APUSH Unit 2 (1763-1800)

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts from Colonial America and the early formation of the United States.

Salutary Neglect

An unofficial British policy (c. 1607-1763) of lax enforcement of colonial regulations, allowing self-government and economic autonomy.

Seven Years War

A global conflict (1756-1763) between Britain and France that began in North America as the French and Indian War over rights to the Ohio River Valley.

Impressment

The British Royal Navy practice (17th-19th centuries) of forcibly conscripting men, including American colonists, into naval service during wartime.

Virtual Representation

British argument (mid-18th century) that Parliament represented all British subjects, including those in the colonies who did not vote for its members.

Proclamation of 1763

British ban (1763) on settlement west of the Appalachians after the Seven Years' War.

Quartering Act

Required colonial assemblies to house and supply British troops stationed in America (first enacted 1765).

Sugar Act

Implemented duties (1764) on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies to raise revenue for Britain.

Currency Act

Prohibited colonies (1764) from issuing their own paper money, requiring all payments in hard currency.

Stamp Act

British law (1765) requiring colonists to purchase and use specially stamped paper for legal documents and newspapers.

Declaratory Act

Asserted Parliament's right (1766) to legislate for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever'.

Townshend Acts

Series of duties (1767) on imports like glass, paper, and tea, with revenue aimed to pay royal officials.

Boston Massacre

Incident (1770) where British soldiers killed five colonists, used as propaganda by patriots.

Committees of Correspondence

Networks (established 1772) of communication among American colonies to coordinate responses to British policies.

Tea Tax

Part of the Townshend Acts that imposed a tax (1767, maintained through the Tea Act of 1773) on imported tea.

Boston Tea Party

Colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor (1773) as a protest against the Tea Tax.

Coercive Acts

Punitive laws (1774) passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

First armed conflict (April 19, 1775) between British troops and colonial militias, signaling the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Continental Army

Military force established by the Second Continental Congress (1775), led by George Washington.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Early Revolutionary War battle (June 17, 1775) where British technically won but suffered heavy casualties.

Common Sense

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine (published 1776) advocating for independence from Britain using Enlightenment ideas.

Declaration of Independence

Document (adopted July 4, 1776) declaring the colonies

’ break from Britain, influenced by Enlightenment ideals.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point battle (1777) that led to France formally allying with the colonies.

French Alliance

Formal agreement (1778) between France and the United States following the American victory at Saratoga.

Battle of Yorktown

Decisive victory (1781) that effectively ended the Revolutionary War.

Treaty of Paris

Officially ended the American Revolutionary War (signed 1783), recognizing American independence.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States (ratified 1781), establishing a weak central government.

Shays' Rebellion

Armed uprising in Massachusetts (1786-1787) highlighting the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

Meeting held (1787) to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and draft the U.S. Constitution.

Separation of Powers

Division of government into three branches to prevent any one from gaining too much control (established in the U.S. Constitution, 1787).

Checks and Balances

System ensuring that each branch of government influences the others, preventing one from becoming too powerful (established in the U.S. Constitution, 1787).

Electoral College

System established (1787) for electing the president and vice president based on the state's popular vote.

Virginia Plan

Proposal (1787) calling for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature based on state population.

New Jersey Plan

Proposal (1787) for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, regardless of population.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Plan (1787) combining elements of the Virginia and New Jersey plans, creating a bicameral legislature.

3/5 Compromise

Provision (1787) counting three out of every five enslaved individuals for taxation and representation.

Federalists

Group advocating for ratification of the U.S. Constitution (1787-1788) and a stronger national government.

Anti-Federalists

Group opposing ratification of the U.S. Constitution (1787-1788), fearing a powerful central government.

Federalist Papers

Series of essays (1787-1788) advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Constitution Ratified

The official acceptance of the U.S. Constitution by the states (1788) after the Constitutional Convention.

Hamilton's Financial Plan

Proposals by Alexander Hamilton (1790s) to stabilize the nation's economy including a national bank.

National Bank

Bank chartered by the federal government (First Bank: 1791) to stabilize and improve national credit.

Bill of Rights Ratified

First ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing individual freedoms (1791).

Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington's final message (1796) warning against permanent foreign alliances and political parties.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws (1798) increasing residency requirements for citizenship and criminalizing criticism of the federal government.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Political statements (1798-1799) asserting that states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Revolution of 1800

Nickname for Thomas Jefferson's election (1800), marking the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties.