Unit 3 1754-1800

Unit 3 makes up 10-17% of the exam

AP Notes:

  • 7 Years War (1754 -1763)
      * French & Indian War
        * result of colonial expansions where English settlers moved into Ohio Valley & French tried to stop them
  • 4 major events in 1763
      * Event 1: Treaty of Paris 1763 ended the war
        * France was removed from North America
        * Great Britain became a major power in North America
      * Event 2: End of Salutary Neglect
        * Navigation Acts enforced
          * enforced mercantilism (colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country)
      * Event 3: Pontiac Rebellion
        * led by Chief Pontiac
        * occurred in Ohio Valley Region
        * West of the Appalachian Mountains
        * Chief didn’t want to surrender land to the British after 7 Years War/ French & Indian War
      * Event 4: Proclamation Line of 1763
        * orders by King George III
          * prohibited colonists from expanding beyond the Appalachians
        * in response to Pontiac’s Rebellion
        * purpose/hope → limit conflict with Natives
        * impact
          * tensions increased between the British and colonists
          * colonists felt betrayed
          * colonists moved west
  • French and Indian War = salutary neglect or benign neglect
      * salutary neglect is the unofficial British policy where rules aren’t enforced but are just recommended to follow
  • 3 examples of salutary neglect
      * need for money to pay off war debt
      * Stamp Act
        * used to raise the revenue for British military after the war
        * tax on all paper items
      * Sugar Act
        * raise revenue
        * put a tax on sugar
  • Colonial Response to Salutary Neglect
      * angry about new regulations being more strictly enforced & duties being collected
      * some say that Parliament was overstepping its authority
      * wanted the right to determine their own taxes
      * retaliation (mobs, tearing down customs houses)
      * made life for tax collectors hard
  • Townshend Acts
      * taxed goods imported from Britain
      * response:
        * boycotts
        * protests
  • Boston Massacre
      * March 5, 1770
        * the mob pelted a group of soldiers
        * soldiers fired at the crowd
  • After the Massacre
      * colonists discuss how to alter the relationship between the mother country and colonies
        * some suggest independence
      * British granted East India Tea Company monopoly on the tea trade in colonies
        * colonists see new taxes imposed
      * Boston Tea Party results in British response with Coercive/Intolerable Acts
        * closes Boston Harbor, tightens control over Massachusetts government
  • Quebec Act
      * grants greater liberties to Catholics, extends boundaries of Quebec Territory
  • First Continental Congress
      * Goal: enumerate American grievances, develop a strategy for addressing grievances, formulate a colonial position on the relationship between the royal government and colonial governments
      * Formulated a set of parameters for acceptable Parliamentary interference in colonial affairs
  • Pre-Revolutionary War Era
      * time used to rally citizens in favor of independence
      * loyalists were not in favor of independence
        * were government officials, Anglicans, merchants dependent on trade with England, religious, and ethnic minorities
      * slaves believed there were better off with the British than with colonists
      * Patriots were in favor of independence
        * were white Protestant property holders, urban artisans
  • Second Continental Congress
      * Prepared for war by establishing a Continental Army, printing money, and creating government offices to supervise policy
        * George Washington led the army
  • T-Paine’s message of Common Sense
      * common sense to break away from British rule and King George III
      * resentment towards the British government
      * used enlightenment ideas
      * written to appeal to common people /average people
  • Declaration of Independence
      * advocated for colonial independence and republicanism over the monarchy
      * Helped swing support to the patriot cause among people who were unsure about attacking the mother country
      * Written by Thomas Jefferson
      * Articulated the principle of individual liberty and the government's responsibility to serve the people
      * Revolutionary War became a war for independence with the signing of the Declaration
  • Reasons the Patriots were successful in Revolutionary War
      * Home field
      * French Allies
      * “The Cause”
        * allows colonists to break away from British
      * Leaders (George Washington, John Adams, and Ben Franklin)
  • Articles of Confederation were purposely made weak because?
      * colonists feared a centralized government
      * each state was sovereign and independent
      * Congress had no power to tax
      * Congress has no power to regulate foreign or interstate commerce
      * no executive branch
  • New Constitution
      * Virginia Plan
        * called for a new government based on the principle of checks and balances
        * Number of representatives for each state based on population
      * New Jersey Plan
        * Called for modifications to the Articles of Confederation
        * Called for equal representation from each state
      * Established
        * House of Representatives elected by people
        * Senate elected by state legislatures
        * President and VP elected by Electoral College
        * Three branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial
        * Power of checks and balances
  • Compromises
      * Great Compromise
        * combination of Virginia and New Jersey Plan
        * bicameral legislature
        * House of Representatives based on proportional representation
        * senate based on equal representation
      * 3/5 Compromise
        * slaves are counted as 3/5th of a white person for purposes of representation and taxation
      * Slave Trade Compromise
  • Purpose of the Bill of Rights
      * purpose
        * to protect the basic rights of human beings
      * why added?
        * to gain the support of anti-federalists
  • Washington’s Presidency
      * created a cabinet
        * made up of heads of executive departments, functions as the president's chief group of advisors
        * Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State
          * favored weaker federal government and stronger state governments
        * Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury
          * favored strong central government and weaker state governments
  • Alexander Hamilton Financial Plan
      * repay the debt
      * national bank
        * help regulate and strengthen the economy
      * whiskey tax
      * protective tariff
Democratic-Republicans (Anti-Fed)Federalists
Foreign Policy Favored This CountryPro-French a rally during the Revolution distrusted BritishPro-British trade, powerful country
View of the National Bank (BUS)disliked felt it favored the richliked it help stimulate the economy and build credit
Interpretation of the Constitutionstrict interpretation only do what Constitution statesloose interpretation what Constitution does not forbid, one can do
People that supported this party were likely to becommoners farmerswealthy aristocrats
The economy should be based on…agriculture farming should be the backbone of the economymerchants and trade
  • The message of Washington’s Farewell Address
      * warned of foreign entanglements
      * warned of political parties
  • Republican Motherhood helped define the role of women after the Revolutionary War
      * women were responsible for raising good American citizens
  • Alien and Sedition Acts led to debates over the power of government
      * federalists attempt to hold onto the power in the federal government
      * made it illegal to criticize high government officials
      * to silence their opponents since many democratic-republicans supported the French