Period 3: 1754–1800 (AP US History)

Period 3: 1754-1800

British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the new nation’s social, political, and economic identity. Topics may include:

 

  • The Seven Years’ War
  • The American Revolution
  • The Articles of Confederation
  • The Creation and Ratification of the Constitution
  • Developing an American Identity
  • Immigration to and Migration within America

 

Image Source: A detail from A View of Part of the Town of Boston in New-England and Brittish Ships of War Landing Their Troops, 1768, a broadside by Paul Revere and Christian Remick, printed in Boston, 1770. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02873)

Paul Revere's hand colored engraving of Boston with British warships landing troops
  • 10–17% Exam Weighting

Key Concepts

3.1: British attempts to assert tighter control over its North American colonies and the colonial resolve to pursue self-government led to a colonial independence movement and the Revolutionary War.

3.2: The American Revolution’s democratic and republican ideals inspired new experiments with different forms of government.

3.3: Migration within North America and competition over resources, boundaries, and trade intensified conflicts among peoples and nations.

The Seven Years’ War

The state of the English colonies

1755

Newspaper article drumming up support for the British in the French and Indian War

  • Primary Source

Proclamation of 1763

1763

Proclamation limiting White settlement and interaction with Indigenous peoples

  • Primary Source

The French and Indian War

by Andrew Robertson

Watch a discussion of how Americans' view of themselves as British changed.

  • Video

The American Revolution

The Bloody Massacre

1770

Paul Revere's propaganda representing the Boston "Massacre"

  • Primary Source

Poem on tyranny and slavery

1772

Poem by Phillis Wheatley published in her 1773 book of poetry

  • Primary Source

Unruly Americans in the Revolution

by Woody Holton

Learn about the role of ordinary citizens in the fight for independence.

  • Essay

The American Revolution, 1763–1783

by Pauline Maier

Learn more about the American Revolution from a timeline and a comprehensive essay.

  • Essay

The Stamp Act

1765

Tax requiring colonists to pay for a stamp on printed materials to help subsidize British troops in the colonies

  • Primary Source

A report on reaction to the Stamp Act

1765

Merchant and rising politician from Nova Scotia covers colonial impressions of the new tax

  • Primary Source

Taxation and Representation

by Gordon S. Wood

Watch a discussion of the connection between taxation and representation in the leadup to the Revolutionary War.

  • Video

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

1775

Broadside detailing the “Bloody Butchery by the British Troops"

  • Primary Source

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation

1775

The British threat to free enslaved Virginians

  • Primary Source

The Declaration of Independence

1776

A unique copy printed in South Carolina by patriotic printer Peter Timothy

  • Primary Source

The Indians’ War of Independence

by Colin G. Calloway

Learn about the role of American Indians during the Revolutionary War.

  • Essay

No Way Out

by James Kirby Martin

Learn the reasons for Cornwallis's loss at Yorktown and America’s victory in the War for Independence.

  • Essay

The American Revolution

by Pauline Maier

Watch a discussion of why the British were blamed for the Revolutionary War.

  • Video

The Siege of Pensacola

by Kathleen Duval

Read about Bernardo de Gálvez's efforts to recruit free Black men and Native Americans for Spain's fight against the British.

  • Essay

Lockean Liberalism and the American Revolution

by Isaac Kramnick

Learn about the influence of Enlightenment philosopher John Locke.

  • Essay

The Articles of Confederation

Understanding the Articles of Confederation

by Denver Brunsman

Watch a discussion of the context and key components of the Articles of Confederation.

  • Video

The Articles of Confederation

1777

Establishment of the first US government balancing state and national interests

  • Primary Source

The Creation and Ratification of the Constitution

George Washington on the Constitutional Convention

1787

Letter to Henry Knox discussing Shays’ Rebellion and the upcoming Constitutional Convention

  • Primary Source

Two versions of the Preamble to the Constitution

1787

Drafts showing the shift from a confederation of states to a united country

  • Primary Source

Ratification of the US Constitution in New York

1788

Broadside of the Constitution with Washington’s letter of support

  • Primary Source

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

by Carol Berkin

Watch a discussion of the arguments between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

  • Video

Calling the Constitutional Convention

by Carol Berkin

Watch a discussion of why the Constitutional Convention was called.

  • Video

Slavery and the American Revolution

by James Oliver Horton

Watch a discussion on the American Revolution in relation to African enslavement.

  • Video

The Legal Status of Women, 1776–1830

by Marylynn Salmon

Learn about the rights of women in the founding era.

  • Essay

Developing an American Identity

George Washington on the abolition of slavery

1786

Letter to John Francis Mercer describing Washington's private views on slavery

  • Primary Source

Hamilton’s Report on the Subject of Manufactures

1791

A report advocating tariffs to protect American industry from foreign competition

  • Primary Source

Washington's Most Significant Act

by Gordon S. Wood

Watch a discussion of the importance of George Washington stepping down as general.

  • Video

George Washington’s reluctance to become president

1789

Letter to Henry Knox as Washington prepares to travel to his inauguration

  • Primary Source

George Washington’s First Inaugural Address

1789

Washington explaining the fundamental principle of the American democratic revolution

  • Primary Source

The Righteous Revolution of Mercy Otis Warren

by Ray Raphael

Explore the role of writer Mercy Otis Warren in the fight for independence and equality.

  • Essay

The Supreme Court Then and Now

by A. E. Dick Howard

Read about the development of judicial review through US history.

  • Essay

Women and the Revolution

by Carol Berkin

Watch a discussion of the significance of women in the leadup to the American Revolution.

  • Video

The Significance of the American Revolution

by Gordon S. Wood

Watch a discussion of the transformative nature of the American Revolution

  • Video

The League of the Iroquois

by Matthew Dennis

Learn about the Six Nations and Tripartite Agreement.

  • Essay

Immigration to and Migration within America

A Nation of Immigrants from the Outset

by James Basker and Sofia Melnychuck

Learn about the economic and religious diversity of the Continental Congress and signers of the Declaration of Independence.

  • Essay

Receipt for land purchased from the Six Nations

1769

Document outlining the acquisition of land with Native leaders' names

  • Primary Source

Hispanics in the United States: Origins and Destinies

by Rubén G. Rumbaut

Read about Spanish migration to the Americas from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.

  • Essay

The impact of Horse Culture

by Elliott West

Read the return of the horse to the Americas, indigenous migration, and the hunting of buffalo.

  • Essay

Early America’s Jewish Settlers

by Eli Faber

Read about the causes and consequences of early Jewish migration to North America.

  • Essay

American History Timeline: 1754-1800

Image Citations

Listed in order of appearance in the sections above

The Seven Years’ War

The Seven Years’ War

  • Maryland Gazette, May 22, 1755. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC08719.
  • George III. Proclamation, October 7, 1763. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC05214.
  • Leonard, Ephraim. "To Joseph Hall, 'Captain of a military foot Company in the Town of Taunton,'" August 11, 1757. Manuscript. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01450.199.01.

The American Revolution

The American Revolution

  • Revere, Paul. The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King-Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Reg. Boston, 1770. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01868.
  • Unidentified Artist. A Portrait of Phyllis Wheatley. 1773, Engraving on Paper. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC06154.
  • Dawe, Philip. The Bostonian's Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring & Feathering. London, 1774. Engraving. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC04961.01.
  • Trumball, John. Declaration of Independence. Washington D.C., 1826. Oil on Canvas, U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
  • Stamp Act, 1765, 5 Geo. 3, c. 1. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00769. 
    Hinshelwood, Archibald. Letter to Joshua Mauger, August 19, 1765. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC03902.061.
  • US Congress. Instructions to the Commanders of private Ships or Vessels of War, which shall have Commissions or Letters of Marque and Reprisal, authorising them to make Captures of British Vessels and Cargoes, April 3, 1776. s.l., ca. 1777-1778. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00038.02.
  • Russell, Ezekiel. Bloody Butchery by the British Troops. Salem, MA, 1775. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC04810.
  • Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser, No. 1674 (January 4, 1774) - No. 1725 (December 27, 1775) [with gaps]. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01706_00124.
  • Continental Congress. Declaration of Independence, 1776. Washington DC, 1823. Facsimile engraving by William J. Stone. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00154.02.
  • George III. Proclamation, October 7, 1763. Broadside. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC05214.
  • Baillie, James S. Surrender of Cornwallis. New York, 1845. Lithograph. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02918.02.
  • Pendleton, Edmund. Letter to James Madison, April 17, 1765. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00099.026.
  • Godefroy, François. Recueil d'estampes représentant les différents evenémens de la Guerre qui a procuré l'indépendance aux Etats Unis de l'Amérique. Paris, ca. 1784. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC06551.
  • Locke, John. Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. London: Eliz. Holt, 1690. The Gilder Institute of American History. GLC00320.

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation

  • Continental Congress. Articles of Confederation. Lancaster, PA, 1777. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC04759.
  • Continental Congress. Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union between the States of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Boston, MA, 1777. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00268.

The Creation and Ratification of the Constitution

The Creation and Ratification of the Constitution

  • Washington, George. Letter to Henry Knox, February 3, 1787. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02437.09410.
  • Constitutional Convention. Committee of Detail. US Constitution [printing of first draft], August 6, 1787. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00819.01.
  • Constitutional Convention. US Constitution. Albany, NY, 1788. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC07866.
  • Carrington, Edward. Letter to Henry Knox, March 13, 1788. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02437.03821.
  • Pendleton, Edmund. Letter to James Madison, August 12, 1787. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00099.123.
  • Régnier, Claude, engraver. Life of George Washington--The Farmer. Lemercier. Paris, ca. 1853. Lithograph based on a painting by Junius Brutus Stearns. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Unidentified artist, engraver. Mercy Warren. s.l., n.d. Engraving based on a painting by John Singleton Copley. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC08878.0726.

Developing an American Identity

Developing an American Identity

  • Régnier, Claude, engraver. Life of George Washington--The Farmer. Lemercier. Paris, ca. 1853. Lithograph based on a painting by Junius Brutus Stearns. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Hamilton, Alexander. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, on the Subject of Manufactures. New York, 1791. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00891.
  • Washington, George. Farewell Address. In Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser, September 19, 1796. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC00185.
  • Washington, George. Letter to Henry Knox, April 1, 1789. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02437.09410.
  • Washington, George. First Inaugural Address. Gazette of the United States, May 2, 1789. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC03518.
  • Warren, Mercy Otis. Letter to Catharine Macaulay, December 29, 1774. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC01800.01.
  • Harris & Ewing. Supreme Court Justices. Washington DC, ca. 1940. Photograph. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02929.01.
  • Rogers, J., engraver. Moll Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth. New York, 1856. Engraving based on a painting by D. M. Carter. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC08878.0067.
  • Trumbull, John, painter, Washington Lays Down His Sword. Washington D.C., 1826. Oil on Canvas. Capital Rotunda, Architect of the Capital.
  • Cusick, David (Tuscarora). Three Iroquois: Atotárho Protected by Black Snakes, Flanked by Deganawida(?) Offering Wampum and Hiawatha(?). ca. 1827. Watercolor and ink over graphite on paper. Collections of the New-York Historical Society.

Immigration to and Migration within America

Immigration to and Migration within America

  • Sadd, Henry S., engraver. The First Prayer in Congress. New York, John Neale, 1848. Engraving based on a painting by T. H. Matteson. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
  • Iroquois Nation. Six Nations. Receipt for land sale signed with the totems of fourteen Indigenous leaders. [Lancaster, PA], 1769. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC02548.
  • Sahagún, Bernardino de. Historia general de las coasas de nueva España [General History of the Things of New Spain]: The Florentine Codex. s.l., 1577. Library of Congress.
  • Martinez, Julian. Buffalo Hunter, ca. 1920-1925, watercolor, ink, and pencil on paperboard, sheet: 11 1/8 x 14 1/4 in. (28.4 x 36.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Corbin-Henderson Collection, Gift of Alice H. Rossin, 1979.144.84
  • Lazarus, Emma. "The New Colossus." 1883. Manuscript bound in journal. Courtesy of the American Jewish Historical Society, New York and Newton Centre, Massachusetts.