Unit 3 Terms Quiz 5 for APUSH

Proclamation of 1763

Proclamation of 1763

A decree issued by King George III after the French and Indian War, which prohibited colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, essentially creating a designated Native American reserve in that territory, and aimed to prevent further conflict between settlers and Indigenous populations; this act was a major source of discontent among colonists, contributing to growing tensions with the British crown that eventually lead to the American Revolution.

Sons (and Daughters) of Liberty

A group of American colonists, primarily active during the lead-up to the American Revolution, who organized protests, boycotts, and acts of civil disobedience against British policies, particularly in response to taxation without representation

Stamp Act

A tax passed by the British Parliament in 1765 that required colonists to pay for printed materials. It was the first direct tax created by the Parliament on the American colonies. Contributed to the tensions leading up to the American Revolution.

Townshend Act

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1767 that imposed taxes on various goods imported to the American colonies, including tea, glass, lead, paint, and paper, which further fueled colonial resentment towards British rule and contributed significantly to the growing tensions leading up the American Revolution due to the principle of “taxation without representation.”

Quartering Act

A British law that mandated American colonists to provide housing, food, and other necessities to British soldiers stationed in the colonies, essentially forcing colonists to accommodate the military in their homes, which significantly contributed to growing tensions leading up to the American Revolution; it was seen as another example of “taxation without representation.”

Declaratory Act

A British Parliament legislation in 1766 affirmed the British Parliament’s authority to tax and make laws for the American colonies.

Tea Act

A law passed by the British Parliament in 1773 granted the British East India Company a monopoly on selling tea in the American colonies. This sparked a widespread protest and ultimately led to the Boston Tea Party, a key event leading up to the American Revolution; colonists viewed this as another example of “taxation without representation.”

Social Contract Theory

A philosophical concept where individuals in a society implicitly agree to give up some of their freedoms in exchange for the protection and benefits of living in a structured society, essentially forming a “contract” with the government that legitimizes its power based on the consent of the governed; this idea heavily influenced the American Revolution and its ideals of democracy.

Coercive Acts

A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the Massachusetts colony for the Boston Tea Party, aiming to assert British authority by measures like closing Boston Harbor and altering the Massachusetts government, which ultimately heightened tensions and pushed the colonies closer to revolution.

First Continental Congress

A meeting held in Philadelphia in 1774 where delegates from twelve of the thirteen American colonies gathered to coordinate a unified response against British policies, particularly the Intolerable Acts, by drafting a “Declaration of Rights” and initiating a boycott of British goods, marking a significant step towards the American Revolution.

Committees of Correspondence

A network of political organizations established in the American colonies during the pre-Revolutionary War period, primarily used to share information and coordinate resistance against British policies by exchanging letters and facilitating communication between different colonies, ultimately playing a key role in building unity and organizing the movement toward independence.

Virtual representation

The British concept that members of Parliament represented the interests of all British subjects, including colonists in America, even if they did not directly elect those representatives, essentially claiming that Parliament “_________” represented the colonies without the need for direct colonial representation; this idea was strongly rejected by American colonists who demanded actual representation through elected officials in Parliament.

Boston Massacre

A deadly confrontation that occurred in 1770, in Boston, where British soldiers, fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five people, which significantly heightened tensions between the colonies and the British government, serving as a major catalyst towards the American Revolution; this event was heavily publicized by patriots like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere as a “________” despite the complex circumstances surrounding it.

Second Continental Congress

A gathering of delegates from the thirteen American colonies that convened in Philadelphia in 1775, acting as a de facto national government during the American Revolution, where they ultimately declared independence from Britain by adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776; essentially serving as the governing body that led the colonies towards revolution and established the United States of America.

Olive Branch Petition

A document sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III in 1775, which was the last attempt by the American colonists to reconcile with Britain before fully committing to war, professing their loyalty to the crown while asking for redress of grievances and a return to peace; however the ________ was rejected by the King, effectively pushing the colonies further towards revolution.

Common Sense

A powerful pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 that argued persuasively for the American colonies to declare independence from Great Britain, using clear language to appeal to the average colonist and significantly influence public opinion towards revolution; it is considered a key document in the lead-up to the American Revolution.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States ratified in 1781, which established a very weak central government, with limited power to tax or regulate trade, ultimately proving ineffective and later replaced by the current U.S. Constitution; it was a document that primarily aimed to unite the thirteen colonies but gave most power to individual states due to the fear of a strong central government after their experience with British rule.

Treaty of Paris 1783

A peace agreement that ended the American Revolutionary War and established the United States as an independent nation.

Republicanism

A political ideology where citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf, emphasizing citizen participation in a government structured as a republic, with a core value of liberty and a rejection of corruption; it was a key principle driving the American Revolution.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A law passed by the Confederation Congress that established a process for admitting new states to the Union from the _________ Territory, outlining the governance structure for these territories, and notably prohibited slavery within that region, considered a significant step towards westward expansion and state formation in the young United States.

Republican Motherhood

The idea that women, primarily through their role as mothers, had a crucial responsibility to instill the values of civic virtue and republicanism in their children, thus shaping the moral character of the new American nation, even while largely excluded from direct political participation themselves; essentially, women were seen as vital principles of liberty and democracy.

Shay’s Rebellion

An armed uprising in Massachusetts during 1786-1787, led by Revolutionary War veteran ______ _____, where farmers protested against high taxes and debt caused by economic hardship, primarily due to the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which ultimately highlighted the need for a stronger central government and contributed to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.