APUSH Period 3 Flashcards: The Seven Years' War to the Confederation Period

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering APUSH Unit 3 topics including the Seven Years' War, colonial taxation and resistance, philosophical foundations of the Revolution, military campaigns, demographics, and government structures under the Articles of Confederation.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

A 1754 proposal for early intercolonial defense unity against France; rejected by colonies due to tax concerns, but established the earliest framework for colonial unification.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

The treaty ending the Seven Years' War in which France ceded Canada and claims east of the Mississippi to Britain and Louisiana to Spain, eliminating French power from North America.

Proclamation of 1763

A decree issued by King George III banning colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains following Pontiac's Rebellion, which colonists viewed as tyranny and thousands ignored.

Sugar Act (1764)

British tax on foreign sugar and luxuries that sparked organized colonial opposition over a lack of parliamentary representation.

Stamp Act (1765)

The first direct tax on paper goods used by all colonists, which triggered the Stamp Act Congress, non-importation boycotts, and the formation of the Sons & Daughters of Liberty.

Declaratory Act (1766)

British law passed immediately following the repeal of the Stamp Act, asserting Parliament's total authority to tax the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever."

Townshend Acts (1767)

British taxes on tea, glass, paper, and paint that allowed writs of assistance for home searches, leading to renewed boycotts, illegal smuggling, and military occupation of Boston.

Boston Massacre (1770)

A violent confrontation between Bostonians and British troops enforcing Townshend duties that resulted in 5 colonial deaths and prompted Parliament to repeal all Townshend duties except the tax on tea.

Tea Act (1773)

Act granting a monopoly on American tea sales to the struggling British East India Company, undercutting colonial merchants and leading colonists to refuse entry to tea ships.

Intolerable (Coercive) Acts (1774)

Punitive legislation passed to punish Massachusetts by closing Boston Harbor, restricting town meetings and charter rights, and altering judicial trials, ultimately uniting all 13 colonies in resistance.

British and Colonial Escalation Flowchart

A diagram mapping the sequence of British tax actions (Stamp Act, Tea Act), colonial resistance (Boycotts, Stamp Act Congress, Boston Tea Party), and Parliament's direct responses (Declaratory Act, Intolerable Acts).

Social Contract Theory

Enlightenment concept articulated by John Locke asserting that governments form a contract with citizens to protect natural rights (life, liberty, property), and that unjust governments violating rights may be legitimately overthrown.

Virtual Representation

The British claim that members of Parliament virtually represented all British subjects, a premise rejected by American colonists who demanded actual direct representative governance.

Common Sense (1776)

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in January 1776 arguing against an island nation ruling a vast continent, which radicalized public opinion toward seeking total independence.

Suffolk Resolves

Resolves endorsed at the First Continental Congress calling for the immediate repeal of the Intolerable Acts, military preparations, boycotts, and the establishment of the Continental Association.

Declaration and Resolves

First Continental Congress measure acknowledging King George III's royal authority while rejecting a unified colonial organization by one vote, aiming to restore ties rather than sever them.

Midnight Ride (April 18, 1775)

The warning mission by Paul Revere and other riders after Sons of Liberty spies uncovered British plans for ~700 troops to march toward Concord to destroy a colonial weapons stockpile.

Battles of Lexington & Concord (April 19, 1775)

The initial military engagements of the Revolutionary War where 70 minutemen met British forces at Lexington, triggering the "shot heard 'round the world" and officially launching the war.

Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775)

A battle outside Boston where British forces captured strategic high ground but suffered over 1,000 casualties from colonial militia fire.

Olive Branch Petition (July 1775)

A petition adopted by the Second Continental Congress pledging colonial loyalty to restore peace, which King George III rejected before enacting the Prohibitory Act.

Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)

Document drafted by Thomas Jefferson using John Locke's natural rights and social contract theories, formally adopted on July 4, 1776, marking the official birth of the United States.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Decisive turning point of the Revolutionary War in which British General John Burgoyne was forced to surrender his entire field army to colonial forces.

Franco-American Alliance (1778)

A formal military alliance secured after the American victory at Saratoga, diverting British financial and military resources globally and securing final American victory.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. national constitution adopted in 1777, establishing a weak central government with a single Congress, no executive or judicial branches, and no power to levy taxes directly.

Northwest Ordinance

Legislation establishing guidelines for organizing western lands into 3 to 5 states once reaching a population of 60,000, guaranteeing citizenship and religious freedom while banning slavery in the territory.

Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)

An uprising led by Daniel Shays where struggling farmers shut down Massachusetts courthouses to stop farm foreclosures, highlighting national helplessness under the Articles of Confederation.