apush unit 3

Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

Global conflict between Britain and France; in America, it was fought over control of land, especially the Ohio River Valley.

George Washington

Colonial officer in the French and Indian War; later commander of the Continental Army.

Edward Braddock

British general defeated near Fort Duquesne in the French and Indian War.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

Proposed by Ben Franklin to unite the colonies for defense; rejected.

Peace of Paris (1763)

Treaty ending the French and Indian War; Britain gained French Canada and Spanish Florida.

Salutary neglect

British policy of loosely enforcing colonial laws, encouraging self-governance.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Native American uprising against British expansion after the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachians.

Patrick Henry

Virginia leader who opposed British policies; “Give me liberty or give me death.”

Stamp Act Congress

Meeting of colonies to protest the Stamp Act; claimed taxation without representation.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Groups who protested British taxes, often through boycotts and demonstrations.

John Dickinson; Letters From…

Author of Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, opposing British taxes.

James Otis

Early colonial leader who argued against taxation without representation.

Samuel Adams

Leader of resistance in Boston; helped organize the Boston Tea Party.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

Letter by Sam Adams urging colonies to oppose the Townshend Acts.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial networks for sharing information and organizing resistance.

Intolerable Acts

Harsh British laws passed to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party.

Parliament

British legislative body that imposed laws and taxes on the colonies.

George III

King of Britain during the American Revolution.

Whigs

British political party that supported colonial rights; opposed by the Tories.

Lord Frederick North

British prime minister during the American Revolution.

Sugar Act (1764)

Tax on sugar and molasses; aimed at raising revenue and ending smuggling.

Quartering Act (1765)

Required colonists to house and feed British soldiers.

Stamp Act (1765)

Direct tax on printed materials; led to widespread protest.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Asserted Parliament’s right to legislate for the colonies “in all cases.”

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imports like glass, paper, and tea; led to boycotts.

Writ of assistance

General search warrants used by British officials to look for smuggled goods.

Tea Act (1773)

Allowed British tea to be sold cheaply in America; led to the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive Acts (1774)

British response to the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor.

—Port Act

Closed the port of Boston until tea was paid for.

—Massachusetts Government Act

Reduced power of Massachusetts legislature.

—Administration of Justice Act

Allowed trials of British officials to be held in Britain.

Quebec Act (1774)

Expanded Quebec and granted rights to Catholics; angered colonists.

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights.

Deism

Belief that God created the universe but does not interfere with human affairs.

Rationalism

Belief in reason and logic as the primary source of knowledge.

Social contract

Idea that government is based on an agreement between rulers and people.

John Locke

English philosopher who influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Enlightenment thinker who emphasized popular sovereignty.

Thomas Paine

Author of Common Sense, advocating for independence from Britain.

First Continental Congress

1774 meeting to respond to the Intolerable Acts; called for boycotts.

John Adams

Massachusetts lawyer and leader in the push for independence; 2nd U.S. president.

George Washington

Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

John Dickinson

Moderate delegate who initially opposed independence.

John Jay

Delegate to both Continental Congresses; helped write Treaty of Paris.

Joseph Galloway

Loyalist delegate who proposed a plan to remain with Britain.

Suffolk Resolves

Statement rejecting the Intolerable Acts and urging resistance.

Economic sanctions

Boycotts and restrictions on trade used as protest.

Second Continental Congress (1775)

Managed the war and moved toward independence.

Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms

Document justifying colonial military action.

Olive Branch Petition

Final attempt at peace with Britain; rejected by King George III.

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence

1776 document declaring American independence from Britain.

Concord

Site of early battle; British retreated under colonial fire.

Paul Revere

Rode to warn of British march to Concord and Lexington.

William Dawes

Rode with Paul Revere to alert colonial militias.

Lexington

First shots of the American Revolution.

Bunker Hill

Early battle showing colonial resolve; British won but suffered heavy losses.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the Revolution; led to French alliance.

George Rogers Clark

American commander who captured British forts in the Northwest.

Yorktown

Final major battle; British surrendered to Washington in 1781.

Prohibitory Act (1775)

British act declaring the colonies in rebellion and banning trade.

Absolute monarch

Ruler with complete authority; colonists feared such power.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Treaty ending the Revolutionary War; recognized American independence.

Loyalists (Tories)

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution.

Patriots

Colonists who supported independence.

Minutemen

Colonial militia ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

Continentals

Soldiers in the Continental Army.

Valley Forge

Winter camp where Washington’s army suffered greatly but emerged stronger.

Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher)

Woman who helped soldiers in battle, even taking a cannon.

Deborah Sampson

Woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the war.

Republican Motherhood

Belief that women should raise informed citizens for the new republic.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams; early advocate for women’s rights.

Daughters of Liberty

Women who organized boycotts and supported the Patriot cause.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Set rules for surveying and selling land in the Northwest Territory.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Banned slavery in Northwest Territory and outlined statehood process.

Articles of Confederation

First U.S. constitution; created a weak national government.

Shays’s Rebellion

Uprising by Massachusetts farmers against economic hardship; showed need for stronger government.

James Madison

“Father of the Constitution”; co-author of The Federalist Papers.

Alexander Hamilton

Federalist leader; advocated strong central government and national bank.

Gouverneur Morris

Drafted final language of the Constitution.

John Dickinson

Helped draft the Articles and Constitution; moderate voice.

Federalists

Supported the Constitution and strong central government.

Anti-Federalists

Opposed the Constitution; demanded Bill of Rights.

The Federalist Papers

Essays defending the Constitution, written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting to revise the Articles; resulted in the U.S. Constitution.

Mount Vernon Conference

Precursor to constitutional reform; addressed trade issues.

Annapolis Convention

Meeting to discuss trade; led to calling the Constitutional Convention.

Federalism

Division of power between national and state governments.

Separation of powers

Dividing government among executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Checks and balances

System preventing one branch of government from becoming too powerful.

Congress

Legislative branch of the U.S. government.

Virginia Plan

Proposal for representation based on population.

New Jersey Plan

Proposal for equal representation of states.

Connecticut Plan; Great Compromise

Combined Virginia and New Jersey Plans; two-house legislature.

Senate

Upper house of Congress; equal representation.

House of Representatives

Lower house of Congress; based on population.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation.

Commercial Compromise

Allowed Congress to regulate trade but banned export taxes.

Electoral College system

Method of electing the president via state-chosen electors.