Period 3 Terms APUSH

William Pitt

British Prime Minister who led Britain during the French and Indian War; supported colonial rights early but later backed harsh policies.

Pontiac’s War

Native uprising in 1763 against British expansion after the French and Indian War; led to the Proclamation of 1763.

George Grenville

British official who enforced the Sugar and Stamp Acts

Currency Act (1764)

Law banning colonial paper money; worsened economic tensions and increased anti-British sentiment.

Paxton Boys (1764)

Frontiersmen in Pennsylvania who attacked Native Americans and protested colonial government inaction.

Quebec Act (1774)

Extended Quebec’s boundaries and granted religious freedom to Catholics; angered Protestant colonists and fueled revolutionary fears.

Mercy Otis Warren

Patriot writer and historian who criticized British rule and promoted independence through political essays and satire.

Patrick Henry

Virginia orator who declared “Give me liberty or give me death!”; helped ignite revolutionary fervor.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial networks for sharing anti-British information; unified resistance and coordinated action.

Daughters of Liberty

Women who supported boycotts and made homespun goods to resist British imports and promote independence.

Mutiny Act (1765)

Required colonists to house British troops; seen as an infringement on colonial autonomy.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Delegates from nine colonies met to oppose the Stamp Act; marked early unified colonial protest.

Virginia Resolves

Patrick Henry’s resolutions declaring only Virginia could tax Virginians; challenged British authority.

Loyalists (Tories)

Colonists loyal to Britain during the Revolution; often persecuted or fled to Canada.

Joseph Brant

Mohawk leader who sided with Britain during the Revolution; fought to protect Native lands from American expansion.

William Howe

British general who captured New York and Philadelphia but failed to crush the rebellion.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Established a system for surveying and selling western lands; helped fund public education.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Created a process for admitting new states and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)

U.S. victory over Native forces; led to Treaty of Greenville and opened Ohio to settlement.

John Burgoyne

British general defeated at Saratoga (1777); his loss helped secure French support for the U.S.

Horatio Gates

American general credited with victory at Saratoga; later involved in a failed plot against Washington.

Charles Cornwallis

British general who surrendered at Yorktown (1781)

Prohibitory Act (1775)

British law declaring the colonies in rebellion and cutting off trade; pushed colonies toward independence.

Daniel Shays

Massachusetts farmer and Revolutionary War veteran. He led a short-lived populist uprising that demanded tax and debt relief (Shay’s Rebellion)

Report on Public Credit (1790)

Hamilton’s plan to stabilize U.S. finances by assuming state debts and establishing national credit.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Farmers protested Hamilton’s excise tax; Washington’s response showed federal power under the Constitution.

Jay’s Treaty (1794)

Resolved issues with Britain post-Revolution; unpopular but avoided war and secured trade.

Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)

Agreement with Spain granting U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Jefferson and Madison’s response to the Alien and Sedition Acts; argued states could nullify federal laws.

Citizen Genêt

French envoy who tried to rally U.S. support for France; challenged Washington’s neutrality policy.

Charles de Talleyrand

French diplomat involved in the XYZ Affair; demanded bribes from U.S. envoys

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Federalist laws targeting immigrants and critics of the government; seen as unconstitutional by many.

Quasi War (1798–1800)

Undeclared naval conflict between the U.S. and France; led to increased military readiness and strained relations.