding father and diplomat who co-authored the Federalist Papers and negotiated a namesake treaty with Great Britain in $1794$.

"Publius"

The collective pseudonym used by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to publish the Federalist Papers.

Roger Sherman

A Connecticut delegate who proposed the Great Compromise to bridge the gap between large and small states.

Mercy Otis Warren

A political writer and playwright who was an influential Anti-Federalist and woman of the Revolutionary era.

Citizen Genet

A French minister who sought to mobilize American support for the French Revolution, leading to the Neutrality Proclamation of $1793$.

John Marshall

A leading Federalist who later became the influential Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

French Minister Tallyrand

The diplomat involved in the XYZ Affair, where he demanded bribes from American envoys to stop French interference with US shipping.

Fort Necessity

The site of George Washington's surrender in $1754$, which helped trigger the French and Indian War.

Albany Plan of Union

A $1754$ proposal by Benjamin Franklin aimed at unifying the colonies for common defense against the French.

Join or Die

A political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin to encourage colonial unity during the French and Indian War.

Treaty of Paris ($1763$)

Agreement that ended the Seven Years' War, resulting in France losing nearly all its North American territory to Britain.

Salutary neglect

The unofficial British policy of relaxed enforcement of parliamentary laws in the American colonies prior to $1763$.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

A native uprising against British expansion in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of $1763$

British decree prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflict with Native Americans.

Iroquois Confederacy

A powerful alliance of six Native American tribes that interacted diplomatically with both the British and French.

Sugar Act

A $1764$ act that lowered the duty on molasses but aimed to curb smuggling and raise crown revenue.

Currency Act

A $1764$ act that prohibited the colonies from issuing their own paper money, causing economic tension.

Quartering Act

A $1765$ law requiring colonists to provide food and housing for British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

Stamp Act

A $1765$ direct tax on various paper goods that led to widespread colonial protest and the formation of the Stamp Act Congress.

Townshend Acts

A series of indirect taxes passed in $1767$ on imported items such as glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea.

Writs of Assistance

General search warrants used by British customs officials to search colonial property for smuggled goods.

Stamp Act Congress

The first gathering of elected representatives from several colonies to devise a unified protest against British taxation.

Sons of Liberty

A secret grassroots organization of colonists formed to oppose British policies through both peaceful and violent protest.

Minutemen

Colonial militia members who were trained to be ready for battle at a minute's notice.

Boston Massacre

A $1770$ event where British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five and fueling anti-British sentiment.

Boston Tea Party

A $1773$ protest in which members of the Sons of Liberty dumped British tea into the harbor to protest the Tea Act.

The Gaspee

A British customs ship that was attacked and burned by Rhode Island colonists in $1772$.

Intolerable/Coercive Acts

A series of punitive laws passed in $1774$ to punish Boston for the Tea Party and restrict colonial governance.

Quebec Act

Passed in $1774$, it expanded the boundaries of Quebec and granted rights to Catholics, angering American colonists.

Virtual representation

The British theory that Parliament represented all subjects of the empire, including colonists who had no elected representatives.

Navigation Acts

A series of laws restricting colonial trade to British ships and ports, which were strictly enforced after $1763$.

Internal vs external taxes

The distinction between direct taxes paid by individuals (like the Stamp Act) versus indirect taxes on imported goods (like the Townshend Acts).

Declaratory Act

Passed in $1766$ alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act, it affirmed Parliament's absolute authority to tax the colonies.

Tea Act

A $1773$ act that granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies.

Natural Law

The belief that certain rights are inherent by human nature and can be understood through reason.

Social Contract theory

The idea that government exists based on an agreement between the rulers and the subjects to protect rights.

"Second Treatise of Government"

John Locke's work outlining the duty of government to protect life, liberty, and property.

"Wealth of Nations"

Adam Smith's influential text on the efficiency of free markets and the "invisible hand."

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War on April $19$, $1775$.

$2$nd Continental Congress

The assembly of colonial delegates that managed the colonial war effort and adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Olive Branch Petition

A final attempt by the colonists in $1775$ to avoid war with Britain by pledging loyalty to the King.

Declaration of Independence

The $1776$ document asserting the colonies' separation from Great Britain based on Enlightenment ideals.

Republican form of government

A system in which power resides in the people and is exercised by elected representatives.

"Common Sense"

Thomas Paine's pamphlet that argued for independence and challenged the authority of the monarchy.

Patriots vs Loyalists

The split between those who supported American independence and those who remained loyal to the British Crown.

War of attrition

A military strategy of wearing down the enemy over time through continuous losses in personnel and resources.

Battle of Trenton

A surprise victory by George Washington on December $26$, $1776$, following his crossing of the Delaware River.

Battle of Saratoga

A $1777$ turning point in the Revolution that convinced France to openly support the American cause.

Battle of Yorktown

The final major battle of the Revolution in $1781$ leading to the British surrender.

Treaty of Paris ($1783$)

The agreement that formally recognized the independence of the United States and set its boundaries.

Republican motherhood

The ideology that women played a vital role in the republic by raising virtuous, educated citizens.

"Remember the ladies… "

A phrase from Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams advocating for women's status in the new government.

Shay’s Rebellion

A $1786$ uprising of debt-ridden farmers in Massachusetts that highlighed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Separation of powers

The division of government authority among different branches to prevent any one from becoming too powerful.

Executive, legislative, judicial branches

The three-branch structure of the US government designed for checks and balances.

Northwest Ordinance of $1787$

Legislation that established a process for admitting new states and prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Land Ordinance of $1785$

A law providing for the orderly surveying and sale of public lands in the Northwest Territory.

Annapolis Convention

A $1786$ meeting called to discuss commercial problems, which ultimately led to the call for the Constitutional Convention.

Constitutional Convention

The $1787$ meeting in Philadelphia where delegates drafted the United States Constitution.

$\frac{3}{5}$ Compromise

An agreement to count $\frac{3}{5}$ of the slave population for purposes of both representation and taxation.

Connecticut (Great) Compromise

The plan for a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate.

Virginia Plan

A proposal for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature based on state population.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, favoring smaller states.

bicameral legislature

A law-making body consisting of two houses, such as the US House and Senate.

Electoral college

The system developed by the Constitutional Convention to indirectly elect the President and Vice President.

Slave Trade compromise

An agreement that Congress could not ban the international slave trade until $1808$.

Federalist papers

A series of $85$ essays written to persuade New Yorkers to ratify the proposed US Constitution.

Federalists

Supporters of the ratification of the Constitution who favored a strong central government.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution who feared a strong central government and demanded a Bill of Rights.

Limited government

The principle that the powers of government are restricted by the Constitution and local law.

Federalism

A system of government where power is shared between the national government and state governments.

checks and balances

A system allowing each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches.

Preamble to the US Constitution

The introductory statement expressing the purpose and goals of the new government.

popular sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people.

The "elastic clause"

The provision in Article I giving Congress power to pass all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out its duties.

Whiskey Rebellion

A $1794$ protest against a federal excise tax on whiskey that was quickly suppressed by Washington's army.

Cabinet positions

The heads of the executive departments who serve as the President’s primary advisors.

Excise taxes

Taxes placed on specific manufactured goods, such as those proposed by Hamilton on whiskey.

Loose vs Strict constructionism

The debate over whether the federal government has powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution.

"Report on Public Credit"

Alexander Hamilton's proposal for the federal government to assume state debts and fund the national debt.

Bank of the United States

A central bank chartered in $1791$ as part of Hamilton's financial plan to stabilize the economy.

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods designed to raise revenue and protect domestic industries.

Neutrality Proclamation of $1793$

Washington's declaration that the US would remain neutral in the war between Great Britain and Revolutionary France.