Unit 3 Review: How an Imperial Crisis Produced a New Republic, 1754–1800: AP US History Study Guide

PART II — U.S. HISTORY, 1491 TO THE PRESENT · UNIT 3 REVIEW

How an Imperial Crisis Produced a New Republic, 1754–1800

How Resistance Became Revolution

The Seven Years’ War expanded Britain’s empire and its debt, leading officials to tighten western policy, trade enforcement, and taxation. Colonial resistance grew from protests against particular policies into a broader argument about representation, natural rights, republican liberty, and political authority. War began before independence became the majority political position. American survival depended on local mobilization and international alliance, especially French support. Revolutionary ideals widened arguments about slavery, gender, and citizenship without producing equal rights. Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States struggled with revenue and enforcement but successfully organized western territory. The Constitution created a stronger federal system and immediately generated arguments over representation, slavery, civil liberties, economic power, and foreign policy. Those disputes produced the first party system.

The Turning Points From 1763 to 1800

KEY DATES

DATE	EVENT
1754–1763	Seven Years’ War.
1763	Proclamation Line and imperial reorganization.
1765	Stamp Act.
1767	Townshend Acts.
1770	Boston Massacre.
1773–1774	Tea crisis, Coercive Acts, First Continental Congress.
1775	Lexington and Concord; war begins.
1776	Declaration of Independence.
1777–1778	Saratoga and French alliance.
1781	Yorktown; Articles ratified.
1783	Treaty of Paris recognizes independence.
1785	Land Ordinance.
1787	Northwest Ordinance and Constitutional Convention.
1789	New federal government begins.
1791	Bill of Rights.
1794–1795	Whiskey Rebellion, Fallen Timbers, Treaty of Greenville.
1798	Alien and Sedition Acts; Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
1800	Peaceful partisan transfer of power.

Use These Facts to Explain the New Federal System

Stamp/Townshend crisis: imperial authority became a constitutional problem.

Committees of correspondence: resistance acquired an intercolonial organizational network.

Saratoga/French alliance: American victory depended on international politics.

Dunmore: enslaved people made wartime choices based on possible routes to freedom.

Northwest Ordinance: Articles government had genuine western-policy capacity.

Shays’ Rebellion: Confederation weaknesses had fiscal and enforcement consequences.

Federalist No. 10: Federalists defended an extended republic as a control on faction.

Whiskey Rebellion: the new federal government demonstrated enforcement capacity.

Treaty of Greenville: federal power and western migration increased Native land loss.

Virginia/Kentucky Resolutions: partisan conflict quickly became a federalism argument.

Practice: The Revolution Through the First Party System

Question 1

Which consequence of Britain’s victory in the Seven Years’ War most directly contributed to the imperial crisis?

A. Britain faced higher debt and new costs of governing and defending expanded territory
B. Britain lost all land east of the Mississippi
C. France became the dominant mainland power
D. Parliament granted the colonies independence