5 STEPS TO A 5 AP U.S. History

5 STEPS TO A 5

AP U.S. History2010–2011

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55 STEPS TO A


Stephen Armstrong

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CONTENTS

Preface xiiiIntroduction: The 5-Step Program xv

STEP 1 Set Up Your Study Program Chapter 1 What You Need to Know About the AP U.S. History Exam 3

Background of the Advanced Placement Program 3Questions Frequently Asked About the AP U.S. History Exam 5

Chapter 2 How to Plan Your Time 8Three Approaches to Preparing for the AP U.S. History Exam 8Calendar for Each Plan 10

STEP 2 Determine Your Test Readiness Chapter 3 Take a Diagnostic Exam 17

How and When to Use the Diagnostic Exam 18Conclusion (After the Exam) 18Getting Started: The Diagnostic/Master Exam 20Answers to Diagnostic/Master Exam 34

STEP 3 Develop Strategies for Success Chapter 4 How to Approach Each Question Type 51

Multiple-Choice Questions 52Document-Based Essay Questions 54Free-Response Essay Questions 55Reading and Interpreting Primary Source Documents 55Analyzing Primary Source Documents 57

STEP 4 Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High Chapter 5 The Settling of the Western Hemisphere and

Colonial America (1450–1650) 61Native Americans and European Exploration 62The French in Canada 62The English in the Americas 63Effects of English, French, and British Settlement 65Chapter Review 65

Chapter 6 The British Empire in America: Growth and Confl ict (1650–1750) 68The Impact of Mercantilism 69African Slavery in the Americas 70Continued Unrest in New England 71The Salem Witch Trials 71Wars in Europe and Their Impact on the Colonies 71The Growth of the Colonial Assemblies 72The Era of “Salutary Neglect” 72

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The Great Awakening 73Chapter Review 73

Chapter 7 Resistance, Rebellion, and Revolution (1750–1775) 76Problems on the Frontier 77Additional Confl icts Between the British and

Their Colonial “Allies” 77The Policies of George Grenville 78A Sense of Crisis: The Stamp Act 78More Protest: The Townshend Acts 79Continued Tension in Massachusetts 80The Calm Before the Storm: 1770–1773 80The Boston Tea Party 81The Intolerable Acts 81The First Continental Congress 81Chapter Review 82

Chapter 8 The American Revolution and the New Nation (1775–1787) 84The American Revolution 85The Second Continental Congress 85The Declaration of Independence 86The Outbreak of the Revolution: Divisions in the Colonies 86Strategies of the American Revolution 87Washington as Commander 87The War Moves to the South 88The Treaty of Paris 89The Establishment of Governmental Structures

in the New Nation 89The Articles of Confederation 89The Northwest Ordinances 90Shays’ Rebellion 90Chapter Review 91

Chapter 9 The Establishment of New Political Systems (1787–1800) 93Desire for a Stronger Central Government 94Government Under the New Constitution 94The Issue of Slavery 95Ratifi cation of the Constitution 95The Presidency of George Washington 95The Bill of Rights 96Competing Visions: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson 96The French Revolution 97Foreign Policy and Jay’s Treaty 98Washington’s Farewell Address 98The Presidency of John Adams 98The Alien and Sedition Acts 99Chapter Review 99

Chapter 10 The Jeffersonian Revolution (1800–1820) 102The Election of 1800 103Reform of the Courts 103Westward Expansion 104

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Contents ‹ vii

Political Tensions and the Strange Case of Aaron Burr 105European Wars Spill Over to America (Again) 106The War of 1812 106The American System 107The Missouri Compromise 108Chapter Review 108

Chapter 11 The Rise of Manufacturing and the Age of Jackson (1820–1845) 111The Growth of the Factory 112The Monroe Doctrine 113Policy Toward Native Americans 113The Second Great Awakening 113Political Reform: The Jacksonian Era (1829–1841) 114The Election of 1824 115The 1828 Presidential Election 115Jackson as President 115The Nullifi cation Controversy 116The Bank Crisis 116The Whig Party: A Challenge to the Democratic-Republicans 117Chapter Review 117

Chapter 12 The Union Expanded and Challenged (1835–1860) 120The Ideology of Manifest Destiny 121“Remember the Alamo!” 122The Pivotal Election of 1844 122War with Mexico 123Political Challenges of the 1850s 124Effects of the Compromise of 1850 125The Presidency of Franklin Pierce 125The Return of Sectional Confl ict 126“Bleeding Kansas”: Slave or Free? 126The Dred Scott Decision 127The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 127John Brown’s Raid 127The Presidential Election of 1860 128Chapter Review 128

Chapter 13 The Union Divided: The Civil War (1861–1865) 131Advantages of the North and South in War 132The Attack on Fort Sumter and the Beginning of War 133War Aims and Strategies 133Developments in the South and in the North 135The Emancipation Proclamation 1361863: The War Tips to the North 136War Weariness in the North and South 137The End of the Confederacy 137Chapter Review 137

Chapter 14 The Era of Reconstruction (1865–1877) 140Lincoln’s Plans for Reconstruction 141Andrew Johnson’s Plan for Reconstruction 142The Reconstruction Programs of the Radical Republicans 143

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A Period of Radical Reconstruction 143The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson 144Radical Reconstruction Reinforced 144The End of Reconstruction 145Chapter Review 145

Chapter 15 Western Expansion and Its Impact on the American Character (1860–1895) 148

Federal Legislation Encourages Western Settlement 149Farming on the Great Plains 150The Transformation of Agriculture on the Plains 150Women and Minorities on the Plains 151Mining and Lumbering in the West 151Ranching in the West 152The Plight of Native Americans 152The Organization of the American Farmer and Populism 153The Impact of the West on American Society 155Chapter Review 156

Chapter 16 America Transformed into the Industrial Giant of the World (1870–1910) 158

The Growth of Industrial America 159The Changing Nature of American Industry 160The Consolidation of Businesses 161The Growth of Labor Unions 162An Increased Standard of Living? 163The Impact of Immigration on American Society 164The Transformation of the American City 165Politics of the Gilded Age 166Cultural Life in the Gilded Age 168Chapter Review 168

Chapter 17 The Rise of American Imperialism (1890–1913) 172A Period of Foreign Policy Inaction 173A Sign of Things to Come: Hawaii 174The 1890s: Reasons for American Imperialism 174The Spanish-American War 175The Role of America: Protector or Oppressor? 177The Debate Over the Philippines 177Connecting the Pacifi c and the Atlantic: The Panama Canal 178The Roosevelt Corollary 178Chapter Review 179

Chapter 18 The Progressive Era (1895–1914) 182The Origins of Progressivism 183The Goals of Progressives 184Urban Reforms 184The Progressives at the State Level 185Women and Progressivism 185Reforming the Workplace 186The Square Deal of Theodore Roosevelt 186Progressivism Under William Howard Taft 187

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Contents ‹ ix

The 1912 Presidential Election 188The Progressive Legacy of Woodrow Wilson 188Did Progressivism Succeed? 189Chapter Review 189

Chapter 19 The United States and World War I (1914–1921) 192The American Response to the Outbreak of War 193Increasing American Support for the Allied Powers 194America Moves Toward War 194America Enters the War 195The Impact of the American Expeditionary Force 195The Home Front During World War I 196Keeping America Patriotic 196Woodrow Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles 197The United States and the Middle East 198The Treaty of Versailles and the United States Senate 199The Consequences of American Actions After the War 199Chapter Review 199

Chapter 20 The Beginning of Modern America: The 1920s 202A Decade of Prosperity 203Republican Leadership in the 1920s 204The Presidency of Warren G. Harding 204The Scandals of the Harding Administration 205The Presidency of Calvin Coolidge 206The Election of 1928 206Urban vs. Rural: The Great Divide of the 1920s 207Culture in the 1920s 209The Jazz Age 209The Lost Generation 210Chapter Review 211

Chapter 21 The Great Depression and the New Deal (1929–1939) 214The American Economy of the 1920s: The Roots of the Great Depression 216The Stock Market Crash 217The Social Impact of the Great Depression 218The Hoover Administration and the Depression 218The 1932 Presidential Election 219The First Hundred Days 220The Second New Deal 221The Presidential Election of 1936 222Opponents of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal 223The Last Years of the New Deal 224The Effects of the New Deal 224New Deal Culture 225Chapter Review 225

Chapter 22 World War II (1933–1945) 228American Foreign Policy in the 1930s 229The United States and the Middle East in the Interwar Era 230The Presidential Election of 1940 and Its Aftermath 231The Attack on Pearl Harbor 231

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America Enters the War 232The Role of the Middle East in World War II 234The War Against Japan 235The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb 235The Home Front During the War 236Discrimination During the War 237Chapter Review 238

Chapter 23 The Origins of the Cold War (1945–1960) 241The First Cracks in the Alliance: 1945 243The Iron Curtain 243The Marshall Plan 244Berlin: The First Cold War Crisis 2451949: A Pivotal Year in the Cold War 245The Middle East in the Early Years of the Cold War 246The Cold War at Home 247The Heating of the Cold War: Korea 249The Rise of McCarthyism 249The Cold War Policies of President Eisenhower 250A Dangerous Arms Buildup 251Chapter Review 252

Chapter 24 Prosperity and Anxiety: The 1950s 255Economic Growth and Prosperity 256Political Developments of the Postwar Era 257Civil Rights Struggles of the Postwar Period 258The Conformity of the Suburbs 259Chapter Review 261

Chapter 25 America in an Era of Turmoil (1960–1975) 264The 1960 Presidential Election 265Domestic Policies Under Kennedy and Johnson 266The Struggle of Black Americans: From Nonviolence

to Black Power 267The Rise of Feminism 269The Cold War in the 1960s 270The Vietnam War and Its Impact on American Society 270Chapter Review 273

Chapter 26 Decline and Rebirth (1968–1988) 276The Presidency of Richard Nixon 277The Watergate Affair 279The Presidency of Gerald Ford 281The Presidency of Jimmy Carter 282The Election of 1980 283The Presidency of Ronald Reagan 283Chapter Review 285

Chapter 27 Prosperity and a New World Order (1988–2000) 288The 1988 Election 289The Presidency of George Bush 289The 1992 Election 290

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Contents ‹ xi

The Presidency of Bill Clinton 291The 2000 Presidential Election 293Chapter Review 293

Chapter 28 The Threat of Terrorism and the Increase of Presidential Power (2001–2008) 296

9/11 and Its Aftermath 297Events Leading Up to the American Invasion of Iraq 297Operation Iraqi Freedom 298The Effect of the War at Home 298The Victory of Conservatism in the Bush Era 299The United States in Transition: 2007–2008 301Chapter Review 302

Chapter 29 Contemporary America: Evaluating the “Big Themes” 305

STEP 5 Build Your Test-Taking Confidence AP U.S. History Practice Exam 1 312AP U.S. History Practice Exam 2 342

Glossary 371Bibliography 407Websites 409

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5 STEPS TO A 5


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KEY IDEA

84 ›

The American Revolution and the New Nation (1775–1787)

IN THIS CHAPTERSummary: The Second Continental Congress, meeting in May 1775, began to prepare the American colonies for war. The impact of Common Sense by Thomas Paine and other documents continued to fan anti-British senti-ment in the colonies, although there were still a number of loyalists who supported British policies. As commander of the colonial army, George Washington practiced a defensive strategy, which, along with invaluable assistance from the French, helped to defeat the British army. The fi rst gov-ernment of the new nation was established by the Articles of Confederation, which created a weak national government.

Keywords

Second Continental Congress (May 1775): meeting that authorized the cre-ation of a Continental army; many delegates still hoped that confl ict could be avoided with the British.Common Sense (1776): pamphlet written by Thomas Paine attacking the system of government by monarchy; this document was very infl uential throughout the colonies.Battle of Yorktown (1781): defeat of the British in Virginia, ending their hopes of winning the Revolutionary War.Treaty of Paris (1783): treaty ending the Revolutionary War; by this treaty Great Britain recognized American independence and gave Americans the territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.Articles of Confederation (ratifi ed 1781): document establishing the fi rst government of the United States; the federal government was given limited powers and the states much power.

CHAPTER 8

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The American Revolution and the New Nation (1775–1787) ‹ 85

Northwest Ordinances (1784, 1785, 1787): bills authorizing the sale of lands in the Northwest Territory to raise money for the federal government; bills also laid out procedures for these territories to eventually attain statehood.

The American Revolution

Prelude to Revolution: Lexington and Concord: April 1775Events in the colonies had little effect on attitudes in Britain. Both George III and Lord North still insisted that the colonies comply with edicts from England. What they failed to realize was that royal authority in the colonies was routinely being ignored. British General Thomas Gage was the acting governor of Massachusetts, and in early 1775 he ordered the Massachusetts Assembly not to meet. They met anyway.

Gage also wanted to stop the growth of local militias. On April 19 he sent a group of regular British troops to Concord to seize colonial arms stored there and to arrest any “rebel” leaders who could be found. As you learned in second grade, Paul Revere and other messengers rode out from Boston to warn the countryside of the advance of the British soldiers. At dawn on April 19, several hundred British soldiers ran into 75 colonial militia-men on the town green in Lexington. The British ordered the colonists to disperse; in the confusion, shots rang out, with eight colonists killed and ten wounded.

The British marched on to Concord, where a larger contingent of militiamen awaited them. The British destroyed military stores and food supplies and were ready to return to Boston when the colonists opened fi re, with three British soldiers killed and nine wounded. The British were attacked as they retreated to Lexington; they lost 275 men, compared to the 93 colonial militiamen killed. At Lexington, the British were saved by the arrival of reinforcements.

Several weeks later, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticond-eroga from the British. Cannons from the fort were dragged to Boston, where they would be a decisive factor in forcing the British to leave Boston harbor in March 1776.

The Second Continental CongressThe purpose of the Second Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia in May of 1775, was clear: to get the American colonies ready for war. It authorized the printing of paper money to buy supplies for the war, established a committee to supervise foreign relations with other countries, and created a Continental Army. George Washington was appointed commander in chief of this new army. Washington was chosen because of his temperament, because of his experiences in the Seven Years War, and because he was not from Massachusetts, considered by George III to be the place where the “rabble” were.

The Congress made one fi nal gesture for peace when moderates drafted, and the Con-gress approved, the sending of the “Olive Branch Petition” to George III. This document, approved on July 5, 1775, asked the king to formulate a “happy and permanent reconcili-ation.” The fact that the king refused to even receive the document strengthened the hand of political radicals throughout the colonies.


86 › STEP 4. Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High

The Impact of Common SenseThe impact of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense on colonial thought was immense. Paine was a printer and had only been in the colonies for two years when his pamphlet was published in January of 1776. Virtually every educated person in the colonies read this document: 120,000 copies were sold within three months. Paine proclaimed that “monar-chy and hereditary succession have laid the world in blood and ashes” and called George III a “royal brute.” Paine attacked the entire system of monarchy and empire, expressing confidence that the colonies would flourish once they were removed from British control. Many saw in Paine’s document very sensible reasons why the Americas should break from Britain. When discussing the document, one New York loyalist bitterly complained that “the unthinking multitude are mad for it. . . .”

The Declaration of IndependenceOn June 7, 1776, Henry Lee of Virginia made a motion at the meeting of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. His motion proposed that American colonies be considered independent states, that diplomatic relations begin with other countries, and that a confederate form of government be prepared for future discussion by the colonies. It was decided that the motion would be voted on July 1 (giving delegates time to win the resistant middle colonies over). In the meantime, one committee worked on a potential constitution, while another was appointed to write the declaration of independence. This committee gave the job of writing the first draft to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a per-fect choice. He was a student of the thinkers of the Enlightenment and other thinkers of the era.

Jefferson’s argument maintained that men had certainly “unalienable rights,” which included “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Jefferson stated that when a govern-ment “becomes destructive of these ends” those who live under it can revolt against it and create a government that gets its “just powers from the consent of the governed.” Jefferson also listed many things the British had done that were oppressive to the colonies. Unlike others who had criticized certain ministers or Parliament, Jefferson personally blamed George III for many of these misdeeds. This document was formally approved on July 2, 1776; this approval was formally announced on July 4.

The Outbreak of the Revolution: Divisions in the ColoniesThe celebrations surrounding the announcement of the Declaration of Independence took place in every colony, but not every citizen living in the Americas took part. Many loyalists were members of the colonial economic elite and feared the repercussions on their pocket-books of a break with Great Britain. Other loyalists saw the legitimacy of Britain’s control over the colonies; some loyalists were also very practical men, who predicted the easy defeat of the colonies by the seemingly immense British army.

Blacks in America greeted the Declaration of Independence with enthusiasm. Many free blacks saw the possible revolution as a chance to improve their position; slaves saw the possibilities of freedom from slavery. (During the war, some slaves managed to escape their masters, and a few even fought on the side of the British.) During the fi ghting, Brit-ish troops freed slaves in Georgia and South Carolina. In the North, some slaves fought



in colonial militias, winning their freedom through military service. The British courted Native American tribes, but their determination to defi nitively help the British in battle was never strong.

Strategies of the American RevolutionIt is easy to see how the British thought that they would be able to defeat the colonists quickly and decisively. Britain had a strong navy, one of the finest armies of Europe, and considerable support from approximately 150,000 loyalists in the colonies. In addition, in the first years of the war, the Continental Army suffered from poor discipline, frequent desertions, lack of supplies and money, and a virtually nonexistent navy. However, an obvi-ously long supply line (four to six weeks by ship) divided British policies in London, and an army used to fighting the more “formal” European type of war would end up hindering British efforts. The leadership of George Washington, the willingness to use defensive tac-tics and only attack when needed, and the fact that they were fighting on home territory, all helped aid the colonial military efforts. Washington felt that a lengthy war would assist the colonists, since they were fighting on home ground.

In June 1775, a bloody battle had taken place at Bunker Hill in Boston. The colonists were defeated, but at the expense of nearly 1000 British dead or wounded.

Washington as CommanderThe British approach under General William Howe was to slowly move his army through the colonies, using the superior numbers of the British army to wear the colonists down. However, from the beginning things did not go as planned for the British. In March 1776, the British were forced to evacuate Boston. The British then went to New York, which they wanted to turn into one of their major military headquarters. (A large number of loyalists lived there.) Washington and his troops attempted to dislodge the British from New York in late August of 1776; Washington’s army was routed and chased back into Pennsylvania.

During November and December of 1776, Washington’s army faced daily desertions and poor morale. On Christmas night, Washington boldly led the Battle of Trenton against the Hessian allies of the British, defeating them. On January 3, Washington defeated a small British regiment at Princeton. These victories bolstered the morale of the colonial army greatly.

Another tremendous advantage for the colonists was the arms shipments from the French that they began receiving in late 1776. French aid for the colonies did not come from any great trust that developed between the two sides; for over a century, France and Britain had been bitter rivals, and the French saw the American Revolution as another situation that they could exploit for their gain against the British. Massive British naval superiority in the Americas was at least partially counterbalanced by the entry of the French navy into the war.

The “British Blunder” of 1777The British decided on a strategy to strike a decisive blow against the colonists in 1777. Three separate British armies were to converge on Albany, New York, and cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. The British effort is called a blunder because of the poor execution of military plans that might have been effective. An army led by General



Howe headed toward Philadelphia when, for obvious strategic reasons, it should have been heading toward Albany. Howe was intent on taking on Washington’s army in Philadelphia and decisively defeating it. The army under “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne carried too much heavy equipment, which could be carried in preparation for European battles but not through the forests of North America. On October 17, 1777, Burgoyne was forced to surrender at Saratoga. Some military historians claim this defeat was the beginning of the end for the British. The colonial victory convinced the French to send troops to aid the war effort.

Women became increasingly important to the war effort of the colonies. Women were prominent in the boycott of British goods, provided support services for the Continental Army, spied on British troops, and ran numerous households when the “man of the house” was off fi ghting the British. In a March 1776 letter to her husband John, Abigail Adams reminded him to “Remember the Ladies . . . Do not put such unlimited power in the hands of the Husbands.”

The War Moves to the SouthAfter their defeat at Saratoga, the British abandoned their strategy of fighting in New York and New England and decided to concentrate their efforts in the Southern colonies, where they imagined more loyalists to live. Despite their victory at Saratoga, the winter of 1777–1778 was the low point for the Continental Army. The British camped for the winter in Philadelphia, while Washington’s army stayed at Valley Forge. Cold weather, malnutrition, and desertion severely hurt the army. Morale improved when daily drilling began under the leadership of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian who had volunteered to help the colonists. As a result, the Continental Army that emerged in the spring was a much tougher and more disciplined unit.

Nevertheless, initially the British southern strategy was successful. By the summer of 1780, the British captured Georgia and South Carolina. Desertions continued, and Gen-eral Benedict Arnold went over to the British side.

Things soon turned against the British. A Virginia army under George Rogers Clark defeated a British force and their Native American allies at Vincennes, Indiana, securing the Ohio River region for the colonies. By the summer of 1781, French army forces joined the Continental Army as two regiments marched from New York to Virginia. The Brit-ish southern campaign, now headed by General Cornwallis, was constantly hampered by attacks by bands of “unoffi cial” colonial soldiers, led by Francis Marion and other rebel leaders.

Cornwallis decided to abandon the southern strategy and went into Virginia, where he was ordered to take up a defensive position at Yorktown. Once the British troops began to dig in, they were cut off by a combination of French and continental forces. Cornwallis hoped to escape by sea, but ships of the French navy occupied Chesapeake Bay. For three weeks, Cornwallis tried to break the siege; on October 17, 1781, he fi nally surrendered. Fighting continued in some areas, but on March 4, 1782, Parliament voted to end the Brit-ish military efforts in the former colonies.



The Treaty of ParisBritish, French, Spanish (also allies with the colonists in the war), and American diplomats gathered in Paris in 1783 to make the treaty ending the war. The British and French dip-lomats were initially not impressed with the diplomatic efforts of the Americans, but soon the American team of John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams demonstrated shrewd diplomatic skills. The Americans negotiated separately with the British, and, on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed. (Please note that this is a different Treaty of Paris from the one ending the French and Indian War.) By this treaty, Great Britain formally recognized American independence. Britain held on to Canada, but all of the territory they had received from France after the French and Indian War (territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River) was given over to the Americans. The American diplomats also negotiated for fishing rights off the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The British insisted on, and received, promises that British merchants would be free to recover prewar debts and that loyalists would be treated as equal citizens and would be able to recover property seized from them during the war. (As might be expected, many loyalists were leaving the Americas during this period.)

The Establishment of Governmental Structures in the New Nation

The Drafting of State ConstitutionsBy the end of 1777, ten new state constitutions had been written. Written into these con-stitutions were safeguards to prevent the evils that Americans had seen in the colonial gov-ernments established by the British. The governor was the most oppressive figure in many colonies; as a result, many new constitutions gave limited power to the governor, who was usually elected by the state assembly. All states except Pennsylvania and Vermont adopted bicameral legislatures, with more power usually given to the upper house. Most states also lowered the property qualifications for voting, thus allowing people who had not voted before the Revolutionary War to vote. Many historians comment that writers of these con-stitutions were making a conscious attempt to broaden the base of American government. Most state constitutions also included some form of a bill of rights.

The Articles of ConfederationIn the fall of 1777, the Continental Congress sent a proposed constitution out to the individual states for ratification. This document, called the Articles of Confederation, intentionally created a very weak national government.

The main organ of government was a unicameral legislature, in which each state would have one vote. Executive authority was given to a Committee of Thirteen, with one representative from each state. For both amendment and ratifi cation, the unanimous con-sent of all 13 state legislatures was required.

The national government was given the power to conduct foreign relations, mediate disputes between states, and borrow money. The weakness of the national government was shown by the fact that it could not levy taxes, regulate commerce, or raise an army.



Because of disputes over land claims in the West, all 13 states didn’t ratify the Articles of Confederation until 1781.

Economic DistressFinancial problems plagued the new nation in the years immediately after the war. Many merchants had overextended themselves by importing foreign goods after the war. Large numbers of Revolutionary War veterans had never been paid for their service. The national government had large war debts. By the terms of the Articles of Confederation, the national government could not tax, so the national government began to print a large amount of paper money. These bills, called “Continentals,” were soon made worthless by inflation. Proposals for the national government to impose import tariffs came three times, and all three times they were defeated. Loans from foreign countries, especially France, propped up the national government during this period.

The Northwest OrdinancesThe sale of lands in the West was one way that the national government could make money, and westward settlement was encouraged. By 1790, nearly 110,000 settlers were living in Kentucky and Tennessee, despite the threat of Native American attack. The Northwest Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787 regulated the sale of lands in the Northwest Territory and established a plan to give these settled territories statehood. The 1784 Ordinance pro-vided governmental structures for the territories and a system by which a territory could become a state. The Ordinance of 1785 spelled out the terms for the orderly sale of land in the Northwest Territory. The Ordinance of 1787 stated that any territory with 60,000 white males could apply for statehood, provided a bill of rights for settlers, and prohibited slavery north of the Ohio River. Controversy over whether slavery should be allowed in these territories was a foreshadowing of the bitter conflicts that would follow on the issue of slavery in newly acquired American territories.

Shays’ RebellionLike farmers in other parts of the colonies, farmers in western Massachusetts were in des-perate shape in the years after the Revolution. Many owed large amounts to creditors, infla-tion further weakened their economic position, and in 1786 the Massachusetts Assembly raised the taxes. Farmers took up arms, closing government buildings and freeing farmers from debtor’s prisons. This rebellion was called Shays’ Rebellion, after one of its leaders, war veteran Daniel Shays. The rebellion spread throughout Massachusetts and began to gain supporters in other New England states. The rebellion was put down by an army paid for by citizens of Boston and by lowering the taxes. To many, Shays’ Rebellion demon-strated that stronger state and national governments were needed to maintain order.



Chapter Review

Rapid Review GuideTo achieve the perfect 5, you should be able to explain the following:

• The fi rst armed resistance to the British army occurred at Lexington and Concord.• The Second Continental Congress began to prepare the American colonies for war

against the British, but by passing the Olive Branch Petition, they tried to accommodate colonial interests with those of the Crown.

• The impact of the message presented in Common Sense by Thomas Paine was widespread throughout the colonies.

• Many loyalists lived in the colonies at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War; many were members of the economic elite.

• Blacks and women played a large role in the war effort of the colonies.• The defensive tactics of George Washington as leader of the Continental forces proved

decisive, since a longer war was disadvantageous to the British army.• French assistance to the continental war effort proved invaluable; the French navy

proved to be especially critical as the war progressed.• The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. In this treaty, American indepen-

dence was recognized by the British and large amounts of territory west of the Appala-chian became American territory.

• The Articles of Confederation created a weak national government, partially to avoid replicating the “tyranny” of the Crown in England.

• To many colonial observers, Shays’ Rebellion demonstrated that a stronger national government was needed.

Time Line1775: Battles of Lexington and Concord

Meeting of Second Continental Congress1776: Common Sense published by Thomas Paine

Declaration of Independence approved Surrender of British forces of General Burgoyne at Saratoga

1777: State constitutions written in ten former colonies1777–1778: Continental Army encamped for the winter at Valley Forge1778: French begin to assist American war efforts1781: Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown

Articles of Confederation ratifi ed1783: Signing of the Treaty of Paris1786–1787: Shays’ Rebellion in Massachusetts1787: Northwest Ordinance establishes regulations for settlement of territories west of

the Appalachian Mountains

KEY IDEA



1. The purpose of the Olive Branch Petition was to A. rally colonial support for war against Great

Britain B. petition the king for redress of economic

grievances suffered by the colonies C. ask the king to craft a solution to end the

tensions between Great Britain and the colonies

D. request formal support of each colony the the formulation of the Second Continental Congress

E. ask the king to grant independence to the colonies

(Correct Answer: C. Although the Second Continental Congress began to prepare the colonies for war against Great Britain, the del-egates also voted to send this petition to George III, asking him to create harmony between Great Britain and the colonies.)

2. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the British were extremely confi dent of victory because all of the following reasons except A. they had outstanding generals that would

be commanding British forces in the Americas

B. there were many loyalists throughout the American colonies

C. the Continental Army suffered from poor discipline

D. the British had an outstanding navy E. the Continental Army was continually lack-

ing in supplies(Correct Answer: A. Several of the main

generals commanding British troops in the Revolutionary War proved early on to be quite ordinary in tactical and leadership skills.)

3. All of the following were contained in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 except A. Americans got fi shing rights off the coast of

Newfoundland B. territory west of the Appalachian

Mountains was ceded to the Americans C. American independence was recognized by

Great Britain

D. Quebec and the area immediately sur-rounding it was ceded to the Americans

E. former loyalists in the colonies could retrieve property seized from them during the Revolutionary War

(Correct Answer: D. None of the British territory in Canada was taken from them as a result of the treaty.)

4. Women were important in the war effort because they A. provided much of the fi nancial backing for

the colonial cause B. provided several delegates to the Second

Continental Congress C. wrote infl uential articles in colonial news-

papers urging the colonies to resist the British

D. provided clothing and blankets for the frozen troops at Valley Forge

E. maintained economic stability in the colo-nies by managing households across the colonies while men were off fi ghting the British

(Correct Answer: E. Although women assisted the war effort in many ways, they made an important contribution by managing estates and farms while their husbands were serving in the colonial militias or in the Continental Army.)

5. The weakness of the national government cre-ated by the Articles of Confederation was dem-onstrated by the fact that it was not given the power to A. mediate disputes between states B. raise an army C. conduct foreign relations D. borrow money E. print money

(Correct Answer: B. The national govern-ment was not given the power to issue taxes, regulate commerce, or raise an army.)

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5 STEPS TO A 5 AP U.S. History

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