AP US History Unit 3 Vocabulary

Overview

• The unit covers the transformation of British colonies in America into an independent nation with a distinct national identity. It examines the political, social, and economic factors that led to the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States.

• Time period: 1754 to 1800.

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

• Part of the larger Seven Years' War (1756-1763), a global conflict between Great Britain and France.

• Conflict began due to overlapping territorial claims in the Ohio River Valley, with both British colonists and French traders seeking to control the lucrative fur trade and access to resources. The French also aimed to protect their existing territories and trade routes.

• Early British losses led to the Albany Plan of Union proposed by Benjamin Franklin.

  • Called for a centralized colonial government for better defense coordination and unified policies towards American Indians.

  • Rejected due to colonial concerns about taxation and loss of autonomy; colonies feared ceding power to a central authority.

  • Significance: laid groundwork for future revolutionary congresses by demonstrating the potential for colonial cooperation and highlighting the need for collective action.

• British victory resulted in the Peace of Paris (1763).

  • French ousted from North America, ending French colonial presence east of the Mississippi River.

  • Louisiana Territory given to Spain, compensating Spain for its losses in the war and solidifying Spanish control over the Mississippi River's western bank.

  • British gained all land east of the Mississippi River, more than doubling their land holdings and setting the stage for westward expansion and increased tensions with American Indians.

Consequences of the French and Indian War

• Westward Expansion and Conflict with American Indians: Colonists pushed into the Ohio River Valley, intensifying conflicts with American Indians. Increased settlement led to displacement of native populations and heightened competition for resources.

  • Pontiac's Rebellion: Ottawa leader Pontiac led a coordinated series of attacks against British forts and colonial settlements in the Great Lakes region to resist British occupation and protect native lands.

• Royal Proclamation of 1763: Forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to reduce tension and maintain trade relations with American Indians. The British government sought to prevent further conflicts and control westward expansion.

  • Frustrated colonists who felt entitled to the land after fighting in the war. Many colonists ignored the Proclamation and continued to move westward, leading to further conflicts with American Indians and the British government.

• British Debt and Taxation: War doubled British debt, leading to increased taxes on the colonies. The British government believed the colonies should bear some of the financial burden of the war, which had been fought in part to protect colonial interests.

Taxation Without Representation

• End of Salutary Neglect: Britain ended its policy of salutary neglect due to war debts and the need to exert greater control over the colonies. The British government sought to enforce trade regulations and raise revenue to pay off its debts.

  • Salutary neglect: British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, meant to keep the American colonies obedient to England. Colonies had enjoyed a period of relative autonomy, developing their own economic and political institutions.

• Stricter Enforcement of Navigation Acts: Colonies could no longer avoid laws through smuggling and setting their own terms for trade. The British government cracked down on smuggling and sought to enforce mercantilist policies that benefited the mother country.

• Quartering Act of 1765: Imperial troops remained in colonies, and colonists were required to provide them with housing and food. Colonists viewed this as a violation of their rights and an infringement on their autonomy.

• Sugar Act: Imposed taxes on coffee, wine, and other luxury items and enforced existing tax on molasses. The Sugar Act aimed to raise revenue and curb smuggling by lowering the tax rate on molasses but increasing enforcement.

• Stamp Act of 1765: Tax on all paper items (newspapers, playing cards), during a time of declining wages and rising unemployment in the colonies. The Stamp Act was a direct tax on the colonists and was widely opposed as a violation of their rights.

• Virtual Representation: British argued colonists were represented in Parliament because members represented all British citizens. The British government maintained that Parliament had the authority to legislate for the colonies, regardless of whether the colonists elected representatives to Parliament.

  • Colonists found this unconvincing, preferring localized representation. They argued that they should be represented by elected officials who were accountable to them.

• Colonial Resistance:

  • Groups like the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty opposed the Stamp Act through protests, boycotts, and acts of intimidation against British officials and merchants.

  • Stamp Act Congress: 27 delegates from nine colonies petitioned Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act, asserting that only colonial legislatures had the right to tax the colonies.

  • Argument: Taxation without representation is tyranny. Colonists argued that they should not be subjected to taxes imposed by a Parliament in which they had no elected representatives.

  • Important Note: Resistance was framed as loyal British subjects seeking full rights, not independence. Colonists sought to assert their rights as British citizens and maintain their relationship with the mother country.

• Repeal of Stamp and Sugar Acts: Parliament repealed the acts due to colonial protests and economic pressure from British merchants who were hurt by the boycotts but passed the Declaratory Act.

  • Declaratory Act: Affirmed Parliament's right to pass any law in the colonies, asserting its authority to legislate for the colonies in all cases whatsoever.

• Townshend Acts (1767): New taxes on imported items like paper, glass, and tea. The Townshend Acts also included provisions for stricter customs enforcement and writs of assistance, which allowed British officials to search private property for smuggled goods.

Escalation of Tensions

• Colonial Protests and Boycotts: Organized boycotts of British goods, especially led by women who spun their own cloth and brewed herbal tea. These boycotts demonstrated colonial unity and economic power.

• Boston Massacre: British soldiers harassed by colonists fired into the crowd, killing four. The event was used as propaganda to galvanize colonial resistance.

  • Soldiers were acquitted, but the event was viewed as British tyranny and further inflamed tensions between the colonists and the British government.

• Tea Act of 1773: Gave the British East India Company exclusive rights to sell tea in the colonies, undercutting colonial merchants and reinforcing the principle of taxation without representation.

• Boston Tea Party: Colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act, leading to a harsh British response.

• Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts): Parliament closed Boston Harbor, restricted town meetings in Massachusetts, and passed a new Quartering Act, further escalating tensions and pushing the colonies closer to war.

Road to Revolution

• Patriots: Colonists who opposed British policies and advocated for independence.

• Continental Congress (1774): Colonial leaders gathered to resist violations of their liberties, but still sought to remain British subjects. The Congress issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, asserting colonial rights and appealing to the King for redress.

• Enlightenment Thought: Influenced colonial leaders, providing intellectual justification for resistance and independence.

  • Natural Rights: All humans have rights endowed by God that cannot be taken away by governments, including the rights to life, liberty, and property.

  • Social Contract: Government derives its power from the people and must protect their natural rights. If it fails, the people have the right to overthrow it.

  • Republicanism: Superiority of a republican form of government with separation of powers and checks and balances, emphasizing civic virtue and public service.

• Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776): Argued for independence using enlightenment principles and biblical allusions, convincing many colonists that separation from Britain was the only logical course.

• Declaration of Independence: Written by Thomas Jefferson, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, and made public on July 4. It proclaimed the colonies' independence from Britain and articulated the principles of natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the right to revolution.

  • Grounded in enlightenment thought: Natural rights, social contract theory, etc.

Revolutionary War

• Loyalists: Colonists who opposed independence and wished to remain loyal to Britain, often due to economic, political, or ideological reasons. They faced persecution and discrimination from Patriots.

• Continental Army: Assembled by the Continental Congress, led by George Washington. The army faced numerous challenges, including shortages of supplies, lack of training, and low morale.

  • Initially ill-equipped, ill-trained, and underpaid.

• Turning Point: Battle of Saratoga (1777): American victory convinced France to ally with the Americans. The French alliance provided crucial military and financial support to the American cause.

  • French provided guns, ships, and military support (Marquis de Lafayette).

• British Surrender at Yorktown (1781): Led to American independence, marking the end of major military operations in the Revolutionary War.

• Inspiration: American Revolution inspired revolutions in France and Haiti, demonstrating the power of revolutionary ideas and inspiring movements for self-determination around the world.

Articles of Confederation

• State Constitutions: States had their own constitutions and governments with power in the legislative body, reflecting a fear of centralized authority and commitment to states' rights.

• Articles of Confederation (ratified 1781): First constitution of the United States, establishing a weak central government with limited powers. The Articles reflected a fear of centralized authority and a strong emphasis on states' rights.

  • All power in the legislative body, with no executive or judicial branch.

  • No national military force, making it difficult to respond to threats and maintain order.

  • Limited power to tax, rendering the government dependent on voluntary contributions from the states.

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787:

  • Provided a plan for territories to become states, establishing a process for admitting new states into the Union on an equal footing with the original states.

  • Abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory, setting a precedent for limiting the expansion of slavery and influencing future debates over slavery.

• Shays' Rebellion: Farmers in debt rebelled in Massachusetts, highlighting the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger national government. The rebellion exposed the inability of the government to maintain order and enforce laws.

  • No national army to quell the rebellion, forcing Massachusetts to rely on its own militia to suppress the uprising.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

• Purpose: To revise the Articles of Confederation, but resulted in a new Constitution that established a stronger federal government with broad powers.

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists:

  • Federalists: Urban, commercial background, favored a strong central government to promote economic growth and stability.

  • Anti-Federalists: Rural, favored states' rights, opposed a strong central government, fearing it would become tyrannical and infringe on individual liberties.

• Representation Debate:

  • Virginia Plan: Representation based on population (favored large states), giving them more influence in the national government.

  • New Jersey Plan: Equal representation for all states (favored small states), ensuring that smaller states would not be dominated by larger states.

  • The Great Compromise: Bicameral Congress with the House of Representatives (representation by population) and the Senate (equal representation), balancing the interests of large and small states.

• Three-Fifths Compromise: Three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted for representation purposes, giving Southern states more political power in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College.

• New Constitution: Provided for a robust central government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, each with its own powers and responsibilities.

• Ratification Debate:

  • Federalist Papers: Essays by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison arguing for the Constitution, explaining its principles and addressing concerns raised by Anti-Federalists.

  • Anti-Federalist Concerns: Lack of a bill of rights to protect individual liberties, fearing that the new government would become too powerful and oppressive.

  • Compromise: Federalists agreed to add a Bill of Rights after ratification to ensure the protection of fundamental rights and liberties.

• Constitution Went into Effect: March 1789, marking the beginning of a new era in American history.

Distinct American Culture

• Public Education: Promotion of public education to create an informed citizenry and promote civic engagement.

• Historical Themes in Art: Artists like Charles Wilson Peale and Samuel Jennings focused on historical subjects to promote national identity and celebrate American ideals.

• Republican Motherhood: Women influenced politics by raising virtuous, liberty-minded sons, instilling in them the values of citizenship and public service, shaping future generations of leaders.

First Government Under the Constitution

• George Washington: Elected president, John Adams vice president, establishing a precedent for peaceful transitions of power and setting the tone for the new government.

• Departments: Department of Treasury, State, War, and Justice were established to carry out the functions of the executive branch, each headed by a cabinet secretary appointed by the president.

• Alexander Hamilton's Policies:

  • Federal government assumed state debts to bind the nation together and improve credit, creating a stronger national economy and establishing the financial credibility of the United States.

  • Creation of a National Bank (Bank of the United States) to regulate the economy, provide loans, and issue currency.

  • Elastic Clause: Hamilton argued that the bank was "necessary and proper" for Congress to carry out its duties, expanding the powers of the federal government.

• Opposition to Federalist Policies:

  • Neutrality during the French Revolution, with Democratic-Republicans favoring support for France and Federalists advocating for neutrality.

  • Whiskey Rebellion: Farmers rebelled against the whiskey tax, but Washington suppressed the rebellion with federalized state militias, demonstrating the power of the federal government to enforce its laws.

• Democratic-Republicans: Led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, opposed Federalist policies, and favored states' rights, advocating for a limited role for the federal government and greater autonomy for the states.

• Washington's Farewell Address: Cautioned against political parties and foreign entanglements, warning against the dangers of factionalism and advocating for a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs.

John Adams' Presidency

• XYZ Affair: French officials demanded a bribe from American diplomats, leading to outrage in the US and straining relations with France.

• Alien and Sedition Acts:

  • Alien Acts: Made it easier to deport non-citizens, targeting Irish and Scottish immigrants who were suspected of supporting the Democratic-Republicans.

  • Sedition Acts: Made it illegal to criticize the government publicly, suppressing dissent and violating the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the press.

• Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: Argued that states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws, asserting the principle of states' rights and challenging the authority of the federal government.

Relations with Britain, Spain, and American Indians

• Indian Trade and Intercourse Act: Regulated relationships between settlers and American Indians, aiming to protect native lands and promote peaceful relations, but often disregarded by settlers.

• Tension with Spain: Due to westward migration and competition for territory in the Mississippi River Valley, leading to border disputes and conflicts.

• Pinckney's Treaty: Established the border between the US and Spain at the 31st parallel, resolving territorial disputes and granting Americans access to the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans.

Legacy of Slavery

• Regional Attitudes:

  • Northern States: Rapid growth of free black population; some states granted voting