APUSH (2)

Sugar Act

Placed taxes on foreign sugar to raise revenue and regulate trade. It also enforced stricter anti-smuggling laws.

Stamp Act

Required colonists to buy revenue stamps for printed materials like legal documents and newspapers. Everyone (not just farmers) was impacted by this tax, sparking resentment.

Patrick Henry

Virginia lawyer who opposed the Stamp Act and spoke in the House of Burgesses against taxation without representation. (“Give me liberty, or give me death!”)

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

A secret group formed to oppose the Stamp Act through protests. They sometimes destroyed tax materials and attacked tax collecters.

Townsend Duties

Taxed imports of tea, glass, and paper to pay crown officials in the colonies. They also allowed officials to search homes for smuggled goods using general writs of assistance instead of specific warrants.

Boston Massacre

British soldiers fired into a crowd of anti-tax colonists harassing them, killing five people.

Committees of Correspondence

Started by Samuel Adams in 1772, it spread information about suspicious or threatening British activities. The Virginia House of Burgesses escalated this when it organized intercolonial committees in 1773.

Sovereignty

The right of a state or people to govern themselves without external control.

Virtual vs Direct Representation

Members of Parliament represented all subjects, even those in the colonies who didn't elect them. Colonists demanded direct representation in decisions about taxation and governance.

Tea Act

Made British East India Company tea cheaper than smuggled Dutch tea, even with the tax. It was intended to help the struggling company and assert Parliament’s right to tax the colonies.

Boston Tea Party

In protest of the Tea Act, colonists disguised as Native Americans boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. They rejected the cheaper tea to avoid acknowledging Parliament’s authority to tax them.

Coercive or Intolerable Acts

In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts to punish Boston and tighten British control.

• Boston Port Act

• Massachusetts Government Act

• Administration of Justice Act

• Quartering Act

The Port Act

Closed the port of Boston, prohibiting trade in and out of the harbor until the destroyed tea was paid for.

The Massachusetts Government Act

Reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature while increasing the power of the royal governor.

The Administration of Justice Act

Allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in Great Britain instead of in the colonies.

The Quartering Act

Enabled British troops to be quartered in private homes. It applied to all colonies.

Second Continental Congress

After fighting began, the Continental Congress was split into two. The First Continental Congress: Those hoping for reconciliation. The Second Continental Congress: Those wanting independence.

Battle of Lexington & Concord

British troops marched to seize weapons in Concord but were confronted by colonial military in Lexington. The Colonists were forced to retreat under British fire, which killed eight people. The brief clash marked the start of the American Revolution.

Privy Council

A group of royal advisors in Britain who oversaw colonial government and could veto colonial laws. It was an instrument of control before the American Revolution.

Quebec Act

Organized the Canadian lands, extending Quebec’s boundary to the Ohio River. Colonists resented it as a threat to their land.

John Adams

Colonial lawyer who defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. Four were acquitted of murder, and two were convicted on the less serious charge of manslaughter.

Hessians

German mercenary soldiers hired by Britain to fight against the American revolutionaries.

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation

An offer that promised freedom to slaves who joined the British cause. However, George Washington soon promised freedom to slaves who joined the American cause, and most sided with the Colonies.

Common Sense

A pamphlet by Thomas Paine that argued for American independence. It was highly influential in swaying public opinion toward revolution.

Articles of Confederation

The United States' first constitution that established a weak central government with a unicameral legislature.

Patriots

The 40% that actively joined the struggle against Britain.

Loyalists

The 25% that sided and fought alongside the British as Loyalists. They would not challenge the king’s government in any way.

John Burgoyne

A British general who surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga. The defeat was a turning point in the Revolutionary War, bringing France into the conflict on the American side.

Battle of Saratoga

Convinced France to militarily and financially support the American Revolution. (“Oh! America might actually have a shot. Let’s join to weaken England!”) Ultimately, this alliance was crucial for the colony's success.

Lord Cornwallis

The British general who surrendered at Yorktown, effectively ending major combat in the Revolutionary War.

Yorktown

The last major battle of the Revolutionary War, where Washington’s military forced British General Cornwallis to surrender.

Bunker (Breed’s) Hill

Colonial military fortified Breed’s Hill, but the British attacked and took the location. Though the British won, American forces claimed a moral victory by inflicting heavy casualties.

Thomas Paine

Wrote Common Sense, inspired the American Revolution and rallied support.

Republicanism

A political philosophy favoring a government without a monarchy. One based on elected representatives and the protection of individual rights. It shaped the foundation of the United States.

Battle of Trenton

A surprise attack led by George Washington on Christmas night, where Patriot forces captured a garrison of Hessians.

Peace of Paris

Stated that:

• Britain would recognize the United States as an independent nation.

• The Mississippi River would be the western boundary of the nation.

• Americans would have fishing rights off the coast of Canada.

• Americans would pay debts to British merchants.

• Americas would return the Loyalists land and belongings taken during the war.

John Jay

Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris. He was a key figure in early U.S. government and foreign policy.

Shays’s Rebellion

An armed uprising in Massachusetts. Farmers protested high taxes, debt imprisonment, and lack of paper money. It exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Manumission

The act of a slave owner voluntarily freeing enslaved individuals. During and after the Revolutionary War, some slaveholders practiced manumission in response to liberty and equality.

Primogeniture

The legal practice where the eldest son inherits the entire estate or property. This practice was challenged in post-Revolutionary America.

Yeoman Farmer

A small landowner, which symbolizes independence and virtue.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A law that prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. (Also set the rules for creating new states.)

Alexander Hamilton

A delegate who, along with James Madison, convinced others to hold a constitutional convention in Philadelphia. He supported strengthening the national government beyond the Articles of Confederation.

Virginia Plan

A proposal by James Madison that favored larger states by calling for proportional representation in Congress.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal that favored smaller states by advocating for equal representation in Congress.

Constitution

The document created at the Constitutional Convention to replace the Articles of Confederation, aiming to form a stronger central government. It sparked debates over the balance of state and federal powers.

James Madison

Helped persuade states to attend the Philadelphia Convention and contributed to drafting the new Constitution. He believed in stronger federal government.

Federalism

A system that divides powers between a federal government, and state governments.

Separation of Powers

A system where power is divided among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This ensured no single branch held too much power.

Checks and Balances

The specific powers each branch of government can use to limit the others.

Federalists

Supporters of the new Constitution who wanted a stronger federal government. They thought it was necessary to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

The Federalists Papers

A series of 85 persuasive essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay to defend and explain the Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the new Constitution who feared a strong central government might become tyrannical. They pushed for the addition of a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments in the U.S. Constitution. (Written by James Madison.) They protect individual rights and limit the powers of the federal government. Demanded by Anti-Federalists, its addition ensured the ratification of the Constitution.

Unicameral

A single legislative chamber is responsible for making laws. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was a unicameral body where each state had one vote.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A law passed to survey and sell western lands, dividing them into 36-square-mile townships.

Section 16

The one-square-mile portion of land in each township reserved specifically for public education.

Constitutional/Philadelphia Convention

A meeting of delegates from the states to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead, they wrote the Constitution to create a stronger federal government.

Great Compromise

It resolved the dispute between large and small states by creating a bicameral Congress. The Senate gave equal representation to states, while the House of Representatives was based on population.

3/5th Compromise

An agreement to count each enslaved person as 3/5ths of a person during elections. (Taxation & Representation) It was a compromise between Southern and Northern states during the Constitutional Convention.

George Washington

The first U.S. president. (Unanimously elected.) He established the new Federal Government, the Judiciary, Executive Departments, National Bank, and Foreign Precedents. He also assumed state debts and set a two-term limit.

The Cabinet

A group of advisers to the president. Began with Washington’s appointments of Jefferson, Hamilton, Knox, and Randolph.

Secretary of State

Thomas Jefferson: responsible for foreign affairs. Figure in political disputes involving the US and France. (Thought the US should assist France in their rebellion.)

Secretary of Treasury

Alexander Hamilton: created financial programs to stabilize the nation’s economy. (National Bank.)

Secretary of War

Henry Knox: oversaw military affairs, including the Native American conflicts.

Washington’s Farewell Address

Warned Americans to avoid permanent foreign alliances, political parties, and sectionalism.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws passed by Federalists that increased citizenship requirements, allowed deportation of aliens, and criminalized criticism of the government. (Illegal!)

Virginia and Kentucky Acts

Declared states could invalidate laws they deemed unconstitutional, opposing the Alien and Sedition Acts. (Also Illegal!)

National Bank

A government chartered but privately owned bank to store and print money. This stabilized American currency. (Created by Hamilton.)

Whiskey Tax

An excise tax on whiskey passed to raise revenue, which angered western farmers.

Whiskey Rebellion

An uprising by western Pennsylvania farmers protesting the whiskey tax. It was ended by government military.

Washington D. C.

The result of Hamilton and Jefferson's compromise. Hamilton got his national bank, and Jefferson decided where to put the nation's capital, Washington, DC.

Marbury vs Madison

A Supreme Court case that ultimately gave the Supreme Court the power of judicial review, meaning it decides if laws are constitutional.

John Marshall

A Federalist and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Supported federal over state government. Even anti-federalist judges sided with him due to his strong interpretation of the Constitution.

McCulloch vs Maryland

The Supreme Court ruled that states cannot tax federal institutions because federal laws are more powerful than state laws. The case also confirmed that the federal government had implied powers, even if they aren’t directly written in the Constitution.

Gibbons vs Ogden

The Supreme Court said that the federal government controls trade between states. So, states can’t make opposing laws about interstate commerce.

Pinckney’s Treaty

Allowed American farmers to use port of New Orleans to export goods. (Tax-free!) This right was revoked by Spanish officials, who were still in charge of New Orleans.

Louisiana Purchase

The acquisition of a vast western territory from France for $15 million. (Including the valuable port of New Orleans.) It doubled the United States, removed France from its borders, and extended the western frontier beyond the Mississippi River.

Jefferson wasn’t sure the Constitution allowed the president to buy land. So he argued that it was part of making treaties, and got Senate approval.

Secession

When states try to break away from the United States to form their own country. Aaron Burr supported a plan for New York and New England to secede. (Failed)

Aaron Burr

Jefferson’s former vice president. He became involved in dangerous political schemes after losing the election. (Secession, Burr Conspiracy, Alexander Hamilton Murder.)

Burr Conspiracy

A secret plan by Aaron Burr to take Mexico from Spain and unite it with Louisiana under his rule. Jefferson had Burr arrested for treason, but the court found him innocent due to lack of evidence.

Panic of 1819

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War of 1812

During the French Revolution, England supported French Nobelists. (British vs. French.) The United States depended on shipping across the Atlantic. However, Britain did not respect America’s neutral rights. British warships intercepted American merchant ships. They stole the goods and enslaved the people into impressment.