Barron's AP US History Flashcards (1754-1800)

Treaty of Paris 1763

1763

*Ended Seven Years War

*From France, Britain took Canada and some of what would become the United States east of the Mississippi River

*France lost all of its North American holdings

*Spain took the Louisiana Territory

*Treaty marked the end of salutary neglect, a relationship in which the British Parliament had somewhat ignored the colonies, allowing them to develop their character without interference

Impact of the French and Indian War on British Colonial Policy

1712-1770

*Britain set out to solve the large national debt incurred in recent conflicts

*It created a series of acts that raised taxes on American goods, leading to rebellious activities in the colonies

*Acts included the Proclamation of 1763, Sugar Act (1763), Stamp Act (1765), and Quartering Act (1765)

Benjamin Franklin

1706-1790

*Was a colonial writer, scientist, diplomat, printer, and philosopher

Published the Pennsylvania Gazette and wrote Poor Richard's Almanac

*Served in the Second Continental Congress and was a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence

Writs of Assistance

1750s-1770s

*Court orders that authorized customs officials to conduct non-specific searches to stop colonial smuggling

*Allowed for the searching of homes, warehouses, and shops

*James Otis served as a prosecutor in a failed Massachusetts legal case; he argued that these searched were contrary to natural law

*Later, the Fourth Amendment would protect citizens against "unreasonable searched and seizures"

Proclamation of 1763

1763

*Was a result of pontiac's Rebellion, a Native American uprising against the British for their mistreatment

*Forbade white settlement west of the Appalachians to reduce friction between Native Americans and the settlers

*Stated that Native Americans owned the land on which they were residing

*Outraged colonists believed that the successful outcome of the French and Indian War should have allowed settlement in the Ohio Valley

Sugar Act

1764

*It taxed goods imported to America to raise revenue for England

Meant to assist England in recouping the debt it had taken on during the French and Indian War

*Strictly enforced, unlike the Molasses Act of 1733

*Taxed goods included imports such as wine, cloth, coffee, and silk

Quartering Act

1765

*Act that required the colonies in which British troops were stationed provide soldiers with bedding and other basic needs

*Colonists reacted negatively because they feared having a standing army in their towns, and they disliked the additional expenses it caused

*After the emergence of the United States Constitution, the Third Amendment protected citizens against the stationing of troops in their homes

Stamp Act

1765

*An internal tax, the sole purpose of which was to raise revenue

*Required Americans to use "stamped" paper for legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards, among other goods

*Revenue from this tax was to be used solely for the support of the British soldiers protecting the colonies

Declaratory Act

1766

*Act giving Britain the power to tax and make laws for Americans in all cases

*Followed the repeal of the Stamp Act, which colonists had seen as a victory

*The Declaratory Act suggested that Britain might pass more restrictive acts in the near future

Samuel Adams

1722-1803

*Revolutionary resistance leader in Massachusetts

*Along with Paul Revere, he headed the Sons of Liberty in Massachusetts

*Worked with the committees of correspondence, which provided communication about resistance among colonies

*Attended both the First and Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence

Stamp Act Congress

October 1765

*Delegates of seven colonies met in New York to discuss plans for defense

*Adopted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which stated that freeborn Englishmen could not be taxed without their consent

Townshend Acts

1767

*Created by British Prime Minister Charles Townshend (Grenville's replacement)

*Formed a program of taxing items imported into the colonies, such as paper, lead, glass, and tea

*Replaced the direct taxes of Stamp Act

*Led to boycotts by Boston merchants and served as a key contributor to the Boston Massacre

Virtual Representation

1770s

*English principle stating that the members of members of parliament represented all of Britain and the British Empire, even though members were only elected by a small number of constituents

*This idea was meant to be a response to the colonial claim of "no taxation without representation," meaning that parliament was itself representation of those being taxed

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770

*Occurred when the British attempted to enforce the Townshend Acts

*British soldiers killed five Bostonians, including Crispus Attucks, an American patriot and former slave

*John Adams provided the legal defense for the soldiers

*Though the British soldiers acted more or less in self-defense, anti-Royal leaders used the massacre to spur action in the colonies

Tea Act & Boston Tea Party

1773

*The Tea Act was a concession that allowed the British East India Company to ship tea directly to America and sell it at a bargain

*Because the cheap tea undercut the costs of local merchants, colonists opposed these shipments; they turned back ships, left shipments to rot, and held ships in port

*Led to the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773, where citizens, dressed as Native Americans, destroyed tea on the British ships

The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)

1774

*Names given by colonists to the Quebec Act (1774) and to a series of acts by the British in response to the Boston Tea Party

*Closed the Port of Boston to all trade until citizens paid for the lost tea

*Increased the power of Massachusetts' Royal governor at the expense of the legislature

*Allowed Royal officials accused of crimes in Massachusetts to be tried elsewhere

Methods of Colonial Resistance

1770s

*Colonists reacted first with restrained and respectful petitions against the British, suggesting "taxation without representation is tyranny"

*Colonial governments organized "committees of correspondence" to share their view of British actions with neighboring colonies and with foreign governments; this was the start of political organization among the colonies

*Colonial merchants then boycotted British goods (non-importation)

*Colonists finally turned to violence; crowds took action against customs officials and against merchants who violated boycotts

*Some colonists continued to follow British command and became English "Loyalists"

First Continental Congress

September-October 1774

*Meeting in Philadelphia of colonial representatives to denounce the Intolerable Acts and to petition the British Parliament

*A few radical members discussed breaking from England

*Created Continental Association and forbade the importation and use of British goods

*Agreed to convene a Second Continental Congress in May 1775

Battles of Lexington and Concord

April 1775

*Concord: Site suspected by British General Gage of housing a stockpile of colonial weaponry

*Paul Revere, William Dawes, and others detected movement of British troops toward Concord and warned militia and gathered Minutemen at Lexington

Lexington: Militia and Royal infantry fought, and the colonial troops withdrew

The Second Continental Congress

May 1775

*Colonial representative meeting in Philadelphia, over which John Hancock presided

*The group was torn between declaring independence and remaining under British power

*Moderates forced the adoption of the Olive Branch Petition, a letter to King George III appealing one final time for a resolution to all disputes; the king refused to receive it

*The Congress sent George Washington to command the army around Boston

*American ports were opened in defiance of the Navigation Acts

*The Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence

Battle of Bunker Hill

June 17, 1775

*Bunker Hill was an American post overlooking Boston

*The stronghold allowed Americans to contain General Gage and his troops

*The colonists twice turned back a British frontal assault, and they held off the British until the Bunker Hill force ran out of ammunition and was overrun

*American strong defense led to strengthened morale

Common Sense

January 1776

*Pamphlet published by Thomas Paine that called for immediate independence from Britain

*It was sold throughout the colonies, where it gained popularity

*Helped weaken resistance in the Continental Congress toward independence

Lee’s Resolutions

1776

*Presented to Second Continental Congress by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia

*Urged Congress to declare independence and were accepted July 2, 1776

*Said, "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States"

Declaration of Independence

Adopted July 4, 1776

*Document restating political ideas justifying the separation from Britain

*Thomas Jefferson and his committee had the duty of drafting for the Continental Congress

*John Locke's influences served as a foundation for this document

*The final product lacked provisions condemning the British slave trade and a denunciation of the British people that earlier drafts had contained

Articles of Confederation

Submitted July 1776; ratified 1781

*Framework for an American national government in which states were given the most power

*Permitted the federal government to make war, offer treaties, and create new states

*There was no federal power to levy taxes, raise troops, or regulate commerce

*Congressional revision of the articles created a weak national government

George Washington’s Leadership in the American Revolution

1775-1781

*Named Commander-in-Chief of Continental Forces in June 1775 by the Second Continental Congress

*Forced British to evacuate Boston in March 1776

*Defeated British at Trenton, New Jersey, after crossing the Delaware on December 25, 1776

*Survived tough winter at Valley Forge(1777-1778); Washington strengthened his troops during the winter and gained tremendous respect among the men

*General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington on October 19, 1781

Battle of Saratoga

1777

*American REvolution battle fought in northern New York

*The British planned to end the American Revolution by splitting the colonies along the Hudson River, but they failed to mobilize properly

*The British ended up surrendering, allowing for the first great American victory

*Demonstrated that the British could more easily hold the cities, but that they would have trouble subduing the countrysides

*Considered a turning point, as French aid began after this battle

Charles Cornwallis

1738-1805

*British military and political leader

*Was a member of Parliament

*Opposed the tax measures that ed to the American Revolution

*Led British forces during the American Revolution

*The British defeat culminated with Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown in 1781