#AP US History Study Guide: Road to Revolution 🚀

Hey! Let's get you prepped and confident for your AP US History exam. We'll break down the key events leading to the American Revolution, focusing on what you really need to know. Let's do this!

#The French and Indian War and Its Aftermath

#The Conflict

• Initially, the French were winning, but things changed when William Pitt became Prime Minister of England.
• Pitt's strategy: He reimbursed colonial assemblies for their war costs, boosting colonial morale. 💡
• Result: British victory, but at a HUGE financial cost.

#The Debt Problem

• Britain needed to pay off its war debt. How? By taxing the colonies!
• This led to major conflicts: Ideological clashes over representation and financial strain on the colonists. 💸

#Salutary Neglect and Its End

#What Was It?

• Salutary Neglect: A British policy of minimal interference in colonial affairs during the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Allowed colonies to govern themselves, fostering a sense of independence and self-reliance. 💪
• The recent Great Awakening further fueled this independent spirit.

#Why Did It End?

• The French and Indian War's financial burden prompted Britain to take a more active role in regulating the colonies. 📜
• Britain needed revenue and believed the colonies were becoming too independent.

#British Laws and Policies

These acts are crucial! Know them well, as they frequently appear in both MCQs and FRQs.

Here are the key acts that escalated tensions:

1. Sugar Act (1764): Tax on sugar, molasses, and other imports.
2. Quartering Act (1765): Required colonists to house and supply British soldiers. 🪖
3. Stamp Act (1765): Tax on all printed materials. This was a major trigger for colonial resistance.
4. Townshend Acts (1767): Taxes on imported goods like glass, lead, paint, and tea. Colonists hated this one, especially the tax on tea.
5. Tea Act (1773): Granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales, leading to the Boston Tea Party. ☕
6. Navigation Acts: Required goods to be shipped on British ships, regulating trade for British benefit.

#Image Courtesy of History.com

#Colonial Reactions

#"No Taxation Without Representation"

• This slogan captured the colonists' core grievance: They should not be taxed without having representatives in Parliament. 🗣️
• First used during the Stamp Act crisis.
• The Stamp Act Congress (1765) demanded the tax be repealed, and it was (temporarily).

#Nonimportation Agreements

• Nonimportation agreements: Boycotts of British goods. 🚫
• Colonists refused to import textiles, clothing, and other manufactured products.
• Groups like the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty enforced these boycotts. 💪

#Sons and Daughters of Liberty

• Sons of Liberty: A secret society that used boycotts, protests, and intimidation to resist British control. Key leaders: Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock.
• Daughters of Liberty: Women who supported the cause by organizing boycotts and producing goods to replace imports.

#Tarring and Feathering

• Violent protests used to intimidate tax collectors and British officials. 😠
• Seen as acts of terrorism by the British, further escalating tensions.

#Philip Dawe (attributed), “The Bostonians Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and Feathering,” Wikimedia.

#The Boston Tea Party

• Colonists, disguised as Native Americans, dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act. 🫖
• A major act of defiance that galvanized the independence movement.
• Led to severe punishment of Boston and Massachusetts by Parliament.

#"The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor", lithograph depicting the 1773 Boston Tea Party

#The First Continental Congress

• Colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss grievances and petition Parliament. 🤝
• Established a colony-wide Committee of Correspondence.
• Sent a polite letter to King George III, emphasizing their loyalty but also their dissatisfaction.

#Final Exam Focus

#High-Priority Topics

• The French and Indian War: Know its causes, consequences, and how it led to increased British control.
• Salutary Neglect: Understand what it was and why it ended.
• British Acts: Memorize the key acts and the colonial responses to them. Pay attention to the economic and political motivations behind each act.
• Colonial Resistance: Focus on the methods of protest, including boycotts, the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, and the Boston Tea Party.

#Common Question Types

• Multiple Choice: Expect questions that test your knowledge of specific acts, events, and their chronological order. Also, be prepared for questions that analyze the causes and consequences of these events.
• Short Answer Questions (SAQs): These will often ask you to explain the causes of colonial discontent or analyze the impact of British policies.
• Free Response Questions (FRQs): These will require a more in-depth analysis of the period, often asking you to compare and contrast different events or evaluate the extent to which certain factors led to the Revolution. You might also see DBQs (Document-Based Questions) that ask you to analyze primary source materials.

#Last-Minute Tips

• Time Management: Keep a close eye on the clock. Don't spend too much time on any one question. Move on and come back if you get stuck.
• Common Pitfalls: Avoid vague generalizations. Be specific in your answers. Don't confuse the different acts or events. Make sure you know your chronology well.
• Strategies: Read the questions carefully. Plan your essays before you start writing. Use clear and concise language.

#Practice Questions

Practice Question

#Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following was a primary reason for the British government's shift away from the policy of salutary neglect? (A) The desire to establish more colonial governments (B) The need to raise revenue to pay off war debts (C) The growing influence of the colonies in Parliament (D) The fear of a colonial alliance with France

2. The Stamp Act of 1765 was significant because it: (A) imposed taxes on imported goods (B) required colonists to house British soldiers (C) taxed all printed materials and led to widespread colonial resistance (D) granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales

3. The Boston Tea Party was a direct response to the: (A) Stamp Act (B) Quartering Act (C) Townshend Acts (D) Tea Act

#Free Response Question

Analyze the extent to which British policies between 1763 and 1775 contributed to the growing tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies.

Scoring Guidelines:

• Thesis (1 point): Presents a clear, historically defensible thesis that addresses the prompt.
• Argument Development (2 points): Provides evidence to support the thesis, explaining the impact of British policies on colonial tensions. (e.g., Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act)
• Evidence (2 points): Uses specific historical evidence to support the argument. (e.g., "No taxation without representation", boycotts, Boston Tea Party, etc.)
• Synthesis (1 point): Connects the prompt to a broader historical context (e.g., the end of salutary neglect, the growth of colonial identity, the start of the American Revolution).

#Short Answer Question

Explain the significance of the slogan "No taxation without representation" in the context of the American Revolution. Be sure to include at least one specific example of how the colonists reacted to British taxation policies.

Let's get that A! You've got this! 💪