ap exam prep

apush

Spanish Colonies

Focused on converting Native Americans and extracting wealth; encomienda system.

French Colonies

Traded furs, allied with Natives (e.g., Huron); small population.

Dutch Colonies

Trade-oriented; founded New Amsterdam (later NYC).

British Colonies

New England

Puritan religious focus, town meetings, mixed economy.

Middle Colonies

Diverse, commercial economy, religious tolerance (e.g., Pennsylvania).

Southern Colonies

Plantation economy, tobacco and rice, enslaved labor.

Transatlantic Trade

Triangular Trade

Exchange between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Middle Passage

Harsh voyage for enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.

Mercantilism

Colonies exist for the benefit of the mother country (e.g., Navigation Acts).

Interactions with Native Americans

Conflict and cooperation.

Pequot War (1636–38), King Philip's War (1675–76)

Resistance to colonial expansion.

Trade alliances with French and Dutch vs. land competition with English.

Slavery in British Colonies

Chattel slavery codified in law (e.g., Virginia Slave Codes, 1705).

Growth in Southern colonies due to plantation economy.

Colonial Society and Culture

Enlightenment

Emphasis on reason (e.g., John Locke, natural rights).

Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

Religious revival, new denominations (e.g., Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield).

Development of colonial identity and local governance (e.g., House of Burgesses).

UNIT 3

Revolution and the New Nation (1754–1800)

Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

1754–1763

British victory, gain of French territory.

1763 Treaty of Paris

Ends war; Britain in debt.

Proclamation of 1763

No settlement west of Appalachians—angered colonists.

American Revolution

Causes

Taxation without representation (Stamp Act 1765, Tea Act 1773), Enlightenment ideas.

Events

1770

Boston Massacre

1773

Boston Tea Party

1776

Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson)

1781

Battle of Yorktown

Key Figures

George Washington, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin

Articles of Confederation

Weak federal government, no taxation power.

Success

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Weaknesses led to Shays’ Rebellion (1786–87)

U.S. Constitution

1787

Constitutional Convention

Federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances.

Ratification debate

Federalists (Hamilton) vs. Anti-Federalists (Jefferson).

Bill of Rights (1791)

Protects individual liberties.

American Identity

Emergence of “American” values

liberty, democracy, resistance to monarchy.

Immigration and Migration

Westward push (after Proclamation Line), Native resistance continues.

UNIT 4

The Early Republic (1800–1848)

Rise of Political Parties