APUSH Unit 3 Flashcards

Unit 3 APUSH Review Notes

Introduction

• Unit 3 covers the period from 1754 to 1800.

• Focuses on the transformation of American colonies into an independent nation and the development of a distinct national identity.

French and Indian War (1754)

• Also known as the Seven Years' War.

• Conflict Origins:

  • British colonists concerned about French encroachment in the Ohio River Valley.

  • French concerned about British encroachment on their territory.

• Early Battles:

  • Initial British losses to the French and their Indian allies.

• Albany Plan of Union:

  • Proposed by Benjamin Franklin during the meeting of colonial representatives.

  • Called for a more centralized government for colonial defense.

  • Rejected due to concerns about taxation.

  • Significance: Laid groundwork for future revolutionary congresses.

• Resolution:

  • British victory, formalized by the Peace of Paris in 1763.

Consequences of the French and Indian War

• Territorial Changes:

  • French ousted from North America; Louisiana Territory ceded to Spain.

  • British gained land east of the Mississippi River, more than doubling their holdings.

• Westward Expansion and Conflict with American Indians:

  • Colonists moved westward into the Ohio River Valley, leading to conflicts with Native Americans.

  • Pontiac's Rebellion: Ottawa leader Pontiac led raids against encroaching colonists.

• Royal Proclamation of 1763:

  • Forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

  • Aimed to reduce tensions with American Indians and maintain trade relations.

  • Frustrated colonists who felt entitled to the land after fighting in the war.

• Economic Impact:

  • British debt doubled during the war, and the cost of running the colonies increased fivefold.

Taxation Without Representation

• British Policies:

  • Increased taxation to pay for the French and Indian War.

  • End of salutary neglect: Britain began to enforce laws more strictly.

• Salutary Neglect:

  • British policy of loose control over the colonies, allowing them to manage their own affairs.

  • Gave colonists a sense of autonomy.

• New Legislation:

  • Stricter enforcement of the Navigation Acts.

  • Quartering Act of 1765: Required colonists to house and feed British soldiers.

  • Sugar Act: Imposed taxes on coffee, wine, and other luxury items, and enforced existing tax on molasses.

  • Stamp Act of 1765: Taxed all paper items.

• Colonial Response:

  • Debate over taxation without representation.

  • British argued for virtual representation

  • Colonial Arguments: colonists wanted localized representation.

  • Groups like the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty protested the Stamp Act.

  • Stamp Act Congress: Representatives from nine colonies petitioned Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act, asserting that taxation without representation was tyranny.

• British Reaction:

  • Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and Sugar Act.

  • Declaratory Act: Asserted Parliament's right to pass any law in the colonies.

Townshend Acts and Colonial Resistance

• Townshend Acts (1767):

  • New taxes on imported items like paper, glass, and tea.

• Colonial Protests:

  • Organized boycotts of British goods.

  • Women played a key role, spinning their own cloth and brewing herbal tea.

Escalating Tensions

• Boston Massacre (1770):

  • British soldiers fired on a group of colonists, killing four.

  • Six out of eight soldiers were acquitted.

  • Colonists viewed the event as a sign of British tyranny.

• Boston Tea Party (1773):

  • Response to the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company exclusive rights to sell tea in the colonies.

  • Colonists disguised as American Indians dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

• Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts):

  • Parliament closed Boston Harbor and approved a new quartering act.

• Growing Resistance:

  • Colonists organized armed groups and identified as patriots.

• Continental Congress (1774):

  • Colonial leaders met to resist violations of their liberties.

  • Still sought to remain British subjects.

Enlightenment Thought and the Move Toward Independence

• Enlightenment Influences:

  • Natural rights: Rights endowed by God that cannot be taken away by government.

  • Social contract: Government derives its power from the people and must protect their rights.

  • Republicanism: Preference for a government with separation of powers.

• Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776):

  • Argued for independence from Britain.

  • Convinced many colonists that independence was the only option.

• Declaration of Independence:

  • Written by Thomas Jefferson, adopted on July 2, 1776, and made public on July 4.

  • Grounded in Enlightenment thought, emphasizing natural rights and the social contract.

The American Revolution

• Loyalists: Colonists who remained loyal to Britain.

• Continental Army:

  • Assembled by the Continental Congress and led by George Washington.

  • Initially ill-equipped and suffered defeats.

• Foreign Alliance:

  • Victory at the Battle of Saratoga (1777) convinced France to ally with the Americans.

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

• British Surrender:

  • Defeat at the Battle of Yorktown (1781) led to British surrender.

• Influence on Other Revolutions:

  • Inspired revolutions in France and Haiti.

Articles of Confederation

• State Constitutions:

  • States had their own constitutions that placed power in the legislative body.

• Structure of the Articles:

  • All power was in the legislative body; no executive or judicial branch.

  • No national military force.

  • Limited federal power to tax.

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787:

  • Provided a plan for occupying and applying for statehood in unformed territories.

  • Abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory.

• Shays' Rebellion:

  • Farmers in debt rebelled in Massachusetts.

  • Showed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

• Purpose: To revise the Articles of Confederation.

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists:

  • Federalists: favored a stronger central government.

  • Anti-Federalists: favored state power.

• Representation Debate:

  • Virginia Plan: Representation by population.

  • New Jersey Plan: Equal representation for each state.

  • Great Compromise: Bicameral Congress with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with equal representation.

• Three-Fifths Compromise:

  • Counted three-fifths of the enslaved population for representation purposes.

• New Constitution:

  • Established a robust central government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

• Ratification:

  • Federalist Papers: Essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison to support the Constitution.

  • Anti-Federalist concerns: Lack of a Bill of Rights.

  • Compromise: Bill of Rights added after ratification.

  • Constitution went into effect in March 1789.

Distinctive American Culture

• Desire to define a distinct American culture.

• Plans for public education.

• Historical themes in art (Charles Wilson Peale, Samuel Jennings).

• Republican Motherhood:

  • Women's role in raising virtuous, liberty-minded sons.

Politics Under the New Constitution

• First Government:

  • George Washington as President, John Adams as Vice President.

  • Departments of Treasury, State, War, and Justice established.

  • Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury.

• Hamilton's Policies:

  • Federal government assumption of state war debts.

  • Creation of a national bank (Bank of the United States), justified by the elastic clause.

• Opposition and the Rise of Political Parties:

  • Federalists (Washington, Hamilton): favored a strong central government, neutrality in the French Revolution.

  • Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson, Madison): opposed federal overreach.

• Whiskey Rebellion (1794):

  • Farmers rebelled against a tax on whiskey.

  • Washington federalized state militias to crush the rebellion.

• Washington's Farewell Address:

  • Cautioned against political parties and foreign alliances.

• John Adams' Presidency:

  • War between Britain and France.

  • XYZ Affair: French officials demanded a bribe before negotiations.

  • Alien and Sedition Acts: Restricted immigration and made it illegal to criticize the government publicly.

  • Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: Argued that states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

• Election of 1800:

  • Thomas Jefferson elected, marking a shift in political power.

Relations with Foreign Powers and American Indians

• Concerns about threats to U.S. political sovereignty.

• Indian Trade and Intercourse Act:

  • Regulated relationships between settlers and Indians.

• Conflicts with American Indians and British support.

• Pinckney Treaty:

  • Resolved border disputes with Spain, establishing the border at the 31st parallel.

Legacy of Slavery

• Regional Attitudes:

  • Northern states: Rapid population growth of free blacks; some voting rights granted.

  • African Methodist Episcopal Church founded in Philadelphia.

  • Southern states: Growing enslaved population; laws restricted freeing slaves.

• Expansion of Slavery:

  • Slaveholders brought enslaved people to western territories.