Learn: American History: Revolution & Early Republic

Albany Plan of Union

A 1754 proposal by Benjamin Franklin for "one general government" to manage Indian relations and defense; it was rejected by colonial assemblies.

Proclamation of 1763

A British ruling that forbade colonial settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains to prevent costly Indian conflicts.

William Pitt

The English secretary of state who transformed the war effort by bringing it under tight British control before later relaxing policies to gain colonial cooperation.

Pontiac's Rebellion

An alliance of Native American tribes that struck back against British expansion into the Ohio Valley following the French defeat.

Salutary Neglect

The long-standing British policy of leaving the colonies alone to manage their own internal affairs, which ended abruptly after 1763.

Stamp Act (1765)

The first direct tax on the colonies, affecting most printed documents; it unified the colonies in opposition to "taxation without representation".

Samuel Adams

A leading radical in Boston who used the Committees of Correspondence to spread outrage over British policies and the Boston Massacre.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts

A series of punitive measures passed in 1774 that closed Boston's port and reduced colonial self-government in response to the Tea Party.

Virtual Representation

The British theory that every member of Parliament represented the interests of the entire empire, rather than specific geographical areas.

Common Sense

An influential 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that argued it was "simple common sense" for Americans to break away from the corrupt monarchy of George III.

Battle of Saratoga

A 1777 American victory that served as a major turning point because it persuaded France to formally recognize and join the American cause.

Battle of Yorktown

The final major battle of the war in 1781 where French and American forces trapped Lord Cornwallis, leading to his surrender.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. constitution; it created a weak central government that lacked the power to tax or regulate commerce.

Republican Motherhood

The post-revolutionary idea that women should be educated so they could instruct their children in the virtues required of a republican citizenry.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The formal peace agreement in which Great Britain recognized U.S. independence and ceded territory from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River.

Shays's Rebellion

An 1786 uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers that highlighted the urgent need for a stronger national government.

The Great Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention creating a bicameral legislature with representation by population in the House and equal representation in the Senate.

Federalist Papers

A series of highly persuasive essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to argue for the ratification of the Constitution.

Whiskey Rebellion

A 1794 domestic crisis where President Washington used military force to prove that the new federal government could enforce its laws.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Controversial Federalist-backed laws that empowered the government to deport immigrants and silence political opposition through the press.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident where French agents demanded bribes from American delegates, leading to an undeclared naval war and increased anti-French sentiment.