AP United States History/1754–1800

Introduces the events that led to the American Revolution and the formation of the United States and examine the early years of the republic.

Objectives and Skills

Topics may include:

• The Seven Years’ War
• The American Revolution
• The Articles of Confederation
• The creation and ratification of the Constitution
• Developing an American identity
• Immigration to and migration within America

Study Notes

1. the Scots-Irish - spoke English, not really Irish, actually Scottish, just poor, failed life in northern Ireland, Irish Catholics hated them, finally came to America (especially Pennsylvania), illegally took land on the frontier, contributed to distilling of whiskey, some future presidents were Scots-Irish
2. colonial class mobility (by 1775) - signs of stratification and barriers to mobility that raised worries about “Europeanization” in America; conflicts in 16902 and early 1700s enriched a number of merchant princes in New England and middle colonies. Laid foundations of their fortunes with profits made as military suppliers; became on top of social ladder; sported import clothing and dined at tables laid with English china and gleaming silverware. Social ranks were seating chart in school and church. Richest 10 percent Bostonians and Philadelphians owned nearly 2/3 of taxable wealth in their cities
3. colonial professions - Most colonial Americans were small farmers; cities contained artisans, shopkeepers, tradespeople, and some unskilled day laborers. Openness for an indentured servant to rise up the rung of social ladder(rare step in old England)
4. colonial industries (type,location)
   1. Middle Colonies - corn, wheat, mills
   2. Southern Colonies - tobacco, rice, farming plantations
   3. New England Colonies - shipbuilding, trade, fish, lumber
5. mercantilism - Economic assets, or capital, are represented by bullion (gold, silver, and trade value) held by the state, which is best increased through a positive 'balance of trade with other nations (exports minus imports). Mercantilism suggests that the ruling government should advance these goalsplaying a protectionist role in the economy, by encouraging exports and discouraging imports, especially through the use of tariffs. Colonies could only trade with Britain and no one else
6. Molasses Act of 1733 - imposed duty on sugar/molasses that came from places other than Britain, supposed to influence more trade with Britain by making it cheaper to trade with it
7. Congregational Church - Influential church, which grown out of Puritan church, was formally established in all the New England colonies, except independent minded Rhode Island. Massachusetts taxed all residents to support Congregationalism but later relented and exempted members of other well known denominations. Presbyterianism, though closely associated with congregationalism, was never made official
8. Anglican Church - Fell distressingly short of promise. Secure and self satisfied, like its parent in England, it clung to a faith that was less fierce and more worldly than the religion of Puritanical New England. Sermons were shorter: hell was less scorching; and amusements, like Virginia fox hunting, were less scorned. So dismal was the reputation of
9. Great Awakening - Women were not encouraged to serve as church leaders after great awakening; started in Northampton Massachusetts by Jonathan Edwards; left emphasis on direct emotive spirituality seriously undermined older clergy, whose authority had derived from their education and erudition. Increased number of American churches and encouraged fresh wave of missionary work among the Indians and even black slaves, many of whom also attended mass open-air revivals. Led to found of new light centers of higher learning such as Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth. First spontaneous mass movement of American people and contributed to growing sense that Americans had of themselves as a single people, united by common history and shared experiences
10. "New light" preachers
    1. Jonathan Edwards - from Northampton, MA; famous for sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"; believed hell contained unbaptized children
    2. George Whitefield (1738) - loosed a different style of evangelical preaching on America and touched off a conflagaration of religious ardor that revolutionized the spiritual life of colonies
11. colonial educational structure and purpose - Education for leadership, not citizenship, and primarily for males. Puritans stressed Bible readings; New England produced many graduates from English universities especially Cambridge. Elementary schools hammered knowledge into heads of reluctant “scholars” in middle colonies and South. Some tax supported, others were privately operated. South had hard time with white and black population. Rich went for private tutors. Emphasis on religion and classical languages Latin and Greek; focus on doctrine and belief. Disclipline was severe, College education geared toward preparing men for ministry. Nine local colleges created and 200 boys enrolled at most. Instruction poor and curriculum was heavily loaded with theology and dead languages
12. John Peter Zenger - tried in court for printing news on corruptness of the royal governor, found not guilty thanks to jurors who defied the judges; signified development of freedom of press
13. power of colonial legislatures - Every colony utilized two house legislative body; upper house or council was normally appointed by the crown in the royal colonies and by the proprietor in the proprietary colonies. Chosen by voters in self governing colonies. Lower house as popular branch was elected by the people- or rather by those who owned enough property to qualify as voters. Back country was seriously underrepresented Legislatures voted taxes necessary for colonial expenses by government; South was dominated by large planters, New England had town meeting and Middle colonies were a mixture of both; religious or property qualifications for voting
14. Samuel de Champlain - led Quebec, a soldier & explorer, "Father of New France", established friendship with Huron tribes
15. New France - government fell under direct control of king Louis XIV; completely autocratic; people elected no representative assemblies nor did they enjoy the right to trail by jury. Population grew as a listless pace. 1750 only 60,000 whites were there; contained beaver which was valued for beaver pelt hats for warmth and opulent appearance
16. French control of Louisiana - strategic location, goods could float down Mississippi River, trapped fur trade
17. Treaty of Utrecht - 1713 showed how badly France and its Spanish ally had been beaten. Britain was rewarded with the French populated Acadia (Nova Scotia) and the wintry wastes of Newfoundland and Hudson Bay. These immense tracts pinched the St. Lawrence settlements of France, foreshadowing their ultimate doom. A generation of peace ensued, during which Britain provided its American colonies with decades of “salutary neglect”- fertile soil for the roots of independence
18. Ohio River Valley - Antoine Cadillac founded Detroit here to prevent English from settling here; connected Canada and Mississippi
19. French and Indian War (causes, outcome) - caused by envy of control of Ohio valley due to its westward location, George Washington commanded 150 Virginia militiamen as lieutenant colonel, forced to surrender on July 4th
20. Albany Congress of 1754 - made to achieve colonial unity, meeting of seven colonies
21. Benjamin Franklin (achievements) - businessman, journalist, inventor, scientist, legislator, diplomat, major figure in uniting colonies, devised scheme for colonial home rule, traveled to France to discuss treaty of peace, said people were too worried about their own needs instead of country's needs
22. William Pitt - British leader “Great Commoner” drew strength from common people; 1757 foremost leader in London government “Organizer of Victory”; devised assaults on French West Indies, which was bleeding away much British strength, and to concentrate on the vitals of Canada- the Quebec Montreal area. Picked young and ambitious leaders. Powerful expedition in 1758 against Louisbourg( first significant British victory of war); appointed John Wolfe to win Quebec over and he did; Pitt won Seven Years War for England
23. Acadians - first French to leave Canada due to Britain swearing they promise allegiance who go back to French territory; they ignored the Britons at first until in 1755 the British expelled them at bayonet point; they fled far south to Louisiana where they settled among the sleepy bayous, planted sugar cane and sweet potatoes, practiced Roman Catholicism and spoke Cajun
24. Proclamation of 1763 - issued October 7, 1763 by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War. The purpose of the proclamation was to establish Britain's vast new North American empire, and to stabilize relations with Native Americans through regulation of trade, settlement, and land purchases on the western frontier. The Proclamation in essence forbade colonists of the thirteen colonies from settling or buying land west of the Appalachian Mountains. This led to considerable outrage in the colonies, as many colonists had already acquired land in that region. Additionally, the Proclamation gave the Crown a monopoly in land bought from Native Americans.
25. salutary neglect - 17th-18th centuries self government; freedom is what the colonists had, they were not used to British issuing ruling over them. Salutary neglect was an undocumented, though long standing, British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain
26. republicanism - looking to the models of ancient Greek and Roman republics, exponents of republicanism defined a just society as one in which all citizens willingly subordinated their private, selfish interests to the common good. Both the stability of society and the authority of government thus depended on the virtue of citizenry- its capacity for selflessness, self-sufficiency, and courage, and especially its appetite for civic involvement
27. "radical Whigs" - British political commentators started this; feared the threat to liberty posed by the arbitrary power of the monarch and his ministers relative to elected representatives in Parliament. Mounted withering attacks on use of patronage and bribes by king’s ministers- symptoms of a wider moral failure in society that they called corruption in the sense of rot or decay. Warned citizens to be on guard against conspiracies to denude them of their hard won liberties
28. Navigation Laws - restricted colonial trade to only Britain, colonists smuggled to get around it, in 1763 they were strictly enforced, used to promote mercantilism and pay for French and Indian War
29. Sugar Act - passed on April 5, 1764, was a revenue-raising Act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain; halved the previous tax on molasses the purpose of the legislation was not to simply regulate the trade but to raise revenue; arrived in the colonies at a time of economic depression, it was the economic impact rather than the constitutional issue of taxation without representation, that was the main focus for the Americans
30. Stamp Act - placed a printed tax (stamp) on all paper imports/exports, made so colonists would pay for their British protection, easily enforced, created in response to debt of French and Indian War, aimed to reduce Britain's debt, repealed in 1766, followed by Declaratory Act, in the end the stamp taxes weren't effectively collected, colonists responded by forming Stamp Act Congress to protest and discuss taxation with consent, made Declaration of Rights & Grievances
31. Declaratory Act - 1766, I; In other and shorter words, the Declaratory Act is the 1766 act that allowed Parliament had, hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America...in all cases whatsoever" (to make laws and changes in the Colonial government) Colonists thought of Treason was this act and Thus the Declaratory Act can be seen as a predecessor to future acts that would further incite the anger of the American colonists and eventually lead up to the American Revolutionary War.
32. Townshend Acts - taxes on all commonly imported items, made to pay for French and Indian War, invoked No taxation without representation, countered by smuggling and boycotts, repealed in 1770 except the tax remained, Sons of Liberty boycotted them to avoid paying the taxes.
33. Samuel Adams - Adams established himself as one of the voices of opposition to British control in the colonies; he argued that the colonies should withdraw from Great Britain and form a new government. Adams called for the colonists to defend their rights and liberties, and led town meetings in which he drafted written protests against Parliament's colonial tax measures such as the Stamp Act of 1765. Adams played a prominent role during protests against the Stamp Act, and in the events of the Boston Tea Party in 1773. He participated in the Continental Congress. He also advocated the adoption of the Declaration of Independence at the Second Continental Congress.
34. Intolerable Acts (aka Coercive Acts) - imposed after Boston Tea Party:
    1. Boston Port Act - closed port of Boston until East India Company/colonies paid for tea destroyed
    2. Massachusetts Government Act - British controlled Massachusetts; king appointed all colonial government positions; limited town meetings
    3. Administration of Justice Act - moved trials of British officials to other colonies if fair trial was not possible in Massachusetts
    4. Quartering Act - forced free lodging of British soldiers in unoccupied areas and private property
    5. Quebec Act - expanded Quebec's boundaries, favored French Catholics
35. First Continental Congress - 1774 meet in Philadelphia to consider ways of redressing colonial grievances (more of a convention than a congress); John Adams swayed colleagues to revolutionary course, he helped defeat by the narrowest of margins a proposal by moderates for American home rule under British direction. Invented Declaration of Rights, most import was the creation of The Association which called for complete boycott of British goods: nonimportation, nonexportation, and nonconsumption
36. Second Continental Congress - 1775 met after American Revolutionary War started, managed war effort, adopted Declaration of Independence, actually reconvening of First Continental Congress
37. Battle of Bunker Hill - took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. General Israel Putnam was in charge of the revolutionary forces, while Major-General William Howe commanded the British forces; The result was a victory for the British; however, they suffered their greatest losses of the entire war: over 800 wounded and 228 killed. The colonists held on and repelled the first two attacks. Finally the colonists' ammunition supplies ran out and on their third assault, the British forces overran the revolutionaries' fortified earthworks on Breed's and Bunker's Hills; Colonists traded land for time because about 150 Patriots were killed but about 60000 babies were born
38. Olive Branch Petition - letter to King George III written by Second Continental Congress, final appeal that listed colonial grievances due to British, made to avoid war, first drafted by Thomas Jefferson, George III ignored it, signified the choice to rebel or stay with the British
39. Declaration of Independence (authors, purpose) - adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress. John Hancock was first to sign it and he wrote his name huge so that the King would not need his glasses
40. Thomas Paine - wrote Common Sense, first published anonymously in 1776, argued for independence from British rule, argued to not hesitate
41. Richard Henry Lee - On June 7, 1776 Lee of Virginia moved that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.” After considerable debate, the motion was adopted nearly a month later on July 2, 1776 Mr. Lee is the founder of the idea of the movement of independence as states. Declaration of Independence was formal document cementing Lee’s resolution
42. Abigail Adams - John Adam's wife, feminist, wrote many letters to John Adams, believed slavery was a threat to democracy, believed women's intellectual capabilities should be realized
43. Loyalists - People who were inside the colonies and they were colonists loyal to the King. They were derisively called “Tories” after the dominant political factions in Britain, “A Tory is a thing whose head is in England, and its body in America, and its neck ought to be stretched
44. Patriots - those who rebelled against Britain's hold of the colonies, revolution based on republicanism, aka Whigs, declared loyalty to king
45. Hessians - George III eighteenth century German regiments in service with the British Empire that fought against the American colonists during the American Revolutionary War. About 30,000 of these soldiers were sold into service: the men were mainly conscripts, debtors, or the victims of impressment; some were also petty criminals. Pay was low; some soldiers apparently received nothing but their daily food. About 18,000 Hessian troops arrived in the Thirteen Colonies in 1776, with more coming in later. They first landed at Staten Island on August 15, 1776, and their first engagement was in the Battle of Long Island. The Hessians fought in almost every battle, although after 1777 they were mainly used as garrison troops. An assortment of Hessians fought in the battles and campaigns in the southern states during 1778–80 and two regiments fought at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.
46. British war strategy - used Hessians, accounted for 1/3 of British army in America, used minutemen to fire shots across a battlefield; built huge army of its own troops, foreign soldiers and loyalists; had supposedly world’s best navy at the time; conquered land starting in Boston and was attacking offensively
47. French support of revolution (reasons) - despite its financial difficulties, used the occasion of the American Revolutionary War (1776–1781) to weaken its arch-rival in European and world affairs, Britain. Independence for the colonies would seriously damage the British Empire and create a rising power, the United States, that could be allied with France. France primarily sought revenge against Britain for the loss of territory in America in the 1763 Treaty of Paris; Its status as a great modern power was affirmed and its taste for revenge was satisfied, but the war was detrimental to the country’s finances.Even though French territory was not affected, victory in a war against Britain with battles like the decisive siege of Yorktown in 1781
48. Battle of Charleston, worst Patriot loss in Revolutionary War, Patriots surrendered, Patriots were outnumbered, gave up Charleston, largest American surrender to foreign nation until 1942
49. John Adams - Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. As a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in getting Congress to adopt the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. As a representative of Congress in Europe, he was a major negotiator of the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain, and chiefly responsible for obtaining important loans from Amsterdam. On June 7, 1776, Adams seconded the resolution of independence introduced by Richard Henry Lee that "these colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent states," and championed the resolution until it was adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776. John Trumbull's famous painting depicts the five-man committee presenting the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress. Adams is standing in the center with his hand on his hip. He was appointed to a committee with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman, to draft a Declaration of Independence. Although that document was written primarily by Jefferson, Adams occupied the foremost place in the debate on its adoption. In 1777, Adams resigned his seat on the Massachusetts Superior Court to serve as the head of the Board of War and Ordnance, as well as many other important committees
50. Treat of Paris, 1783 - signed on September 3, 1783, and approved by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784, formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the thirteen United States of America, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements:
    1. Recognizing the 13 colonies as free and sovereign States
    2. Establishing the boundaries between the United States and British North America (for an account of two strange anomalies resulting from this part of the Treaty, based on inaccuracies in the Mitchell Map, see Northwest Angle and the Republic of Indian Stream)
    3. Granting fishing rights to United States fishermen in the Grand Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; 4. Recognizing the lawful contracted debts to be paid to creditors on either side
    4. The Congress of the Confederation will "earnestly recommend" to state legislatures to recognize the rightful owners of all confiscated lands "provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects
    5. United States will prevent future confiscations of the property of Loyalists
    6. Prisoners of war on both sides are to be released and all property left by the British army in the United States unmolested (including slaves)
    7. Great Britain and the United States were each to be given perpetual access to the Mississippi River
    8. Territories captured by Americans subsequent to treaty will be returned without compensation
    9. Ratification of the treaty was to occur within six months from the signing by the contracting parties
51. First anti-slavery society/Quakers - convinced Continental Congress in 1774 to abolish slavery, early step towards emancipation in slaves
52. Egalitarianism in American history - After independence: 1) Most states reduced property-holding requirements. 2) Ordinary men and women wished to be addressed as Mr. and Mrs. 3) New Yorkers freed indentured servants. 4) Jefferson freed religion choice in Virginia. 5) Slavery was abolished/gradually removed in Pennsylvania and states north of it. Discrimination against colored people went against the egalitarian movement.
53. Status of women at time of revolution - no political rights, contributed to the public good by accompanying/caring for husbands and offspring. led to pride in motherhood
54. Articles of Confederation (strengths, weaknesses) - protected individual rights, did not collect taxes effectively. Congress was clumsy, lacked central authority; no power to regulate commerce. first step towards unification by document
55. Land Ordinance of 1785 - sold Old Northwest to pay off national debt; land would be divided into townships 6 miles square; one square mile would be sold for the benefit of education; prevented disputes in the Old Northwest
56. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 - when a territory in the Old Northwest reached population of 60,000, it could petition to become a state. first the federal government would govern the territory. forbade slavery in Old Northwest.
57. Debates at Constitutional Convention - occurred between Federalists and Antifederalists, debated over 1)the need to replace the articles 2)whether a republic can govern a large territory 3)whether constitutional government would create aristocratic power in the presidency 4)whether constitution protects civil liberties This was important in deciding to establish a bill of rights
58. Virginia Plan/"large states" plan - proposed bicameral Congress based on population. gave larger states advantage in votes because of population
59. Patrick Henry - prominent anti-federalist - extreme Antifederalist; did not attend constitutional convention; feared Constitution would force the poor to pay off debts at full value. He was a good example of an Antifederalist.
60. The Great Compromise - representation by population in House of Representatives, equal representation in the Senate. every tax/revenue bill must originate from the house. settled disputes among proponents of Virginia plan and New Jersey plan
61. Popular sovereignty - government gains legitimacy through consent of the governed; every person has equal power in maintaining a government. important idea in deciding government type after revolution
62. Ratification process for the Constitution - 9 out of 13 colonies had to ratify it. each state had a ratifying convention.
63. Federalists - those who supported the Constitution, believed in strong central government. They came from mostly settled areas and the coast. represented political party that had opposition. wanted to ratify Constitution.
64. Anti-Federalists - those who opposed the Constitution unless a bill of rights was added. mostly came from frontier. believed Constitution did not state individuals' rights.
65. The Federalist Papers - a collection of essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay. Hamilton wrote most of them. designed to persuade people to become Federalists and ratify the Constitution. protected Federalist arguments
66. Electoral College - precursor of the House of Representatives, group of educated people who were elected to make votes for people out of their representative state. did not accurately represent views of individual people
67. The Bill of Rights - set of 10 amendments to the Constitution which guaranteed certain inalienable rights to citizens and the state. pleased antifederalists
68. 9th Amendment - grants that which is not in amendments 1-8 to the citizens. placed a lesser chance of future amendments.
69. 10th Amendment - grants powers not given to the federal government to the state government. made possible that the federal government would use less time in affairs of individual states. placed a good balance of authority
70. Hamilton's view of people and government - only the "best people" would live successfully, loose interpretation of Constitution, favored strong central government, wanted rule by the wealthy, partly in benefit for the wealthy, favored weak legislature, ideas were called Hamiltonian Federalism. became political party
71. Jefferson's view of people and government - all powers not delegated to the central government were given to the states. any educated person should be able to vote. supported "common man". wanted a weak central government with popular sovereignty. strict interpretation of Constitution. formed Democratic-Republicans aka Republicans
72. Checks and balances - separation of powers, if one branch grows out of power the other branches can settle it. ensured stability in American government through the branches
73. The Whiskey Rebellion - Hamilton placed an excise tax on whiskey, which angered frontiersmen. they erected whiskey poles to express their sentiments. Washington's army that was sent did not find any insurrection. showed Hamilton's strong need to pay off the national debt and the ineffectiveness of a strong central government.
74. James Madison - Jefferson's friend, successor in presidency, Democratic-Republican, 5th Secretary of State, won a case in the Supreme Court.
75. Democratic Republicans - founded by Jefferson, Anti-Federalist, strictly interpreted Constitution, preferred agriculture, favored weak central government, weak navy that only stuck to coast. one of earliest forms of political parties
76. Franco-American Alliance of 1778 - alliance to help in fights against Britain. Jay's Treaty partly broke it. showed the escalating alliance dilemma about which George Washington warned in his farewell address. Jeffersonians were in favor it.
77. Washington's Neutrality Proclamation - America stayed neutral between Britain and France. since America was a new nation it wanted to avoid wars and wait until the population was big enough to boast itself. Congress had no voice in the proclamation. signified alliances are mainly for self-interest.
78. Jay's Treaty - treaty signed by John Jay, granted British outposts on American soil in the Old Northwest, did not solve any future problems of naval impressment. some interpreted it as an Anglo-American alliance. Spain shared its navigation rights in the Mississippi River. humiliated the Americans.
79. Alien and Sedition Acts - passed by John Adams, intended to suppress Jeffersonianism. Any criticism of the government was a punishable offense. These took away many rights granted by the Bill of Rights. the power of the Federalist-dominated Supreme Court could only pass this. Many people converted to Jeffersonianism after these acts.
80. Washington's Farewell Address - never delivered orally, warned against long-term alliances, favored only emergency alliances. precedent for many future presidents.

References

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