APUSH Unit 2 Quiz #1

Navigation Acts (1650s–1690s)

Series of British laws regulating colonial trade to benefit England. Colonists had to use British ships and trade certain goods only with Britain, enforcing mercantilism and causing resentment that led to smuggling.

John Locke (late 1600s – natural rights philosophy)

English philosopher who argued that all people are born with natural rights—life, liberty, and property. Governments exist to protect these rights, and citizens could overthrow governments that violate them. His ideas inspired revolutionary leaders.

The Enlightenment (1700s)

European intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights over tradition or religious authority. It encouraged colonists to question government and society, influencing thinkers like Franklin and Jefferson.

Deism

Religious philosophy common among Enlightenment thinkers, emphasizing reason and natural law over scripture or church authority. Deists believed God created the universe but did not intervene in daily life, influencing colonial revolutionary thought.

Jonathan Edwards (1730s–1740s – Great Awakening preacher)

Preacher famous for “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” emphasizing personal sin and emotional religious experience. Challenged church authority and encouraged personal responsibility.

George Whitefield (1730s–1740s – Great Awakening preacher)

British preacher who toured the colonies delivering emotional sermons, uniting colonists in religious revival and emphasizing personal faith.

New Lights / Old Lights (divisions during Great Awakening)

New Lights embraced emotional revival preaching and personal spiritual experience, while Old Lights preferred traditional, rational sermons. This division encouraged independent thinking and challenging authority.

French & Indian War (1754–1763)

North American theater of the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France, each allied with Native Americans. Britain won, gaining territory but accumulating debt, which led to new colonial taxes.

George Washington (military leader during the war)

Fought in the French & Indian War, gaining military experience and later becoming commander of the Continental Army.

Albany Conference / Ben Franklin (1754 – “Join or Die” plan for unity)

Meeting of colonial representatives to discuss defense against France. Franklin proposed unifying the colonies under one government, which was rejected but promoted the idea of unity.

Pontiac (Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763)

Native American leader who led a rebellion against British forces in the Great Lakes region. His revolt prompted the Proclamation of 1763, restricting colonial westward expansion.

Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflict with Native Americans. Colonists were frustrated because they had fought for this land.

Sugar Act (1764)

British tax on imported sugar and molasses, intended to raise revenue and enforce trade laws. Colonists protested as taxation without representation, using smuggling and petitions.

Stamp Act (1765)

Required colonists to buy stamps for all printed materials. It was the first direct tax and sparked widespread protest, including the formation of the Sons of Liberty.

Patrick Henry (critic of the Stamp Act)

Virginia politician and lawyer who argued that only colonial assemblies could tax the colonies, inspiring resistance.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Meeting of colonial representatives to protest the Stamp Act and petition Parliament, asserting that only elected colonial bodies could tax them.

Virtual representation vs. actual representation

Virtual representation was Britain’s claim that Parliament represented all British subjects, including colonists. Actual representation was the colonial belief that only elected colonial representatives could tax them.

Sons of Liberty / Daughters of Liberty

Colonists who resisted British policies. Sons of Liberty organized demonstrations and boycotts, sometimes using violence. Daughters of Liberty supported resistance by producing homespun goods and boycotting British imports.

Internal taxes / external taxes

Internal taxes were direct taxes on goods produced and sold in the colonies (e.g., Stamp Act). External taxes were taxes on imported goods (e.g., Sugar Act). Colonists strongly opposed internal taxes.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Passed after repealing the Stamp Act, asserting Parliament’s authority to legislate for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

Quartering Act (1765, renewed 1774)

Required colonists to house and supply British troops. Viewed as an invasion of privacy and symbol of British control.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, paint, and tea. They funded colonial officials and sparked boycotts and organized resistance.

Massachusetts Circular Letter / Sam Adams (1768)

Letter written urging colonies to unite in protest against the Townshend Acts. Britain demanded its withdrawal, escalating tensions.

Carolina Regulators (1760s–1771)

Backcountry settlers protesting corrupt local governments, unfair taxes, and lack of representation, showing resistance outside New England.

Crispus Attucks / Boston Massacre (1770)

Attucks, a Black sailor, was the first killed in the Boston Massacre, where British soldiers fired on protesting colonists. Became a symbol of colonial resistance.

John Adams (defended soldiers in Boston Massacre)

Lawyer who defended British soldiers to ensure fair trials, showing commitment to justice while opposing British oppression.

Committees of Correspondence (1772)

Colonial networks to share information about British abuses, coordinating resistance and building intercolonial unity.

East India Company / Tea Act (1773)

Tea Act gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies, angering colonists and leading to the Boston Tea Party.

Thomas Paine (*later author of Common Sense)

Political writer who later authored Common Sense (1776), advocating independence and republican government.

Lord North (British Prime Minister during crisis)

Oversaw enforcement of taxes and Intolerable Acts; became a symbol of British mismanagement and oppression.

Coercive / Intolerable Acts (1774)

Laws punishing Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor, limiting town meetings, and expanding the Quartering Act, uniting colonies against Britain.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Meeting of 12 colonies to coordinate resistance, petition the king for redress, and organize boycotts.

Lexington and Concord / Minutemen (1775)

First battles of the American Revolution. Minutemen resisted British troops attempting to seize weapons, starting armed conflict.

George III (King of England)

British monarch during the revolutionary period, seen by colonists as a symbol of tyranny due to taxes and restrictive laws.

Bunker (Breed’s) Hill (1775)

Early battle demonstrating colonial determination; inflicted heavy casualties on British despite losing the hill.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Final colonial attempt to avoid war, pledging loyalty to the king and asking for redress of grievances, which George III rejected.