APUSH Unit 3: Revolutionary America (1754–1800)

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, legislation, concepts, and turning points from APUSH Unit 3 (1754–1800).

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

A proposal introduced to create a unified government for the British colonies during the French and Indian War, which ultimately failed.

Proclamation of 1763

A British order issued after the French and Indian War that barred colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflict with Native nations.

Salutary neglect

Britain's historical policy of loose enforcement of trade regulations in the colonies, which ended following the French and Indian War in favor of tighter imperial control.

Virtual representation

The British doctrine asserting that members of Parliament represented the interests of all subjects in the empire, including colonists who could not vote for them.

Sugar Act (1764)

A British measure that lowered the duty on molasses while strengthening collection enforcement and expanding the jurisdiction of vice-admiralty courts without jury trials.

Stamp Act (1765)

A direct British tax imposed on colonial printed materials that sparked intense resistance, non-importation agreements, and coordinated colonial opposition before its repeal in 1766.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

A meeting of colonial delegates assembled to coordinate collective resistance and protest Parliament's imposition of direct taxation without representation.

Declaratory Act (1766)

A British statute passed simultaneously with the repeal of the Stamp Act, asserting Parliament's power to legislate for the colonies "in all cases."

Townshend Acts (1767)

British import duties placed on goods such as glass, paper, and tea, which prompted widespread colonial boycotts and the Daughters of Liberty homespun movement.

Tea Act (1773)

A British law granting the British East India Company a monopoly on the tea trade in the American colonies, which triggered the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive Acts (1774)

British laws—referred to by colonists as the Intolerable Acts—that closed Boston Harbor, curtailed Massachusetts self-government, and expanded quartering of troops.

Committees of Correspondence

Intercolonial communication networks created to disseminate information and coordinate resistance against British imperial policies.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Colonial activist organizations that mobilized resistance against British taxation through protests, mob actions, and the enforcement of non-importation boycotts.

Common Sense (1776)

A widely circulated pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that attacked monarchy and hereditary succession in plain language, persuading colonists that independence was necessary.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

The formal document principally drafted by Thomas Jefferson that itemized grievances against King George III and asserted that governments derive just powers from the consent of the governed.

Loyalists

American colonists who opposed independence and supported the British Crown, often consisting of royal officials, select wealthy merchants, and individuals fearing social disorder.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

A decisive American military victory in the Revolutionary War that convinced France to enter into an official alliance with the United States.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

The final major engagement of the Revolutionary War, in which combined French and American forces besieged Lord Cornwallis, prompting British surrender.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The peace treaty formally concluding the American Revolution, wherein Britain recognized U.S. independence and ceded all territory east of the Mississippi River without Native participation.

Republican motherhood

The post-Revolutionary ideal that tasked women with the civic responsibility of educating their children in republican virtues, without according them political rights.

Articles of Confederation

The first national framework of government (ratified 1781) featuring a weak unicameral legislature without the authority to levy taxes, regulate commerce, or maintain an executive or judiciary.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Legislation under the Confederation government that established a standardized system for surveying western land into townships and reserved parcels to finance public schools.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A law setting up the protocol for admitting western territories as equal states, protecting civil liberties, and prohibiting slavery within the Northwest Territory.

Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)

An uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays that shut down local courts to halt debt foreclosures, exposing the Confederation's inability to maintain order.

Great Compromise

The agreement at the 1787 Constitutional Convention establishing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A constitutional agreement stipulating that three-fifths of enslaved persons would be counted for both direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

Federalism

The constitutional principle dividing and sharing governing authority between a central national government and individual state governments.

Federalist No. 10

An essay authored by James Madison asserting that a large, diverse commercial republic can effectively mitigate the destabilizing influence of political factions.

Federalist No. 51

An essay by James Madison arguing that liberty is protected when ambition counteracts ambition through a system of separation of powers and checks and balances.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the proposed 1787 Constitution who feared excessive federal authority, the erosion of states' rights, and the omission of an explicit bill of rights.

Bill of Rights (1791)

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, ratified to protect individual rights and address Anti-Federalist concerns regarding federal overreach.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

An armed protest by western Pennsylvania farmers against Hamilton's excise tax, suppressed by a national militia mobilized by George Washington to demonstrate federal authority.

Neutrality Proclamation (1793)

A declaration issued by President George Washington establishing the United States as neutral in the European war between Britain and revolutionary France.

Jay's Treaty (1794)

A controversial diplomatic agreement with Great Britain that averted war and settled outstanding issues, provoking harsh criticism from Democratic-Republicans.

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

An agreement with Spain that granted American merchants the right to navigate the Mississippi River and use the port of New Orleans for trade.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

A published address in which George Washington advised the country against forming permanent foreign alliances and warned of the dangers of internal political factionalism.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Federalist laws enacted during John Adams's presidency that placed restrictions on immigrants and criminalized speech critical of the federal government.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798)

Resolutions written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison asserting that states possess the power to determine the constitutionality of federal legislation.

Revolution of 1800

The presidential election in which Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams, marking the first peaceful transfer of power between opposing political factions in the nation's history.