AP U.S. History: Colonial Era through Early Republic (1492-1799)

Vocabulary flashcards covering major historical terms, key documents, laws, rebellions, compromises, political parties, and figures from colonial times through America's founding (1492-1799).

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage (1492)

The 1492 transatlantic voyage that led to European contact with the Caribbean and the Americas.

Jamestown Colony (1607)

The first permanent British colony established in North America in 1607.

Toleration Act (1649)

An act passed in 1649 that granted religious toleration in England, provided the individual was Protestant.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

A 1676 uprising of indentured servants in Virginia that prompted colonial landowners to shift toward enslaving Africans as a labor force easier to control.

King William's War (1689-1697)

A colonial conflict fought between British and French colonists from 1689 to 1697.

Salem Witch Trials (1692)

A series of prosecutions in 1692 driven by widespread belief in witchcraft, resulting in executions of accused individuals in Massachusetts.

Queen Anne's War (1702-1713)

A second major war fought between British and French colonists in North America from 1702 to 1713.

First Great Awakening (1730s-1740s)

A major religious revival movement across the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s emphasizing personal piety and religious importance.

Zenger Trial (1735)

A 1735 trial that helped establish the principle of freedom of the press in the American colonies.

Seven Years' War / French & Indian War (1754-1763)

A conflict from 1754 to 1763 between Britain and France for control of North American colonial territory, with Native Americans fighting on both sides.

Albany Congress (1754)

A 1754 meeting of colonial representatives organized to foster intercolonial unity, famous for Benjamin Franklin's 'Join, or Die' political cartoon.

Proclamation of 1763

A British decree prohibiting American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent hostilities with Native Americans.

Sugar Act (1764)

A British tax passed in 1764 targeting imported sugar to raise revenue from the American colonies.

Stamp Act & Quartering Act (1765)

1765 British parliamentary measures that levied a direct tax on printed paper goods and required colonists to house British troops.

Declaratory Act (1766)

A 1766 act of the British Parliament reasserting its absolute sovereign authority over the American colonies in all cases whatsoever.

Boston Massacre (1770)

A 1770 confrontation where British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists throwing snowballs, killing several civilians.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

A 1773 direct action protest by American colonists who dumped British tea cargoes into Boston Harbor to resist taxation without representation.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

A set of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish Boston and Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.

Lexington & Concord (1775)

The opening military engagements of the American Revolutionary War in 1775 where the 'shot heard 'round the world' was fired.

Common Sense (1776)

A 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine arguing that a large continent should not be ruled by a small island and urging colonists to revolt against British rule.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

The formal statement adopted on July 4, 1776, declaring the thirteen American colonies free and independent from Great Britain.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

The 1777 military victory that served as the major turning point of the Revolutionary War by securing critical foreign aid.

Winter at Valley Forge (1777-1778)

The 1777-1778 winter encampment where George Washington's Continental Army endured severe cold, hunger, and illness while undergoing military training.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

The last major land battle of the Revolutionary War in 1781, resulting in a decisive American victory with French military assistance.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The 1783 peace treaty in which Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States.

Republican Motherhood

The post-Revolutionary ideal holding that women performed a essential civic duty by raising selfless, virtuous citizens, which stimulated expanded educational opportunities for women.

Articles of Confederation

The first national constitution of the U.S. (adopted 1777, ratified 1781) that created a weak central government with no Executive branch, no national judiciary, and no power to enforce taxes or regulate commerce.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A law establishing a system for surveying and selling western land in the Old Northwest, with revenue applied toward paying off the national debt.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A 1787 act establishing a policy for admitting new states from western territories on equal terms once they reached 60,000 residents, while also prohibiting slavery in the Old Northwest.

Shays' Rebellion (1786)

A 1786 armed revolt of impoverished Massachusetts farmers led by Captain Daniel Shays against debt collection and taxes, exposing the military and economic weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Virginia Plan

The 'large-state plan' presented at the 1787 Constitutional Convention proposing a bicameral legislature with representation based on population.

New Jersey Plan

The 'small-state plan' presented at the 1787 Constitutional Convention proposing a unicameral legislature with equal representation for every state.

Great Compromise

The agreement at the Constitutional Convention creating a bicameral Congress: a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate providing equal representation (two per state).

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention counting each enslaved individual as three-fifths of a person for proportional representation and direct taxation.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution (often wealthy, educated city dwellers) who advocated for a strong central government to manage national commerce, maintain order, and protect property.

Antifederalists

Opponents of the 1787 Constitution (often small farmers, debtors, and states' rights advocates) who feared strong central authority and demanded a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberties.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted by James Madison and adopted in 1791, guaranteeing individual liberties such as freedom of speech, press, and religion.

Ninth Amendment

A constitutional amendment clarifying that the enumeration of specific rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment

A constitutional amendment specifying that all powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or to the people.

Judiciary Act of 1789

A congressional act that organized the federal court system, establishing the Supreme Court as well as lower federal district and circuit courts.

Assumption

Alexander Hamilton's economic strategy in which the federal government assumed all remaining state Revolutionary War debts to build national credit and bind wealthy creditors to the federal government.

Bank of the United States

A national institution chartered in 1791 (proposed by Alexander Hamilton) to hold federal funds, issue a stable paper currency, and stimulate commercial business.

Strict Construction

The constitutional philosophy championed by Thomas Jefferson holding that the federal government possesses only powers explicitly enumerated in the Constitution.

Loose Construction

The constitutional philosophy championed by Alexander Hamilton invoking implied powers and the 'necessary and proper' clause to justify expanding federal authority.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

A 1794 protest by western Pennsylvania farmers against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, suppressed by George Washington using 13,000 militia ('using a sledgehammer to crush a gnat').

Neutrality Proclamation (1793)

A 1793 declaration issued by George Washington declaring America neutral in the conflict between Britain and France, establishing a lasting precedent of isolationism.

Jay's Treaty

An unpopular 1794 treaty negotiated by John Jay where Britain agreed to evacuate U.S. frontier posts and pay damages for seized ships, while forcing Americans to repay pre-Revolution debts.

Pinckney's Treaty

A 1795 accord with Spain granting the U.S. free navigation of the Mississippi River, the right of deposit at New Orleans, and undisputed control of western Florida territory.

Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington's 1796 resignation statement establishing a two-term presidential precedent and warning the nation against permanent foreign alliances and political parties.

XYZ Affair (1798)

A 1798 diplomatic insult in which French agents requested bribes and loans before allowing U.S. envoys to confer with Foreign Minister Talleyrand, provoking war fever in the U.S.

Convention of 1800

An agreement between the U.S. and France that formally dissolved the 1778 Franco-American alliance and successfully avoided an all-out war.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

1798 Federalist laws raising citizenship residency requirements from 5 to 14 years, granting the president power to deport/imprison foreigners, and criminalizing false defamation of government officials.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

1798-1799 political statements authored by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson asserting that states had the right to declare unconstitutional federal laws null and void.

Compact Theory

The doctrine that the original thirteen states created the federal government through a voluntary compact, giving states authority to judge when federal powers were exceeded.

Democratic-Republicans

The political party formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison advocating for strict constitutional interpretation, states' rights, agrarian interest, and pro-French foreign policy.

George Washington

Unanimously elected first President of the United States and military commander ('The Sword of the Revolution') who set essential executive precedents and urged national unity.

Alexander Hamilton

First Secretary of the Treasury, Federalist leader, and designer of the financial system based on national debt assumption, tariffs, excise taxes, and a national bank.

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence, first Secretary of State, and leader of the Democratic-Republicans who championed strict construction and an agrarian republic.

James Madison

The 'Father of the Constitution' and author of the Bill of Rights who helped write the Virginia Resolutions advocating states' rights.

John Jay

First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who negotiated Jay's Treaty in 1794 to avoid war with Great Britain.

John Adams

The second President of the United States (elected as a Federalist in 1796) who avoided war with France following the XYZ Affair.