Summary
This revolutionary time period started with a strong alliance between the colonists and the British in the French and Indian War (7 Years' War) to gain economic advantages as and more land. The British plummeted into debt due to the war expenses and looked to establish a more hands on, mercantilist governance of the colonies. Such changes included taxes and suppression of colonists, and had greatly reversed the past policy of salutary neglect. As a newfound sense of unity emerged around the colonists calling for an American revolution, others became increasingly loyalist, lamenting the large impact of the war. In the end, the Patriots won out with French military aid and under the leadership of General George Washington. Needing a new government, America struggled to capture the demands of all the Patriots, creating a weak Articles of Confederation and after, a highly contested U.S. Constitution. Setting sail with George Washington as the first President, America enjoyed a smooth start, but in light of the French Revolution and controversies over the definition of the Constitution, America ended this time period split.
Key Concepts
- 3.1 - British attempts to assert tighter control over its North American colonies and the colonial resolve to pursue self-government led to a colonial independence movement and the Revolutionary War.
- 3.2 - The American Revolution's democratic and republican ideals inspired new experiments with different forms of governmnt.
- 3.3 Migration within North America and competition over resources, boundaries, and trade intensified conflicts among peoples and nations.
Big Events
- French and Indian War (7 Years' War)
- Stamp Act
- American Revolution
- Battle of Saratoga
- Shays Rebellion
- French Revolution
Big Players
- Thomas Paine
- John Locke
- Thomas Jefferson
- Benjamin Franklin
- George Washington
- John Adams
- Samuel Adams
- Alexander Hamilton
- James Madison
Key Terms
- Salutary Neglect
- Pontiac's Rebellion
- Proclamation of 1763
- Quebec Act
- Stamp Act / Stamp Act Congress
- Townsend Acts
- Boston Massacre
- Boston Tea Party
- Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
- Continental Congress
- Common Sense
- Enlightenment
- Declaration of Independence
- Articles of Confederation
- Northwest Ordinance of 1787
- Separation of Powers
- Checks and Balance
- Bill of Rights
- Elastic Clause
- Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise)
- 3/5 Compromise
- Federalist Papers
- Hamilton's Financial Plan
- Federalists
- Democratic Republicans
- Alien and Sedition Acts