APUSH Unit 2/3

Shays’ Rebellion — Fill-in-the-blank

The 1786–1787 rebellion highlighting the Articles’ inability to maintain order was called _.

Treaty of Paris (1783) — Definition

Ended the Revolutionary War; Britain recognized U.S. independence.

Treaty of Paris (1783) — Fill-in-the-blank

The 1783 agreement that formally ended the Revolutionary War was called _.

Articles of Confederation — Definition

The first U.S. government; weak national authority, no power to tax or regulate trade, one branch.

The Enlightenment

Eighteenth-century intellectual movement stressing reason, natural rights, and government by consent; influenced colonial leaders and provided ideological foundations for the Declaration and constitutional republicanism.

Great Awakening

Mid-18th century transcolonial series of Protestant revivals emphasizing emotional faith and individual conversion; it weakened established churches, increased religious pluralism, and fostered networks useful for political mobilization.

"City upon a Hill" / Cotton Mather

"City upon a Hill" (Winthrop's Puritan ideal) expresses a public moral example; Cotton Mather was a prominent New England Puritan minister and writer who shaped early New England religious culture and social control.

George Whitefield

Charismatic itinerant preacher of the Great Awakening who drew huge crowds across the colonies and helped create intercolonial evangelical ties and popular religious energy.

Jonathan Edwards

New England Puritan preacher famous for "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," a key New Light revivalist whose fiery sermons exemplified Great Awakening emotionalism.

New Lights/Old Lights

Religious factions from the Great Awakening — New Lights supported revivalism and popular preaching; Old Lights defended traditional clergy and formal worship, showing cultural fragmentation.

Pontiac

Ottawa leader who led Pontiac's Rebellion (1763) against British posts and settlers after the French defeat; his uprising prompted the British Proclamation of 1763 to stabilize the frontier.

French & Indian War

North American theater of the Seven Years' War (1754-1763) between Britain and France (with Native allies); British victory removed French power but increased imperial debt and tightened control over colonies.

Proclamation of 1763

Royal decree forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachians to limit conflict with Native Americans; angered settlers and symbolized imperial constraint on colonial expansion.

George Washington

Colonial military leader in the French & Indian War and commander of the Continental Army; later first U.S. president who set many early precedents and helped institutionalize the Constitution.

Navigation Acts

British mercantilist laws regulating colonial trade (e.g., use British ships, enumerate certain goods) to benefit Britain; they fostered smuggling and long-term colonial resentment when strictly enforced.

Sugar Act

1764 revenue and anti-smuggling law lowering the molasses duty but increasing enforcement and admiralty prosecutions, angering merchants and beginning postwar taxation friction.

Stamp Act

1765 direct (internal) tax requiring stamped paper for legal documents and newspapers; provoked widespread protest and the Stamp Act Congress and birthed the "no taxation without representation" slogan.

Stamp Act Congress

1765 gathering of colonial delegates in New York that protested the Stamp Act and asserted that only colonial assemblies could lawfully tax colonists — early intercolonial cooperation.

Non-importation

Boycotts of British goods organized by colonists in response to taxes (Stamp, Townshend) used to pressure Parliament economically and enforce colonial unity.

Virtual representation

British claim that Parliament represented all British subjects, including colonists, even without colonial suffrage; colonists rejected this as inadequate representation.

Actual representation

Colonial demand that only elected colonial assemblies could tax colonists — the principle behind "no taxation without representation."

Sons of Liberty

Secretive colonial groups (e.g., in Boston) that organized protests, intimidation, and direct action against tax collectors and enforcement of non-importation.

Daughters of Liberty

Women's groups who supported boycotts by producing homespun goods and promoting non-importation, showing women's active role in resistance.

Patrick Henry

Virginia orator and radical leader who championed colonial rights and later became a leading Anti-Federalist demanding protections against centralized power.

Internal taxes

Direct taxes levied within the colonies (e.g., Stamp Act) that colonists found especially objectionable because they touched daily life and local governance.

External taxes

Duties imposed on trade (imports/exports) such as the Sugar and Townshend Acts; colonists sometimes tolerated regulation but resisted revenue-raising external taxes when enforced.

Declaratory Act

1766 Parliamentary declaration asserting Britain's authority to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" after the Stamp Act repeal — a formal assertion of sovereignty.

Quartering Act

Law requiring colonial assemblies to house and supply British troops; considered intrusive and became part of colonial grievances against British overreach.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

1768 letter (Sam Adams/James Otis) urging unified colonial opposition to Townshend duties; British reaction escalated tensions and troop deployments.

Sam Adams

Massachusetts radical organizer and propagandist who formed Committees of Correspondence and mobilized public resistance against British policies.

Albany Conference (Albany Plan)

1754 intercolonial meeting where Ben Franklin proposed colonial union for defense (Albany Plan) — an early, unsuccessful idea of intercolonial cooperation.

Ben Franklin

Printer, inventor, diplomat, and statesman who promoted colonial unity, secured French aid during the Revolution, helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, and played a mediating role at the Constitutional Convention.

Townshend Acts

1767 British duties on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea intended to raise revenue and pay royal officials; they led to boycotts and heightened confrontations in port cities.

Crispus Attucks

A man of African and Native descent killed in the Boston Massacre (1770); became a martyr in colonial propaganda against British brutality.

John Adams

Boston lawyer who defended British soldiers after the Boston Massacre, later diplomat and second U.S. president; exemplified commitment to rule of law and later Federalist politics.

Carolina Regulators

Backcountry North Carolina movement (1760s-70s) against corrupt officials and lack of courts that illustrates internal colonial social tensions apart from anti-British protest.

Boston Massacre

1770 conflict in Boston where British troops killed five colonists during a confrontation; used by patriots as propaganda to inflame anti-British sentiment.

Thomas Paine

Radical pamphleteer whose 1776 pamphlet *Common Sense* argued plainly for independence and helped galvanize public opinion for breaking with Britain.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial communication networks (originating in Massachusetts) that spread news and coordinated resistance, crucial infrastructure for unity and Continental Congresses.

Deism

Belief in a rational Creator who does not intervene supernaturally; common among some Founders and reflective of Enlightenment influence on American leadership.

East India Company / Lord North

The East India Company's tea monopoly and Lord North (British PM) were central to the Tea Act crisis (1773) and subsequent British responses that sparked colonial outrage.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts

1774 punitive British laws closing Boston Harbor and revoking Massachusetts self-government in response to the Boston Tea Party; they united colonies in outrage and prompted the First Continental Congress.

First Continental Congress

1774 meeting of delegates from 12 colonies that coordinated resistance to the Intolerable Acts with petitions, non-importation, and militia preparations.

Lexington and Concord

April 1775 skirmishes where colonial militias confronted British troops, marking the start of armed conflict in the American Revolution.

George I! (King George III)

The British monarch (George III) during the revolutionary era, widely blamed by colonists for imperial policies that provoked rebellion.

Minutemen

Colonial militia volunteers organized to respond rapidly to British threats; famous for early actions at Lexington and Concord.

John Locke

English Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas on natural rights and government by consent directly influenced American revolutionary thought and the Declaration.

Thomas Jefferson

Principal author of the Declaration of Independence, leader of the Democratic-Republicans, strict constructionist in theory, and president who completed the Louisiana Purchase and promoted agrarian republicanism.

Bunker (Breed's) Hill

Early 1775 battle near Boston where British took the ground but suffered heavy casualties; bolstered colonial confidence despite tactical British victory.

Olive Branch Petition

1775 conciliatory appeal by the Second Continental Congress to the king seeking redress; its rejection helped push colonists toward independence.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet that popularized the case for independence and republican government in plain language, shifting public opinion decisively.

Tory/Loyalist

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution; they represented internal divisions and often faced persecution or exile after the war.

Natural rights philosophy

The Enlightenment idea (Locke) that individuals possess inalienable rights (life, liberty, property) which government must protect — central to revolutionary justification.

Lafayette

Young French aristocrat who volunteered for the American cause, secured French support, and symbolized transatlantic revolutionary cooperation.

Benedict Arnold

American general who distinguished himself early but later defected to the British, becoming the iconic American traitor.

Robert Morris

Philadelphia merchant and financier who organized wartime funding and served as Superintendent of Finance during the Revolution.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. national framework (ratified 1781) creating a weak central government with a unicameral Congress and limited taxing/regulatory powers, whose weaknesses led to the Constitution.

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Jefferson's 1786 law disestablishing the Anglican Church in Virginia and protecting religious liberty, a precursor to First Amendment principles.

Daniel Shays / Shays' Rebellion

1786-87 armed uprising by indebted Massachusetts farmers protesting taxes and debt enforcement; exposed the Articles' weakness and catalyzed calls for a stronger national government.

Adam Smith

Scottish economist whose *Wealth of Nations* (1776) promoted free-market principles and influenced American economic thought and critiques of mercantilism.

Declaration of Independence

1776 document, primarily by Jefferson, declaring the colonies independent and listing grievances; it articulated Enlightenment natural-rights principles as justification for revolution.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Treaty that ended the Revolutionary War, recognized U.S. independence, and set new national boundaries after diplomatic negotiation by Franklin, Jay, and Adams.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Law under the Articles providing a territorial framework for statehood, banning slavery in the Northwest Territory, and establishing civil liberties and orderly expansion.

Oratorical

Refers to public speaking skills and rhetorical techniques; crucial in the Revolutionary and founding eras to persuade publics and legislators (e.g., Patrick Henry).

Phillis Wheatley

Enslaved African-born poet who published widely in the colonies; her work challenged assumptions about race and intellect and was invoked in debates about liberty and equality.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution who favored a stronger national government and commercial economy (Hamilton, Madison, Jay) and championed ratification through the Federalist Papers.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution's original form who feared centralized power, demanded stronger state authority and a Bill of Rights (leaders like Patrick Henry and George Mason).

Alexander Hamilton

First Secretary of the Treasury; architect of a national financial system (assumption, funding, national bank), leading Federalist who favored loose constitutional interpretation and a commercial republic.

George Washington (president)

First U.S. president who set key precedents (Cabinet, two terms), supported Hamilton's financial program, enforced federal law (Whiskey Rebellion), and promoted neutrality in foreign affairs.

John Adams

Revolutionary leader and diplomat who became second president (1797-1801), presided over the Quasi-War with France, and signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts.

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 frontier uprising against the federal excise tax on distilled spirits; Washington's use of militia to suppress it signaled the Constitution's enforcement power.

Enumerated

Powers explicitly listed in the Constitution as belonging to Congress (e.g., to tax, regulate commerce, declare war), central to debates over federal scope.

Federalist Papers

Series of 85 essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay defending the Constitution, explaining checks and balances, factions (Federalist 10), and the new government's design.

Bill of Rights

First ten constitutional amendments (ratified 1791) guaranteeing freedoms like speech, religion, and jury trials; added to satisfy Anti-Federalist concerns and protect individual liberties.

Checks and balances

Constitutional mechanism dividing powers among branches so each can limit the others (veto, impeachment, judicial review), preventing concentration of authority.

Limited government

Principle that governmental power is restricted by law and Constitution to protect individual liberty; central to American constitutionalism.

Separation of powers

Division of government functions among legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny and protect liberty.

Three-Fifths Compromise

1787 Constitutional agreement counting each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation, increasing Southern political power while entrenching slavery.

Federalism

System dividing sovereignty between national and state governments, creating dual levels of authority with certain shared and reserved powers.

Patrick Henry (Anti-Federalist)

Vocal opponent of the Constitution who feared centralized government and insisted on an explicit Bill of Rights to protect liberties.

Virginia Plan

Madison's 1787 proposal for a strong national government and bicameral legislature with representation based on population, favoring larger states.

New Jersey Plan

Small-state alternative at the Constitutional Convention proposing a unicameral legislature with equal state representation to preserve small states' power.

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," principal author of the Virginia Plan, co-author of Federalist Papers (Federalist 10 & 51), and later President; he also sponsored the Bill of Rights.

Chisholm v. Georgia

1793 Supreme Court decision allowing a citizen to sue a state in federal court; reaction led to the 11th Amendment restricting such suits and illustrating federal-state tensions.

Excise taxes

Domestic taxes on specific goods (e.g., the whiskey excise) used in Hamilton's revenue program that sparked rural resistance and political debate.

John Jay

Co-author of the Federalist Papers, first Chief Justice of the United States, and negotiator of Jay's Treaty (1794) which averted war with Britain but inflamed partisan conflict.

John Marshall

Influential Chief Justice (1801-1835) who strengthened the Supreme Court, asserted judicial review in Marbury v. Madison, and favored federal power in landmark decisions.

Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise)

1787 agreement creating a bicameral Congress with the House based on population and the Senate providing equal representation for states — resolved large/small state disputes.

Reign of Terror

Radical phase of the French Revolution (1793-94) that alarmed many Americans and intensified partisan divisions between pro-French Republicans and pro-order Federalists.

Jay's Treaty

1794 treaty negotiated by John Jay that settled outstanding issues with Britain and averted war but was controversial for perceived concessions to Britain and deepened partisan divides.

Strict versus loose interpretation

Constitutional debate: strict constructionists maintain the federal government only has powers expressly listed; loose constructionists allow implied powers (Necessary & Proper) to accomplish enumerated powers.

Quasi War

Undeclared naval conflict (1798-1800) between the U.S. and France stemming from diplomatic disputes (XYZ Affair), increasing Federalist calls for strong defense and policies.

Pinckney's Treaty

1795 treaty with Spain granting U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and right of deposit at New Orleans, securing western commerce and trade access.

Democratic-Republicans

Political party led by Jefferson and Madison favoring agrarianism, states' rights, and strict constitutional interpretation in opposition to Federalist policies.

XYZ Affair

1797 diplomatic scandal in which French agents demanded bribes from American envoys (named X/Y/Z), provoking anti-French sentiment and contributing to the Quasi War.

Election of 1800

Bitter presidential contest in which Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams, producing the first peaceful transfer of power between rival parties — the "Revolution of 1800."

Alien & Sedition Acts

1798 Federalist laws raising residency requirements for citizenship, authorizing deportation of noncitizens, and criminalizing criticism of government — widely criticized as violations of free speech and used as partisan tools.