unit 3

Question 1

French and Indian War

Answer 1

• Rivalry between France, Britain, and various Native American tribes over land in the Ohio region
• It was one of a series of wars fought between France and England throughout the world at the time
• Battles continued on European and American fronts until Britain gained control of Canada
• It was in these conflicts that George Washington first appeared as an able military leader

1754-1763

Question 2

Albany Plan

Answer 2

• Delegates of seven colonies met in New York to discuss plans for collective defense
• The Pennsylvanian delegate, Benjamin Franklin, proposed a plan for an intercolonial government, but the plan was rejected by the colonial legislatures as demanding too great a surrender of power
• While the other colonies showed to support for Franklin’s plan, it was an important precedent for the concept of uniting in the face of a common enemy

1754

Question 3

William Pitt

Answer 3

• Britain’s capable and energetic prime minister
• After several humiliating defeats, he led Britain to virtually destroy the French empire in North America by focusing on the French headquarters in Canada
• The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended hostilities

1708-1778

Question 4

Treaty of Paris 1763

Answer 4

• Ended Seven Years War
• From France, Britain took Canada and some of what would become the United States east of the Mississippi River
• France lost all of its North American holdings
• Spain took the Louisiana Territory
• Treaty marked the end of salutary neglect, a relationship in which the British Parliament had somewhat ignored the colonies, allowing them to develop their character without interference

1763

Question 5

Impact of the French and Indian War on British Colonial Policy

Answer 5

• Britain set out to solve the large national debt incurred in recent conflicts
• It created a series of acts that raised taxes on American goods, leading to rebellious activities in the colonies
• Acts included the Proclamation of 1763, Sugar Act (1763), Stamp Act (1765), and Quartering Act (1765)

1712-1770

Question 6

Benjamin Franklin

Answer 6

• Was a colonial writer, scientist, diplomat, printer, and philosopher
• Published the Pennsylvania Gazette and wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac
• Served in the Second Continental Congress and was a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence

1706-1790

Question 7

Writs of Assistance

Answer 7

• Court orders that authorized customs officials to conduct non-specific searches to stop colonial smuggling
• Allowed for the searching of homes, warehouses, and shops
• James Otis served as a prosecutor in a failed Massachusetts legal case; he argued that these searched were contrary to natural law
• Later, the Fourth Amendment would protect citizens against “unreasonable searched and seizures”

1750s-1770s

Question 8

Proclamation of 1763

Answer 8

• Was a result of pontiac’s Rebellion, a Native American uprising against the British for their mistreatment
• Forbade white settlement west of the Appalachians to reduce friction between Native Americans and the settlers
• Stated that Native Americans owned the land on which they were residing
• Outraged colonists believed that the successful outcome of the French and Indian War should have allowed settlement in the Ohio Valley

1763

Question 9

Sugar Act

Answer 9

• It taxed goods imported to America to raise revenue for England
• Meant to assist England in recouping the debt it had taken on during the French and Indian War
• Strictly enforced, unlike the Molasses Act of 1733
• Taxed goods included imports such as wine, cloth, coffee, and silk

1764

Question 10

Quartering Act

Answer 10

• Act that required the colonies in which British troops were stationed provide soldiers with bedding and other basic needs
• Colonists reacted negatively because they feared having a standing army in their towns, and they disliked the additional expenses it caused
• After the emergence of the United States Constitution, the Third Amendment protected citizens against the stationing of troops in their homes

1765

Question 11

Stamp Act

Answer 11

• An internal tax, the sole purpose of which was to raise revenue
• Required Americans to use “stamped” paper for legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards, among other goods
• Revenue from this tax was to be used solely for the support of the British soldiers protecting the colonies

1765

Question 12

Declaratory Act

Answer 12

• Act giving Britain the power to tax and make laws for Americans in all cases
• Followed the repeal of the Stamp Act, which colonists had seen as a victory
• The Declaratory Act suggested that Britain might pass more restrictive acts in the near future

1766

Question 13

Samuel Adams

Answer 13

• Revolutionary resistance leader in Massachusetts
• Along with Paul Revere, he headed the Sons of Liberty in Massachusetts
• Worked with the committees of correspondence, which provided communication about resistance among colonies
• Attended both the First and Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence

1722-1803

Question 14

Stamp Act Congress

Answer 14

• Delegates of seven colonies met in New York to discuss plans for defense
• Adopted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which stated that freeborn Englishmen could not be taxed without their consent

October 1765

Question 15

Townshend Acts

Answer 15

• Created by British Prime Minister Charles Townshend (Grenville’s replacement)
• Formed a program of taxing items imported into the colonies, such as paper, lead, glass, and tea
• Replaced the direct taxes of Stamp Act
• Led to boycotts by Boston merchants and served as a key contributor to the Boston Massacre

1767

Question 16

Virtual Representation

Answer 16

• English principle stating that the members of members of parliament represented all of Britain and the British Empire, even though members were only elected by a small number of constituents
• This idea was meant to be a response to the colonial claim of “no taxation without representation,” meaning that parliament was itself representation of those being taxed

1770s

Question 17

Boston Massacre

Answer 17

• Occurred when the British attempted to enforce the Townshend Acts
• British soldiers killed five Bostonians, including Crispus Attucks, an American patriot and former slave
• John Adams provided the legal defense for the soldiers
• Though the British soldiers acted more or less in self-defense, anti-Royal leaders used the massacre to spur action in the colonies

March 5, 1770

Question 18

Tea Act and Boston Tea Party

Answer 18

• The Tea Act was a concession that allowed the British East India Company to ship tea directly to America and sell it at a bargain
• Because the cheap tea undercut the costs of local merchants, colonists opposed these shipments; they turned back ships, left shipments to rot, and held ships in port
• Led to the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773, where citizens, dressed as Native Americans, destroyed tea on the British ships

1773

Question 19

The Intolerable Acts

The Coercive Acts

Answer 19

• Names given by colonists to the Quebec Act (1774) and to a series of acts by the British in response to the Boston Tea Party
• Closed the Port of Boston to all trade until citizens paid for the lost tea
• Increased the power of Massachusetts’ Royal governor at the expense of the legislature
• Allowed Royal officials accused of crimes in Massachusetts to be tried elsewhere

1774

Question 20

Methods of Colonial Resistance

Answer 20

• Colonists reacted first with restrained and respectful petitions against the British, suggesting “taxation without representation is tyranny”
• Colonial governments organized “committees of correspondence” to share their view of British actions with neighboring colonies and with foreign governments; this was the start of political organization among the colonies
• Colonial merchants then boycotted British goods (non-importation)
• Colonists finally turned to violence; crowds took action against customs officials and against merchants who violated boycotts
• Some colonists continued to follow British command and became English “Loyalists”

1770s

Question 21

First Continental Congress

Answer 21

• Meeting in Philadelphia of colonial representatives to denounce the Intolerable Acts and to petition the British Parliament
• A few radical members discussed breaking from England
• Created Continental Association and forbade the importation and use of British goods
• Agreed to convene a Second Continental Congress in May 1775

September-October 1774

Question 22

Battles of Concord and Lexington

Answer 22

• Concord: Site suspected by British General Gage of housing a stockpile of colonial weaponry
• Paul Revere, William Dawes, and others detected movement of British troops toward Concord and warned militia and gathered Minutemen at Lexington
• Lexington: Militia and Royal infantry fought, and the colonial troops withdrew

April 1775

Question 23

The Second Continental Congress

Answer 23

• Began after the American Revolution had begun (Lexington and Concord)
• Colonial representative meeting in Philadelphia, over which John Hancock presided
• The group was torn between declaring independence and remaining under British power
• Moderates forced the adoption of the Olive Branch Petition, a letter to King George III appealing one final time for a resolution to all disputes; the king refused to receive it
• The Congress sent George Washington to command the army around Boston
• American ports were opened in defiance of the Navigation Acts
• The Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence

May 1775

Question 24

The Battle of Bunker Hill

Answer 24

• Bunker Hill was an American post overlooking Boston
• The stronghold allowed Americans to contain General Gage and his troops
• The colonists twice turned back a British frontal assault, and they held off the British until the Bunker Hill force ran out of ammunition and was overrun
• American strong defense led to strengthened morale

June 17, 1775

Question 25

Common Sense

Answer 25

* Pamphlet published by Thomas Paine that called for immediate independence from Britain * It was sold throughout the colonies, where it gained popularity * Helped weaken resistance in the Continental Congress toward independence ## Footnote January 1776

Question 26

Lee's Resolutions

Answer 26

* Presented to Second Continental Congress by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia * Urged Congress to declare independence and were accepted July 2, 1776 * Said, "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States" ## Footnote 1776

Question 27

Declaration of Independence

Answer 27

* Document restating political ideas justifying the separation from Britain * Thomas Jefferson and his committee had the duty of drafting for the Continental Congress * John Locke's influences served as a foundation for this document * The final product lacked provisions condemning the British slave trade and a denunciation of the British people that earlier drafts had contained ## Footnote Adopted July 4, 1776

Question 28

Articles of Confederation

Answer 28

* Framework for an American national government in which states were given the most power * Permitted the federal government to make war, offer treaties, and create new states * There was no federal power to levy taxes, raise troops, or regulate commerce * Congressional revision of the articles created a weak national government ## Footnote Submitted July 1776; ratified 1781

Question 29

George Washington's Leadership in the American Revolution

Answer 29

* Named Commander-in-Chief of Continental Forces in June 1775 by the Second Continental Congress * Forced British to evacuate Boston in March 1776 * Defeated British at Trenton, New Jersey, after crossing the Delaware on December 25, 1776 * Survived tough winter at Valley Forge(1777-1778); Washington strengthened his troops during the winter and gained tremendous respect among the men * General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington on October 19, 1781 ## Footnote 1775-1781

Question 30

The Battle of Saratoga

Answer 30

* American Revolution battle fought in northern New York * The British planned to end the American Revolution by splitting the colonies along the Hudson River, but they failed to mobilize properly * The British ended up surrendering, allowing for the first great American victory * Demonstrated that the British could more easily hold the cities, but that they would have trouble subduing the countrysides * Considered a turning point, as French aid began after this battle ## Footnote 1777

Question 31

Charles Cornwallis

Answer 31

* British military and political leader * Was a member of Parliament * Opposed the tax measures that ed to the American Revolution * Led British forces during the American Revolution * The British defeat culminated with Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown in 1781 ## Footnote 1738-1805

Question 32

Western Land Cessions

Answer 32

* The original thirteen states ceded their western land claims to the new federal government * The states that lacked western land claims feared that states with claims could grow in size, skewing representation in the federal government * Before signing the United States Constitution, these states demanded that those with claims cede the land * Ordinances in 1784 and 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance (1787) organized the ceded areas in preparation for statehood * New states were organized and admitted to the Union * This policy strengthened the ties of the western farmers to the central government ## Footnote 1781-1787; Georgia in 1802

Question 33

Treaty of Paris 1783

Answer 33

* Peace settlement that ended the Revolutionary War * The United States was represented by Ben Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay * Britain recognized the United States' independence and outlined its borders * The United States received all lands east of the Mississippi River, north of Florida, and south of the Great Lakes * The United States agreed that Loyalists were not to be persecuted ## Footnote 1783

Question 34

Land Ordinance of 1785 and Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Answer 34

* The Land Ordinance was an act of Congress that sold western lands in order to settle that territory and to earn revenue for the federal government * The Land Ordinance organized the distribution of land into townships and set aside a section of each township to be used for public education * The Northwest Ordinance described how the land north of the Ohio River should be divided and helped to create five new states * The Northwest Ordinance held that states would be admitted to the Union when the number of free inhabitants reached 60,000; slavery and involuntary servitude were not allowed in these states * The Northwest Ordinance set a precedent of how states could join the Union and stood as a successful accomplishment by a federal government that had been seen before as ineffective ## Footnote 1785 and 1787

Question 35

John Jay

Answer 35

* Member of First and Second Continental Congress * Negotiated Treaty of Paris and Jay's Treaty * First Chief Justice of Supreme Court * Wrote portions of The Federalist Papers ## Footnote 1745-1829

Question 36

Shay's Rebellion

Answer 36

* During a period of economic depression, Daniel Shays led a group of farmers to stop the courts from seizing a farmer's land and enacting debt collection * Citizens of Boston raised an army and suppressed the rebels * Americans felt pressure to strengthen the government and avoid future violence * The rebellion served as a catalyst for writing the Constitution ## Footnote 1786-1787

Question 37

The Constitution of the United States

Answer 37

* Drafted at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 * Included a preamble and seven articles * Created a stronger federal government * The Bill of Rights constitutes the first ten amendments, and it protects individual rights and freedoms ## Footnote Signed September 17, 1787; ratified by the required nine states June 21, 1788

Question 38

Elastic Clause and the Tenth Amendment

Answer 38

* The Tenth Amendment restricts the federal government to those powers delegated to it by the Constitution and gives all other powers to the states, or the people * Article I, Section 8 grants the federal government the power to make all laws "which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers" * The conflict between these two ideas is the determination of which group, the federal government or the states and their people, has the right to exercise powers that have not been expressly delegated to the central government ## Footnote Ratified 1791

Question 39

The Virginia Plan & The New Jersey Plan

Answer 39

* Virginia plan: Presented by Edmund Randolph and written by James Madison, it called for a bicameral legislature based on a state's population, and it suggested that both the chief executive and judiciary should be chosen by legislature * New Jersey Plan: Presented by William Patterson, it called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state * The plans were united in the Great Compromise * They formed the basis of the modern American legislative structure ## Footnote July 1787

Question 40

Great Compromise | Connecticut Compromise

Answer 40

* Called for a bicameral legislative system in which the House of Representatives would be based on population and the Senate would have equal representation in Congress * Combined pieces of the New Jersey Plan, the Virginia Plan, and other proposals * Included the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of apportioning representation and called for direct taxation on the states ## Footnote 1787

Question 41

Federalists

Answer 41

* Americans who advocated centralized power and constitutional ratification * Used The Federalist Papers to demonstrate how the Constitution was designed to prevent the abuse of power * Supporters of Federalist platforms included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, and northeastern business groups * Federalists believed that the government was given all powers that were not expressly denied to it by the Constitution (they had a "loose interpretation" of the Constitution) ## Footnote 1788

Question 42

Anti-Federalists

Answer 42

* Those against the adoption of the Constitution; they were suspicious of political actions that would limit freedom and of a centralized government that would rule at a distance * George Mason, Patrick Henry, and George Clinton were Anti-Federalists * Many of the Anti-Federalists would come to oppose the policies of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists * The Jeffersonian Republican Party absorbed many of the Anti-Federalists after the Constitution was adopted ## Footnote 1780s-1790s

Question 43

George Washington

Answer 43

* First President * Was unanimously elected * Served two terms * His leadership led to a standard of a strong presidency with control of foreign policy and the power to veto Congress's legislation * Declared the Proclamation of Neutrality in April 1793, keeping the United States neutral in the European wars * His Farewell Address in 1796 warned against entangling alliances, recommended isolationism, and warned of political party factions ## Footnote 1789-1797

Question 44

Judiciary Act of 1789

Answer 44

* Provided for a Supreme Court with a Chief Justice and five associates * Established the office of the Attorney General * Created federal district courts and circuits courts ## Footnote 1789

Question 45

Alexander Hamilton

Answer 45

* First Secretary of Treasury * Proposed the federal assumption of state debts, the establishment of a national bank, and the federal simulation of industry through excise tax and tariffs * Opponents, including Jefferson, saw his programs as aiding a small, elite group at the expense of the average citizen * Hamilton died from wounds sustained in a pistol duel with Aaron Burr, Jefferson's vice president ## Footnote 1757-1804

Question 46

Democratic Republicans | Jeffersonian Republicans

Answer 46

* Political party that absorbed the Anti-Federalists * Proponents included Thomas Jefferson and James Madison * Favored states' rights and power in the hands of commoners; supported by Southern agriculture and frontiersmen * Believed that the federal government was denied all powers that were not expressly given to it by the Constitution (a "strict interpretation" of the document) * Supported the French Revolution's ideals, but they were against the Revolution's bloody radicalism ## Footnote 1792-1860

Question 47

Jay's Treaty

Answer 47

* An attempt to settle the conflict between the United States and England over commerce, navigation, and violations of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 * Provided for eventual evacuation by the British of their posts in the Northwest, but it allowed them to continue their fur trade * Allowed for the establishment of commissions to settle United States-Canadian border disputes and United States- Britain losses during the Revolutionary War * The generous terms to Britain upset Americans because these were promises that had been made and not fulfilled in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 ## Footnote 1794

Question 48

Whiskey Rebellion

Answer 48

* Western whiskey farmers refused to pay taxes on which Hamilton's revenue program was based * A group of farmers terrorized the tax collectors, and Washington responded with a federalized militia * George Washington and Alexander Hamilton rode out to Pennsylvania themselves to emphasize their commitment * First test of federal authority * Established federal government's right to enforce laws ## Footnote 1794

Question 49

Pickney Treaty

Answer 49

* Signed by the United States and Spain * Free navigation of the Mississippi River was given to the United States * United States gained area north of Florida that had been in dispute (present-day Mississippi and Alabama) * Gave western farmers the "right of deposit" in the New Orleans, enabling them to use the port for their goods and making it easier for them to get their goods to the east * The United States would later make the Louisiana Purchase, which would cement this right of deposit ## Footnote 1795

Question 50

Early American Literature and Art

Answer 50

* Early writings promoted the benefits of colonization to both Europeans and to the colonies themselves; authors included John Smith and William Penn * Religious issues and the Great Awakening provided material for written works by John Winthrop, Edward Winslow, Roger williams, Jonathon Edwards, and George Whitefield * The political issues of revolution influenced writing in the mid-1700s, including works by Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine * Post-war writings such as The Federalist Papers explored the system of American values and governmental structure * The first American novel, published in 1789, was William Hill Brown's The Power of Sympathy * Art copied European styles but featured portraits of important Americans; famous artists included John Trumbull, Charles Peale, Benjamin West, and John Copley * Gilbert Stuart painted the portrait of George Washington that is now on the one-dollar bill ## Footnote 1600s-1700s