APUSH

Period 3: 1754-1800

Albany Conference of 1754 adopted “Plan of Union”
All colonies rejected the proposal because of fear of losing autonomy.
The first important proposal to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government.

1756-1763: Seven Years’ War → War between Great Britain and France
1754-1763: French and Indian War
1763: Treaty of Paris, France lost all of North America mainland.
Many colonists began to view themselves as having an identity distinct from the British. Strengthened intercolonial unity.

Proclamation Line of 1763 declared the trans-Appalachian region to be “Indian country” reserved as the homeland for Indian nations.
British settlers expected the removal of French would allow them to move west.
Outraged the British awarded the territory to enemies.
British unable and unwilling to prevent western migration.

Republicanism asserted that state power directly contrasted liberty and needed to be limited.
Argued that best if broad distribution of power to people who could select their own leaders and also could vote them out of office.
Possible only for an “independent” population in control of its own affairs.

1764: Sugar Act placed a tariff on sugar imported into the colonies.
James Otis → “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”

1765: Stamp Act required purchase of specially embossed paper for all newspapers, legal documents, licenses, insurance policies, ships’ papers, even dice and playing cards.
Affected nearly every colonial resident.
British argued Americans had “visual representation” while Americans argued for “actual representation”
Sons of Liberty gained control of the resistance movement and encouraged more moderate forms of protest. Became impossible for British to enforce stamp act.

1767: Townshend Revenue Acts placed tariffs on importations of commodities such as lead, glass, paint, paper, and tea into colonies.
Some started to boycott items taxed.

1768: Massachusetts Circular Letter denounced Townshend Revenue Acts and attacked British plan to make royal officials independent of colonial assemblies.

1770: Boston Massacre

May 1773: Tea Act
The Tea Act 1773 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help the financially struggling company survive.
Dec. 1773: Boston Tea Party where some men dressed as Indians, boarded ships, and dumped into harbor 45 tons of tea.

1774: The Intolerable Acts to punish Massachusetts and strengthen British hand.
Boston Port Bill prohibited loading or unloading of ships in Boston harbor until the town fully compensated the East India company and custom services for destroyed tea.
Massachusetts Governor Act annulled colonial charter and delegates now appointed.
With acts, British terminated a long history of self-rule.
Administration of Justice Act protected British officials from colonial courts.
Quartering Act legalized housing of troops at public expense, not only in taverns and abandoned buildings but in occupied dwellings and private homes.

1774: First Continental Congress where most delegates wished to avoid war and favored policy of economic coercion.
Passed a “Declaration and Resolves” declared 13 acts of Parliament in violation of rights and until acts repealed, set sanctions against Britain.

1775: Lexington and Concord

1775: Second Continental Congress agreed military defense was the most important issue.
Olive Branch Petition professed attachment to King George and begged him to prevent further possibilities so there might be accomodation.

Spanish helped supply Americans through Havana and New Orleans.

Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776): helped persuade many to let go of loyalty to Britain, outlined Republican principles.

1776: Declaration of Independence

Patriots passed treason acts that prohibited speaking or writing against the Revolution.
Bills of Attainder to punish loyalists where they were deprived of civil and property rights.

Thousands of women assumed management of farms and businesses.
Tales told of Molly Pitcher who was a woman who carried water to thirsty fighters on the front lines and took her husband’s place at the cannon when he was killed by shrapnel.
Homespun Movement → The movement of American women during the Revolutionary War to boycott British clothing and materials, spinning their own, homemade cloths.

1777: Battle of Saratoga turning point in the war.
French started helping Americans. Financial and military assistance.

1781: Yorktown Surrender

1777: Articles of Confederation adopted by Continental Congress.
Created national assembly, called Congress, delegates selected annually
Couldn’t tax.
Ratified 1781
No executive branch to enforce acts passed by congress
No national court system/judicial branch
No national army, only state militias.
Each state had its own currency.
It discouraged trade.
States could impose tariffs on other states.
Very difficult to pass laws
9 out of 13 states to pass a law.
All 13 states must agree to amend Articles.
Accomplished land ordinance act of 1787

1780: Pennsylvania’s Gradual Abolition Law
Prohibited the importation of slaves into Pennsylvania
All children born in Pennsylvania would be free, regardless if their parents were free.
Model for other states to follow.

1783: Treaty of Paris
Got western territories extending to Mississippi
British acknowledged America and removed troops

1786-87: Shays Rebellion - Massachusetts uprising of farmers and Revolutionary War veterans that protested foreclosures, taxes and imprisonment for debt.
Opposition to a debt crisis among the citizenry and the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades.
Shays rebellion exposed the weaknesses of the articles of confederation by exposing that the government, Congress, could not form a military or draft because the federal government did not have money due to the fact that they did not have the ability to enforce taxes upon the citizens.
Massachusetts were losing farms because they could not pay in hard currency.
Wanted end to foreclosures, imprisonment for debt, relief from high taxation, increased circulation of paper money.
Convinced many that this showed that poor were too rowdy, needed stronger central government to keep control of them.

Northwest Land Ordinance of 1787: Congress established a system of government for territories north of Ohio.
3-5 states made slavery prohibited.
One of the few things the Articles of Confederation accomplished.
Defined the process for admitting new states

Annapolis Convention (1786): Convinced of necessity of strengthening national government after Shay’s Rebellion (thought rich needed to keep control of poor kind of).
Only 5 states showed up.
Promised for another convention in 1787.

Constitutional Convention (1787)
The Virginia Plan (James Madison): Scraping Articles of Confederation to tax and enforce laws directly reducing states to little more than administrative institutions.
Bicameral National Legislature: House of representatives and Senate
New Jersey Plan: Increased power of central gov. but states equally represented.
Great Compromise: Representation proportional in house, equal in senate.
Three-fifths compromise: 5 states equivalent to 3 white men in exchange for commerce clause.
Slave Trade Compromise → Slave importation will end ini 1808.
Commerce Compromise → US could tax imports, but not exports.
Created a stronger central government.
States could not have their own currency.
States could not tax goods from other states.
Ratified 1788

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Federalists
Supporters of the new constitution.
Federalist Papers
John Jay
Constitution Ratified
Urban
Anti-Federalists
Believed the central government should not have as much power.
Bill of Rights
Rural

Bill of Rights (1791)
10 amendments (James Madison)
1st Amendment: No national religion. Freedom of speech, free press, and right to petition.
Others, right to bear arms, limit gov’s power to quarter troops
Added to gain the support of anti-federalists.

Judiciary Act (1789): Set court system.

Hamilton’s Fiscal Plan (1790)
Assuming state debts after war and creation of federal debt.
Establishment of the Bank of the United States.
Tariffs.
Whiskey tax.

American revolution inspired:
French Revolution (1789): US didn’t help French and declared Proclamation of Neutrality. Big debate about this since France had helped the US in the Revolutionary War.
Latin American Revolution- many Spanish colonies gained independence in the early 19th century.
Haitian Revolution - Toussaint L’Ouverture helped Haiti gain independence in 1804. There were so many slaves there that they were able to fight to liberate themselves against French colonial rule. (1791).

1791-1794 Whiskey Rebellion: Farmers protesting tax on distillation on whiskey. The tax was part of Hamilton’s fiscal plan.

Jay’s Treaty (1795)
Sought to settle differences between British and US. Basically to avoid war with Britain.
Assured American commercial prosperity and set the stage for them to build a strong economy.
Granted Britain favored treaty status
Opponents saw it as accommodation for British at the expense of France.
Angered France and caused them to seize American merchant ships.
Major cause of political parties.

1795: Pinckney’s Treaty → With Spain, US gained navigational rights of the Mississippi River
Right of deposit in New Orleans (could store goods)

Washington’s Farewell Address: Expressed concern over political parties.
Warned of foreign entanglements.

Federalists vs Democratic-Republicans
Federalists (Alexander Hamilton)
Strong central government
Supported the British.
Alien sedition act
Yeoman farmers
Agriculture
Loose constitution
National Bank, tariffs
Hamilton’s fiscal plan
Urban, north, rich
Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson)
Party of traditional agrarian purity, of liberty, of states’ rights
Supported the French.
Equal voting
Small government.
Strict constitution.
Pro-expansion
Louisiana Purchase
War of 1812

XYZ Affair
John Adam’s presidency.
Three American diplomats (X,Y,Z) went to negotiate with France’s foreign minister but before seeing him, other people made them pay a bribe and said that in return, France would stop attacking US ships. Americans got mad.
Quasi-war with France started (1798-1800) at sea, was undeclared.
Peace was restored through the Convention of 1800. Ended when Napoleon took French politics in a different direction.

Alien and Sedition Act
Limited freedom of speeches and press.
Alien Act: Authorized president to order imprisonment or deportation of suspected aliens during wartime.
Sedition Act: Provided heavy fines and imprisonment for anyone convicted of writing, publishing, or speaking anything bad against gov.
The Federalists believed that Democratic-Republican criticism of Federalist policies was disloyal and feared that aliens living in the United States would sympathize with the French during a war. As a result, a Federalist-controlled Congress passed four laws, known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions → measures passed by the legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky as a protest against the Federalist Alien and Sedition Acts. Jefferson’s principal arguments were that the national government was a compact between the states, that any exercise of undelegated authority on its part was invalid, and that the states had the right to decide when their powers had been infringed and to determine the mode of redress. The Kentucky resolutions thus declared the Alien and Sedition Acts to be “void and of no force.”

Abigail Adams - Wrote a letter to her husband called “Remember the Ladies,” when making the new government, don’t forget about the ladies.

Judith Sargent Murray advocated education for females.

Republican Motherhood: Women were now expected to raise their children to be patriotic, good American citizens. (So they themselves had to be educated in order to do this).
Gave women access to education so they could teach their children.

Cotton
Demand is growing because of the boom of industrial production of textiles.
1793: Invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney.