Period 3: Glossary (College Board AP® US History): Study Guide

Themes in Period 3

• American and National Identity (NAT)

• Social Structures (SOC)

• America in the World (WOR)

• Politics and Power (PCE)

Contextualizing Period 3

Imperial rivalry – Competition between Britain and France shaped North America

Revolutionary era – This period moved from protest to independence to nation-building

The Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

French and Indian War – Britain defeated France and gained new territory but also gained debt

Debt – War costs pushed Britain to tax the colonies more directly

Proclamation of 1763 – The proclamation meant Britain prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to reduce conflict

Taxation Without Representation

Stamp Act – Tax on printed items (newspapers, etc.) that led to colonial protests

Townshend Acts – Taxes on imported goods (tea, glass, etc.) that increased tensions between Britain and the colonies

Boston Massacre – Conflict used as Patriot propaganda

Boston Tea Party – Colonists protested British tea policies

"Intolerable Acts" – These were the Coercive Acts (1774), which Britain used to punish the colonies in Massachusetts and tighten control

Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution

Enlightenment – Ideas about natural rights and government influenced colonists

Natural rights – People were believed to have rights that governments must protect

Social contract – Government should serve the people, not rule absolutely

Declaration of Independence – Document that justified the colonies' breaking from Britain

The American Revolution

Patriots – Colonists who supported independence

Loyalists – Colonists who remained loyal to Britain

Alliance with France – French help was key to the American victory

The Influence of Revolutionary Ideals

Republicanism – Citizens should participate in government and protect liberty

Republican motherhood – Women were expected to raise informed citizens

Equality debate – Revolutionary ideals led some groups to push for greater rights for enslaved people and women

The Articles of Confederation

Articles of Confederation – First U.S. government with a weak national structure, allowing the states to rule themselves

Weak central government – Congress could not tax or regulate trade effectively

Northwest Ordinance – Created a process for governing and admitting new territories

Shays’ Rebellion – A rebellion staged by Massachusetts farmers, which showed the limits of the Articles of Confederation

The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification

Great Compromise – Balanced large and small state representation in the Senate and the House of Representatives

Three-Fifths Compromise – Counted part of the enslaved population for representation - every five enslaved people counted as three members of a state's population

Federalists – Supported the Constitution

Anti-Federalists – Feared a stronger national government, so did not support the Constitution

The Constitution

Federalism – Power is shared between national and state governments (also known as dual sovereignty)

Checks and balances – Each branch can limit the others because no one branch of government is more powerful than the other

Separation of powers – Government is divided into three branches (legislative, executive and judicial)

Bill of Rights – The first ten amendments protected people's liberties

Shaping a New Republic

Washington’s presidency – Set important precedents for the executive branch

Political parties – Federalists and Democratic-Republicans disagreed over how the United States should be governed

Whiskey Rebellion – Tested federal authority under the Constitution, Washington sent troops from other states to stop the uprising

Developing an American Identity

American identity – Many people began to see the nation as separate from Britain

Civic virtue – Citizens were expected to support the common good

Movement in the Early Republic

Westward movement – Settlers moved into new lands after independence

Indigenous (Native) peoples' resistance – Indigenous (Native) populations fought to defend land and sovereignty