APUSH Unit 2 Vocab Quiz

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

Conflict between Britain and France for control of North America, mainly over the Ohio River Valley. British victory expanded colonial territory but led to massive debt, causing new taxes on the colonies and ending salutary neglect. Major factors leading to the American Revolution.

Pontiac's Rebellion (1763)

Uprising by Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region against British expansion into the Ohio Valley after the French and Indian War. Led by Chief Pontiac, it prompted the British to issue the Proclamation of 1763 restricting colonial settlement west of the Appalachians.

Proclamation of 1763

Law issued by Britain prohibiting colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflict with Native Americans. Colonists ignored it, viewing it as an unjust restriction of their right to expand.

Iroquois Confederacy

Alliance of six powerful Native American nations in the Northeast that skillfully balanced alliances between European powers. Played a key diplomatic role during the colonial wars but lost influence after the American Revolution.

Little Turtle

Chief of the Miami Confederacy who led Native resistance against American expansion in the Northwest Territory during the 1790s; defeated U.S. forces in early battles before being defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Stamp Act (1765)

British law imposing a direct tax on printed materials and legal documents in the colonies. Sparked widespread protest, including the Stamp Act Congress, and helped unite the colonies against British taxation without representation.

Committees of Correspondence

Local groups established by Samuel Adams and others to coordinate resistance to British policies by sharing information and organizing colonial unity; early form of intercolonial communication leading to revolution.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Series of punitive laws passed by Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor and limiting town meetings. They united the colonies in opposition and led to the First Continental Congress.

Jay's Treaty (1794)

Agreement between the U.S. and Britain resolving remaining conflicts from the Revolutionary War. Britain agreed to withdraw forts in the Northwest Territory, but the treaty angered many Americans because it failed to stop British seizure of U.S. ships.

Pinckney's Treaty (1795)

Agreement between the U.S. and Spain that granted Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River and access to the port of New Orleans; established the northern boundary of Florida. Strengthened U.S. control of the West.

Sons of Liberty

Secret colonial organization formed to oppose British taxes and protect colonial rights. Known for organizing boycotts and protests, including the Boston Tea Party.

Mercy Otis Warren

Writer and early political activist who published plays and pamphlets supporting independence and criticizing British policies; one of the first female voices in the American Revolution.

Loyalists vs. Patriots

Loyalists supported British rule and opposed independence, often for economic or political reasons; Patriots supported separation from Britain. Their conflict divided communities and families during the Revolution.

Washington's Farewell Address (1796)

George Washington's final message as president, warning against permanent foreign alliances, political parties, and sectional divisions. Became a guiding principle for early U.S. foreign policy.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Enlightenment philosopher who argued that government derives its power from the consent of the governed (social contract theory); influenced American revolutionary thought and the Declaration of Independence.

Adam Smith

Scottish economist whose book The Wealth of Nations (1776) promoted free markets and capitalism, influencing U.S. economic policy and opposition to mercantilism.

Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine urging independence from Britain. Written in plain language, it persuaded many colonists to support the Revolutionary cause and became one of the most influential publications of the era.

Articles of Confederation

America's first constitution; established a weak central government with most power in the states.

Constitutional Convention

Meeting in Philadelphia where delegates drafted the U.S. Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Written by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, asserting that states could nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams who advocated for women's rights and education, famously urging her husband to 'remember the ladies'.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

Final battle of the Northwest Indian War between U.S. forces led by General Anthony Wayne and a confederation of Native tribes.

Shays' Rebellion

Armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays protesting high taxes, debt, and foreclosures.

Tidewater Region

Coastal plain region in the southern colonies known for fertile soil, large plantations, and reliance on slave labor.

Corridors

Geographic routes or regions through which migration, trade, and settlement occurred.

Vaqueros

Spanish and Mexican cowhands who developed early cattle herding techniques in the Southwest.

Northwest Ordinance

Law that established procedures for governing the Northwest Territory and admitting new states to the Union.

Coercive Acts

British laws passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, known by colonists as the Intolerable Acts.

Writs of Assistance

General search warrants allowing British officials to search homes or ships for smuggled goods without specific cause.

Quebec Act

British law extending Quebec's boundaries into the Ohio Valley and granting religious freedom to Catholics.

Declaratory Act

Law passed after the repeal of the Stamp Act declaring Parliament's right to make laws for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever.'

Albany Plan of Union

Proposed by Benjamin Franklin to unite the colonies for defense during the French and Indian War.

Edward Braddock

British general defeated in 1755 during the French and Indian War while leading an expedition to capture Fort Duquesne.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of colonial laws in the early 1700s, allowing colonies economic and political autonomy.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

Written by Samuel Adams and James Otis, urging colonies to oppose the Townshend Acts and promoting unity against British taxation.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Meeting of delegates from nine colonies in New York City that petitioned for repeal of the Stamp Act, asserting that only colonial assemblies could tax the colonies.

Patrick Henry

Virginia lawyer and patriot known for his powerful speeches advocating independence, including his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech.

James Otis

Early colonial lawyer who challenged the legality of the writs of assistance and argued for "no taxation without representation."

Samuel Adams

Radical colonial leader who organized opposition to British policies, founded the Sons of Liberty, and helped coordinate the Committees of Correspondence.

John Dickinson

Author of Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, arguing that Parliament had no right to tax the colonies for revenue. Advocated peaceful protest and later helped draft the Articles of Confederation.

John Jay

American diplomat and co-author of The Federalist Papers; negotiated Jay's Treaty with Britain in 1794 and helped secure American independence through the Treaty of Paris (1783).

Suffolk Resolves (1774)

Resolutions adopted by Massachusetts counties rejecting the Intolerable Acts, urging colonists to arm for defense and boycott British goods; endorsed by the First Continental Congress.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Last effort by the Continental Congress to avoid war with Britain, affirming loyalty to the king while requesting protection of colonial rights. King George III rejected it, leading to open conflict.

Thomas Jefferson

Principal author of the Declaration of Independence, advocate for states' rights, and later third U.S. president. His ideas reflected Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality.

Economic Sanctions

Government actions (like trade embargoes or tariffs) used to pressure another country or group economically; in the Revolutionary/early republic era, colonists and later the U.S. used trade restrictions and boycotts to pressure Britain and other states, showing how commerce could be turned into political leverage.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Federal law that created a system for surveying and selling western lands (the Old Northwest) in orderly rectangular townships; proceeds were intended to help pay national debt and provided the model for organized settlement.

Lexington & Concord (April 1775)

First military engagements of the American Revolution in Massachusetts where colonial militias resisted British attempts to seize arms; known as the "shot heard 'round the world," they launched the war for independence.

Battle of Bunker Hill (June 1775)

Early Revolutionary battle near Boston; though the British took the ground, heavy British casualties proved colonists could stand up to regular troops and boosted Patriot resolve.

Battle of Saratoga (October 1777)

American victory in upstate New York that convinced France to enter the war as an American ally; considered the turning point of the Revolution because French aid proved decisive.

Battle of Yorktown (October 1781)

Final major campaign of the Revolution where Cornwallis's surrender to Washington (with French naval and land support) effectively ended major British resistance and paved the way for peace negotiations.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Peace treaty that formally ended the Revolutionary War. Britain recognized U.S. independence, granted territory to the new nation (to the Mississippi River), and set terms for debts and Loyalist property claims.

Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher)

Legendary figure associated with women who aided the Continental Army (bringing water and, in some accounts, manning a cannon after her husband fell); symbolizes women's contributions to the war effort.

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution" who played a leading role at the Constitutional Convention, co-authored the Federalist Papers, and later sponsored the Bill of Rights; influential architect of American republican government.

Alexander Hamilton

Leading Federalist and first Secretary of the Treasury; designed financial policies (assumption of state debts, national bank, tariffs, excise tax) to strengthen federal finances and promote commerce.

Federalists

Political faction in the 1780s-1790s (Hamilton, Washington supporters) that backed a strong central government, a loose interpretation of the Constitution, and policies favoring commerce and a national bank.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution's original draft who feared a too-powerful central government; demanded protections for individual liberties and pushed for the Bill of Rights.

Bill of Rights (1791)

First ten amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing key individual liberties (religion, speech, press, assembly, due process, trial by jury, etc.) and addressing Anti-Federalist concerns, enabling broader ratification.

Alien & Sedition Acts (1798)

Four laws passed under John Adams that increased residency requirements for citizenship, authorized deportation of noncitizens, and criminalized false statements against the government; deeply controversial for limiting civil liberties and spurring states' rights responses.

Excise Tax

Internal tax on domestically produced goods (notably the whiskey excise tax of 1791 implemented under Hamilton) used to raise federal revenue; sparked resistance (e.g., Whiskey Rebellion) and highlighted tensions over taxation and federal power.

Treaty of Greenville (1795)

Agreement after the U.S. victory at Fallen Timbers in which several Native American tribes ceded large parts of the Ohio Territory to the U.S.; opened Northwest lands to settlement and set a precedent for treaty-making with tribes.

Public Land Act (1796)

Federal law establishing procedures for dividing and selling public lands in the West; set prices and terms for purchase and aided orderly settlement.

Annapolis Convention (1786)

Meeting called to address problems under the Articles of Confederation (commerce and trade); limited attendance demonstrated the need for a broader constitutional convention, which led to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787.

Virginia Plan

Proposal at the Constitutional Convention favoring large states: a bicameral legislature with representation based on population; formed the basis for debate over representation in the new government.

New Jersey Plan

Counterproposal at the Constitutional Convention favoring small states: a single-house legislature with equal representation for each state; contributed to the Great Compromise.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan)

Constitutional Convention agreement combining elements of the Virginia and New Jersey Plans: a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate; resolved the representation dispute.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Constitutional agreement that counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation and taxation, temporarily resolving disputes between northern and southern states about population and power.

Electoral College

Constitutionally created mechanism for electing the president in which each state's electors (based on congressional representation) cast the deciding votes; designed to balance popular will with state and elite inputs.

Henry Knox

Washington's first Secretary of War who organized the new nation's military affairs and helped implement federal policies on defense and Native American relations.

Revolution of 1800

Election in which Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans defeated the Federalists (John Adams), marking the first peaceful transfer of power between rival parties and a milestone for republican government.

Citizen Genêt (Edmond-Charles Genêt)

French ambassador to the U.S. whose aggressive efforts to recruit American privateers and political support for French causes in the 1790s violated neutrality and provoked diplomatic controversy during Washington's presidency.

XYZ Affair (1797-1798)

Diplomatic incident in which French agents (labeled X, Y, Z) demanded bribes from American envoys; provoked popular outrage in the U.S., the Quasi-War with France, and strengthened the Federalists temporarily.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Uprising of western Pennsylvania farmers against the federal excise tax on whiskey; suppressed by a federal militia called up by Washington, demonstrating the new national government's ability to enforce law.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Law that established the federal judiciary system, including the Supreme Court, circuit courts, and district courts; defined the jurisdiction of federal courts and created the office of Attorney General.