Chapters 6 APUSH The American Pageant [1754-1775] Definitions, Events, and Explanations

NOTE: This is an extremely unconcise set of notecards. I elaborate a ton on cause and effect, events, comparison/contrast, and more in each notecard description to connect as closely as possible to the AP curriculum's rubric. The bolded parts are the most important parts.

[6.1] Colonial War (e.g. War of Jenkin’s Ear, Queen Anne’s War, King William’s War, King George’s War)

A collection of wars occuring before the Seven Year’s War from 1688-1748, between the colonial powers in the New World and some Indians. Many were extensions of worldwide wars, like how the French and Indian War was an extension of the Seven Year’s War. Britain would eventually win many of these colonial wars, earning them a permanent spot in the New World, gaining a lot of ground in Acadia and Canada, and ushering in a time of peace where salutary neglect became a policy (after Treaty of Utrecht 1713). Almost fifty years later, salutary neglect would end with the Seven Year’s War.

[6.2] Beginning of French and Indian War/Fort Duquesne and Necessity

Fort Duquesne was attacked by a young George Washington in 1749 after Virginians were given shaky rights to build in the Ohio River Valley. After successfully winning over the fort, he was soundly defeated at his shoddily-built Fort Necessity but allowed to live. This is considered by many to be the beginning of the French and Indian War, as the inauguration of violence by George Washington created fear amongst the British.

The British feared a French Acadian rebellion (Acadia is in Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, etc) so they kicked out many Acadians and scattered them across America.

[6.3] French and Indian War/Seven Year's War

The Seven Year’s War was one of the world’s first international wars, fought on four different continents and in nearly a dozen different nations/colonies. Prussia and the British were pitted against the Austrians, Russians, Spanish, and French. Prussian King “Blondy” Frederick was capable of repelling and defeating the French, Austrians and Russians, crippling French forces from ever being able to fight a good battle in the New World ever again.

The F&I War (1754) was an extension of the Seven Years’ War (1756) fought mostly in the Ohio River Valley between the French and British. The two colonial powers fought for control over the land in the New World through military combat and negotiation with powerful Indian allies to turn the tide of war.

[6.3] Albany Congress/Plan of Union

The Albany Congress, a meeting of delegates from 7 states to negotiate with the Iroquois and boost colonial unity. Ben Franklin created a political cartoon advocating for the remaining six states to join the Congress, stating “JOIN, OR DIE.” He also made a policy scheme for home rule, the Albany Plan of Union, which was a colonial central government that would answer to the British crown. It would be the united legislature of all the colonies, but neither the colonists nor the British liked it since it either gave too much or too little power.

[6.4] General Braddock

General Braddock was an old, arrogant British general who had his slow, lumbering army of nearly 2,000 decimated by a small, agile French army after attempting to capture Fort Duquesne again. This resulted in the western frontier of America exposed, allowing the French to blitz through all defenses.

[6.5] General William Pitt, Battle of Quebec, Seven Year’s War End

General William Pitt was a tactical mind dubbed the “Organizer of Victory” who calculated a sound victory at the Battle of Quebec along with his General James Wolfe. Directing attention to the Canadian frontier, he besieged Louisbourg and forced the surrender of Quebec, and after Montreal fell a few years later the Seven Years’s War ended.

Britain gained an enormous tract of land in Canada, along with Florida, and land down to the Mississippi River. The French influence in the New World was practically eliminated after this, and remaining French Acadians were kicked out to Louisiana.

[6.6] Colonist-British Relationship

Despite certain British incompetency (e.g. Braddock) the highly-trained British officers despised the colonial soldiers scuttling around their ranks and had a sense of superiority to the colonists. They refused to acknowledge anyone unless they were a certain rank, which pissed off the colonists (who were tired of not having the same rights as Englishmen) so they began to help the Spanish/French Indies while the British were fighting them. Only when 900,000 Euros were offered to the colonists by Pitt did they calm down and unite to fight against the Spanish/French Indies. Truly, the colonists were only united by money at this time, not nearly enough to create a revolution.

[6.7] Proclamation Line and Pontiac’s Conflict

Being extremely rude to the Indians in the newly-gifted Mississippi basin area (as compared to the French who were nice and gave gifts) resulted in the Pontiac’s Conflict. In Detroit, dozens of British settlemnts and nearly 2000 British were killed in this conflict, and the British spread smallpox and disposed of the Indians in return.

After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, an enormous tract of land that stretched past the Appalachians was acquired. Colonists were quick to settle the region and pushed through the Indians in the region and created conflict. As a result, the Proclamation Line of 1763 was drawn, forbidding anyone from passing it to settle in the newly-gained lands. The colonists, angered they weren’t able to enjoy the one thing they got from the French and Indian War, moved into the land anyway.

[6.8] Republicanism and Radical Whigs

The Whigs and Republicans were two schools of thought that sprang from the Enlightenment and were especially exacerbated after the end of salutary neglect when the French and Indian War ended. After the Enlightenment, the spread of ideas by philosophers like John Locke and Montesquieu were loved by revolutionaries in the colonies, so much so that even “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and the separation of powers is taken from the Enlightenment.

Republicanism stemmed from Ancient Greece and Roman governments, stating a society’s citizens should focus on the good of the general society as opposed to the common person. It stipulated that stability of society and selflessness would be more important than selfishness, directly trashing on the monarchy and authoritarian regimes of Europe. Republicanism would eventually take shape in a type of government known as a republic, nearly the exact opposite of the monarchy the colonists despised.

The Radical Whigs feared any threat to liberty and the rights of the colonists. They would usually be the first to realize the monarchy was oppressing them and would call for action to recognize corruption and the oppression of rights. They were basically the rights police.

[6.9-6.10] Mercantilism

Mercantilism is an economic policy giving the ability for a ‘mother empire’ to have full control over its colonies, meaning a total control of trade and its economy. It maximizes the amount of money that the mother empire makes by draining the colony of its every last resource or by forcibly setting the price of colonial goods extremely low to get a good deal while setting their own goods at exorbitant prices to make the most profit. This resulted in currency shortages in America, a premature, stiff British-dependent market, and oppressed the rights of the colonists who simply wanted to sell and buy what they pleased. Even though it gave some benefits like the protection of a mother empire and a guaranteed (although rigged) market, it was still despised by the colonists.

[6.11] Sugar, Stamp, and Quartering Acts

The Sugar Act of 1764 taxed West Indies sugar more heavily.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was an extremely controversial act following the end of salutary neglect that put a tax on nearly every paper good like newspapers and even marriage papers.

The Quartering Act of 1765 forced some colonial buildings like taverns and motels to house and feed/clothe British soldiers. Despite the lack of a threat for the British soldiers to protect against, they stayed regardless and began to be seen more like an occupying force than a protective one.

All three of these acts were hated by colonists because the colonists had no representation in the British Parliament and thus could not change the acts, so they had to just live with it. For taxes, this became known as “taxation without representation” and became a huge part of American independence. Colonists began demanding the right to control their own economy and who gets to be quartered where, and began to deny the authority of Parliament, saying a force overseas should not dictate lives in another continent.

[6.11] Admirality Courts

Admirality courts were British courts that people who broke the Sugar/Stamp/Quartering (etc) acts were placed in. These courts were biased toward the British and often resulted in severe punishment for colonists while mild and lukewarm punishments for the British.

[6.12] Resistance to the Stamp Act

Resistance to the Stamp Act created several things, namely the nonimportation agreements, Stamp Act Congress, and Sons/Daughters of Liberty.

Nonimportation agreements were agreements to not buy taxed British goods and instead make them yourself. For example, if textiles were taxed they would simply weave textiles themselves.

The Stamp Act Congress of 1765 featured 27 delegates from 9 colonies. They debated and eventually made a list of their rights and sent it to Britain, which did little. It, however, showed growing colonial unity (since there were now delegates from 9 colonies instead of 7 in the Albany Congress).

The Sons and Daughters of Liberty, although famous for their Boston Tea Party, also resisted the Stamp Acts. They ransacked homes of stamp act officials, tax-collectors, and the tax-counting machines, bring Britain to their knees. In response, Britain’s crown released the Declaratory Act of 1766, stating it had total sovereignty over the colonies and the colonies could not oppose it. This started the idea for an armed independence revolution.

[6.13-6.14] Townshend Acts and Boston Manslaughter

The Townshend Acts were passed by British prime minister Charles Townshend in 1767, creating new importation taxes on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea. These were once again hated by colonists because of taxation without representation and the idea that the British would slowly clamp down on all colonial rights one by one through these acts. When NY’s legislature was shut down for not complying with the Quartering Act, this was confirmed. Eventually, King George repealed the Townshend Acts when it generated only $300 (lol) but left the tea tax intact.

The Boston Manslaughter of 1770 (massacre) was an event where an angry crowd of colonists pestering British soldiers stationed in Boston were fired upon in a confusing turn of events. Many historians consider this not a massacre, but a manslaughter caused by negligence and confusion. Some reports even say a musket misfired when it wasn’t meant to, starting the entire event.

[6.14] Committees of Correspondence

These Committees of Correspondence (CoC) were set up by revolutionary Samuel Adams in 1772 to fan the flames of revolution and keep the revolutionary spirit going.

[6.15] Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was an event in the mid-1770s caused by the tax on tea that was never removed from the Townshend Acts. The Sons of Liberty, dressed up as Indians, protested the tax by throwing thousands of gallons of tea into the ocean. Another factor for the Boston Tea Party was the monopoly on tea given to the British East India Company by the king, and the cheap prices provided to the colonists created discourse in the smuggling business as this wold lower profits.

[6.16] The Intolerable Acts and Quebec Act

The Intolerable Acts of 1774 closed the port of Boston (Boston Port Enclosure Act), restricted colonial town meetings, and swept colonial charter rights away. Even British officials who killed colonists would get trial in the British admiralty courts, where they would get off scot-free.

Unrelated to the Intolerable Acts was the Quebec Act which was lowkey kind of based and gave the French people in Quebec more freedom but because it was released the same year as the Intolerable Acts it got a bad rap.

[6.17] The First Continental Congress and its Creations

The First Continental Congress of 1774 was no congress, merely a debate team filled with the greatest revolutionaries of their time. Featuring delegates from 12 out of 13 colonies, they deliberated for 7 weeks and created the Declaration of Rights, along with many appeals to British officials, the crown, and colonists. They also created The Association, advocating for a total boycott of all British goods, so a nonimportation agreement but at maximum output. The people who didn’t follow this agreement were tarred and feathered.

Note that these congressmen were still not advocating for independence, they simply wanted the rights of Englishmen they had before salutary neglect ended.

[6.17] Lexington and Concord

The first battle of the Revolutionary War/American Revolution. A British attempt at capturing Patriot (revolutionaries) ammunition resulted in a sound American victory with large British casualties. The British scampered across the hills of Lexington and Concord, while minutemen followed and berated them the whole way.

[6.19] Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress featured delegates from all 13 colonies, and was formed in 1775 after an agreement at the first Congress stipulating they reconvene for a second Congress if problems had still not been solved. This Congress was still not an actual Congress, simply a debate team. A true colonial government would only be written in 1781.

[6.20] Helpers during the Revolutionary War

Camp Followers were female helpers who aided the Patriot soldiers by cooking sewing, and taking care of troops. Some women were even spies or served in war. Black people even served, but mostly the ones from the North (since they were not enslaved). Many British slaves aided the British in hopes of being freed, as cooks, drivers, guides, and even soldiers.

Other helpers were Baron von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette, the former training the soldiers and the latter offering many funds and serving as a soldier.

[6.18-6.20] American vs. British weaknesses and Strengths

Although the British obviously had a military size and naval advantage, the Americans were on the defending side which was an enormous advantage. The lumbering British army had to cross thousands of miles of treacherous ocean and fight in the land the Americans knew best; their home. Furthermore, the young American nation could repair its losses since its birth rate was high, and they eventually gained many powerful allies and had exceptional leadership featuring the likes of the Founding Fathers and George Washington. Compare this to the mistreated and mismanaged British soldiers, who were longing for home and even had friends who they wished not to fire on, and you have an unstable army that could crack at the seams. Even the Hessian mercenaries were not loyal.