UNIT 3 ID QUIZ 1

Seven Years' War (1754–1763)

Conflict sparked by colonial encroachment on French and Native American territory; British victory resulted in massive imperial debt that ended the policy of salutary neglect.

Proclamation of 1763

British decree forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent costly conflicts with Native Americans, angering colonists denied the land they had fought for.

Stamp Act (1765)

Unprecedented internal tax on printed materials; sparked colonial resistance over lack of parliamentary representation and led to boycotts enforced by the Sons of Liberty until its repeal.

Virtual Representation

Parliamentary doctrine asserting that members of Parliament represented all British subjects empire-wide; rejected by colonists who demanded actual representation based on natural rights.

Townshend Duties (1767)

Taxes on imported paper, lead, glass, and tea designed to pay royal governors' salaries; colonial resistance prompted assembly dissolutions and military occupation of Boston.

Daughters of Liberty

Colonial women who produced homespun cloth and domestic goods to sustain non-importation boycotts against British taxation policies.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Punitive British laws that closed the Port of Boston and altered colonial governance following the Boston Tea Party, prompting the convening of the First Continental Congress.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet applying social contract theory to attack hereditary monarchy and argue that rule by a distant island harmed America, convincing many colonists to support independence.

Battle of Trenton (1776)

George Washington's surprise Christmas attack that secured a pivotal victory, restoring American morale and encouraging re-enlistments after a series of defeats.

Coverture

Legal doctrine under which a married woman's legal identity, property, and earnings were fully subordinated to her husband; contested and dismantled in the 19th-century women's rights movement.

Republican Motherhood

Post-Revolutionary belief that mothers were essential for raising virtuous, informed citizens, which led to expanded educational opportunities for women.

Articles of Confederation (1777–1788)

The nation's first constitution, which established a weak national government unable to levy taxes, regulate trade, or maintain an army to preserve order.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Statute establishing an orderly process for admitting new equal states from western territories, funding public education, and banning slavery north of the Ohio River.

Shays's Rebellion (1786)

Uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers against property foreclosures that exposed the weakness of the central government under the Articles of Confederation and motivated calls for a new constitution.

Federalism

Constitutional system dividing power between the national government, limited to enumerated authorities, and state governments, which retain all unenumerated powers.

Separation of Powers

Constitutional principle dividing government authority among executive, legislative, and judicial branches, each with distinct checks and balances to prevent tyranny.

Federalists vs. Antifederalists

Constitutional ratification debate between proponents of a strengthened central government and defenders of state sovereignty who feared centralized authority.

Bill of Rights (1791)

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, designed to protect civil liberties against federal overreach and secure Antifederalist support for ratification.

Declaration of Independence

Argues that independence is justified by listing the many ways the king broke the social contract. It sought to convince Americans and potential allies (i.e. France) to support American independence. It inspired many revolutionary movements in Haiti, Latin America, and France