APUSH PERIOD 3 MCQ

Abigail Adam’s

John Adam’s wife and the mother John Quincy Adam’s, a strong leader and supporter of women’s rights, education, and anti slavery. Sent a important letter to John Adam’s to help women’s rights in the US constitution

Alien and Sedition acts

1798- a highly controversial act, as it violated the first amendment directly.

Alien Friends Act

Allowed the president to deport any non-citizen deemed dangerous to the U.S., even in peace-time.

Alien Enemies act

Allowed the president to detain or deport citizens of a country the U.S. was at war with.

Sedition Act

Made it a crime to write, publish, or speak “false, scandalous, or malicious” statements against the government or its officials.

American Revolution

1775-1783- a war in which the 13 American colonies broke away from British rule

Anti Federalists

A group of people who opposed the ratification of the constitution

What did the anti federalists preach/want?

A strong local government, power to remain in the states hands. They feared a strong central government and the potential dictation and corruption of the “elites.”

Articles of Confederation

Ratified in 1781- They created a weak central government and gave most power to the individual states.

Battle of Saratoga

1777- A major turning point in the American Revolutionary War.

• Burgoyne planned to cut off New England from the other colonies by advancing south from Canada.

• American forces surrounded and defeated the British at Saratoga after heavy fighting.

• Burgoyne surrendered his entire army of about 5,800 men on October 17, 1777.

Boosted American morale.

Bill of Rights

Ratified in 1791- the first 10 amendments of the US constitution. It was added to protect individual liberties and address Anti-Federalist concerns about a too-powerful federal government

Broad vs Strict construction

refers to two different ways of interpreting the U.S. Constitution.

strict:

• Interprets the Constitution exactly as it is written, with limited powers for the federal government.

Broad :

• Interprets the Constitution more flexibly, allowing implied powers to expand government authority.

Committees of Correspondence

Organized in 1772- networks of communication among the American colonies before the Revolutionary War. They played a key role in coordinating resistance against Britain.

Constitution Convention

1787- a meeting held in Philadelphia. delegates from the states came together to create a new U.S. Constitution.

Declaration of Independence

1776- is a historic document in which the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Britain. Outlined the principles of government and natural rights.

Democratic-Republican Party

1790 - one of the first political parties in the United States. Formed to oppose Hamilton’s Federalist Party. Led by Thomas Jefferson

What did the democratic republicans value/want?

valued limited federal government and a society based on agriculture and local control. Believed the federal government should be weak, and states to have absolute authority

Federalism

System of government which power is shared between federal and local governments.

Federalists

one of the first political parties in the United States, active in the 1790s, who supported a strong central government. Let by Hamilton, the federalists were in favor of ratifying the constitution.

First bank of the United States

1791- a national bank under the leadership of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. It was a key part of his financial plan to stabilize the U.S. economy. It was made to handle the nations debt, and create a national currency.

Benjamin Franklin

one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States.Advocated for education, science, and civic responsibility.Promoted unity among the colonies.Believed in practical solutions to social and political problems. A federalist.

French and Indian War

1753-1763: a conflict over land and resources that ended with British dominance in North America but set the stage for colonial unrest. Also known as the seven years war

French Revolution

1789- a period of radical political and social change in France that overthrew the monarchy, challenged the aristocracy, and reshaped French society.

Genet Affair

1793- a diplomatic controversy during George Washington’s presidency involving Edmond-Charles Genêt, a French ambassador to the United States. It tested U.S. neutrality during the French Revolutionary Wars. Washington’s proclamation of Neutrality

Alexander Hamilton

a Founding Father, the first Secretary of the Treasury, and a leading Federalist. He played a major role in shaping the early U.S. government and economy.

Independence Movements

efforts by a group of people or a colony to gain political independence from a ruling country or empire. Throughout history, many movements have been inspired by ideas of liberty, equality, and self-determination.

Intolerable Acts (Coercive)

1774- to punish the American colonies, especially Massachusetts, for the Boston Tea Party. They were a major cause of the American Revolution. Closed the port of Boston, required quartering of British troops, etc.

Iroquois Confederation

a powerful alliance of Native American tribes in the northeastern part of North America. It played an important role in politics, diplomacy, and military matters before and during European colonization

Jay Treaty

1794- Agreement between the U.S. and Britain that avoided war, had Britain leave western forts, allowed limited trade, and settled pre-Revolutionary debts, but was controversial at home.

Letters from a Pennsylvania farmer

1767- A series of essays written by John Dickinson arguing that Parliament could not tax the colonies without their consent, protesting the Townshend Acts. They helped unify colonial opposition to British taxation.

Loyalist

an American colonist during the Revolutionary War who remained loyal to Britain and opposed independence. Loyalists often supported the king, sometimes fought alongside British forces, and faced persecution or property loss from Patriots.

Northwest Ordinance

1787- a law passed by the Confederation Congress to organize the Northwest Territory (land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River) and set rules for creating new states. Drafted under the articles of confederation

Thomas Paine

a political writer and revolutionary thinker whose writings inspired American independence and democratic ideas.

Paxton boys

were a group of frontiersmen from Pennsylvania who attacked Native American communities in response to frontier conflicts during and after the French and Indian War

Pickney’s treaty

1795: Agreement between the United States and Spain that gave the U.S. free navigation of the Mississippi River, access to the port of New Orleans, and defined the border with Spanish Florida, helping western expansion and trade.

Pontiacs rebellion

A Native American uprising led by Ottawa chief Pontiac against British rule in the Great Lakes region after the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

A decree by King George III forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to reduce conflicts with Native Americans after the French and Indian War. It angered colonists and increased tensions with Britain.

“Republican Motherhood”

An 18th-century belief that women should be educated to raise virtuous, informed citizens, supporting the new American republic. It emphasized women’s role in teaching civic values to their children, linking education to the success of democracy.

separation of powers

A principle of government in which power is divided among three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. It ensures checks and balances and protects individual liberty.

Shay’s rebellion

1786- An armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays protesting high taxes, debt, and economic injustices under the Articles of Confederation.

Stamp act

1765- A British law requiring colonists to pay a tax on printed materials—like newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards—to help pay for the French and Indian War. It angered colonists and fueled the “no taxation without representation” movement.

Sugar act

1764- A British law that taxed sugar, molasses, and other imported goods in the American colonies to raise revenue and enforce trade regulations. It angered colonists and contributed to growing resentment against British taxation.

Townsend act

1767-A series of British laws that placed taxes on imported goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea in the American colonies. They were intended to raise revenue and assert Parliament’s authority, but they sparked colonial protests and boycotts.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

1798- Political statements drafted by James Madison (Virginia) and Thomas Jefferson (Kentucky) in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. They argued that states could nullify federal laws they considered unconstitutional, asserting the principle of states’ rights.

Mercy Otis Warren

An American writer, historian, and political thinker who supported the American Revolution. She wrote poems, plays, and essays that criticized British rule, encouraged independence, and later documented the revolution in her historical writings.

George Washington

The first President of the United States (1789–1797), Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and a key Founding Father.

Whiskey Rebellion

1794- A protest by Western Pennsylvania farmers against a federal tax on whiskey. The rebellion was suppressed by George Washington, demonstrating the strength of the new federal government under the Constitution.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and authority. Thinkers like John Locke, Montesquieu, and Voltaire inspired ideas about government, liberty, and equality that influenced the American and French Revolutions.

Pietism

A religious movement within Protestantism (originating in 17th-century Germany) emphasizing personal faith, Bible study, and heartfelt devotion over formal rituals or church hierarchy.

Deism

A belief system popular during the Enlightenment that God created the universe but does not intervene in human affairs.

Great Awakening

A religious revival movement in the American colonies that emphasized emotional preaching, personal faith, and spiritual renewal. It challenged traditional church authority, encouraged individual religious experience, and helped unite colonists across regions.

Albany Congress

1754- A meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York to coordinate defense against the French and Native Americans during the French and Indian War. It proposed colonial unity and the Albany Plan of Union, which was an early attempt at intercolonial government, but it was rejected by both colonies and Britain.

Minutemen

Colonial militia members during the American Revolution who were trained to be ready to fight “at a minute’s notice.”

Philipsburg Proclamation

1779- promised freedom to enslaved people who left rebel (American Patriot) masters to join the British, encouraging enslaved Africans to support Britain.

Battle of Yorktown

1781- The final major battle of the American Revolution in which American and French forces, led by George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau, defeated British General Cornwallis in Virginia, effectively securing American independence.

Treaty of Paris

1783- The agreement that officially ended the American Revolutionary War, in which Britain recognized the United States as independent, set boundaries for the new nation, and resolved issues like debt repayment and fishing rights.

Pennsylvania Constitution

1776- A revolutionary state constitution that created a unicameral legislature with strong powers, no governor, and emphasized democratic participation and individual rights, reflecting radical democratic ideals of the time.

Regulators

Groups of backcountry settlers in North Carolina and South Carolina who protested corrupt colonial officials, high taxes, and unfair courts. Their actions highlighted colonial resistance to government abuse before the American Revolution.

Quartering Act

1765:A British law requiring American colonists to house and provide for British soldiers stationed in the colonies

Declaratory act

1766- A law passed by British Parliament stating that Britain had the right to make laws and tax the colonies “in all cases whatsoever

Continental and 2nd continental congress

First :

to Respond to the Intolerable Acts

Second : to manage the colonies during the revolutionary war

Lord Dunmores war

1774: A conflict between Virginia colonists and the Shawnee and Mingo Native Americans over land in the Ohio Valley. Led by Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, the war ended with the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, opening the area to colonial settlement.

VA plan

1787- A proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for a strong national government with three branches and a bicameral legislature in which representation was based on state population. It favored larger states.

NJ plan

1787- A proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, regardless of size, and expanded powers for Congress. It favored smaller states.

Federalist No. 10

An essay by James Madison arguing that a large republic can best control factions and protect minority rights. It emphasizes that diverse interests prevent any single group from dominating, supporting the U.S. Constitution.

James Madison

Known as the “Father of the Constitution,” he was a Founding Father, 4th U.S. President (1809–1817), and key architect of the Bill of Rights.

Judiciary act

1789: A law that established the federal court system, including the Supreme Court, district courts, and circuit courts, and defined the powers of federal courts and their relationship to state courts.

Haitian/French revolutions

French rev :

• Social inequality, financial crisis, Enlightenment ideas, and weak leadership under King Louis XVI.

Haitian rev :

• Enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) revolted against French colonial rule and slavery.

XYZ Affair

1797- French agents demanded bribes from U.S. diplomats, angering Americans and leading to the Quasi-War with France.

Treaty of Greenville

1795: An agreement between the United States and Native American tribes in the Ohio Valley after Native American losses in the Northwest Indian War. It ceded much of present-day Ohio to the U.S. and established peace and boundaries between settlers and Native Americans.