U.S. History: Period 3 (1754–1800) Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering major acts, treaties, compromises, and historical concepts from U.S. History Period 3 (1754–1800).

Proclamation of 1763

Issued to prevent costly conflicts with Native Americans on the frontier by prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Mercantilism & Navigation Acts

Imperial policies designed to bind colonies to the mother country as suppliers of raw materials and buyers of finished goods.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Passed immediately after repealing the Stamp Act; asserted Parliament's absolute authority to bind the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Organized by the Sons of Liberty in direct response to the Tea Act, which attempted to bail out the financially struggling British East India Company by granting it a tea monopoly.

Virtual Representation

The idea that members of Parliament represented all British subjects everywhere, regardless of whether they voted for them.

Common Sense (1776)

A popular pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that directly attacked King George III and the institution of monarchy, arguing that it was contrary to common sense for a small island to govern a vast continent.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Appealed to natural rights and listed grievances against King George III; notably omitted any call for the abolition of the slave trade.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

American victory after which French military and financial assistance was formalized, providing essential naval support, troops, and supplies.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. sovereignty over all land east of the Mississippi River (between the Great Lakes and Florida).

Articles of Confederation

A framework of government establishing a unicameral legislature with no separate executive or judicial branches; lacked the power to levy taxes, regulate interstate commerce, or directly raise an army.

Shays' Rebellion (1786)

An uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers that exposed the structural weakness of the federal government under the Articles of Confederation and galvanized support for a stronger central government.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Established a formal, orderly procedure by which western territories could apply for admission into the Union as equal states.

Virginia Plan

A proposal for state representation in the federal government based on population, favoring large states.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal for state representation in the federal government offering equal representation per state, favoring small states.

Great Compromise

Created a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives (proportional representation) and the Senate (equal representation).

Three-Fifths Compromise

Dictated that three-fifths of an enslaved population would count toward a state's population for congressional representation and direct taxation.

The Federalist Papers

Essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to convince states to ratify the Constitution.

Tenth Amendment

Reserved all non-delegated powers to the states, deeply favoring state-rights advocates (later Democratic-Republicans).

Hamilton's Financial Plan

A plan favoring eastern merchants and commercial interests through five main pillars: full funding of national debt at face value, assumption of state war debts, establishment of the Bank of the United States, excise taxes, and protective tariffs.

Washington's Neutrality Proclamation (1793)

Issued in response to French demands to invoke the 1778 Franco-American Alliance during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

Warned the young nation against permanent foreign alliances and factional political parties, arguing the U.S. needed time to build economic and military strength.

Jay's Treaty (1794)

Attempted to resolve frontier tensions and commerce disputes with Britain; fiercely opposed by Democratic-Republicans for appearing pro-British.

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

Negotiated with Spain; granted Americans navigation rights on the Mississippi River and the right of deposit at New Orleans.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Passed by Federalists to suppress political opposition and silence Democratic-Republican newspaper editors.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1798–1799)

Authored anonymously by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, asserting that states had the power to nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

Republican Motherhood

Post-Revolution ideology asserting that women played a vital civic role by raising educated, virtuous sons to support the young republic.