AP U.S

1. Beginning of French and Indian War (1754)

• Concept: Imperial rivalry between Britain and France; struggle for North American dominance.

• Development: Marked the start of large-scale colonial warfare and greater British involvement in America.

• Process: Caused by competition over land in the Ohio Valley; led to British victory and new territorial claims, setting the stage for colonial taxation.

2. Treaty of Paris ends French and Indian War (1763)

• Concept: Redefinition of empire; Britain gains vast North American territories.

• Development: Shifted balance of power; ended French presence east of the Mississippi.

• Process: Ended war but left Britain in debt, prompting new taxes and tensions with colonists.

3. Proclamation Act (1763)

• Concept: Imperial control and limitation of westward expansion.

• Development: First major postwar restriction on colonial settlement.

• Process: Caused by conflicts with Native Americans (Pontiac’s Rebellion); angered colonists who wanted western lands.

4. March of the Paxton Boys (1764)

• Concept: Frontier resistance and ethnic tension.

• Development: Showed growing colonial resentment of perceived government neglect of frontier defense.

• Process: Violence against Native Americans reflected backcountry frustration with both natives and colonial elites.

5. Sugar Act (1764)

• Concept: First direct revenue tax to raise money for empire.

• Development: Strengthened enforcement of trade laws; early protest against taxation without representation.

• Process: British war debt caused tax; colonial boycotts and protests followed.

6. First Committee of Correspondence established in Boston (1764)

• Concept: Colonial unity and organized resistance.

• Development: Set pattern for intercolonial communication.

• Process: Formed to oppose British policies and share information; paved way for broader networks.

7. Stamp Act (1765)

• Concept: Direct internal tax; challenge to colonial self-government.

• Development: Sparked widespread protests and the slogan “no taxation without representation.”

• Process: British need for revenue led to tax; mass resistance led to repeal.

8. Stamp Act Congress (1765)

• Concept: Intercolonial cooperation.

• Development: First unified colonial response to British legislation.

• Process: Convened to petition Parliament; helped build collective American identity.

9. Declaratory Act (1766)

• Concept: Assertion of imperial authority.

• Development: Parliament reaffirmed right to legislate for colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

• Process: Passed alongside repeal of Stamp Act; warned colonies Britain still held power.

10. Townshend Revenue Acts (1767)

• Concept: External taxes on imports to raise revenue.

• Development: Renewed protests and nonimportation agreements.

• Process: British need for funds led to duties; colonial boycotts pressured repeal (except tea tax).

11. Boston Massacre (1770)

• Concept: Propaganda and growing resentment of British troops.

• Development: Heightened anti-British sentiment and unity.

• Process: Tensions between soldiers and colonists led to confrontation and deaths; used as rallying cry.

12. Gaspee Affair (1772)

• Concept: Resistance to British enforcement of trade laws.

• Development: Escalated colonial defiance.

• Process: Colonists burned a customs ship enforcing trade laws; Britain tightened investigation.

13. Tea Act (1773)

• Concept: Monopoly and perceived taxation tyranny.

• Development: Sparked new protests despite cheaper tea.

• Process: Passed to aid British East India Company; led directly to Boston Tea Party.

14. Boston Tea Party (1773)

• Concept: Direct action against taxation without representation.

• Development: Symbol of colonial defiance.

• Process: Protest against Tea Act; prompted harsh British retaliation.

15. Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)

• Concept: Punitive imperial measures.

• Development: Galvanized colonies into unified resistance.

• Process: Response to Boston Tea Party; closed Boston port and altered Massachusetts government.

16. First Continental Congress (1774)

• Concept: Intercolonial unity and collective action.

• Development: Established Continental Association to enforce boycotts.

• Process: Convened to respond to Intolerable Acts; petitioned king and prepared for resistance.

17. Fighting at Lexington and Concord (1775)

• Concept: Armed resistance begins.

• Development: First battles of the Revolutionary War.

• Process: British troops attempted to seize colonial weapons; colonial militia resisted.

18. Second Continental Congress (1775)

• Concept: De facto national government.

• Development: Managed war effort and moved toward independence.

• Process: Formed after battles began; created Continental Army under Washington.

19. Publication of Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)

• Concept: Republicanism and independence.

• Development: Shifted public opinion toward separation from Britain.

• Process: Argued against monarchy and for self-government; boosted support for independence.

20. Declaration of Independence (1776)

• Concept: Natural rights and sovereignty of the people.

• Development: Formal break from Britain and articulation of Enlightenment ideals.

• Process: Grievances and wartime momentum led to adoption; inspired other revolutions.

21. Articles of Confederation written (1777)

• Concept: First national constitution; limited central authority.

• Development: Reflected fear of strong government after independence.

• Process: Drafted during war to unify states; weaknesses (no taxation power, weak executive) soon became clear.

22. Battle of Saratoga (1777)

• Concept: Turning point of the Revolutionary War.

• Development: Major American victory convinced foreign powers of U.S. viability.

• Process: American forces defeated Burgoyne’s army; persuaded France to formally ally with the Americans.

23. France enters the war on the side of the American revolutionaries (1778)

• Concept: Internationalization of the conflict.

• Development: Brought military aid, naval support, and globalized the war.

• Process: Inspired by Saratoga victory; French alliance helped tip the balance toward American success.

24. Articles of Confederation ratified by the states (1781)

• Concept: Legal establishment of the first U.S. government.

• Development: Cemented a loose confederation of states.

• Process: Final state ratifications created a weak central government until the Constitution replaced it.

25. Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolution (1783)

• Concept: Recognition of American independence.

• Development: Britain ceded territory to the Mississippi River.

• Process: Negotiations ended hostilities; secured U.S. sovereignty and significant western lands.

26. First Land Ordinance (1784)

• Concept: Territorial organization and expansion.

• Development: Laid groundwork for orderly settlement of western lands.

• Process: Proposed by Jefferson to divide western territory into future states with equal status.

27. Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)

• Concept: U.S. expansion and Native American displacement.

• Development: First treaty between the new United States and the Iroquois.

• Process: Forced cession of lands in the Ohio Valley to open territory for settlement.

28. Second Land Ordinance (1785)

• Concept: Systematic land distribution and revenue generation.

• Development: Created the township-and-range survey system.

• Process: Sold western lands to pay national debt and encourage settlement.

29. Shays’s Rebellion (1786)

• Concept: Postwar economic distress and calls for stronger government.

• Development: Exposed weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

• Process: Farmers protested taxes and debt in Massachusetts; highlighted need for a stronger federal authority.

30. Annapolis meeting to revise Articles of Confederation (1786)

• Concept: Steps toward constitutional reform.

• Development: Highlighted inadequacy of the Articles and paved way for the Constitutional Convention.

• Process: Delegates from several states met but lacked quorum; recommended a broader convention.

31. Northwest Ordinance (1787)

• Concept: Model for territorial governance and expansion.

• Development: Established process for admitting new states and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

• Process: Provided orderly growth while addressing slavery and civil rights in new territories.

32. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (1787)

• Concept: Creation of a stronger federal system.

• Development: Produced the U.S. Constitution, replacing the Articles of Confederation.

• Process: Delegates debated representation, federal powers, and checks and balances; resulted in the Constitution sent to the states for ratification.

1. Publication of The Federalist (1788)

• Concept: Advocacy for ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

• Development: Explained and defended the new framework of government.

• Process: Written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to persuade states to ratify the Constitution.

2. Ratification of the Constitution (1788)

• Concept: Establishment of a stronger federal government.

• Development: Replaced the Articles of Confederation with a system of checks and balances.

• Process: State conventions debated and approved after adding a promise for a Bill of Rights.

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3. First federal elections (1788)

• Concept: Implementation of the new constitutional system.

• Development: Began the precedent for national electoral politics.

• Process: Elected members of Congress and the first president under the new Constitution.

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4. Inauguration of George Washington (1789)

• Concept: Birth of the executive branch and presidential precedent.

• Development: Set standards for the office and peaceful transfer of power.

• Process: Washington unanimously elected; established traditions like the inaugural address.

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5. Judiciary Act (1789)

• Concept: Creation of the federal court system.

• Development: Defined the structure and jurisdiction of the judiciary.

• Process: Congress established district and circuit courts and the role of the attorney general.