APUSH Period 3: 1754-1800

George Washington

Founding father who was commander-in-chief of the continental army, leading Americans to victory in the Revolutionary War, served as 1st pres of US

French and Indian War (Seven Years War)

Conflict between Great Britain & France over North American territory, leading to a British victory, the expulsion of French, & British debt

Peace of Paris (1763)

(1763) treaty that ended the French & Indian War which gave Britain control of Canada & all French territories East of Mississippi River

Proclamation of 1763

British decree that prohibited colonists from settling west of Appalachian Mountains, establishing a boundary to prevent conflict w/Native Americans after French and Indian War

Mercantilism

economic policy used by European powers, esp Britain to increase national wealth (gold/silver) by controlling colonies as sources of raw materials and markets for manufactured goods

Sugar Act

British law that lowered the molasses tax, but inc enforcement on other goods like foreign sugar to raise revenue for Britain’s war debt

Quartering Act

British parliamentary acts requiring colonists to house and supply British soldiers

Stamp Act

British law requiring colonists to pay a tax on printed materials by purchasing a special stamp for legal documents & newspapers

Admiralty Courts

British maritime courts established in the colonies w/o a jury, trying the violations of the Navigation Acts & other customs laws

Tea Act

British law that granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies, allowing it to sell tea cheaper than smuggled tea

“Taxation without Representation”

The American colonists’ belief that it was unjust for British Parliament to impose taxes on them w/o their consent through elected representatives

Stamp Act Congress

The first important meeting of colonial representatives to organize a unified response to the British Parliament’s Stamp Act

Non-importation Agreements

a colonial protest tactic where colonists boycotted or refused to import British goods in response to unfair British taxation policies & economic policies

Sons of Liberty

Secret patriotic colonial organization that used protests, boycotts, & intimidation to oppose British taxation & assert colonial rights

Declaratory Act

British parliamentary act asserting that Parliament had the right to make laws binding the American colonies “in all cases whatsoever”

Townshend Acts

Series of laws passed by British Parliament in 1767 that imposed taxes on imported goods such as glass, tea, paint, & paper

Boston Massacre

Deadly conflict where British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing 5 colonists

King George III

British monarch during the rise up to the American Revolution, contributed to crisis with his insistence on asserting British power over colonial possessions

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Act of political protest by colonists against the British Tea Act, disguising as Native Americans and dumping 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor

Coercive Acts/Repressive/Intolerable Acts (1774)

Series of punitive laws passed by British Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, & to reassert British authority

First Continental Congress

Meeting of delegates from 12/13 colonies in Philadelphia to protest the Intolerable Acts and to assert colonial rights, drafting a Declaration of Rights & Grievances, & agreeing to boycott British goods

The Continental Association

an agreement adopted by the First Continental Congress that instituted a complete boycott of British goods & services to pressure Britain to repeal the Coercive acts

Battles of Lexington & Concord

The opening conflicts of the American Revolutionary war, marking the first military engagements between British troops & colonial minutemen

“Minute Men”

Volunteer members of colonial militias in the American Revolutionary war, who were trained and ready to respond to conflict within mnutes’s’ notice

Marquis da Lafayette

French aristocrat & military officer who volunteered for the Continental Army, commanding at the Battle of Yorktown which secured French alliance

Paul Revere

Silversmith and patriot who alerted the colonists that the British were coming before Lexington and Concord by taking a midnight horse ride to prepare colonists

Benjamin Franklin

Founding Father of the US, diplomat who secured French support for the Revolution and a key figure in promoting Enlightenment ideals & colonial unity

Second Continental Congress

Gathering of delegates from 13 colonies that convened in Philadelphia, following the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. This congress acted as the national government for the colonies, and ultimately adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776

Battle of Bunker Hill

Significant early battle in the American Revolutionary War which showed the American colonial forces’ resolve & ability to stand up against British troops despite the British winning

Olive Branch Petition

Final plea from second continental congress to King George III, attempting to avoid war by asserting loyalty to the British crown while also seeking to resolve colonial grievances over taxation & lack of representation. King George rejected, & claimed colonies to be in rebellion

Declaration of Independence

formal statement adopted on July 4th, 1776, by the Continental Congress that declared the 13 American colonies free from British rule, outlining principles of natural rights, a government based on the consent of the governed, & the rights of ppl to revolt against a tyrannical govt

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine that argued for American independence from Great Britain, persuading colonists to support revolution through promotion of ideas such as self-governance, natural rights, & rejection of monarchial tyranny

Treaty of Paris (1783)

treaty that formally ended the American Revolution & recognized the 13 colonies’ independence, establishing many US territorial boundaries

John Locke

English philosopher and political theorist whose ideas on natural rights, social contract, & consent of the governed heavily influenced the American Rev & the framing of the US Dec

Adam Smith

Scottish economist & philosopher, considered the “father of modern economics” who advocated for laissez-faire capitalism, free markets, & minimal govt intervention in the economy

Enlightenment

17th & 18th century European intellectual movement that emphasized reason, individualism, & skeptism of traditional authority, laying the groundwork for modern democracy

Articles of Confederation

First American constitution that established the US as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress, & was not granted power to regulate commerce or collect taxes

Land Ordinance of 1785

Established a system for surveying and selling western lands using a rectangular grid

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

defined the process by which new states could be admitted into the Union. The ordinance forbade slavery, established bill of rights

Shay’s Rebellion

armed uprising by indebted farmers in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, protesting economic injustices and lack of government response to economic struggles

Annapolis Convention

Meeting of delegates from 5 states to address trade issues under Articles of Confederation

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting in Philadelphia were delegates from states decided to replace the Articles of Confederation by drafting a new US constitution

James Madison

Founding father and “Father of the Constitution” for his role in authoring the US constitution, co-writing the Federalist papers, & advocating for the Bill of Rights

Alexander Hamilton

Founding father and the first Secretary of the Treasury of the US, played a crucial role in shaping the financial system & political landscape of the new republic

Natural Rights Theory

Concept that all individuals are born with unalienable rights- life, liberty, & property that are not granted by the government but instead derived from nature or God

Republicanism

Concept that ultimate political authority is vested in the citizens of the nation, & is a rejection of monarchy

Virginia Plan

Proposal at the constitutional convention that called for a strong national government with a two-house legislature where representation in both houses would be based on state population

New Jersey Plan

Proposal during Constitutional Convention that advocated for a one house legislature with equal representation for all state, giving each state one vote, regardless of its population size

Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise

Agreement during the Constitutional convention that created a two-house legislature with a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation (2 senators) for each state

Three-fifths Compromise

Agreement during the Constitutional convention that determined 3/5ths of a state’s enslaved population would be counted for the purposes of legislative representation and taxation

Electoral College

body of representatives established by the constitution which formally elects the President & VP of the US

Federalists

Supporters of a strong national government who advocated for the ratification of the US Constitution

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the new US Constitution, fearing a strong central government and advocating for states’ rights and individual liberties

The Federalist Papers

Collection of articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, & John Jay, promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution

Bill of Rights

the first 10 amendments to the US constitution that guarantee fundamental rights and civil liberties, addressing concerns about the new federal government’s potential for tyranny

Judiciary Act of 1789

established the structure of the US federal court system, including the Supreme Court & lower federal courts, defining their jurisdictions

Thomas Jefferson (as Sec. State & VP)

3rd President of US & a principal author of the Declaration of Independence, known for his strong advocacy of individual liberties & democratic principles

Hamilton’s financial plan

Plan proposed by Hamilton to stabilize the US economy through repaying state debts, the establishment of Bank of United States, protective tariffs, & taxes on goods like whiskey

Federalism

Political system where power is divided and shared between a national government and regional governments, with both levels holding independent authority but also interdependence

Pennsylvania Gradual Emancipation Law

1st legislation in the US to begin process of abolishing slavery, declaring that all children born to enslaved mothers after law would become free after reaching age of 28

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

President George Washington’s declaration that the US would remain neutral in the conflict between France & Great Britain

Jay Treaty (1794)

Agreement between the US and Great Britain aimed at resolving lingering issues from American Revolutionary War & stabilizing relations between the two nations

Pinckney Treaty (1795)

Diplomatic agreement between the US & Spain that granted Americans right to navigate the Mississippi River & use the port of New Orleans for trade

Whiskey Rebellion

Violent uprising in Pennsylvania where farmers protested Hamilton’s federal tax on whiskey. President George Washington led a militia to suppress the rebellion, successfully establishing the federal govt’s authority

Democratic Republican Party

Mostly southerners led by Thomas Jefferson, believed that the ppl should have political power, favored strong state governments, emphasized agriculture, & favored strict interpretation of the constitution, pro-french

Federalist Party

Political party in the US of mostly wealthy north-easterners that favored a strong centralized federal government, commerce-based economy, loose construction of constitution

Washington’s Farewell Address

Letter warning against the dangers of political parties, sectionalism, & foreign entanglements, emphasizing the importance of national unity

XYZ Affair

Diplomatic incident where 3 US envoys to France were met by 3 French agents (X, Y, & Z) who demanded a bribe and a large loan to begin negotiations

Kentucky and Virginia Resolution

Pair of political statements drafted by James Madison & Thomas Jefferson to protest the Federalist-backed Alien & Sedition acts