Heimler's History: AP U.S. History - Unit 3 Overview

Major Theme

• Transformation of British colonies into an independent nation
• Development of a distinct national identity

Time Period

• 1754 to 1800

Key Historical Events

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

• Part of the larger Seven Years' War
• Conflict due to French and British territorial encroachment in Ohio River Valley
• British initially struggled against French and Indian allies
• Albany Plan of Union proposed by Benjamin Franklin for centralized colonial government (rejected)
• Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war:
  • French ousted from North America
  • Louisiana Territory given to Spain
  • British land holdings doubled, gaining land east of Mississippi

Post-War Consequences

• Colonists pushed westward into Ohio River Valley, causing tension with American Indians
• Pontiac's Rebellion as a response to colonial encroachment
• Royal Proclamation of 1763: Prohibited westward expansion past Appalachian Mountains

Economic Impact

• War debt led to British taxation of colonies
• End of salutary neglect:
  • Stricter enforcement of Navigation Acts
  • Quartering Act (1765) introduced
  • Sugar Act and Stamp Act imposed taxes

Colonial Resistance

• Taxation Without Representation
• Virtual representation argument by British leaders
• Formation of resistance groups (Sons and Daughters of Liberty)
• Stamp Act Congress: Petitioned for repeal (successful)
• Townshend Acts lead to boycotts
• Boston Massacre (1770) increased tensions
• Boston Tea Party (1773) in response to Tea Act
• Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament

Steps Towards Independence

Continental Congresses

• First Continental Congress (1774): Resisting Parliamentary violations
• Enlightenment influence: Natural rights and social contract

Revolutionary War

• Battles of Lexington and Concord
• Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" advocating independence
• Declaration of Independence (1776) by Thomas Jefferson

Military Efforts

• Continental Army led by George Washington
• French alliance after Battle of Saratoga (1777)
• British surrender at Yorktown (1781)

Post-War Government & Constitution

Articles of Confederation

• Limited central government
• No executive or judicial branches
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Regulated westward expansion
• Shays' Rebellion highlighted weaknesses

Constitutional Convention (1787)

• Debates over representation (Virginia vs. New Jersey Plan)
• Great Compromise led to bicameral Congress
• Three-Fifths Compromise for slave representation
• Federalist Papers advocated for Constitution
• Ratification of U.S. Constitution (1789)

Distinct American Culture

• Public education and historical art
• Republican motherhood

Early U.S. Government

• George Washington's presidency
• Hamilton's financial plans
• Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
• Washington's Farewell Address

Tensions & Policies

• John Adams' presidency and the XYZ Affair
• Alien and Sedition Acts
• Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

International Relations & Legacy of Slavery

Relations with Britain, Spain, and American Indians

• Indian Trade and Intercourse Act
• Pinckney Treaty with Spain

Slavery in New Nation

• Regional attitudes: North vs. South
• Growth of free black population in the North
• Persistence and expansion of slavery in the South

For further review, see Heimler's Ultimate Review Packet for comprehensive materials.