AP period 3

Middle Ground

A region where European settlers and Native Americans adapted to each other’s presence through negotiation and cultural exchange

Pontiac’s Rebellion

A 1763 Native American uprising led by Ottawa chief Pontiac against British postwar policies in the Great Lakes region

Yeoman farmers

Independent small-scale farmers who owned and worked their own land, forming the backbone of early American agrarian society

Proclamation of 1763

A British decree forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflicts with Native Americans

Albany Plan of Union

Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 proposal to create a unified colonial government for defense and Indian relations, rejected by colonies

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Peace treaty ending the American Revolution and recognizing U.S. independence and territorial gains

Intolerable Acts

A series of British laws passed after the Boston Tea Party designed to punish Massachusetts and assert royal authority

Sons of Liberty / Daughters of Liberty

Colonial protest groups that opposed British policies through boycotts, demonstrations, and sometimes violence

Republican Motherhood

Ideology that women should raise virtuous citizens, giving them an important role in nurturing republican values

Continental Congress

Representative body of the colonies that coordinated resistance to British policies and eventually declared independence

The Federalist Papers

Series of essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay promoting ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement counting each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation

Federalists and Republicans

The first political parties, Federalists favored strong central government; Republicans favored states’ rights

Gabriel’s Rebellion

A planned 1800 slave revolt in Virginia led by Gabriel Prosser, which was suppressed before it began

Alien & Sedition Acts

1798 laws restricting immigration and speech critical of the government, seen as violating civil liberties

Bank of the United States

Nation’s first national bank, established to stabilize currency and manage debt, supported by Federalists

Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey Plan

Competing proposals at the Constitutional Convention on legislative representation: population-based vs. equal states

Chief Justice John Marshall

Long-serving Supreme Court chief justice who strengthened federal power and judicial authority

Jefferson’s Notes on Virginia

Thomas Jefferson’s 1785 work describing Virginia’s natural resources, society, and advocating for Enlightenment principles

Shays’ Rebellion

1786–87 uprising by Massachusetts farmers protesting debt and economic injustices, highlighting weaknesses of the Articles

Marbury v. Madison

1803 Supreme Court case establishing judicial review, allowing courts to declare laws unconstitutional

Articles of Confederation

First U.S. constitution creating a weak central government, replaced by the current Constitution

Federalists vs. Antifederalists

Debate over ratification of the Constitution, Federalists supported it; Antifederalists opposed it fearing central power

Fugitive Slave Clause

Constitutional provision requiring escaped slaves to be returned to owners even if found in free states

Northwest Ordinance

1787 law organizing the Northwest Territory and prohibiting slavery there; a model for future territories

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic scandal in 1797-98 where French agents demanded bribes from American diplomats, causing anti-French sentiment