AMSTUD Period 3

French and Indian War / Seven Years' War (1754–1763)

• Conflict between Britain and France (with Native allies) over territory in North America.

• British victory gave them control of Canada and territory east of the Mississippi.

• Led to British debt → taxation of colonies → colonial unrest.

Albany Congress / Albany Plan of Union (1754)

• Meeting of colonial leaders to unite against French/Indian threats.

• Benjamin Franklin proposed the Plan of Union to unify the colonies under one government.

• Plan failed but was an early attempt at unity.

Peace (Treaty) of Paris, 1763

• Ended the French and Indian War.

• France gave up most North American territory.

• Britain gained Canada and land to the Mississippi.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

• Native American uprising led by Chief Pontiac against British rule in former French territory.

• Caused Britain to limit colonial expansion westward.

Proclamation of 1763 / Proclamation Line

• Issued by Britain to forbid colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Colonists resented the restriction; seen as British control over expansion.

Virtual Representation

• British argument that colonists were represented in Parliament, even if they didn’t elect MPs.

• Colonists rejected this idea, demanding actual representation.

Sugar Act (1764)

• Tax on sugar and molasses to raise revenue.

• Affected merchants and increased tension over taxation without representation.

Vice-Admiralty Courts

• British courts without juries for smuggling and trade violations.

• Colonists saw them as violations of rights

Quartering Act (1765)

• Required colonists to house and supply British troops.

• Seen as an invasion of privacy and rights.

Stamp Act (1765)

• First direct tax on printed materials (legal docs, newspapers, etc.).

• Affected all colonists, sparking widespread protest

Patrick Henry

• Virginia politician known for fiery speeches (e.g., “Give me liberty or give me death!”).

• Opposed British taxes; key revolutionary voice.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

a 1765 meeting in New York City where delegates from nine colonies united to protest the British Stamp Act

Sons of liberty

an underground Patriot political organization in the Thirteen Colonies that formed in 1765 to protest British oppression and taxation, notably the Stamp Act and Tea Act

Declaratory Act, 1766

Declaratory Act. The Declaratory Act, passed by Parliament on the same day the Stamp Act was repealed, stated that Parliament could make laws binding the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever."

Townshend Acts 1767

a series of British laws, named after Charles Townshend, that taxed imported goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea in the American colonies to raise revenue and pay the salaries of colonial officials

Writ of assistance

a broad search warrant used by British officials in colonial America to search for smuggled goods or weapons without needing specific cause or a court order

John Dickinson/Letters from a farmer in Pennsylvania

a series of essays written by John Dickinson between 1767 and 1768 that argued against the Townshend Acts, a set of British laws designed to raise revenue from the American colonies

Samuel Adams

a founding father and revolutionary leader from Massachusetts who was a prominent opponent of British policies leading up to the American Revolution. He co-founded the Sons of Liberty and was instrumental in organizing events like the Boston Tea Party. Adams also served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, signing the Declaration of Independence, and later became the Massachusetts lieutenant governor and governor. 

Boston Massacre

the killing of five Bostonian colonists by British soldiers on March 5, 1770, after escalating tensions over taxation and the presence of troops in the city. The incident was amplified by propaganda from patriot leaders like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, uniting colonists against British rule. While the soldiers were defended by John Adams and mostly acquitted, the event solidified colonial opposition to the Crown and remains a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution

Committees of Correspondence

organized communication and shadow governmental networks established by American Patriots in the thirteen colonies from 1772 to 1776 to coordinate resistance against British imperial policies and foster colonial unity in the lead-up to the American Revolution

Tea Act

British law that granted the financially struggling East India Company a monopoly on the sale of tea in the American colonies

Boston Tea Party

political protest on December 16, 1773, when American colonists, disguised as Native Americans, dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor

Coercive Act

passed by British Parliament in 1774 to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.Also known as the Intolerable Acts in the American colonies, they aimed to close Boston Harbor, overhaul Massachusetts' government, allow British officials to be tried in England, and establish rules for housing British troops

Quebec Act

British parliamentary act that governed the Province of Quebec, restoring French civil law and the Catholic Church's authority, granting religious freedom to Catholics, and expanding the province's territory to include land south of the Great Lakes

Deism

belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe.

Thomas Paine/ Common Sense

argued that it was common sense for the American colonies to declare independence from Great Britain, advocating for a republican form of government based on popular sovereignty and natural rights.

John Locke/Jean Jacques rousseau

all persons are endowed with natural rights to life, liberty, and property and that rulers who fail to protect those rights may be removed by the people, by force if necessary.

1st Continental Congress

1774 meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to respond to British policies and coordinate resistance

Battle of Lexington and Concord

first armed conflicts of the American Revolution, known as “the shot heard ’round the world”

Declaration of Independence

1776 document declaring American independence and listing grievances against King George III

Loyalists (American Tories)

colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution

Patriots

colonists who supported independence from Britain

Battle of Saratoga

1777 turning-point victory that convinced France to ally with the U.S.

Treaty of Alliance with France, 1778

formal agreement in which France provided military support to the American cause

Treaty of Paris, 1783

agreement ending the Revolution and recognizing U.S. independence

Daughters of Liberty

women who supported the patriot cause by boycotting British goods and promoting home production

Republican Motherhood

idea that women should raise virtuous, civically minded citizens for the new republic

Haitian Revolution

successful slave rebellion (1791–1804) that created the first Black republic and influenced U.S. debates on slavery

Articles of Confederation

first U.S. constitution creating a weak central government with limited powers

Land Ordinance/Northwest Ordinance/Northwest Territory

laws organizing western lands, creating a path to statehood, and banning slavery north of the Ohio River

Shays’ Rebellion

1786–87 revolt of Massachusetts farmers protesting taxes and debt, revealing weaknesses of the Articles

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting in Philadelphia to revise the Articles but instead create the U.S. Constitution

Virginia Plan

proposal for representation based on population in a bicameral legislature

New Jersey Plan

proposal for equal representation for all states in a unicameral legislature

Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan)

combined both plans by creating a bicameral Congress with one house based on population and one with equal representation

Three-Fifths Compromise

agreement counting enslaved people as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation

Slave Trade Compromise

allowed the international slave trade to continue until 1808

Federalists (faction – not political party)

supporters of the Constitution who favored a stronger national government

Anti-Federalists (faction – not political party)

opponents of the Constitution who feared centralized power

Federalist Papers (#10 & 51)

essays by Madison arguing for controlling factions (#10) and supporting checks and balances (#51)

James Madison

“Father of the Constitution” and key author of the Bill of Rights and Federalist Papers

Federalism

division of power between national and state governments

Separation of powers

constitutional principle dividing government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Bill of Rights

first ten amendments protecting individual liberties and limiting federal power

George Washington

first U.S. president who established key precedents such as neutrality, the cabinet, and the two-term tradition

Judiciary Act of 1789

law that organized the federal court system and created the Supreme Court and lower courts

Alexander Hamilton/five point financial plan

Hamilton’s program including assumption of state debts, funding at par, a national bank, excise taxes, tariffs, and support for manufacturing

Report on Public Credit, 1790

Hamilton’s proposal to pay national and state debts and strengthen federal credit

Report on a National Bank, 1790

Hamilton’s plan to create a national bank to stabilize currency and manage government funds

Report on Manufactures, 1791

Hamilton’s plan encouraging industrial growth through tariffs and subsidies

French Revolution

1789 uprising in France that divided Americans over whether to support France or remain neutral

Proclamation of Neutrality, 1793

Washington’s declaration that the U.S. would remain neutral in European conflicts

Jay’s Treaty with Great Britain, 1794

treaty resolving some issues with Britain but criticized for favoring British interests

Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain, 1795

treaty granting Americans navigation rights on the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans

Whiskey Rebellion, 1794

farmers’ revolt against Hamilton’s excise tax, suppressed by Washington, proving federal authority

Federalists (political party)

party favoring strong central government, commercial economy, and close ties to Britain

Democratic-Republicans (political party)

party favoring limited government, agrarian society, and support for France

Thomas Jefferson

Democratic-Republican leader, author of the Declaration of Independence, and third U.S. president

Loose construction (interpretation)

belief that the Constitution allows implied powers beyond its explicit wording

Strict construction (interpretation)

belief that the federal government can only do what the Constitution explicitly states

Washington’s Farewell Address

speech advising the nation to avoid political parties and permanent foreign alliances

John Adams

Federalist second president who faced foreign tensions and signed the Alien & Sedition Acts

XYZ Affair

diplomatic incident in which French agents demanded bribes from U.S. negotiators, angering Americans

Alien & Sedition Acts, 1798

laws targeting immigrants and limiting speech critical of the government

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, 1798

statements by Jefferson and Madison arguing that states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws