APUSH Unit 3: Revolution, Independence, and Early Republic

What years does APUSH Unit 3 cover?

1754-1800, covering the American Revolution and formation of the early republic.

What caused the French and Indian War (1754-1763)?

British colonial expansion into the Ohio River Valley threatened French territorial claims, trade networks, and Native American autonomy.

How did Native Americans respond to British westward expansion?

Groups including the Shawnee and Delaware formed alliances to resist settlers threatening their lands.

What was the outcome of the French and Indian War?

Britain defeated France, gained vast territory in North America, and accumulated significant war debt.

What did the Treaty of Paris (1763) establish?

Britain gained French Canada and territory east of the Mississippi; Spain ceded Florida to Britain and received western Louisiana from France.

What was Pontiac's Rebellion (1763)?

An Indigenous uprising against British control and settlement in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, demonstrating continued Native resistance.

What was the Proclamation of 1763?

A British law prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachians to prevent conflict with Native Americans; colonists resented the restriction.

How did the French and Indian War lead to the American Revolution?

Britain's war debt prompted increased taxation and imperial control, provoking colonial resistance.

What was salutary neglect, and how did its end affect colonists?

Britain previously enforced colonial regulations loosely; stricter enforcement of the Navigation Acts threatened colonial economic freedom and self-government.

What was the Quartering Act (1765)?

It required colonies to provide housing and supplies for British troops, provoking resentment over imperial control.

What was the Stamp Act (1765)?

A direct British tax on printed materials, including newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards.

What did "no taxation without representation" mean?

Colonists argued Parliament could not legitimately tax them without their elected representatives or consent.

What was virtual representation?

Britain's argument that Parliament represented all British subjects, including colonists who could not elect its members.

What was the Stamp Act Congress (1765)?

Delegates from nine colonies petitioned Parliament against taxation without representation, demonstrating intercolonial cooperation.

How did the Sons and Daughters of Liberty resist British policies?

They organized boycotts, protests, and other resistance against British taxation.

What were committees of correspondence?

Networks that spread information about British policies and coordinated colonial resistance.

What happened after the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766?

Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, asserting its authority to legislate for the colonies in all cases.

What were the Townshend Acts (1767)?

British duties on imports including tea, glass, and paper that generated renewed colonial opposition.

What was the Boston Massacre (1770)?

British soldiers killed five colonists during a confrontation in Boston, intensifying anti-British sentiment.

What was the Tea Act (1773)?

A law favoring the British East India Company's tea sales while retaining the tea tax, prompting colonial opposition.

What was the Boston Tea Party (1773)?

Colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxation and imperial authority.

What were the Intolerable Acts (1774)?

British punishment for the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor and restricting Massachusetts self-government.

What was the First Continental Congress (1774)?

A meeting of colonial delegates that coordinated resistance to the Intolerable Acts while generally seeking reconciliation.

What happened at Lexington and Concord (1775)?

British troops clashed with colonial militia in Massachusetts, beginning the Revolutionary War.

What were natural rights?

Inherent rights associated with John Locke, including life, liberty, and property, that governments must protect.

What was the social contract?

The Enlightenment idea that government derives authority from consent and may be overthrown if it violates people's natural rights.

How did the Great Awakening contribute to revolutionary thinking?

It encouraged individual religious judgment and challenges to traditional authority, reinforcing resistance to political tyranny.

What is republicanism?

A political philosophy rejecting hereditary monarchy in favor of representative government based on the consent of the governed.

What was Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776)?

A widely circulated pamphlet arguing that monarchy was tyrannical and independence was necessary to preserve liberty.

What was the Declaration of Independence (1776)?

Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, it justified separation from Britain using natural rights, equality, and consent of the governed.

How did colonial attitudes toward independence change between 1775 and 1776?

Many initially sought reconciliation, but British conflict and arguments like Common Sense increased support for independence.

What was the Second Continental Congress (1775)?

A colonial assembly that organized the Continental Army and gradually moved from seeking reconciliation toward independence.

What advantages did Britain possess during the Revolutionary War?

A powerful navy, experienced army, extensive financial resources, and support from colonial Loyalists.

Who were Loyalists and Patriots?

Loyalists remained faithful to Britain (roughly 15-20% of colonists); Patriots supported independence (approximately half).

How did George Washington contribute to American victory?

He maintained the Continental Army, demonstrated resilient leadership, and secured important victories despite limited resources.

Why was the Battle of Trenton (1776) significant?

Washington's surprise victory over Hessian troops boosted American morale and demonstrated that British forces could be defeated.

Who was Baron von Steuben?

A Prussian officer who trained the Continental Army and improved its discipline and military effectiveness.

Why was the Battle of Saratoga (1777) a turning point?

The American victory convinced France to enter a formal alliance with the United States in 1778.

How did France contribute to American independence?

Benjamin Franklin helped secure French support; France supplied troops, weapons, funding, and naval assistance.

Why was the Battle of Yorktown (1781) significant?

Washington's forces, supported by French troops and naval power, defeated Cornwallis, ending major Revolutionary War fighting.

What did the Treaty of Paris (1783) accomplish?

Britain recognized American independence and granted the United States territory extending west to the Mississippi River.

How did revolutionary ideals expose contradictions regarding slavery?

Claims of natural equality encouraged abolitionism while slavery continued, especially in the plantation South.

How did Vermont's constitution (1777) challenge slavery?

It prohibited adult slavery, providing an early example of northern antislavery action, although it contained age-based limitations.

What was Pennsylvania's Gradual Abolition Act (1780)?

A law providing for the gradual emancipation of enslaved people, demonstrating northern antislavery sentiment.

Why did southern states largely preserve slavery after the Revolution?

Wealthy planters depended on enslaved agricultural labor and opposed reforms threatening their economic interests.

Who could generally vote in the early republic?

Primarily white male property owners, although revolutionary ideals encouraged demands for broader suffrage.

What did Abigail Adams mean by "Remember the Ladies" (1776)?

She urged John Adams to protect women's interests and rights in the new political order.

What was Republican motherhood?

The belief, promoted by figures such as Benjamin Rush, that women should educate their sons in republican values; it expanded educational opportunities without granting political equality.

How did the American Revolution influence later revolutions?

Its ideals inspired the French Revolution (1789), Haitian Revolution (1791), and later Latin American independence movements.

Why was the Haitian Revolution significant?

Enslaved people revolted against French rule and eventually established Haiti as an independent Black republic in 1804.

What characterized most early state constitutions?

They concentrated power in elected legislatures, weakened governors, and generally maintained property qualifications for voting.

What were the Articles of Confederation?

The first US national governing framework, drafted in 1777 and ratified in 1781, that preserved strong state governments and a weak central government.

Why was the national government's inability to tax a weakness under the Articles?

Congress depended on voluntary state contributions and struggled to pay debts and Revolutionary War veterans.

How did the Articles of Confederation weaken interstate commerce?

Congress could not regulate interstate trade, allowing states to impose tariffs against one another.

What foreign trade problems did the United States face under the Articles?

Britain restricted trade with the West Indies, Spain blocked Mississippi River access, and Barbary pirates threatened American shipping.

What foreign-policy weakness did the Articles expose?

The weak national government could not effectively force British troops to withdraw from western frontier forts.

What was Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)?

Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays protested debts and taxes, attacked courthouses, and were suppressed by the state militia.

Why was Shays' Rebellion important?

It demonstrated the Articles government's weakness in handling economic distress and unrest, increasing support for a stronger federal government.

What was the Northwest Ordinance (1787)?

It established a process for western territories to become states, promoted public education, and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

What was the Constitutional Convention (1787)?

A meeting of 55 delegates in Philadelphia that replaced plans to revise the Articles with the drafting of a new Constitution.

What was the Virginia Plan?

A proposal favoring population-based congressional representation, benefiting large states.

What was the New Jersey Plan?

A proposal favoring equal representation for each state, benefiting small states.

What was the Great Compromise (1787)?

It created a bicameral Congress: population-based representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate.

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

It counted three-fifths of enslaved people toward state population for representation and direct taxation, increasing southern political power.

What compromise did the Constitution make regarding the international slave trade?

Congress could not prohibit the importation of enslaved people before 1808.

Who were the Federalists, and what were the Federalist Papers?

Federalists supported ratification and stronger national government; Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote essays defending the Constitution.

What were the Anti-Federalists' main objections to the Constitution?

They feared centralized tyranny, favored state power, and demanded explicit protections for individual liberties.

How was the Constitution ratified?

Nine states ratified it by June 1788 after Federalists promised to add a Bill of Rights.

What is separation of powers?

The Constitution divides federal authority among Congress (legislative), the president (executive), and federal courts (judicial).

What are checks and balances?

Constitutional mechanisms allowing each branch to limit the others, such as presidential vetoes and congressional overrides.

What is federalism?

The division of political authority between national and state governments.

What are examples of national, state, and shared powers?

National: declaring war; state: administering elections; shared: taxation.

How did the Constitution strengthen the government compared with the Articles?

It established three branches and gave the federal government powers including taxation, interstate commerce regulation, and national defense.

What was the Bill of Rights (1791)?

The first ten constitutional amendments, protecting individual liberties and limiting federal government power.

What executive departments did Washington establish?

State (Jefferson), Treasury (Hamilton), War (Knox), and the Attorney General's office (Edmund Randolph), forming his cabinet.

What presidential precedent did George Washington establish?

He voluntarily stepped down after two four-year terms, establishing a precedent for limiting executive power.

What did Washington warn against in his Farewell Address (1796)?

Divisive political parties and permanent or entangling foreign alliances.

What was the Judiciary Act of 1789?

It organized the federal judiciary, establishing district and circuit courts beneath the Supreme Court.

What were the first two American political parties?

The Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson.

How did Federalists and Democratic-Republicans differ?

Federalists supported stronger national government and commerce; Democratic-Republicans favored states' rights and an agrarian republic.

Why did Hamilton support a national bank?

He believed it would strengthen federal finances, establish public credit, and encourage economic development.

How did Hamilton and Jefferson interpret the Constitution differently?

Hamilton favored a loose interpretation permitting implied federal powers; Jefferson favored a strict interpretation limiting federal authority.

What was the whiskey excise tax (1791)?

A federal tax on distilled spirits promoted by Hamilton to raise revenue, burdening western farmers.

What was the Whiskey Rebellion (1794)?

Western Pennsylvania farmers resisted the whiskey tax; Washington mobilized federal forces to suppress the uprising.

How did Shays' Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion demonstrate different government capacities?

Shays' Rebellion exposed weakness under the Articles; suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated stronger federal authority under the Constitution.

How did the French Revolution divide American political parties?

Democratic-Republicans generally supported the French revolutionaries, while Federalists feared instability and threats to British trade.

What was Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)?

It declared American neutrality in European wars, avoiding involvement in the conflict between revolutionary France and Britain.

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)?

Federalist laws under President John Adams that increased federal authority over immigrants and restricted criticism of the government.

What were the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798-1799)?

Jeffersonian Republican responses to the Alien and Sedition Acts asserting states' rights to challenge unconstitutional federal laws.

Who was John Adams?

The second president of the United States (1797-1801), whose Federalist administration enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Why was the election of 1800 significant?

Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist John Adams, producing a peaceful transfer of national political power between rival parties.

How did ideas of liberty shape early American national identity?

States rejected aristocratic titles, expanded religious toleration, and emphasized freedom and republican citizenship.

Who was Charles Willson Peale?

An artist who painted revolutionary leaders such as Washington and Franklin as republican heroes, helping create a national identity.

Who was Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur?

A writer who described Americans as a new people blending European backgrounds with opportunities in the New World.

What was Federal-style architecture?

An American architectural style associated with the new republic that distinguished national identity from British Georgian traditions.

Who was Gowan Pamphlet?

A formerly enslaved Black Baptist minister who helped establish an early Black congregation, demonstrating Black claims to religious freedom and equality.

Why did westward migration produce conflict after independence?

Settlers moved onto Native American lands, prompting Indigenous alliances to resist displacement.

How did Britain and Spain encourage Native American resistance?

Britain supplied Indigenous groups near the Ohio Valley, while Spain supported groups including the Creeks and Cherokees.

What was the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)?

US troops under Anthony Wayne defeated a confederation of Native American nations in the Ohio region.

What was the Treaty of Greenville (1795)?

A treaty following Fallen Timbers in which Indigenous nations ceded large portions of present-day Ohio to the United States.