First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress convened on September 5, 1774, to protest the Intolerable Acts. The congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, voted for a boycott of British imports, and sent a petition to King George III, conceding to Parliament the power of
Suffolk Resolves
Agreed to by delegates from Suffolk county, Massachusetts, and approved by the First Continental Congress on October 8, 1774. Nullified the Coercive Acts, closed royal courts, ordered taxes to be paid to colonial governments instead of the royal governmen
Patrick Henry
a leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799)
Samuel Adams
Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence
John Adams
America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained.
George Washington
Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, went on the serve as president of the Constitutional Convention and first president of the United States.
John Dickinson
Drafted a declaration of colonial rights and grievances, and also wrote the series of "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania" in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts. Although an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies, Dickinson opposed t
John Jay
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
Joseph Galloway
This influential politician in colonial Pennsylvania served in the First Continental Congress in 1774. In an effort to defuse the growing political crisis, he proposed a plan of imperial union with Great Britain in which the British Parliament and a Colon
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
created by delegates from nine colonies, set forth view of British power in colonies. Parliament didn't have right to tax colonists without their legislative consent and demanded repeal of Stamp and Sugar Acts
Paul Revere
American silversmith remembered for his midnight ride (celebrated in a poem by Longfellow) to warn the colonists in Lexington and Concord that British troops were coming (1735-1818)
William Dawes
A leader of the Sons of Liberty who rode with Paul Revere to Lexington to warn them that the British where coming
Minutemen
Member of a militia during the American Revolution who could allegedly be ready to fight in sixty seconds
Lexington
town in eastern Massachusetts near Boston where the first battle of the American Revolution was fought (April 19, 1775)
Concord
town in New Hampshire near where one of the first battles of the American Revolution was fought (April 19, 1775)
Battle of Bunker Hill
First major battle of the Revolution. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands.
Second Continental Congress
They organized the Continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the comittee to draft the Declaration of Independence, which it adopted on July 4, 1776
Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms
A declaration by the representatives of the united colonies of North America, meeting in Congress at Philadelphia, setting forth the causes and necessity of their taking up arms. " Our cause is just, our union is perfect.
Olive Branch Petition
On July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parl
Prohibitory Act
Declared the colonies in rebellion and suspended trade among Britain and the American Colonies
Thomas Paine
American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who supported the American colonist's fight for independence and supported the French Revolution (1737-1809)
Common Sense
a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that criticized monarchies and convinced many American colonists of the need to break away from Britain
Declaration of Independence
the document recording the proclamation of the Second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain
Thomas Jefferson
He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as Washington's Secretary of State and the third President of the United States.
Patriots
American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won
Loyalists
American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence
Valley Forge
Place where Washington's army spent the winter of 1777-1778, one-fourth of troops died here from disease and malnutriton, Steuben comes and trains troops
Continentals
Paper bills issued by the Continental Congress to finance the revolution; supposed to be exchanged for silver but the overprinting of bills made them basically worthless.
George Rogers Clark
Leader of a small Patriot force that captured British-controlled Fort Vincennes in the Ohio Valley in 1779., secured the Northwest Territory for America
Battle of Saratoga
Turning point of the American Revolution. It was very important because it convinced the French to give the U.S. military support. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River, and, most importa
absolute monarch
ruler with complete control over the government and the lives of the people.
Battle of Yorktown
Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. British general Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was trapped between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.
Treaty of Paris (1783)
American delegates Franklin, Adams, John Jays were instructed to follow the lead of France; John Jay makes side treaty with England. Terms: independence of the colonies, end of Loyalist persecution, colonies still had to repay its debt to England
Articles of Confederation
The nation's first constitution, they were adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1781 during the Revolution. The document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage
unicameral legislature
a lawmaking body with only one chamber
Land Ordinance of 1785
A law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships to facilitate the sale of land to settlers.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for self-government and statehood, included a Bill of Rights, and permanently prohibited slavery
Shays' Rebellion
this conflict in Massachusetts caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working; uprising led by Daniel Shays in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not p
Mary McCauley
aka Molly Pitcher; heroine of the American Revolution who carried water to soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth Court House and took over her husband's gun when he was overcome by heat (1754-1932)
Deborah Sampson
at the age of 21, she dressed up as a man in order to fight in the American Revolution; is the first documented woman to impersonate a man to get into the army; was awarded an honorable discharge and pension; and proved that women could be of some use in
Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create.