APUSH Unit 3

Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

The final war in a series of wars between the French and British over control of colonies and power in Europe. The war began by the French building a chain of forts in the Ohio river valley. At first the war began badly for the British but then the British negotiated a peace treaty and won the war. The end of the war gave Great Britain supremacy among Europeans in North America.

George Washington

A young colonel who was sent by the governor of Virginia to hopefully stop the French from completing work on Fort Duquesne. After gaining a small initial victory his troops surrendered to a superior force of Frenchmen and their American Indian allies.

Albany Plan of Union

An agreement adopted by seven colonies that was developed by Benjamin Franklin that provided for an intercolonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes from the various colonies for their common defense.

Peace of Paris (1763)

After british victories in the 7 years war the European powers negotiated a peace treaty in 1763. Great Britain acquired both French Canada and Spanish Florida. France ceded to Spain its huge territory west of the Mississippi River. With this treaty, the British extended their control of North America and French power on the continent virtually ended.

Salutary neglect

A policy where Britain exercised little direct control over the colonies and did not enforce its navigation acts regulating colonial trade. (This policy was abandoned as British adopted more forceful policies for taking control of their expanded North American dominions.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

The first major test of the new British imperial policy came in 1763 when the tribe chief led an attack against colonial settlements on the western frontier. The American Indians were angered by the growing westward movement of European settlers onto their land and by British refusal to offer gifts as the french had done. The alliance of American Indians destroyed forts and settlements in New York to Virginia. The British then sent regular British troops to put down the uprising.

Proclamation of 1763

In an effort to stabilize the western frontier, the British governments issued a proclamation that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British hoped that limiting settlements would prevent future hostilities between colonists and American Indians. Defying the proclamation thousands streamed westward past the imaginary line drawn by the British.

Enlightenment

A movement in literature and philosophy where they believed that the recent past was a “dark” era and that the “light” of reason could solve most of humanity’s problems. Many enlightenment thinkers in Europe and America were Deists. They believed in God, but in one who had established natural laws in creating the universe and then rarely or never intervened directly in human affairs. They trusted human reason to understand the natural world and to respond to the many problems of life and society. One important idea of this was the social contract where there is an agreement between people to form a government to promote liberty and equality.

John Locke

The writings of this man about the Enlightenment had a profound influence on the colonies. He believed in the philosophy of the social contract which was the idea that there was an agreement between the people to form a government to promote liberty and equality.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This french philosopher developed the idea of the social contract and popular sovereignty. he influenced the American revolution and democratic thought.

Thomas Paine

The author of Common Sense which argued in clear and forceful language that the colonies should become independent states and break all political ties with the British monarchy. He argued that it was contrary to common sense for a large continent to be ruled by a small and distant island and for people to pledge allegiance to a king whose government was corrupt and whose laws were unreasonable.

Patrick Henry

A young Virginia lawyer who spoke for many when he stood up in the House of Burgesses to demand that the King’s government recognize the rights of all citizens - including the right to not be taxed without representation.

Stamp Act of Congress

Representatives from nine colonies met in New York in 1765 to form this group that resolved that only their own elected representatives had the legal authority to approve taxes.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

A secret organization that had the purpose of intimidating tax agents.The organization of this group caused the protest against the stamp act to take a violent turn. Members often destroyed revenue stamps and tarred and feathered revenue officials.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

This letter urged the colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend acts. British officials in Boston ordered the letter retracted, threatened to dissolve the legislature, and increased the number of British troops. Responding to this letter the colonists conducted boycotts of British goods.

Committees of Correspondence

This was a principle device for spreading the idea that British officials were undermining colonial liberties. This committee was initiated by Samuel Adams in 1772. In Boston and other Massachusetts towns, Adams began the practice of organizing committees that would regularly exchange letters about suspicious or potentially threatening British activities.

Intolerable Acts

In Great Britain, news of the Boston Tea party angered King George 3 so the British government enacted a series of punitive acts together with a separate act dealing with French Canada. These new laws outraged the colonists.

Whigs

The American colonists who supported and advocated for independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution.

Sugar Act (1764)

This act placed duties (taxes) on foreign sugar and certain luxuries. Its supporters wanted to regulate the sugar trade and to raise revenue.

Quartering Act (1765)

This act required the colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

Stamp Act (1765)

In an effort to raise funds to support British military forces in the colonies, Lord Grenville turned to a tax long in use in Britain. This act required that revenue stamps be placed on the most printed paper in the colonies, including all legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and advertisements.

Declaratory Act (1766)

This act asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”. This declaration of policy would soon lead to renewed conflict between the colonists and the British government.

Townshend Acts (1767)

These were new taxes that were to be collected on colonial imports of tea, glass, and paper. The revenue would be used to pay crown officials in the colonies and provided for the search of private homes for smuggled goods. These taxes were indirect which meant that they were paid by merchants who then raised their prices to cover the additional costs.

Writ of Assistance

This was a general license to search anywhere rather than a judge warrant to search a specific property. It let officials search private homes for smuggled goods.

Tea Act (1773)

This act made the price of the British East India Company’s tea cheaper than that of smuggled Dutch tea, even with the tax. This was in an effort to help the company out of its financial problems as the colonists refused to buy British tea.

Coercive Acts (1774)

These four acts were the British’s way to punish the people of Boston and Massachusetts and bringing them under control.

• The Port act closed the Port of Boston and prohibited 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 the colonies

• The Quartering Act was expanded to enable British troops to be quartered in private homes. It applied to all colonies.

Intolerable Acts

A series of 4 act implemented to punish Massachusetts for the Boston tea party and restore British Authority. These acts increased conflict between Great Britain and the America’s. 

First Continental Congress

A meeting in 1774 of delegates from twelve of the thirteen American colonies to address grievances against Great Britain, particularly the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) passed after the Boston Tea Party. The delegates met in Philadelphia, organized the Continental Association to enforce boycotts of British goods, and issued a Declaration of Rights, asserting colonial rights within the British Empire.

Patrick Henry

This man was a prominent American revolutionary leader and orator known for his powerful speeches advocating for colonial rights and independence from British rule. His famous declaration, 'Give me liberty, or give me death!' during the Second Virginia Convention in 1775 encapsulated the fervent desire for freedom that characterized the early American resistance to British oppression.

Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams was a radical Massachusetts revolutionary leader and Founding Father who organized colonists to oppose British policies through propaganda, grassroots efforts like the Sons of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence, and direct actions such as the Boston Tea Party. Was a leader of the radicals.

This man jointly wrote the Massachusetts Circular Letter with James Otis and it urged the colonies to petition parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.

John Adams

John Adams was a key advocate for independence, a Founding Father, and a diplomat who helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris to end the war with Great Britain. Adams was a prominent voice for separation from Great Britain during the colonial period.

John Dickenson

He was a moderate from Pennsylvania and he wrote the articles of Confederation. 

Second Continental Congress

Soon after fighting broke out in Massachusetts, delegates to this group met in Philidelphia in May 1775. The Congress was divided. One group of delegates, mainly fron New England, thought the colonies hsould declare independence, and another group mainly from the middle colonies, hoped the conflict could be resolved by negotiating a new relationship with Great Britain. The congress adopted a declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms. It famously established the Continental Army with George Washington as its commander, approved the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and served as the de facto government of the colonies until the Articles of Confederation were ratified.  

Olive Branch Petition

A petition in which the delegates pledged their loyalty and asked the king to intercede with parliament to secure peace and the protection of colonial rights. King George angrily dismissed the plea and agreed instead to Parliaments Prohibitory act which declared the colonies in rebellion.

Thomas Jefferson

This man was one of 5 delegates to form a committee to write a statement in support of Lee’s resolution. The declaration drafted by this individual listed specific grievances against George 3’s government and also expressed the basic principles that justified revolution. The resolution was then adopted to become the Declaration of Indepenedence.

Concord

In April 18, 1775, General Thomas gage, the commander of British Troops in Boston, sent a large force to seize colonial military supplies in this town. Once they reached the town the British destroyed some military supplies and then Marched Back to Boston (where they faced an attack on their walk).

Lexington

This battle was the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775. British troops marched to seize colonial military supplies, but encountered colonial Minutemen in this town in Massachusetts. The ensuing confrontation, marked by the famous "shot heard 'round the world," ignited armed conflict between the colonists and Great Britain, escalating resistance into open rebellion. 

Bunker Hill

In June 17, 1775, a true battle was fought between opposing armies on the outskirts of Boston. A colonial militia of Massachusetts farmers fortified Breed’s Hill. A British force attacked the colonists position and managed to take the hill, suffering over a thousand casualties. Americans claimed a victory of sorts, having succeeded in inflicting heavy losses on the attacking British army.

Battle of Saratoga

The American victory in a series of battles that ended with the surrender of British General John Burgoyne's army. This key turning point in the American Revolutionary War secured crucial French aid, including financial support, troops, and naval power, which was essential for the eventual American triumph. The campaign began with Burgoyne's plan to cut off New England from the other colonies by capturing Albany, but his stalled invasion was ultimately trapped and overwhelmed by the Continental Army under Horatio Gates.  

Yorktown

In 1781 the last major battle of the Revolutionary war was fought on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. Strongly supported by French naval and military forces, Washington’s army forced the surrender of a large British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis. 

Treaty of Paris (1783)

This treaty provided for the following:

• Britain would recognize the existence of 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 owed to British merchants and honor loyalists claims for property confiscated during the war.

Loyalists (Tories)

Those who maintained allegiance to the king were known by this term. About 60,000 people fought next to British soldiers, supplied them with arms and food, and joined in raiding parties to pillage patriot homes and farms.

Patriots

People who joined the fight against Great Britain. Many were from the New England states and Virginia. 

Minutemen

Colonial militiamen, particularly in Massachusetts, who volunteered to be ready to mobilize at a minute's notice to defend against British aggression, forming the core of the citizen army at the start of the American Revolutionary War

Valley Forge

The winter encampment of George Washington's Continental Army from 1777–1778, a period of immense hardship due to cold, hunger, and disease that tested the army's resolve but ultimately transformed it into a more disciplined and effective fighting force, thanks to Prussian officer Baron von Steuben's training.

Republican Motherhood

A new view of status in society for women which was the new role that called for educating women so that in the home they could teach their children the values of the new republic and their roles as citizens.

Abigail Adams

Despite their contributions, women continued in their second-class status in society and they were unsuccessful in their plea’s be treated better. This woman was one of those women who was unsuccessful with her plea to her husband John Adams.

Daughters of Liberty

A group of women who organized to oppose British Actions by providing supplies to the fighting forces, following men into armed camps and cooking, boycotting British goods, and sometimes fighting in battle.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Congress established a policy for surveying and selling the western lands. The policy set aside one square mile section of land in each 36 square mile township for public education.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

For the large territory lying between the Great lakes and the Ohio River, Congress passed an ordinance that set the rules for creating new states. This granted limited self-government to the developing territory and prohibited slavery in the region.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. government, a loose "league of friendship" that failed due to a weak central government lacking power to tax, regulate commerce, or enforce laws. Key successes included establishing the Northwest Ordinance, which created a framework for territorial expansion and statehood and prohibited slavery in the territory. However, its failures, particularly exposed by Shays' Rebellion, demonstrated the need for a stronger national government, leading to the replacement of the Articles by the U.S. Constitution. 

Shay’s Rebellion

An armed uprising by indebted farmers in western Massachusetts (1786-1787) led by Daniel Shays, protesting high taxes and farm foreclosures under the weak Articles of Confederation. The rebellion, which culminated in an failed attack on a federal arsenal, highlighted the Articles' inability to maintain order and led to increased calls for a stronger national government, ultimately contributing to the Constitutional Convention and the creation of the U.S. Constitution. 

Constitutional Convention

A pivotal gathering in Philadelphia where delegates from 12 states, initially tasked with amending the Articles of Confederation, instead drafted a new United States Constitution. This was followed by intense debates on whether to ratify the new plan of government. Driven by the need for a stronger central government to address the weaknesses of the Articles, the convention resulted in the establishment of a new federal system

James Madison

He became known as the Father of the Constitution and was present at the Constitutional Convention. He jointly created specific articles of the Constitution with the common goal of wanting to strengthen the young nation. He also played a role in drafting the Bill of Rights, co-authoring the Federalist Papers, and developing the Virginia Plan.

Alexander Hamilton

He jointly created specific articles of the Constitution with the common goal of wanting to strengthen the young nation. He was present at the constitutional Convention and was a strong nationalist who wanted to draft an entirely new document. He argued that the Confederate model of government, in which the states were loosely united under a weak central government, was unworkable. Him and Madison believed in federalism.

Federalism

A system of government with a strong but limited central government.

Separation of Powers

Dividing power among different branches of the government to ensure that officials wouldn’t abuse their powers.

Checks and Balances

The power of each branch would be limited by the powers of the others.

Virginia Plan

A proposal presented by the Virginia delegation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention that called for a strong national government with a bicameral (two-house) legislature where representation in both houses was based on state population, favoring large states.

New Jersey Plan

A counterproposal to the Virginia Plan at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, advocating for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, regardless of population size.

Connecticut Plan; Great Compromise

An agreement at the 1787 Constitutional Convention that resolved the dispute between large and small states over legislative representation by creating a two-house Congress. It established the House of Representatives, with representation based on state population, and the Senate, with equal representation for every state.

House of Representatives

One chamber of the U.S. Congress, a bicameral legislature, established by the Great Compromise to represent states based on their population. It is the "lower house" and serves as the chamber more directly tied to the public will, with each member representing a specific congressional district within a state.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A system that counted each enslaved individual as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of determining a state’s level of taxation and representation.

Commercial Compromise

Allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, including placing tariffs on foreign imports, but it prohibited placing taxes on any exports.

Electoral College System

The delegates decided to assign each state a number of electors equal to the total of that state’s representatives and senators, rather than voters elect a president directly. This was instituted because the delegates feared that too much democracy might lead to mob rule.

Federalists

These people who supported ratification, a stronger central government to maintain order and preserve the union, and emphasized the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Anti-federalists

These people opposed the constitution being ratified, believed a stronger central government would destroy the work of the revolution, limit democracy, and restrict state’s rights, argued that the proposed Constitution had no bill of rights, and claimed the proposed constitution gave the central government more power than the British ever had.

The Federalist Papers

A series of highly persuasive essays written for a New York newspaper by James Madison. The 85 essays present cogent reasons for believing in practicality of each major provision of the Constitution.

Separation of powers

Power was divided between the three main branches of government.

• Legislative: Congress makes laws, passes taxes, and allocates spending

• Executive: led by the president, it recommends and carries out laws and federal programs.

• Judicial: it consists of the supreme court and all lower federal courts; it interprets the laws and the constitution.

Bill of Rights 

The 10 amendments to defend individual liberty. Originally they protected against infringement by the federal government but then those protections began to extend to abuses by state governments as well. 

National Bank

A bank that would be used to deposit government funds and printing banknotes. It would also provide a basis for a stable U.S. currency. Support for this program came mainly from northern merchants, who would gain directly from high tariffs and stabilized currency. He argued that the Bank was necessary and proper and so the bank was chartered by the federal government and it allowed the federal government to print paper currency and use federal deposits to stimulate business.

Judiciary Act (1789)

This act established a Supreme Court with one chief justice and five associate justices. This highest court was empowered to rule on the constitutionality of decisions made by the state courts. This act also provided for a system of 13 district courts and three circuit courts of appeals.

Federalist Party

This political party was led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton and believed in a loose interpretation of the constitution and that it should create a strong central government. The supporters were mostly northern business owners and large landowners. The economic policy was to aid business, create a national bank, and support high tariffs. The military policy was to develop a large peacetime army and navy.

Democratic-Republican Party

This political party was led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and believed in a strict interpretation of the constitution and that it should create a weak central government. The supporters were mostly small farmers, plantation owners, and skilled workers. The economic policy was to favor agriculture, oppose a national bank, and oppose high tariffs. The military policy was to develop a small peacetime army and navy.

Two term tradition

This was a tradition established by Washington’s decision to leave office after two terms and it was followed by later presidents. It continued unbroken until 1940 when Franklin Roosevelt won a third term but it became a law when the 22nd amendment was ratified in 1951.

John Adams

This man’s Presidency (1797-1801) was marked by foreign policy challenges with France, particularly the XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War, leading to the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts that suppressed political dissent and weakened the Federalist Party. Internally, Adams faced a deeply divided nation and political polarization between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, culminating in the landmark Election of 1800 where the presidency peacefully transferred to Thomas Jefferson, a first for the new nation.  

Washington’s Farewell Address

Washington made a speech at the end of his two terms where he warned the country to…

• Not get involved in European affairs

• not make permanent alliances in foreign affairs 

• not form political parties

• not fall into sectionalism.

Alien and Sedition Acts

The Alien Acts authorized the president to deport aliens considered dangerous and to detain enemy aliens in time of war. The Sedition Act made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize either the president or Congress and imposed fines or imprisonment for editors who violated the law.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

The Democratic-Republicans argued that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated rights guaranteed by the first Amendment of the Constitution. Leaders from that political party challenged the legislation of the Federalist Congress by enacting nullifying laws of their own state legislatures. Kentucky and Virginia legislatures both adopted resolutions that declared that the states had entered into a “compact” in forming the national government so a state could nullify the federal law if it broke the compact.

Treaty of Greenville

In 1974, the U.S. army defeated the confederacy tribes at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in northwestern Ohio. The next year, the chiefs of the defeated peoples agreed to this treaty in which they surrendered claims to the Ohio Territory and promised to open it up to settlement.

French Revolution

In France a revolution broke out and Americans generally supported the French people’s aspiration to establish a republic but many were horrified by reports of mob hysteria and mass executions. The U.S. french alliance also remained in effect which complicated matters. Jefferson and his supporters sympathized with the revolutionary cause. They argued that because Britain was sizing American merchant ships bound for French ports, the U.S. should join France in its defensive war against Britain.

Proclamation of Neutrality

Washington believed the U.S was not strong enough to engage in a European War so resisting popular clamor, in 1793 he issued a proclamation of U.S neutrality in the conflict.

Jay Treat (1794)

Washing ton was sent on a mission to talk to Britain about Britains’ occupation of posts on the western frontier and about Britain’s offensive practice of searching and seizing American ships and seamen into the British navy. After a year, Jay brought back a treaty in which Britain agreed to evacuate its posts but nothing about impressment. It maintained the policy of neutrality despite angering American supporters of France.

Pinckney Treaty (1795)

This was a treaty that Spain negotiated to consolidate its holdings in North America. The U.S. minister to Spain negotiated the provisions that…

• Spain would open the lower Mississippi River and new Orleans to American trade

• The right of deposit was granted to Americans so that they could transfer cargoes in New Orleans without paying duties to the Spanish government.

• Spain accepted the U.S. claim that Florida’s northern boundary should be at the 31st parallel.

XYZ Affair

Americans were angered that French warships and privateers were seizing U.S. merchant ships so seeking a peaceful settlement, Adams sent a delegation to Paris to negotiate with the French government. Certain French ministers known as X, Y, Z requested bribes as the basis for entering into negotiations but the U.S. delegates refused. President Adams recognized that the U.S. army and navy were not yet strong enough to fight a major power, so the president avoided war and sent new ministers to Paris.

Indian Intercourse Act

One of the first laws passed by the new nation. The act placed the federal government in control of all legal actions with native Americans. Only the federal government, not the states could purchase their land and regulate any trade and travelling over the land. This was mostly ignored by traders and settlers.

Eli Whitney

This man invented the cotton gin which made growing cotton become immensely profitable and increased demand for enslaved African Americans. The mechanization of the cotton gin led cotton cloth to be less expensive and led the production of cotton goods to become a potent global industry.

Cotton Gin

This device was used to separate cotton fiber from the seeds. It turned a slow, costly process into a quick and inexpensive one. This change transformed the agriculture of the south and made growing cotton immensely profitable. The invention also intensified the demand for enslaved labor, ultimately deepening the institution of slavery. In the end it made cotton cloth less expensive and more plentiful than every and led cotton good production to become a potent global industry.