APUSH Unit 3 (1754 to 1800): flashcards, quiz and summary

Flashcards

1. 1Why did Britain begin taxing the American colonies after the French and Indian War?

   Britain was deep in debt from the war, and it wanted the colonies to help pay for the war and for the troops stationed there. This ended the earlier policy of salutary neglect.

2. 2Why did colonists object to the Stamp Act, and how did they respond?

   Colonists objected that Parliament was taxing them without representation in Parliament. They protested with the slogan 'no taxation without representation,' boycotted British goods, met at the Stamp Act Congress, and formed the Sons of Liberty.

3. 3What did the Declaratory Act show about British policy after 1766?

   The Declaratory Act stated that Parliament could make laws for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever.' It showed that Britain still claimed full authority even though it repealed the Stamp Act.

4. 4What ideas did the Declaration of Independence draw on, and what rights did it name?

   The Declaration drew on John Locke's ideas of natural rights. It named life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as rights that governments exist to protect. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of it.

5. 5Why was the Battle of Saratoga a turning point in the Revolutionary War?

   The American victory at Saratoga in 1777 convinced France to ally with the Americans in 1778. French support, including the army and navy, later helped the Americans win at Yorktown.

6. 6What were the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, and why were they designed that way?

   The Articles created a weak national government on purpose, after the fight against a strong king. Congress could not tax, could not regulate trade between states, had no national courts or executive, and needed every state to agree to change the Articles.

7. 7How did the Constitutional Convention resolve the dispute between large and small states?

   The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) created a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with two members from each state. The Virginia Plan favored representation by population, and the New Jersey Plan favored equal representation.

8. 8Why did the Anti-Federalists want a bill of rights, and what did the Bill of Rights add?

   Anti-Federalists feared that a strong central government could threaten individual liberties. The Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, added the first ten amendments to protect individual rights.

9. 9How did the Hamilton-Jefferson disagreement lead to the first political parties?

   Hamilton's financial plan included assuming state debts, creating a national bank, and setting tariffs. Jefferson opposed much of this view. The split helped create the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

Practice quiz

Pick an answer to check it.

1. 1Which event directly led Britain to pass the Stamp Act in 1765?

   1. The Albany Plan of Union
   2. The need to pay debts from the French and Indian War
   3. The signing of the Declaration of Independence
   4. The Boston Tea Party
   Show the answer

   B. The need to pay debts from the French and Indian War After the French and Indian War, Britain was deep in debt and wanted the colonies to help pay for the war and troops. The Stamp Act was one way to raise that money.

2. 2What was the main purpose of the Declaratory Act of 1766?

   1. To state that Parliament could make laws for the colonies in all cases
   2. To end all colonial taxes permanently
   3. To close Boston Harbor
   4. To create the Continental Army
   Show the answer

   A. To state that Parliament could make laws for the colonies in all cases The Declaratory Act was passed alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act. It asserted that Parliament still had full authority to make laws for the colonies.

3. 3Why was the French alliance after Saratoga important to the American war effort?

   1. It gave the Americans control of the Ohio River Valley
   2. It ended the Articles of Confederation
   3. It brought French military help, including the army and navy that helped at Yorktown
   4. It required the colonists to pay taxes to France
   Show the answer

   C. It brought French military help, including the army and navy that helped at Yorktown The French alliance, formed in 1778 after Saratoga, brought French army and navy support. That help contributed to the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781.

4. 4Which weakness of the Articles of Confederation made it hard for Congress to pay its debts and respond to problems like Shays' Rebellion?

   1. Congress had a strong national executive
   2. Congress could regulate all trade between states
   3. Congress could not tax
   4. Congress had too many national courts
   Show the answer

   C. Congress could not tax Under the Articles, Congress could not tax, so it had no steady source of money. Shays' Rebellion showed that the government was too weak to respond effectively to unrest.

5. 5What did the Three-Fifths Compromise decide?

   1. Each state would have two senators
   2. Congress would be able to regulate trade with Britain
   3. Territories would be banned from becoming states
   4. Three fifths of the enslaved population would count for representation and taxes
   Show the answer

   D. Three fifths of the enslaved population would count for representation and taxes The Three-Fifths Compromise counted three fifths of the enslaved population for representation and taxes. It was one of the convention's compromises on slavery and representation.

6. 6Which result of the 1790s shows that power passed peacefully between political parties?

   1. The election of 1800
   2. The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
   3. The Whiskey Rebellion
   4. Jay's Treaty with Britain
   Show the answer

   A. The election of 1800 In the election of 1800, power passed peacefully from the Federalists to Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans. The other events show conflicts, but this one shows the peaceful transfer of power.

Test traps

What teachers like to test on this, and the mistakes students make.

• Mixing up the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts: the Stamp Act taxed printed paper directly, while the Townshend Acts taxed imports like glass, paper, and tea.
• Thinking the Stamp Act repeal ended the conflict: the Declaratory Act kept Parliament's claimed authority in place, so the dispute continued.
• Confusing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution: know that the Articles had no power to tax and no national executive, and that the Constitution added separation of powers and checks and balances.
• Forgetting which compromise did what at the 1787 convention: the Great Compromise solved the large-versus-small-state issue, while the Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with how enslaved people counted.
• Assuming the Bill of Rights was in the original Constitution: it was added in 1791 after the ratification debate.
• Mixing up the Federalists and Anti-Federalists: Federalists supported ratifying the Constitution, while Anti-Federalists wanted a bill of rights and feared a strong central government.

Summary

• Britain ended salutary neglect after the French and Indian War and began taxing the colonies, starting with the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts, to pay war debts and troop costs.
• Colonists protested these taxes with the slogan 'no taxation without representation,' boycotts, and organized resistance, and the Stamp Act's repeal did not end the dispute because of the Declaratory Act.
• Escalating events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) pushed the colonies toward coordinated resistance through the First and Second Continental Congresses.
• The Declaration of Independence in 1776 used natural rights ideas drawn from John Locke, and French alliance after Saratoga helped the Americans win at Yorktown in 1781.
• The Treaty of Paris in 1783 recognized American independence and moved the western border to the Mississippi River.
• The Articles of Confederation created a deliberately weak national government, and problems like Shays' Rebellion showed it could not tax or regulate trade effectively.
• The Constitutional Convention of 1787 produced a stronger federal system through compromises on representation and slavery, and the Bill of Rights was added in 1791 to address Anti-Federalist concerns.
• Hamilton's and Jefferson's disagreements over finance helped create the first political parties, and John Adams' presidency included the Alien and Sedition Acts and the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
• The election of 1800 moved power peacefully from the Federalists to Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans, a key test of the new government.

Key terms

Salutary neglect

The earlier policy in which Britain loosely enforced its laws on the colonies. It ended after the French and Indian War, when Britain wanted the colonies to help pay for the war and for troops.

No taxation without representation

The colonial protest slogan arguing that Parliament could not tax colonists who had no elected members in Parliament to speak for them.

Declaratory Act

A 1766 law that said Parliament could make laws for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever,' passed at the same time the Stamp Act was repealed.

Proclamation of 1763

A British order that banned colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Colonists resented it, and it was one source of conflict with Britain.

Articles of Confederation

The first American national framework, ratified in 1781. It created a weak national government with no power to tax, no power to regulate interstate trade, and no national courts or executive.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

The 1787 agreement that created a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with two members from each state.

Three-Fifths Compromise

The 1787 agreement that counted three fifths of the enslaved population for purposes of representation and taxes.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Groups in the ratification debate. Federalists, including Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, supported the Constitution. Anti-Federalists wanted a bill of rights and feared a strong central government.

How to study it

The notes this pack came from

Questions