Unit 3 APUSH Terms: Chapter 4+

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

1.) Developed by Benjamin Franklin after the British government called for representatives to meet in Albany, NY.

2.) Plan allowed for an inner-colonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes for their defense.

3.) Colonies could not agree and plan fell through, but set a precedent for future congresses.

French & Indian War (1754)

1) Colonial war between British colonies and colonies of New France who were supported by Native American allies.

2) Ended with British supremacy of North America.

3) Opened the Ohio valley to the American colonists.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

1) An uprising of Native American allies in the aftermath of the French and Indian War.

2) Changed British policy towards the colonies with Proclamation of 1763, preventing colonists from westward settlement.

3) Officially ended the policy of salutary neglect, leading to the road to revolution.

Stamp Act (1765)

1) A tax on all printed materials that was also the first direct tax on the American colonies by British parliament.

2) British government needed to help pay for British troops stationed in American colonies.

3) Led to opposition by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty.

Sons of Liberty (1765)

1) Secret organization launched to fight the Stamp Act.

2) Although they were disbanded after the repeal of the Stamp Act, they represented any opposition to future British taxes.

3) Their motto "No taxation without representation" became a rallying cry of revolution.

Boston Massacre (1770)

1) A small group of British soldiers were being harassed by Bostonians who hated their presence.

2) The soldiers fired a volley into the crowd, killing five colonists.

3) This act was used as propaganda by Samuel Adams to rile up colonies against British government.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)

1) These were punitive laws passed by the British parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party.

2) The British Parliament hope to make an example of Massachusetts to the other 12 colonies.

3) Instead it led to the First Continental Congress and the colonies becoming more unified in their response to Britain.

Second Continental Congress (1775)

1.) After fighting broke out at Lexington and Concord, delegates met in Philadelphia.

2.) George Washington was named Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

3.) The delegates also voted to send an "Olive Branch Petition" to King George III in which they asked the king to acknowledge colonial rights and liberties in exchange for peace. This petition angered the king, furthering the course of the war.

Common Sense (1776)

1) This was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine.

2) It circulated in the colonies, advocating for colonial independence from Great Britain.

3) One main argument was that an island should not rule a large continent.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

1) This was written by Thomas Jefferson.

2) It outlined specific grievances that the colonists had with King George III.

3) One major argument was that all men are entitled to unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

1) This was created after the British defeat at Yorktown.

2) It was the conclusion to the American Revolution, and recognized the United States as an independent nation.

3) It dictated that the Mississippi River was the western boundary of the U.S., significantly increasing the size of the colonies.