APUSH CHAP 5-6

Key Terms

Sugar Act of 1764

British tax on molasses/sugar imports to the colonies; first effort to raise revenue after French & Indian War. Colonists saw it as unfair taxation without representation.

Stamp Act of 1765

Required colonists to buy stamps for all printed materials (newspapers, contracts, licenses). Caused widespread protests.

Virtual representation

British claim that Parliament represented all subjects (even those without a vote, like colonists). Colonists rejected this, wanting direct representation.

Quartering Act of 1765

Required colonies to provide housing and supplies to British troops stationed in America. Resented as an invasion of rights.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Delegates from 9 colonies met in New York to protest the Stamp Act; first major colonial unity against Britain.

Sons of Liberty

Secret resistance groups (often violent) formed to oppose British taxes; organized boycotts and protests.

Natural rights

Enlightenment idea (John Locke): life, liberty, property (later “pursuit of happiness”); heavily influenced colonists’ arguments for independence.

Declaratory Act of 1766

Passed when Stamp Act was repealed; Parliament asserted its right to tax and legislate for colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

Townshend Acts of 1767

Taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Sparked boycotts and protests.

Nonimportation movement

Colonists boycotted British goods to protest taxes. Women played a big role making homespun cloth.

George Grenville

British Prime Minister who pushed the Sugar and Stamp Acts to raise revenue.

Charles Townshend

British finance minister who sponsored the Townshend Acts.

Committees of Correspondence (1770s)

Networks of communication between colonies to share information and coordinate resistance to Britain.

Tea Act of May 1773

Gave the British East India Company monopoly on tea sales; led to the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive Acts (1774)

Also called “Intolerable Acts”; punished Massachusetts for Boston Tea Party by closing Boston Harbor, restricting town meetings, and allowing soldiers to be housed in private homes.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to organize resistance, issued Declaration of Rights and called for a boycott of British goods.

Continental Association

Agreement from First Continental Congress to enforce the boycott of British goods.

Minutemen

Colonial militia ready to fight at a minute’s notice. Key in early battles like Lexington & Concord.

Second Continental Congress (1775)

Met after fighting began; managed the war effort, created the Continental Army under Washington, and moved toward independence.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Written by Thomas Jefferson; declared colonies free from Britain, based on natural rights and popular sovereignty.

Popular sovereignty

Idea that government gets power from the consent of the governed (the people).

Thomas Paine

Author of Common Sense (1776), argued for independence and against monarchy, inspired common people.

Thomas Jefferson

Main author of the Declaration of Independence; later 3rd President.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Turning point of the Revolution; American victory convinced France to openly ally with the U.S.

Valley Forge (1777–78)

Harsh winter camp for Washington’s army; soldiers suffered but emerged stronger under training from Baron von Steuben.

Philipsburg Proclamation (1779)

British promise of freedom to enslaved people who fled Patriot masters and joined the British.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Last major battle; Washington (with French aid) trapped Cornwallis, forcing British surrender.

Currency tax

Hidden inflation tax colonists paid when paper money lost value during the war.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended Revolutionary War; Britain recognized U.S. independence and gave land to Mississippi River.

Pennsylvania constitution of 1776

Radical democratic state constitution with one-house legislature, no governor, and broad voting rights.

General George Washington

Commander of Continental Army; key leader who held army together and later became first U.S. President.

Articles of Confederation (1781–89)

First U.S. constitution; weak central government, most power left to states, no power to tax.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Established system for territories to become states, banned slavery in Northwest Territory.

Shays’s Rebellion (1786–87)

Uprising of Massachusetts farmers against taxes and debt; showed weakness of Articles of Confederation and need for stronger federal gov.

Virginia Plan

Constitutional Convention proposal for strong national government with representation based on population (favored large states).

New Jersey Plan

Constitutional Convention proposal for a weaker national government with has one has with equal votes for each state.

Federalists

Supported Constitution; wanted strong central government.

Antifederalists

Opposed Constitution; feared central gov power, demanded Bill of Rights.

Federalist No. 10

Essay by James Madison; argued large republics prevent tyranny by controlling factions.

James Madison

“Father of the Constitution,” author of Federalist Papers, 4th President.