Early America
This colonial region developed an economy heavily dependent on rice, tobacco and indigo production.
The Southern Colonies
This 1765 law required colonists to pay a tax on printed materials such as newspapers and legal documents.
Stamp Act of 1765
This was the first national government of the United States.
The Articles of Confederation
This president supported the creation of a national bank and remained neutral in the conflict between Britain and France.
George Washington
This war ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1763 and greatly changed the relationship between Britain and its colonies.
French & Indian War
This economic system required colonies to benefit the mother country through regulated trade.
Mercantilism
This battle convinced France to openly support the American cause.
Battle of Saratoga
This compromise created a two-house Congress with representation based on population in one chamber and equality in the other.
The Great or Connecticut Compromise
This controversial 1798 law allowed the federal government to punish criticism of the government.
Alien & Sedition Acts
This religious movement emphasized emotional preaching and helped challenge traditional authority in the colonies
Great Awakening
This 1754 proposal by Benjamin Franklin called for greater colonial cooperation and a unified defense against France, but it was rejected by both colonial governments and British officials.
Albany Plan of Union
This pamphlet by Thomas Paine argued that independence from Britain was both reasonable and necessary.
Common Sense
This agreement counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.
3/5 Compromise
This 1803 land purchase doubled the size of the United States and raised constitutional questions for President Jefferson.
Louisiana Purchase
This Enlightenment thinker strongly influenced colonial ideas about natural rights and government by consent
John Locke
This 1676 uprising exposed tensions between wealthy Virginia elites and poor frontier settlers.
Bacon's Rebellion
This treaty ended the American Revolution and the fight for independance (Year required)
Treaty of Paris 1783
This uprising by indebted Massachusetts farmers exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and helped convince many leaders that the national government needed greater power.
Shays Rebellion
This Supreme Court case during Jefferson’s presidency established judicial review.
Marbury vs Madison
This 1763 uprising by Native nations in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley challenged British control after the French and Indian War and helped prompt Britain to restrict western settlement.
Pontiacs Rebellion
This policy of loose British enforcement allowed the colonies to develop stronger traditions of self-government before 1763.
Salutary Neglect
This 1775 proposal represented a final colonial attempt at reconciliation with Britain, but King George III rejected it and instead declared the colonies to be in rebellion.
The Olive Branch Petition
These essays were written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to support ratification of the Constitution.
Federalists Papers
This 1794 uprising tested the power of the new federal government when President Washington personally led militia forces to enforce a federal excise tax.
Whiskey Rebellion
This 1739 uprising in South Carolina demonstrated enslaved resistance to colonial slavery.
The Stono Rebellion