Unit 2: Development of Constitutional Government, 1750-1808

Unit Overview:

This unit covers the French and Indian War through the signing and ratification of the US Constitution. Some important themes covered in this unit:

Unit Essay: The American Revolution DBQ (2005)

In order to get credit for this project, you must write an essay on the following topic:

The American Revolution

DBQ: To what extent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American society? In your answer, be sure to address the political, social, and economic effects of the Revolution in the period from 1775 to 1800. (2005)

Many historians consider the American Revolution to have been a galvanizing experience in the formation of the United States of America. Prior to the Revolution, the various colonies more or less considered themselves stand-alone nations with a distant connection to the British Empire, but the Revolution would change all that. The poster to the left penned by Benjamin Franklin illustrates one of the significant changes: greater political unity between the colonies. This DBQ examines not only the political changes the Revolution brought, but the social and economic effects as well, and is an interesting document illustrating ideals of the times.

Join, or Die. Pennsylvania Gazette, 1754. Artist: Benjamin Franklin

 Attachments:  2005 Questions.pdf

Unit Videos:                                                                                       Key Terms:                                 

Last of the Mohicans Film Clips, 15:00

Liberty! 1, The Reluctant Revolutionaries: 53: 57

John Adams, the declaration of independence: 5:55

Liberty! 2, Blows Must Decide, 54:05

AP US History Unit 2 Key Terms

For this project you must define the terms listed below and explain each term's significance to the unit/era being studied. Your definition should be 2-3 sentences long and may be copied and pasted from a source like Wikipedia, but the significance of the term must be in your own words and based on your own understanding. To fill out a term's significance, ask yourself, "Why is this item included in my study of this unit? Why is this term in a history book?" The answer to this question is your term's significance. 

Unit 2 Key Terms:

Navigation Acts                    

Proclamation of 1763           

Common Sense                        

Articles of Confederation

Albany Congress                  

Stamp Act                             

Olive Branch Petition             

Northwest Ordinance

King George's War                

Sons of Liberty                     

Battle of Trenton                   

Constitutional Convention             

French and Indian War          

Boston Massacre                  

Battle of Yorktown                

Federalists/Anti-Federalists

Treaty of Paris (1763)           

Continental Congress           

Treaty of Paris (1783)             

"Great Compromise"                      

Below is an example of a key term done with the proper format:

William the Conqueror: William I (c. 1028[2] – 9 September 1087), also known as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant), was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II. Before his conquest of England, he was known as William the Bastard because of the illegitimacy of his birth.To press his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, and Frenchmen (from Paris andÎle-de-France) to victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.[3] (I copied and pasted this definition from Wikipedia)

Significance: William the Conqueror is significant because his conquest of England created the first nation state in Europe. His rearrangement of English feudal territories to give himself dramatically more power than the the barons and nobles around him caused him to be the most powerful monarch in Europe and eventually led to the rise of other nation states over the next few centuries. (These are my words based on my knowledge of English and European history.)