period 3 (1754-1800)

Question 1

name the primary cause of the french and indian war and the year it started

Answer 1

1754, conflicting land claims between the british and the french

Question 2

why was it called the french and indian war?

Answer 2

the french had many native allies because the british in general did not treat them well

Question 3

what treaty ended the french and indian war? what year? what other big events happened in that year?

Answer 3

treaty of paris 1763, the proclamation of 1763 and the pontiac rebellion

Question 4

who was william pitt?

Answer 4

an important british general during the french and indian war that led the british to victory

Question 5

what and when was the sugar act? why did it make the colonists angry?

Answer 5

a 1764 act that banned the colonies from buying sugar from french indochina- meant to boost british sales. the colonies felt they were being used (and they were, for mercantilism) and they started to have bad feelings about britain

Question 6

when and what was the stamp act? why was it unique?

Answer 6

a 1765 act that required all printed materials in the colonies to be on stamped paper. a british tax collector collected taxes in exchange for the stamps. it was unique because it was a direct tax, and the colonists felt they were being punished for nothing

Question 7

when and what was the quartering act? what other set of acts (other than the 1764-1765 grenville acts) was a separate quartering act a part of? why did it make the colonists angry?

Answer 7

a 1765 act that permitted british soldiers to use colonists’ homes, and forced the colonists to provide for them. it was later a part of the 1774 intolerable acts, and it made the colonists angry because they felt it violated their personal rights, and it made them feel extremely anxious to have armed soldiers in their homes

Question 8

what and when was pontiac’s rebellion? why did it happen?

Answer 8

a 1763 revolt between a native named pontiac and his people against british soldiers moving into french forts. it happened because the british did not treat natives well- while the french traded with them and kept up good relations with the natives, the british did not

Question 9

who were the paxton boys? who did they resemble?

Answer 9

a group of backcountry farmers from pennsylvania who staged raids on natives nearby in the 1760s because they wanted their land. they resembled bacon’s rebellion (although bacon was in virginia) from the 1670s.

Question 10

what was the stamp act congress? what was their significance?

Answer 10

a 1765 congress with delegates from different colonies, mainly focused on the “no taxation without representation”, which is the idea that the british did not have the right to tax the colonists without a representative from the colonies in parliament. it was significant because it was the first sign of organized protest against british policies after the french and indian war

Question 11

what was the first continental congress? what was its significance?

Answer 11

it had delegates from all different colonies. it were significant because of its role in the colonists non importation agreements, which was a form of protest by the colonies as they purposefully didn’t import british goods.

Question 12

what and when were the townshend acts?

Answer 12

1767 acts passed by townshend that enacted indirect taxes on daily goods such as lead, glass, and most importantly, tea

Question 13

how did the british east india company relate to the boston tea party and the tea act?

Answer 13

the failure of the british east india company to sell their tea left them with a surplus, and left britain anxious to get rid of all the extra tea. this then led the british to enact the tea act of 1773, which made british tea extremely cheap in an attempt to get colonists to buy it. angry colonists, thinking that the british were trying to bribe them into accepting british control, hurled a lot of tea into the boston harbor in the boston tea party of 1773

Question 14

what and when was the boston massacre?

Answer 14

british troops firing on american colonists in 1770- made many colonists wary of british soldiers (even more than the quartering act of 1765)

Question 15

what and when were the intolerable acts? what were some of the most important ones?

Answer 15

acts passed in 1774 to punish the colonies for the 1773 boston tea party. significant acts include:
boston port act: closed the boston port
quartering act: expanded the earlier quartering act
quebec act: originally meant to protect french settlers- allowed them to keep their religion and their land. colonists got angry that the british cared so much about the french settlers, but not about their own colonists.

Question 16

why was john winthrop’s “city on a hill” important to the colonies and america later on?

Answer 16

to the colonies: represented how they needed to be a shining example of a puritan colony in opposition to england
to america later on: america needed to be an example as a democratic country in opposition to the many monarchies in europe- they felt they couldn’t fail, as they needed to show europe that a democratic country could flourish

Question 17

how did religion play a role in the lead-up to the american revolution?

Answer 17

protestant evangelicals started preaching about liberty and freedom from servitude, which contributed to the general anti-british monarchy mood of the late 1700s

Question 18

what was the american opinion on independence from great britain in 1776?

Answer 18

popular opinion was split between two sides: loyalists and patriots. those two sides called for loyalty to great britain and american independence, respectively. thus, opinion was split at first, with proof in the olive branch petition of 1775, but opinion was later swayed by things like thomas paine’s “common sense”

Question 19

what and when was the olive branch petition?

Answer 19

a 1775 document sent to king george III reaffirming their rights as englishmen and loyalty to great britain, hoping for compromise without revolution

Question 20

how did thomas paine affect the colonists’ opinions regarding independence?

Answer 20

it advocated independence from great britain (clearly patriotic) and turned widespread opinion towards favoring independence

Question 21

when and what was the declaration of independence? what was one important line from it?

Answer 21

a 1776 document that declared america’s intent to become an independent country. it also laid the base for america’s later constitution and america’s identity as a democratic country. one important line is “we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal”

Question 22

who was adam smith? why was he important?

Answer 22

he is credited as the creator of capitalism, a form of economy that emphasizes private property and management, fair competition and a free market, as well as separating the creator and the capital, or profit, gathered. he is important because capitalism is the form of economy america followed ever since its foundation

Question 23

what was republicanism? how did the ideal of republican motherhood connect to it?

Answer 23

republicanism was the idea that the success of a country rested on its citizens’ sacrifice of personal interests for the good of the whole. it emphasized the puritan ideal of living a good life and being ethical.
the ideal of republican motherhood was the idea that mothers would teach their sons and husbands to be morally good, and that they would sacrifice their personal interests for the good of the family.

Question 24

what was the “shot heard around the world”?

Answer 24

the shot in lexington, widely considered the first battle of the american revolution. it was on the way to concord, where another battle happened.

Question 25

what were the three phases of the american revolution, and what are the most important battles of each?

Answer 25

north: battle of bunker hill
middle: battle of saratoga
south: battle of yorktown

Question 26

what treaty ended the american revolution? when?

Answer 26

treaty of paris 1783 (not to be confused with the 1763 paris treaty ending the french and indian war)

Question 27

what were the advantages and disadvantages of the american and british armies in the american revolution?

Answer 27

american: home court advantage, better moral cause, good war generals, but poor and badly trained troops, little central government authority for organization
british: more organized, more money in army supplies, but bad communication (off time due to the ocean in between, thus british officials got news late), fighting in a foreign country, difficulties in sending supplies overseas, had enemies that would help america (french)

Question 28

how did the french revolution divide america? how did the radical phase of the french revolution affect that?

Answer 28

it created two opposing opinions in america- those who believed we should help the french civilians who were fighting for liberty, and those who believed america needed time to organize itself before entangling itself in foreign affairs.
when the revolution entered its radical phase, more americans turned against helping france.

Question 29

what were the articles of confederation? why was it weak?

Answer 29

a loose constitution attaching all state constitutions to give america a sense of central government. it was purposefully weak, as many colonists were suspicious of strong central government authority after great britain.

Question 30

why were the articles of confederation harmful to the economy?

Answer 30

as the articles of confederation did not give the government the power to tax states, it was difficult to pay debts. there was also no national currency, so the economy was very unstable

Question 31

when and what was shay’s rebellion?

Answer 31

1787 uprising of backcountry farmers against unfair state taxes. shay and his group petitioned the central government to take action, failed

Question 32

when and what were the land and northwest ordinances?

Answer 32

land ordinance of 1785- divided the northwest territory gained by the american revolution into separate territories, and set aside land in every territory for education
northwest ordinance of 1787- created a process for territories to become states. stated that all new states would be equal to the original thirteen colonies. forbade slavery north of the ohio river (not in the entire louisiana territory- that particular restriction was never made, not even in the 1820 missouri compromise)

Question 33

when and what was the constitutional convention?

Answer 33

it was a 1787 meeting between delegates from each of the thirteen now-states to rework the articles of confederation and create the american constitution, in order to create a more effective government to unite the nation.

Question 34

how did the virginia and new jersey plans relate to the great compromise?

Answer 34

the virginia and new jersey plans were created when trying to decide how congress should be organized. the virginia plan favored large states, saying the number of representatives a state had in congress should be proportional to its population. the new jersey plan favored smaller states, and said that each state should have an equal number of representatives, no matter its population. these opposing viewpoints ultimately created the great compromise of 1787, which made congress a 2-house system, one following the virginia plan (house of representatives) and another following the new jersey plan (senate)

Question 35

what and when was the 3/5ths compromise?

Answer 35

a 1787 decision made as a result of questions about how to count slaves in the population for representatives in congress. stated that slaves counted as 3/5ths of the population. early example of the growing divide between northern and southern use of slaves

Question 36

what were the different amendments of the bill of rights about?

Answer 36

first through fourth- general people’s rights
fifth through eighth- rights of the accused
ninth- people’s rights not explicitly stated in the constitution are still protected by the constitution
tenth- any powers not explicitly given to the government by the constitution belong to the states

Question 37

why was the bill of rights important in the ratification of the constitution?

Answer 37

many were fearful of a powerful central government not respecting the rights of the people. the bill of rights was meant to protect the people’s rights, and thus get the constitution ratified by those distrusting states

Question 38

what was the concept of “separation of powers” and how was it integrated into the american government?

Answer 38

the concept was designed to separate powers of government amongst different branches and different people to ensure that one person or group did not hold all the power. it also made sure to set up a system of “checks and balances” where the power of one section could be limited by other sections. in the american government, this was seen in the separation of powers between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

Question 39

what parties were counted as the first political parties of the new nation? what was the difference between them?

Answer 39

federalist and democratic-republican. federalists believed in a strong central government, whereas democratic republicans believed in a weaker central government and stronger states’ rights

Question 40

how did britain challenge american growth following the revolution?

Answer 40

in jay’s treaty (1795) they demanded that debts owed to britain before the revolution be paid. as this applied more to southern planters than northern shipbuilders and traders, it created an early rift between the north and the south due to industrial styles. the british also remained in areas of america, trading with natives

Question 41

what and when was jay’s treaty? why did it occur?

Answer 41

a 1795 treaty between america and great britain with terms that mostly favored the british (british demanded that debts owed to it before the revolution be paid, and americans demanded that british pay reparations for destroyed ships and leave british forts still in america). happened because the british, currently in a war with france and assuming america was helping france due to its 1778 franco-american alliance, started attacking american ships. america, angry about the attacks, demanded britain stop.

Question 42

what and when was the neutrality proclamation?

Answer 42

a 1793 declaration by washington that america was to remain neutral (and not aid france, despite the 1778 franco- american alliance) in the ongoing war between france and britain

Question 43

what was the quasi war, and how did it relate to the xyz affair and the later convention of 1800?

Answer 43

the quasi war was an undeclared naval war between america and france as a result of france finding out about the 1795 jay’s treaty. when america sent delegates to france to settle the issue, the french ambassadors ignored them (xyz affair). eventually, the issue was set straight in the convention of 1800, where the 1778 franco-american alliance was dissolved.

Question 44

when and what was the farewell address? what were some important points?

Answer 44

a 1796 speech given by washington before he stepped down from the presidency after 2 terms, importantly warning america against political parties and foreign alliances

Question 45

what were some precedents set by washington for future presidents?

Answer 45

only serving two terms at most (later broken with president franklin d. roosevelt during ww2 before it was added to the constitution in the 22nd amendment), having a presidential cabinet, and a farewell address and inauguration address

Question 46

what years was washington president? political party?

Answer 46

1789-1797

no political party

Question 47

what years was adams president? political party?

Answer 47

1797-1801

federalist

Question 48

what were the problems surrounding the creation of the first national bank? who were the main people arguing? how did strict and loose construction relate?

Answer 48

hamilton and jefferson. they argued over the constitutionality of the creation of the national bank- hamilton saying that it was “necessary and proper” in order to create a successful economy, jefferson stating that according to the 10th amendment, the right to create banks belonged to the states.
loose construction and strict construction were different methods of interpreting the constitution- either interpreting it loosely (hamilton) or following strictly what it said was or wasn’t allowed (jefferson)

Question 49

what were some aspects hamilton wanted the national bank to have?

Answer 49

1. combine all states’ debts into the government debt
2. pay off all debt at face value
3. favor the rich- sell bonds to the rich, giving them incentive to favor the bank and want it to thrive. the bank would then flourish, and the money in the bank would circulate through the economy, allowing economic growth. the bank would also then have money to start off with to make the economy better
4. create a national currency to stabilize the economy
5. use an excise tax to further collect money

Question 50

sum up the purpose of the first national bank

Answer 50

the government would store their money in the bank, and the money would circulate through the nation, allowing for economic growth

Question 51

what was the judiciary act of 1789?

Answer 51

created a judicial system- thirteen federal judicial districts, and the supreme court as the final say of the judicial branch in the government

Question 52

what and when were the alien and sedition acts?

Answer 52

both in 1798
alien act- made it harder to obtain citizenship if you weren’t born in america
sedition act- made it illegal to say bad things about the powerful central government (meant to silence democratic-republicans)

Question 53

what and when was the whiskey rebellion?

Answer 53

a 1794 uprising of farmers against the excise tax on whiskey. it was put down by washington, and was seen as a test to presidential power

Question 54

what were the kentucky and virginia resolutions? how can they be connected to future problems?

Answer 54

decisions by kentucky and virginia to not follow the alien and sedition acts of 1798, which raised questions about whether or not a state could nullify a federal law and other questions about the power of states. this can be connected to the tariff of abominations and the nullification crisis of 1832/1833

Question 55

how did architecture of america’s early stages reflect the developing american identity?

Answer 55

it drew inspiration from older republics and representative governments, showing american values of representation (especially after the stamp act congress of 1765)

Question 56

what and when was the battle of fallen timbers?

Answer 56

1794 battle between americans and natives over the ohio territory. american loss