STUDY GUIDE PERIOD 3 APUSH

Period 3 Overview (1754-1800 C.E.)

  1. British debt after the French and Indian War led to colonial taxation and increased tension (e.g., Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party).

  2. Colonial resistance to imperial rule led to new forms of democracy and republican government (e.g., Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence).

  3. The weak federal government under the Articles of Confederation (highlighted by Shays' Rebellion) necessitated the Constitutional Convention and a stronger Constitution.

  4. Debates between Federalists (strong central government, Hamilton) and Anti-Federalists (states' rights, Jefferson) shaped early U.S. governance and economy.

  5. George Washington's presidency established American foreign policy, emphasizing neutrality and diplomatic initiatives (e.g., Jay's Treaty, Pinckney's Treaty).

  6. Migration and competition for resources fueled ethnic tensions and evolving relationships, often contentious, with American Indian groups.

I. The French and Indian War & Its Aftermath (Causes of the American Revolution)

A. French and Indian War (1754-1763) / Seven Years' War

  • Anglo-French rivalry (especially in the Ohio River Valley) led to the war. British victory resulted in territorial gains (Canada, Florida) but also massive debt, leading to colonial taxation and unrest.

  • Key Figures: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin (proposed Albany Plan of Union, which was rejected), William Pitt.

  • Treaty of Paris (1763): Ended the war, solidifying British gains and removing France from North America.

B. Post-War Conflicts with American Indians

  • Pontiac's Rebellion: An American Indian uprising against British colonial settlements.

  • Proclamation of 1763: King George III prohibited colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflict with Natives, angering colonists who desired westward expansion.

C. British Laws & Taxes (Growing Divide between Colonies and UK)

  • Navigation Acts: Required colonial trade to benefit England; provided historical context for later British economic policies.

  • Currency Act (1764): Limited colonial paper money.

  • Sugar Act (1764): Raised taxes on molasses and sugar to pay war debt.

  • Quartering Act (1765): Required colonists to house British soldiers.

  • Stamp Act (1765): Required a tax stamp on all paper documents; met with widespread protest.

  • Declaratory Act (1766): Asserted Parliament's right to tax colonies.

  • Townshend Acts (1767): Imposed taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea, enforced with writs of assistance (searches without warrants).

  • Tea Act (1773): Lowered the price of tea but was seen as a British attempt to collect revenue, leading to colonial resistance.

  • Intolerable Acts (1774) (Coercive Acts): Punitive laws in response to the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor, revoking Massachusetts' charter, and a new Quartering Act.

    • Quebec Act (1774): Expanded Quebec's borders into the Ohio River Valley and allowed Catholicism; seen as part of the Intolerable Acts.

D. Colonial Response & Figures

  • Key Figures: George Grenville (British PM who passed early tax acts), Patrick Henry (argued only Virginians should tax Virginians), James Otis (coined "Taxation without representation is tyranny"), Samuel Adams (led Sons and Daughters of Liberty), John Dickinson (wrote "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania").

  • Key Responses:

    • Stamp Act Congress: Representatives of nine colonies stated only colonial legislatures had authority to tax them.

    • Sons and Daughters of Liberty: Patriot activists who intimidated tax collectors and organized boycotts.

    • Massachusetts Circular Letter: Samuel Adams' call for the repeal of the Townshend Acts, revitalizing boycotts.

    • Boston Massacre (1770): British troops fired on protesting Bostonians, killing five.

    • Committees of Correspondence: Patriot network to circulate letters of protest, vital in organizing the Continental Congress.

    • Gaspee Affair (1772): Sons of Liberty burned a grounded British anti-smuggling ship.

    • Boston Tea Party (1773): Colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act.

II. The American Revolution (1765-1783)

A. Start, Turning Point, and End

  • Start: Growing colonial grievances over British taxation and policies post-1763 (e.g., Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party), leading to the Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 1775).

  • Turning Point: Battle of Saratoga (1777), which convinced France to form an alliance with the Americans, providing crucial aid.

  • End: Siege of Yorktown (1781) led to British General Cornwallis's surrender; officially ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783).

B. Key Documents & Ideas

  • Declaration and Resolves (1774): First Continental Congress sought reconciliation but listed grievances against Britain.

  • Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms (1775): Justified armed resistance while still hoping for reconciliation.

  • Olive Branch Petition (1775): Second Continental Congress's appeal to King George III for peace; rejected by the King.

  • Common Sense (1776): Thomas Paine's pamphlet arguing for independence based on Enlightenment philosophy.

  • Declaration of Independence (1776): Announced the colonies' break from England; articulated natural rights (Locke) and popular sovereignty, and listed grievances against King George III.

C. Key Events & Figures

  • First Continental Congress (1774): Organized in response to the Intolerable Acts; urged military reserves and boycotts.

  • Second Continental Congress (1775-1781): Managed the war, passed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

  • Key Figures: King George III (dismissed colonial peace attempts), Thomas Paine (political activist), Thomas Jefferson (authored Declaration), George Washington (Commander of Continental Army).

  • Treaty of Paris (1783): Officially ended the war; Great Britain recognized U.S. independence and granted vast western territory.

D. Factions

  • Patriots: American independence activists.

  • Loyalists (Tories): Colonists loyal to Britain.

  • Whigs: British political party that negotiated peace terms.

E. The Impact of the Enlightenment

  • Enlightenment: 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, challenging traditional monarchy and church authority.

  • John Locke: British philosopher whose theory of natural rights (life, liberty, property) heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence.

  • Separation of powers: Montesquieu's idea to divide government power into balanced branches.

  • Direct democracy: A form of democracy where citizens directly vote on policies.

III. The Early Republic: Articles to Constitution

A. The Articles of Confederation (First U.S. Constitution)

  • Strengths: Successfully prosecuted the Revolutionary War, negotiated the Treaty of Paris, established a system for organizing western lands (Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787 banning slavery north of the Ohio River).

  • Limitations: Weak central government with no power to tax, enforce laws, or regulate interstate commerce; required unanimous consent for amendments, leading to economic instability.

  • Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787): An armed uprising of farmers in Massachusetts protesting taxes/debt, exposed the Articles' weaknesses, and spurred the Constitutional Convention.

B. The Constitutional Convention (1787)

  • Meeting in Philadelphia to revise the Articles; instead, delegates drafted the new U.S. Constitution. Debates centered on representation, slavery, and the balance of power.

  • Key Figures: James Madison ("Father of the Constitution"), Alexander Hamilton (advocated strong national government), George Mason (refused to sign without a Bill of Rights).

  • Major Plans: Virginia Plan (favored large states, proportional representation), New Jersey Plan (favored small states, equal representation).

  • Key Compromises:

    • Great Compromise of 1787 (Connecticut Compromise): Created a bicameral Congress: House of Representatives (proportional by population) and Senate (equal, two senators per state).

    • Three-Fifths Compromise (1787): Enslaved persons counted as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation. The South conceded to the end of legal slave importation by 1808.

    • Electoral College: System for electing the President, balancing direct democracy and congressional election.

C. The Debate over Ratification

  • Ratification: Official certification; required approval from nine states for the Constitution.

  • Federalists: Supported the Constitution, advocating for a strong central government (e.g., Hamilton, Madison, Jay); wrote the Federalist Papers to persuade ratification.

  • Anti-Federalists: Opposed the Constitution (e.g., Patrick Henry, George Mason), fearing a tyrannical government and demanding a Bill of Rights to protect liberties.

    • Brutus: Prominent Anti-Federalist writer.

  • Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments): Added to explicitly protect individual rights and state sovereignty, securing Anti-Federalist support for ratification.

IV. The Federalist Era (Washington's & Adams's Presidencies)

A. Washington's Presidency and the New Republic (1789-1797)

  • Judiciary Act of 1789: Established the federal court system.

  • Hamilton's Economic Plans: Advocated for a national bank (First
    Bank
    of
    the
    United
    States), federal assumption of state debts, protective tariffs, and excise taxes.

  • Whiskey Rebellion (1794): Washington led federal troops to suppress protest against an excise tax on whiskey, demonstrating the new federal government's authority.

  • Foreign Policy:

    • Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793: Declared U.S. neutrality in conflicts between Britain and France.

    • Jay's Treaty (1794): Negotiated with Britain to remove British forts from the Northwest Territory and granted Britain "most favored nation" trading status.

    • Pinckney's Treaty (1795): Treaty with Spain settling boundary disputes, granting U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and right to deposit goods at the Port of New Orleans.

  • Farewell Address (1797): Washington warned against foreign entanglements, permanent alliances, and political parties.

  • Democratic-Republicans: Political party (led by Jefferson) championing states' rights and opposing Hamilton's policies.

B. Adams' as Second President (1797-1801)

  • XYZ Affair: French agents demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats, leading to outrage and the Quasi-War with France.

  • Alien and Sedition Acts (1798): Federalist laws that increased residency requirement for citizenship, gave the president power to deport aliens (Alien Acts), and criminalized false statements critical of the government (Sedition Act); seen as an attempt to suppress dissent and weaken the Republican Party.

  • Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1798-1799): Jefferson (Kentucky) and Madison (Virginia) argued that states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional, establishing a precedent for states' rights.

V. Social Context in the Early Republic

A. Slavery in the Colonies/Early US

  • Colonial Era: Primarily in Southern colonies for cash crops; evolved from indentured servitude to a race-based system of perpetual servitude.

  • Early US: Continued existence, especially in the South; debated during the Constitutional Convention (3/5ths Compromise); some Northern states began gradual abolition.

B. Republican Motherhood

  • An ideology emphasizing women's role in instilling republican values (patriotism, civic virtue) in their children, thereby raising good citizens for the new republic and elevating women's status in the domestic sphere.