APUSH Period 3 VOCAB

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams and advocate for women's rights

Adam Smith

Scottish economist and author of 'The Wealth of Nations'

Albany Plan of Union

Proposal by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 for unified colonial government

Alien & Sedition Acts

Laws passed in 1798 limiting immigration and free speech critical of the government

Annapolis Convention

Meeting in 1786 to discuss trade issues and led to the Constitutional Convention

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution who favored stronger state governments

Articles of Confederation

First constitution of the United States, emphasizing state sovereignty 1777

Benjamin Franklin

Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing individual rights 1791

Boston Massacre

Incident on March 5, 1770, where British soldiers killed five colonists

Boston Tea Party

Protest in 1773 against the Tea Act, where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor

Checks and balances

System in a government that ensures no one branch has too much power

Chief Little Turtle

Native American leader of the Miami tribe who resisted American expansion

Committees of Correspondence

Networks of colonial communication to coordinate resistance to British policies

Common Sense

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for American independence

Constitution

Supreme law of the United States outlining the government's structure and powers 1788

Continental Army

Army formed by the Second Continental Congress to fight the Revolutionary War

Currency Act

British law regulating colonial currency and restricting its use 1764

Declaration of Independence

Document declaring American independence from British rule 1776

Declaratory Act

British law asserting Parliament's authority over the colonies

Democratic-Republican Party

Political party founded by Jefferson and Madison advocating states' rights. (Anti-Federalists)

East India Company

British trading company involved in the tea trade and colonial rule in India

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution and a strong federal government

First Bank of the United States

National bank established in 1791 to manage government finances and promote economic stability

First Continental Congress

Meeting of colonial delegates in 1774 to address grievances against British policies

Franco-American Alliance

Treaty of alliance between France and the United States during the Revolutionary War

French Revolution

Period of radical social and political change in France from 1789 to 1799

George Grenville

British Prime Minister who implemented the Stamp Act and other taxes on the colonies

George III

King of Great Britain during the American Revolution

Great Compromise

Agreement at the Constitutional Convention creating a bicameral legislature with equal and proportional representation

Haitian Revolution

Successful slave revolt leading to Haiti's independence from France

Hamilton's Financial Plan

Alexander Hamilton's economic plan to pay off Revolutionary War debt and establish a national bank

Intolerable Acts

Laws passed in 1774 punishing Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party

• Boston Port Act: Closed the port of Boston to restrict trade 

• Massachusetts Government Act: Rewrote the Massachusetts colony's charter to give the royal governor more power 

• Administration of Justice Act: Allowed the governor to send indicted government officials to other colonies or to London for trial 

• Quartering Act: One of the four acts passed by Parliament 

Iroquois

Native American confederacy in the northeastern United States

James Madison

Fourth U.S. President and 'Father of the Constitution' (Federalist)

John Adams

Second U.S. President and key diplomat during the Revolutionary War (Federalist)

John Jay

First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and negotiator of Jay's Treaty with Britain

Kentucky/Virginia Resolutions

Written by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien & Sedition Acts asserting states' rights. States could declare federal laws unconstitutional (nullify).

Loose constructionism

Interpretation of the Constitution allowing for broad powers (Federalists)

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the Revolutionary War

Mercantilism

Economic theory promoting government regulation of trade for national wealth

Mercy Otis Warren

American playwright and historian advocating for independence

Minutemen

Colonial militia members ready to fight at a minute's notice

National Bank

Institution chartered by the federal government to issue currency and regulate credit

Navigation Acts

British laws restricting colonial trade to benefit the mother country 1651

New Jersey Plan

Proposal at the Constitutional Convention for equal representation of states in Congress

Northwest Ordinance

Law establishing a process for admitting new states to the Union from the Northwest Territory 1787

Nullification

Doctrine asserting states' right to reject federal laws deemed unconstitutional

Olive Branch Petition

Last-ditch effort by the Second Continental Congress to avoid war with Britain

Patrick Henry

American Founding Father known for his 'Give me liberty, or give me death!' speech

Patriots

American colonists who supported independence from Britain

Paxton Boys

Frontier settlers in Pennsylvania who led a vigilante group against Native Americans

Pinckney's Treaty

1795 treaty with Spain securing U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River

Pontiac's Rebellion

Native American uprising against British rule in the Great Lakes region 1763

Proclamation of 1763

British order prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains

Quebec Act

British law expanding Quebec's territory and granting religious freedom to Catholics 1774

Republican Motherhood

Idea that women played a crucial role in educating children to be virtuous citizens

Second Continental Congress

Assembly that declared independence and managed the Revolutionary War

Seven Year's War

Global conflict from 1754 to 1763 involving major European powers and their colonies

Shay's Rebellion

Armed uprising of farmers in Massachusetts protesting economic injustices. Showed that stronger national government was needed.

Sons of Liberty

Secret society opposing British policies through protests and boycotts

Stamp Act

1765 British law taxing printed materials in the colonies

Strict constructionism

Interpretation of the Constitution limiting federal powers to those explicitly granted (Anti-Federalists)

Sugar Act

1764 British law taxing sugar and other goods imported to the colonies

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods to protect domestic industries

Thomas Jefferson

Third U.S. President, principal author of the Declaration of Independence (Anti-Federalist)

Thomas Paine

Author of 'Common Sense' and 'The American Crisis' pamphlets

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement at the Constitutional Convention counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation

Townshend Acts

British laws taxing goods like tea, glass, lead, and paper in the colonies (1767 and 1768)

Treaty of Paris

1783 treaty ending the Revolutionary War and recognizing American independence

Virginia Plan

Proposal at the Constitutional Convention for representation based on state population

Virtual representation

British theory that Parliament represented all British subjects, even those without voting rights

Washington's Farewell Address

Washington's 1796 address advising against political parties and permanent foreign alliances

Whiskey Rebellion

Uprising in 1794 against a federal excise tax on whiskey

XYZ Affair

Diplomatic incident between the U.S. and France leading to an undeclared naval war