APUSH UNIT 3 Vocab/Important

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

Benjamin Franklin's proposal for intercolonial cooperation/common defense; failed because colonies resisted surrendering local taxation and legislative autonomy.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Made naturalization harder, expanded federal power over certain aliens, and restricted certain criticism of government; Democratic-Republicans argued they violated liberties.

Anti-Federalists

Feared centralized power and threats to state authority/individual liberty; demanded stronger protections for rights.

Articles of Confederation

Intentionally weak central government: one-house Congress, no executive, no national judiciary, no direct federal taxation, and no interstate commerce regulation.

Bailyn

Colonists believed Britain was involved in a deliberate conspiracy/assault on liberty.

Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)

Anthony Wayne defeated a Native confederacy in Ohio.

Bill of Rights

1791 amendments protecting individual liberties and addressing Anti-Federalist concerns; Tenth Amendment reserved undelegated powers.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers fired on a crowd and five colonists died; Patriots used it to intensify anti-British sentiment.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Colonists destroyed 342 chests of tea in Boston Harbor; directly preceded British punitive measures.

Charles Beard

Constitution was heavily influenced by economic interests.

Checks and balances

Each branch has powers that can limit the others, preventing concentration of power.

Commercial Compromise

Congress could regulate interstate/foreign commerce and impose import tariffs but could not tax exports.

Committees of Correspondence

Intercolonial communication networks that spread information and increased colonial coordination against British policies.

Common Sense (1776)

Thomas Paine's pamphlet attacking monarchy and arguing for independence.

Cotton gin (1793)

Eli Whitney's invention made cotton processing more efficient → cotton became more profitable → demand for enslaved labor increased → slavery expanded in the South.

Crèvecoeur

American identity developed from diverse European immigrants becoming part of a new society.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Justified independence using natural rights, equality, consent, and grievances against George III.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Repealed the Stamp Act but asserted Parliament's authority to legislate for colonies in all cases.

Election of 1800

Democratic-Republicans defeated Federalists; peaceful transfer of power demonstrated the durability of the constitutional system.

Federalism

Division of power between the national and state governments.

Federalist Papers

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

Federalists

Favored stronger national government and ratification; major figures included Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans

Federalists: stronger federal government, loose interpretation, pro-British, commercial. Democratic-Republicans: stronger states, strict interpretation, pro-French, agricultural.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Colonial response to the Intolerable Acts; coordinated resistance while most colonists still sought restoration of rights rather than immediate independence.

French & Indian War (1754-1763)

British-French competition for North American territory/trade, especially the Ohio River Valley; British victory created major debt and changed imperial policy.

French Alliance (1778)

France provided money, troops, and naval support; widened the war and stretched British resources.

Gordon Wood

Americans revolted primarily to preserve liberty they already valued; the Revolution was strongly intellectual/ideological.

Great/Connecticut Compromise

House representation based on population; Senate gives equal representation to each state.

Hamilton's Financial Plan

Debt assumption, tariffs, and a national bank designed to stabilize federal finances and strengthen national economic power.

Intolerable/Coercive Acts (1774)

British punishment for Massachusetts after the Tea Party; closed Boston Harbor and restricted self-government, increasing colonial unity.

Jay vs. Pinckney

Jay = Britain; Pinckney = Spain.

Jay's Treaty (1794)

Britain evacuated western frontier posts; helped avoid war but did not solve impressment. Jay = Britain.

Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions

Jefferson and Madison argued states could judge federal actions unconstitutional; early states' rights/nullification theory.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Surveyed western lands, organized land sales, and reserved land for public education.

Lexington & Concord (1775)

British attempt to seize colonial military supplies led to the first fighting of the Revolutionary War.

Master Articles-to-Constitution chain

Weak Articles → economic/political problems → Shays' Rebellion → concern about national weakness → Constitutional Convention → stronger federal government.

Master Revolutionary chain

French & Indian War → British debt → new imperial policy/taxes → resistance → Intolerable Acts → Continental Congress → war → Declaration → French aid → Yorktown → independence.

National Bank debate

Hamilton supported implied powers/Necessary and Proper Clause; Jefferson argued for a strict constitutional interpretation.

New Jersey Plan

Small-state proposal with equal representation.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Created a process for territories to become states and prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Northwest Ordinance vs. Cotton Gin

Northwest Ordinance (1787) prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory; cotton gin (1793) increased demand for enslaved labor in the South.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Final major colonial attempt at reconciliation with Britain; George III rejected it.

Olive Branch vs. Declaration

Olive Branch Petition sought reconciliation; Declaration of Independence announced separation.

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

Spain opened Mississippi River/New Orleans to American trade, granted right of deposit, and accepted the 31st parallel. Pinckney = Spain.

Pontiac's Rebellion (1763)

Native resistance to British/colonial expansion after the French & Indian War; showed Britain faced serious frontier conflict.

Proclamation of 1763

Restricted colonial settlement west of the Appalachians to reduce Native conflict; angered colonists seeking western land.

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

Washington kept the U.S. out of European war because the young republic was not prepared for major conflict.

Quartering Act (1765)

Required colonies to provide food/accommodations for British troops; showed Britain expected colonies to support imperial defense.

Republican Motherhood

Post-Revolutionary idea that women should educate virtuous republican citizens; increased civic importance but did not create political equality.

Saratoga (1777)

Major American victory that helped convince France the Americans could win, contributing to the French alliance.

Second Continental Congress (1775)

Organized the war effort, created the Continental Army, and appointed George Washington commander.

Separation of powers

Division of federal power among legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)

Massachusetts farmer uprising over taxes, debt, and court actions; demonstrated weaknesses of the Articles and contributed to calls for stronger national government.

Shays' vs. Whiskey

Shays' Rebellion showed Articles weakness; Whiskey Rebellion showed the Constitution's stronger federal government could enforce laws.

Stamp Act (1765)

Direct tax on printed materials; triggered Stamp Act Congress, boycotts, Sons/Daughters of Liberty, and 'no taxation without representation.'

Sugar Act (1764)

Revenue and trade-enforcement measure after the war; increased colonial suspicion of British taxation.

Tea Act (1773)

Aided the British East India Company; colonists resisted because buying tea could imply accepting Parliament's taxing authority.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Enslaved people counted as three-fifths for representation and taxation purposes.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Import duties on goods including tea, glass, and paper; produced boycotts, smuggling, and renewed resistance.

Treaty of Greenville (1795)

Native peoples surrendered claims to much of Ohio Territory, opening more land to U.S. settlement.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

Ended the French & Indian War; Britain gained Canada and Spanish Florida, and French power in continental North America was greatly reduced.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Britain recognized U.S. independence and accepted the Mississippi River as the western boundary; American fishing rights were recognized.

Treaty of Paris 1763 vs. 1783

1763 ended the French & Indian War; 1783 ended the American Revolution.

Virginia Plan

Large-state proposal with representation based on population.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

Warned against political parties, sectionalism, and permanent foreign alliances.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Western farmers resisted a federal whiskey excise tax; Washington used federalized militia, demonstrating federal enforcement power.

XYZ Affair (1797-1798)

French representatives demanded bribes from U.S. diplomats; caused anti-French anger while Adams resisted full-scale war.

Yorktown (1781)

American and French forces forced Cornwallis to surrender; major final military victory that weakened British support for continuing the war.