APUSH 3A Vocab Flashcards
Scotch-Irish
Protestant Scottish settlers who migrated from British-controlled Northern Ireland to the American colonies in the 1700s.
French and Indian War (Seven year war)
Imperial war between Britain and France for control of North America (beginning in 1754) that became a larger-scale European war in 1756. American Indians generally supported the French.
British defeat of the French, 1763
Under the Treaty of Paris, which ended the french and Indian War, Britain gained possession of all of French Canada and Spanish Florida.
Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763
unsuccessful Indian rebellion led by an Ottawa chief named Pontiac against British Indian policy in the Northwest Territory.
Proclamation line of 1763
Britain established a boundary in the Appalachian Mountain, banning colonist form settling west of the boundary. Designed to prevent conflict with Indians.
The Paxton Boys, 1764
Frontiersmen of Scot- Irish origin in Paxton, Pennsylvania, who massacred Conestoga Indians and then marched on Philadelphia demanding the colonial government provide better defense against Indians. The government responded with an official bounty for Indian scalps.
Sugar Act, 1764
British law that taxed sugar and other colonial import to pay for some of Britain’s expenses in protecting the colonies during the French and Indian war.
stamp act, 1765
British Law that established a direct tax in the colonies on written documents including newspaper, legal documents, and playing cards. The tax was designed to raise revenue for the British Empire. Protest against stamp act led to its repeal in 1766.
sons of liberty
secret organization formed in Boston in 1765 to oppose the stamp Act. Best known for the Boston Tea party in 1733.
declaration act, 1766
The British Parliament asserted they had “the sole and exclusive right” to tax the colonist, rejecting the colonial argument that taxation should rest in the hands of colonial assemblies.
Townshend acts, 1767
Import taxes for the colonist on products made in Britain. Recognizing the colonist had been pushed too far, Parliament repealed the town shed Acts in 1770, except for the tax on tea.
John Dickinson, Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmers, 1767
Dickinson was landowner and lawyer who published his “letters” to argue that taxation without representation violated the colonists’ rights as English citizens.
Boston Massacre, 1770
British troops killed five colonists by firing on a mob of people who had been taunting them and throwing stones.
Boston Tea party, 1773
As a protest against a British monopoly on tea, colonist disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships and dumped a shipment of tea into Boston harbor.
First Continental Congress, 1774
Delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia and asserted their rights as Englishmen.
Battle of Lexington and Concord, 1775
Battle between British soldiers and American “Minutemen” outside Boston that began the American Revolution.
Second Continental Congress, 1775
Delegate from the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to create a Continental army and prepare the colonies for war against Britain.
John Locke
British Philosopher of the late 17th century whose ideas influenced the writing of the declaration of Independence and the creation of the United States. He argued that sovereignty resides in the people, who have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.
Ben Franklin
American writer, scientist, inventor, and diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Alliance with France during the American Revolution. Franklin also negotiated the treaty ending the American Revolution and attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Enlightenment (Age of Reason)
The Age of Enlightenment or simply the Enlightenment or age of Reason is an era from the 1620s to the 1780s in which cultural and intellectual forces in Western Europe emphasized reason, analysis, and individualism rather than traditional lines of authority.
Republic form of government
Free people govern themselves without a king through elected representative of the people.
Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776
Common Sense was pamphlet that attacked the British monarchy, calling for American independence from Britain.
Declaration of Independence, 1776
A formal statement adopted by the Second continental congress declaring the American colonies independent.
Adam Smith
Scottish philosopher (1723-1790) whose ideas helped fuel the creation of the market system in the U.S. He believed free market competition would benefit society as a whole by keeping price low and building in an incentive for a wide variety of goods and services.
George Washington
Commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. First President of the United States under the U.S. constitution.
Battle of Saratoga, 1777
Battle that marked the turning point of the American Revolution, convincing France to aid the American cause.
treaty of Alliance, 1778
Alliance between the American and French in war against Britain. France recognized U.S. independence from Britain. (NOTE: This was the first and only treaty of alliance made by the U.S. until NATO was created in 1949)
Battle of Yorktown, 1781
The British army surrendered to General George Washington and the Continental Army, virtually bringing the American Revolution to an end.
Treaty of Paris, 1783
Treaty ended the American Revolution, secured American independence from Britain.
