Colonial Policies & British Relations

Colonial Policies & British Relations

• Salutary Neglect was a British policy of loosely enforcing trade regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to develop economically and politically with minimal interference, ended after the French & Indian War, leading to increased tensions
• Mercantilism is an economic theory where colonies existed to benefit the mother country by providing raw materials and markets, with Britain imposing Navigation Acts to control colonial trade
• The Albany Plan of Union (1754) was proposed by Benjamin Franklin to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies for defense and trade coordination, but it was rejected, though it laid the groundwork for future unity

French & Indian War (1754-1763) and Its Impact

• The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French & Indian War, where Britain gained Canada and land east of the Mississippi River, and France lost almost all North American territories; increased British debt led to taxation of colonies
• The Impact on Colonies involved Britain tightening control, ending salutary neglect, which led to resistance and unrest among colonists

Revolutionary Period (1765-1783)

• The Stamp Act (1765) required tax stamps on printed materials, being the first direct tax on the colonies, and met with widespread protests and the formation of the Stamp Act Congress
• The Boston Massacre (1770) was a confrontation where British soldiers killed five colonists; used as propaganda by revolutionaries to fuel anti-British sentiment
• The Tea Act (1773) allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, undercutting colonial merchants, and led to the Boston Tea Party
• The Coercive Acts (1774), also called the Intolerable Acts, were meant to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party, and included closing Boston Harbor and revoking Massachusetts' charter
• Lexington and Concord (April 1775) consisted of the first battles of the American Revolution, where British troops attempted to seize colonial arms, but were met with resistance by colonial militias

Revolutionary Thought & War

• Common Sense (1776) by Thomas Paine advocated for independence and criticized monarchy, and convinced many undecided colonists to support independence
• The Battle of Saratoga (1777) was the turning point of the war, with the American victory convincing France to enter the war as an ally
• Valley Forge (Winter 1777-1778) was a harsh winter for Washington's army, but training by Baron von Steuben helped turn the Continental Army into an effective force

Post-Revolutionary Period & Government Formation

• Loyalists were colonists who remained loyal to Britain; often faced persecution and many fled to Canada or Britain
• The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (1786) was written by Thomas Jefferson, and established religious liberty and influenced the First Amendment
• The Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) were the first U.S. government, creating a weak central government with no power to tax or regulate commerce, and was eventually replaced by the Constitution
• Shay's Rebellion (1786-1787) was an armed uprising by Massachusetts farmers protesting debt and taxes, and exposed weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and led to calls for a stronger federal government
• The Great Compromise (1787) was an agreement at the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature: the House of Representatives (based on population) and the Senate (equal representation)
• The 3/5 Compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes

Early U.S. Government & Policies

• Federalism is the division of power between federal and state governments
• The Branches of Government are; Legislative (Congress), which makes laws; Executive (President), which enforces laws; and Judicial (Supreme Court), which interprets laws
• The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) are essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay advocating for the ratification of the Constitution
• The Bill of Rights (1791) consisted of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, to protect individual liberties like freedom of speech and due process
• Hamilton's Assumption Plan was Alexander Hamilton's financial plan where the federal government took on state debts from the Revolutionary War to establish credit and strengthen federal authority

Early Republic & Domestic/Foreign Policy

• Marbury v. Madison (1803) was a Supreme Court case establishing judicial review, giving courts the power to declare laws unconstitutional
• Jay's Treaty (1794) was a treaty with Britain that resolved some conflicts but was unpopular because it failed to stop British impressment of U.S. sailors
• The French Revolution divided Americans, where Federalists opposed it due to violence, while Democratic-Republicans supported it as an extension of revolutionary ideals
• The Whiskey Rebellion (1794) involved a protest against a tax on whiskey; Washington used federal troops to suppress it, proving the strength of the new government
• Washington's Farewell Address (1796) warned against political parties and foreign alliances

Political & Territorial Changes

• The First Party System involved of a political divide between Federalists (strong central government, pro-Britain) and Democratic-Republicans (states' rights, pro-France)
• The Alien & Sedition Acts (1798) were laws passed under John Adams that restricted immigration and limited free speech against the government, which led to backlash and the Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions
• The Election of 1800 consisted of a peaceful transfer of power from Federalists (Adams) to Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson), and is known as the "Revolution of 1800."
• The Louisiana Territory (1803) was purchased by Thomas Jefferson from France, doubling the size of the U.S. and opening land for westward expansion

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

• The Causes consisted of British impressment of U.S. sailors, interference with American trade, and support for Native resistance against U.S. expansion
• The Effects strengthened U.S. nationalism, weakened Native American resistance, and led to the decline of the Federalist Party
• The Battle of New Orleans (1815) was led by Andrew Jackson, with American forces achieving a decisive victory after the war had officially ended, boosting his national reputation

Key People to Know

• John Locke was an Enlightenment thinker who influenced American independence with ideas of natural rights (life, liberty, property) and government by consent
• Phyllis Wheatley was the first published African American female poet, whose writings supported the Revolutionary cause
• Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist leader and Treasury Secretary, who created the U.S. financial system and advocated for a strong central government
• Lewis & Clark explored the Louisiana Territory and mapped the region, assisted by Sacagawea
• Tecumseh was a Shawnee leader who united Native tribes against U.S. expansion and allied with the British in the War of 1812