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:

 

 

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

Resources by Period:

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

Front page from Maryland Gazette, May 22, 1755, including an article drumming up support for the British in the French and Indian War

The state of the English colonies

1755

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

  • Primary Source
Royal Emblem from a printed version of the Proclamation of 1763

Proclamation of 1763

1763

Proclamation limiting White settlement and interaction with Indigenous peoples

  • Primary Source
Detail from handwritten 1757 letter to Captain of a Military Foot Company

The French and Indian War

by Andrew Robertson

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

  • Video

The American Revolution

Paul Revere's 1770 engraving showing the Boston Massacre

The Bloody Massacre

1770

Paul Revere's propaganda representing the Boston "Massacre"

  • Primary Source
1773 engraving showing the portrait of Phyllis Wheatley

Poem on tyranny and slavery

1772

Poem by Phillis Wheatley published in her 1773 book of poetry

  • Primary Source
Satyrical engraving depicting the tarring and feathering of an excise Man

Unruly Americans in the Revolution

by Woody Holton

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

  • Essay
John Trumble's 1826 painting "Declaration of Independence" depicting Continental Congress

The American Revolution, 1763–1783

by Pauline Maier

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

  • Essay
Broadside of the 1765 Stamp Act

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
1765 Letter discussing colonist reaction to Stamp Act

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
Printed 1776 authorization to capture British vessels

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
Broadside detailing Bloody Butchery by British troops

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

1775

Broadside detailing the “Bloody Butchery by the British Troops"

  • Primary Source
Detail from printed 1774 Pennsylvania Journal

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation

1775

The British threat to free enslaved Virginians

  • Primary Source
Detail of signatures to Declaration of Independence on a 1823 Facsimile engraving

The Declaration of Independence

1776

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

  • Primary Source
1763 Broadside of King George III's proclamation limiting White settlement and interaction with Indigenous peoples

The Indians’ War of Independence

by Colin G. Calloway

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

  • Essay
James Baillee's 1845 lithograph depicting the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown

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
Detail from handwritten letter to James Madison about taxes in Virginia

The American Revolution

by Pauline Maier

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

  • Video
Engraved 1784 Illustration showing Pensacola Battle

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
Title page of John Locke's 1690 essay on Humane Understanding

Lockean Liberalism and the American Revolution

by Isaac Kramnick

Learn about the influence of Enlightenment philosopher John Locke.

  • Essay
See All Resources

The Articles of Confederation

Page from a printed edition of the 1777 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
Title page of the 1777 Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

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

First page of letter from George Washington to Henry Knox regarding the Constitutional Convention and Shays Rebellion

George Washington on the Constitutional Convention

1787

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

  • Primary Source
First page from the first draft of the US Constitution (August 6, 1787)

Two versions of the Preamble to the Constitution

1787

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

  • Primary Source
Broadside of the Constitution with Washington’s letter of support

Ratification of the US Constitution in New York

1788

Broadside of the Constitution with Washington’s letter of support

  • Primary Source
Detail of handwritten letter from Edward Carrington to Henry Knox

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

by Carol Berkin

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

  • Video
Detail from handwritten letter from Edmund Pendleton to James Madison about Constitutional Convention

Calling the Constitutional Convention

by Carol Berkin

Watch a discussion of why the Constitutional Convention was called.

  • Video
19th-century illustration of enslaved people working field at Mt. Vernon

Slavery and the American Revolution

by James Oliver Horton

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

  • Video
Engraved portrait depicting Mercy Warren

The Legal Status of Women, 1776–1830

by Marylynn Salmon

Learn about the rights of women in the founding era.

  • Essay
See All Resources

Developing an American Identity

19th-century illustration of enslaved people working field at Mt. Vernon

George Washington on the abolition of slavery

1786

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

  • Primary Source
Title page of the 1791 Report of the Secretary of the Treasury

Hamilton’s Report on the Subject of Manufactures

1791

A report advocating tariffs to protect American industry from foreign competition

  • Primary Source
Detail of Washington's farewell address, handwritten on the frontpage of a 1796 newspaper

Washington's Most Significant Act

by Gordon S. Wood

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

  • Video
Detail of Washington's letter as prepares to travel to his inauguration

George Washington’s reluctance to become president

1789

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

  • Primary Source
Detail from George Washington's First Inaugural Address as published in the Gazette of the United States, May 2, 1789

George Washington’s First Inaugural Address

1789

Washington explaining the fundamental principle of the American democratic revolution

  • Primary Source
Detail of handwritten 1774 letter from Mercy Warren to Catharine Macaulay

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
Black and white photograph of the nine supreme court justices in robes from ca. 1962

The Supreme Court Then and Now

by A. E. Dick Howard

Read about the development of judicial review through US history.

  • Essay
Engraving of Margaret Corbin using a rammer on a cannon during the Battle of Monmouth. Her husband lies dead at her feet. An American flag is in the background.

Women and the Revolution

by Carol Berkin

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

  • Video
Painting, Washington Lays Down His Sword, by John Trumbull

The Significance of the American Revolution

by Gordon S. Wood

Watch a discussion of the transformative nature of the American Revolution

  • Video
1827 watercolor depicting two Iroquois warriors flanking naked man bound in snakes

The League of the Iroquois

by Matthew Dennis

Learn about the Six Nations and Tripartite Agreement.

  • Essay
See All Resources

Immigration to and Migration within America

19th-century engraving showing the Continental Congress at prayer

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
1769 receipt for land sale signed with the totems of fourteen Indigenous leaders

Receipt for land purchased from the Six Nations

1769

Document outlining the acquisition of land with Native leaders' names

  • Primary Source
Illustration on the title page ofthe 1577 Florentine Codex of ships landing ashore

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
20th-century watercolor depicting Native on horseback spearing Buffalo

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
Manuscript page with Emma Lazarus 1883 poem "The New Colossus"

Early America’s Jewish Settlers

by Eli Faber

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

  • Essay
See All Resources

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.