APUSH - From Empire to Independence

French and Indian War (Seven Years War)

• what: conflict b/w Britain and France 

• when: 1754-1763

• where: primarily Ohio River Valley & Great Lakes region

• why is it significant: 

  • britain wins, gaining Canda and lands east of Mississippi 

  • war debt leads to increased colonial taxation 

  • ends Salutary Neglect, begins tension between Britain & colonies 

Salutary Neglect

• what: British policy of minimal enforcement of colonial laws

• when: early 1700s to 1763

• where: British American colonies

• why is it significant:

  • allowed colonies to govern themselves and flourish economically 

  • ends after 7 yrs war - sparks colonial resistance to British control

Albandy Plan of Union

• what: proposal to create a unififed colonial government

• when: 1754

• where:  Albany, NY

• why is it signficant: 

  • proposed by Benjamin Franklin at Albany congress

  • rejected, but became model for later unification efforts during Revolution

Proclamation of 1763

• what: British law banning colonial settlement wast of Appalachians

• when: 1763

• where:  American frontier

• why is it significant:

  • angered colonists hoping to settle western lands after war victory

  • one of the 1st major grievances leading to the rev.

Stamp Act 1765

• what: direct tax on printed materials 

• when: 1765

• where: all 13 colonies

• why is it significant:

  • first direct internal tax

    • united colonists in opposition 

  • sparked sparked Stamp Act Congress, widespread protest, and eventual repeal 

Sons & Daughters of Liberty

• what: patriot groups resisting British policies

• when: formed mid-1760s

• where: major port cities (Boston, NYC, Charleston)

• why is it significant:

  • Sons:

    • led protests, intimidated officials, organized Boston Tea Party

  • Daughters: 

    • supported boycotts, made homespun cloth, aided Patriot cause 

Massachusetts Circular Letter

• what: letter opposing Townshed Acts, urging colonial unity

• when: 1768

• where: Massachusetts (sent to other colonies)

• why is it significant: 

  • authored by Samuel Adams

  • British demanded its withdrawal

    • instead, it strengthened intercolonial resistance 

Boston Massacre

• what: British soldiers fired into crown, killing 5 colonists

• when: March 5, 1770

• where: Boston, Massachusetts

• why is it significant: 

  • used as anti-British propaganda (e.g. Paul Revere engraving) 

  • increased anti-British sentiment among colonists 

Writs of assistance

• what: open-ended search warrants used to combat smuggling

• when: mid-1700s

• where: ports like Boston

• why is it significant: 

  • seen as a violation of rights

    • no need for probable cause

  • fueled colonial anger and legal resistance (sep. by James Otis)

Non importation movement

• what: colonial boycott of British goods in protest of taxes

• when: 1765-1770s

• where: throughout the colonies

• why is it signficant: 

  • united merchants, artisans, and women in economic resistance

  • forced repeal of several tax laws (e.g. Stamp Act, parts of Townshed Acts)

Boston Tea Party

• what: protesters dumped British tea into harbor

• when: December 16, 1773

• where: Boston, Massachusetts 

• why is it significant: 

  • reaction to Tea Acts 

    • seen as sneaky tax

  • provoked to Coercive Acts, worsening British-colonial relations

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts

• what: punitive laws after Tea Party (closed port, limited self-rule)

• when: 1775

• where: primarily Massachusetts

• why is it significant: 

  • sparked outrage and united colonies in defense of Boston

  • led directly to the First Continental Congress

Continental Congress (1st & 2nd)

• what: colonial governing bodies during Revolution

• when: 1st- 1774, 2nd- 1775-81

• where: Philadelphia, PA

• why is it significant:

  • 1st:

    • coordinated response to intolerable acts (boycotts)

  • 2nd:

    • managed war effort, appointed George Washington, declared independence (1776)

Declaration of Independence

• what: document declaring colonies independence from Britain

• when: July 4, 1776

• where: Philadelphia, PA

• why is it signficant:

  • drafted by Thomas Jefferson

    • included Enlightenment ideals

  • justified revolution

    • listed grievances against King George III

Common Sense

• what: pamphlet urging colonists to support independence

• when: January 1776

• where: published in Philadelphia

• why is it significant:

  • written by Thomas Paine in plain language

  • reached wide audience, shifted public opinion toward independence 

Molly Pitcher

• what: nickname for women who aided soldiers during battle

• when: Revolutionary War (esp. 1778)

• where: Battle of Monmouth (NJ)

• why is it significant:

  • represents women’s role in the war (bringing water, manning cannons)

  • Mary Ludwig Hays often identified as the real “Molly Pitcher”

Judith Sargent Murray

• what: early advocate for women’s rights and education

• when: active in 1780s-1790s

• where: Massachusetts

• why is it signficant:

  • argued women’s intellect was equal to men’s in “On the Equality of the SexesI”

  • helped lay foundation for early American feminism and women’s education