APUSH Unit 3 Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Unit 3 of AP US History, focusing on the period of 1754-1800 and the transition from British colonies to an independent nation.

French and Indian War

Part of the Seven Years' War, fought between British colonists and French/Indian allies over territory, specifically the Ohio River Valley.

Albany Plan of Union

Proposed by Benjamin Franklin during the French and Indian War, it called for a more centralized government for the colonies to better coordinate Western defense. It was ultimately rejected.

Peace of Paris (1763)

Treaty that ended the French and Indian War, resulting in France losing almost all of its North American territory and Britain gaining all land east of the Mississippi River.

Royal Proclamation of 1763

British policy that forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains in the Ohio River Valley, frustrating colonists seeking westward expansion.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of loosely enforcing laws in the American colonies, allowing them to manage their own affairs and develop a sense of autonomy.

Quartering Act of 1765

Parliament act requiring colonists to provide housing and supplies to British troops stationed in the colonies.

Sugar Act

Parliament act taxing items like coffee, wine, and enforcing taxes on molasses in the American colonies.

Stamp Act of 1765

Parliament act imposing a tax on all paper items in the colonies, leading to widespread protests and the Stamp Act Congress.

Virtual Representation

British argument that colonists were represented in Parliament because members represented all British citizens, regardless of locality.

Stamp Act Congress

Meeting of delegates from nine colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act, arguing that taxation without representation was tyranny.

Declaratory Act

Parliament act passed after repealing the Stamp Act, asserting their right to pass any law they wanted in the colonies.

Townshend Acts

Parliament acts that levied new taxes on imported items to the colonies like paper, glass, and tea.

Boston Massacre

Incident in 1770 where British soldiers fired on a group of colonists, resulting in casualties and increased tensions.

Boston Tea Party

Act of protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act of 1773.

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

Parliament acts passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, including the closure of Boston Harbor and a new Quartering Act.

Continental Congress

Meeting of leaders from the colonies to resist British policies and violations of their liberties.

Natural Rights

Enlightenment idea that all human beings are endowed with certain rights by God that governments cannot take away.

Social Contract

Enlightenment idea that the power to govern is in the hands of the people, who give some power to a government to protect their natural rights.

Common Sense

Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 arguing that the only rational way forward for America was independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

Document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the American colonies independent from Britain and outlining the principles of natural rights and the social contract.

Loyalists

Colonists who opposed independence and wanted to remain loyal to Britain.

Battle of Saratoga

Decisive battle in 1777 where the Patriots defeated the British, convincing the French to ally with the Americans.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, which placed most power in the legislative body and had a weak central government.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Legislation that provided a plan for how unformed territory could be occupied and then applied to the union for statehood and abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Shays' Rebellion

Uprising of farmers in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, displaying the weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Federalists

Faction that favored a stronger central government.

Anti-Federalists

Faction that favored state power and opposed an increase in the federal government's power.

Virginia Plan

Plan that argued for representation by population.

New Jersey Plan

Plan that argued for states to be represented equally.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Compromise that said that for purposes of representation they would just count up all the people in a particular state, take three fifths of that number, and then that's how many seats would be added to their house representation.

The Federalist Papers

Essays written by by Federalists Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in order to convince the American public of the merits of the Constitution.

Republican Motherhood

Idea that women could best influence political realities not by voting but by raising virtuous sons instructed in the principles of liberty.

Elastic Clause

Clause of the constitution stating that Congress has the right to make any law that is necessary and proper in order to carry out its other responsibilities.

Whiskey Rebellion

Rebellion in 1794 by poor frontier farmers against Hamilton's tax on whiskey, suppressed by federalized state militias under Washington's orders.

Washington's Farewell Address

Address in which Washington cautioned against the formation of political parties and entanglement in foreign alliances.

XYZ Affair

Incident where French diplomats demanded a bribe from American delegates before negotiations, leading to outrage in the U.S.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Federalist dominated congress passed acts. The Alien Acts made it legal and easy to deport any non citizen of The United States and The Sedition Acts made it illegal to criticize the government publicly.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Resolutions written in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts arguing that states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

Pinckney Treaty

Treaty that decided once and for all where the border was between The US and Spain.