The American Revolution and Early Republic (1754-1800)

Intermediate

Trace the arc from the French and Indian War through the ratification of the Bill of Rights and the early republic. This topic covers the causes of colonial resistance, Enlightenment ideology in the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, the failures of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, the Federalist-Anti-Federalist debate, and the political struggles of the 1790s between Hamilton and Jefferson.

Aligned to AP US History Period 3.

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Part of:AP US History

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Key Concepts

Britain's informal policy of loose enforcement of colonial regulations ended after the French and Indian War when Parliament imposed new taxes and trade controls to pay war debts, shattering the status quo and igniting resistance.

Example

Before 1763, colonial merchants routinely evaded Navigation Acts with little consequence. After 1763, writs of assistance and vice-admiralty courts made enforcement real, provoking outrage.

Enlightenment principles holding that individuals possess inherent rights (life, liberty, property/pursuit of happiness) and that government derives legitimacy from the consent of the governed, with the people retaining the right to alter or abolish unjust governments.

Example

Jefferson's Declaration draws almost verbatim from Locke: unalienable rights, governments deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, and the right of revolution.

The constitutional division of sovereignty between national and state governments, with each level having independent authority in designated domains. This was a new innovation, distinct from both a unitary state and a loose confederation.

Example

The Constitution gives Congress power over interstate commerce and national defense, while states retain control over education, criminal law, and elections.

The constitutional provision counting three-fifths of the enslaved population for congressional apportionment and direct taxation, giving slaveholding states disproportionate political power while granting enslaved people no rights.

Example

Without the Three-Fifths Compromise, Virginia would have had far fewer House seats and Electoral College votes, potentially changing the outcomes of early presidential elections.

The emergence of organized political opposition in the 1790s between Federalists (Hamilton) and Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson), despite the Founders' warnings against faction. These alignments reflected genuine disagreements about the scope of federal power, economic policy, and foreign relations.

Example

Hamilton's Federalists favored a strong central government, commercial economy, and British alliance; Jefferson's Republicans favored states' rights, agrarian society, and French sympathy.

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Grade level

Grades 9-12College+

Learning objectives

•Analyze how the French and Indian War altered the relationship between Britain and the American colonies
•Evaluate the role of Enlightenment ideas in justifying colonial resistance and independence
•Assess the causes, key turning points, and consequences of the Revolutionary War
•Compare the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation with the solutions offered by the Constitution
•Analyze the compromises and debates at the Constitutional Convention and during ratification
•Evaluate the competing visions of Hamilton and Jefferson for the early republic