APUSH Period 3 (1754-1800)

Molasses Act

British legislation imposing a tax on molasses imported to the colonies from non-British territories.

George Washington

A Virginia planter and military officer who became the first U.S. President.

Fort Duquesne

A French fort in modern-day Pittsburgh, contested during the French and Indian War.

Iroquois Confederacy

A powerful alliance of six Native American tribes that allied with different European powers.

Albany Congress (1754)

A meeting of colonial representatives to form a unified defense plan against the French.

General Braddock

A British general defeated in 1755 at the Battle of Monongahela during the French and Indian War.

French and Indian War

The North American theater of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France (1754–1763).

William Pitt

A British statesman who reinvigorated British military efforts during the French and Indian War.

Battle of Quebec (1759)

A pivotal British victory during the French and Indian War that secured Canada for Britain.

Guerrilla Warfare

Irregular military tactics used effectively by colonial militias, such as ambushes and raids.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

Ended the French and Indian War, ceding French Canada and territory east of the Mississippi to Britain.

Proclamation Line of 1763

British policy forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachians to appease Native Americans.

Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys

A militia group from Vermont that captured Fort Ticonderoga during the Revolutionary War.

Pontiac's Rebellion (1763–1766)

A Native American uprising against British policies in the Great Lakes region.

Paxton Boys (1764)

A group of Pennsylvania frontiersmen who protested colonial government policies toward Native Americans.

Regulators

Backcountry settlers in the Carolinas protesting unfair taxation and lack of representation.

George Grenville

British Prime Minister who introduced revenue-generating measures like the Sugar Act.

Currency Act of 1764

Prohibited colonies from issuing paper money, causing economic difficulties.

Sugar Act (1764)

Reduced the tax on molasses but increased enforcement, angering merchants.

End of Salutary Neglect

After the French and Indian War, Britain enforced stricter control over colonies.

Stamp Act of 1765

A direct tax on printed materials, sparking widespread colonial protest.

Virtual Representation

British argument that Parliament represented all British subjects, including colonists without voting rights.

Quartering Act of 1765

Required colonists to house and supply British troops.

Patrick Henry

A fiery orator who famously declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Delegates from nine colonies met to oppose the Stamp Act, uniting colonial resistance.

Sons of Liberty

A secret organization that protested and used intimidation against British policies.

Samuel Adams

A key figure in organizing resistance to British policies and a leader in the Sons of Liberty.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

A colonial petition asserting that only colonial assemblies could tax colonists.

Power of the Purse

Colonial assemblies’ ability to control taxation and budgets.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Affirmed Parliament’s authority over the colonies after the repeal of the Stamp Act.

John Locke and Natural Rights

Enlightenment thinker who argued for life, liberty, and property as fundamental rights.

John Dickinson/Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania

Essays protesting taxation without representation, advocating for colonial unity.

Dual Revolution Theory

The idea that the American Revolution was both a fight for independence and a social upheaval.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imports like glass, paper, and tea, prompting widespread boycotts.

Daughters of Liberty

Women who supported boycotts by producing homemade goods to replace British imports.

Boston Massacre (1770)

A deadly confrontation between British soldiers and colonists, fueling anti-British sentiment.

Committees of Correspondence

Networks for sharing information and coordinating resistance among colonies.

Tea Act of May 1773

Gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales, angering colonists.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor against the Tea Act.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)

Punitive measures after the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor.

Quebec Act (1774)

Extended Quebec’s boundaries and granted religious freedom to Catholics.

Virginia Plan

A proposal for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature based on population.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal advocating for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.

Alexander Hamilton

The first Secretary of the Treasury, advocating for a strong central government and national bank.

Roger Sherman

Proposed the Great Compromise, creating a bicameral legislature balancing large and small states.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Agreement creating a two-house legislature to combine Virginia and New Jersey Plans.

Federalism

The division of power between the national and state governments.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Gives Congress authority to pass laws necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Stated that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted for taxation and representation.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Federalists supported the Constitution; Anti-Federalists opposed it, fearing a powerful government.

The Federalist Papers

A series of essays advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights and liberties.

Washington's Cabinet

The group of executive department heads selected by President Washington to advise him.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Established the structure of the federal judiciary, creating the Supreme Court and lower courts.

Report on Public Credit (1790)

Hamilton's proposal to address national debt by assuming state debts and issuing new bonds.

Assumption of Debt and Washington D.C.

Hamilton's plan to have federal government assume state debts paired with establishing the capital.

Bank of the United States

Proposed by Hamilton to stabilize and improve the nation’s credit.

Loose v. Strict Construction

Debate over broad implied powers versus limited explicit powers in the Constitution.

Report on Manufactures (1791)

Hamilton's proposal advocating for government support of manufacturing and industry.

Tariff Act of 1789

Imposed tariffs on imports to generate revenue and protect American industries.

Jefferson’s Agrarian Vision

Jefferson's ideal vision of America as a nation of independent farmers.

Adam Smith/Wealth of Nations

Influential work advocating free-market capitalism and minimal government intervention.

Federalists v. Democratic-Republicans

The first political parties in the U.S. with Federalists supporting strong central government.

U.S. Response to the French Revolution

Federalists wary of it, while Democratic-Republicans supported it.

Neutrality Act of 1793

Declared that the U.S. would remain neutral in European conflicts.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

A violent protest against a federal excise tax on whiskey, demonstrating federal power.

Citizen Genet

French ambassador who attempted to stir support for France, violating American neutrality.

Jay’s Treaty (1794)

Agreement resolving issues left over from the Revolutionary War with Britain.

Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

Advised avoiding permanent foreign alliances and being wary of political parties.

Haitian Revolution (1791–1804)

Successful slave revolt in the French colony leading to Haiti's independence.

Toussaint L’Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution who established Haitian independence.

Napoleon

French leader whose actions influenced U.S. foreign policy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

John Adams

The second U.S. President known for leadership during the Quasi-War.

XYZ Affair (1797–1798)

A diplomatic incident leading to public outrage and the Quasi-War with France.

Quasi-War (1798–1800)

An undeclared naval conflict between the U.S. and France, mainly fought in the Caribbean.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Laws aimed at suppressing criticism of the government.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798)

Political statements asserting states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

Nullification

The concept that states could invalidate any federal law deemed unconstitutional.

Election of 1800/Revolution of 1800

A contentious election marking the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties.

Thomas Jefferson

The third U.S. President and leader of the Democratic-Republican Party.

Aaron Burr

Vice President under Jefferson, known for his duel with Alexander Hamilton.