Sugar Act
law passed by Parliament that taxed sugar, coffee, wine, and some textiles
Stamp Act
law passed by Britain that required printed items such as newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards to be produced on special paper (colonists had to pay a tax on this paper)
Writs of Assistance
court orders that allowed British officials to make search ships coming into colonial ports without saying what they were searching for
taxes
required payment that goes to the government
No Taxation Without Representation
slogan that summarized colonists' feelings about Britain's attempt to tax the colonists
non-importation agreements
agreements signed by the colonists in which they promised to stop importing goods taxed by the Townshend Acts
boycott
a way to protest unfair practices by refusing to purchase, sell, or use goods or services
Stamp Act Congress
special meeting held where representatives from 9 out of the 13 colonies met to discuss what to do in response to the Stamp Act (wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances)
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
document written by representatives from the colonies demanding that Parliament repeal the Stamp Act
repeal
to cancel or make void
Daughters of Liberty
a group of colonial women who supported the protest of British goods and laws by parading, petitioning, organizing boycotts, and trying to find alternatives to boycotted items
Sons of Liberty
independent groups of colonists formed to protest British policies by holding demonstrations, encouraging people to boycott British goods, forcing British officials to resign, and persuading Parliament to repeal unfair taxes
Declaratory Act
law that stated that the king and Parliament had total control over the colonies and could impose any amount of duties and taxes on the colonies at any time and any laws or resolutions passed by the colonies themselves were null and void. I
Townshend Acts
imposed import duties (taxes on goods brought into the colonies) on goods such as lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea
Quartering Act
stated that if barracks were full, colonists had to provide housing and for British soldiers in hotels and inns (free of charge) or even if colonists' own houses
Boston Massacre
event where a British soldier fired into a large crowd of colonists that were taunting British soldiers - five colonists were killed
Patriot
people living in the colonies who started seeing themselves as American citizens instead of British subjects
Loyalist
people living in the colonies who promised to keep their allegiance to the British throne
Committees of Correspondence
groups formed to promote the Patriot cause in the colonies by planning responses to British actions and writing letters and pamphlets reporting on events in colonies when Britain tried enforcing unpopular acts of Parliament
Tea Act
law that allowed to British East India Company to lower the price of tea so much that even with the tax added on it would be cheaper than the competition's tea (trying to trick the colonists into paying the taxes)
Boston Tea Party
the Sons of Liberty dressed up as Native Americans and snuck onto a British ship in the Boston Harbor - they dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the water
Intolerable Acts
laws passed by Britain to punish the colonists in Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party
1. shut down the port of Boston
2. Massachusetts colonists banned from holding town meetings
3. British officials/officers accused of crimes would be tried in England
First Continental Congress
meeting of leaders from 12/13 colonies to discuss what to do in response to the Intolerable Acts
-agreed to boycott all British goods until they repealed the Intolerable Acts
-urged each colony to form a militia
-agreed to meet again in 1 year to reassess
Declaration of Resolves
petition to King George that called for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts and demanded that the king and Parliament respect the colonists' rights as British citizens
Paul Revere
colonist who warned people of British army's plan to get to Concord
Minutemen
name of the militia in Boston, Massachusetts (because they could be ready to fight in a minute)
militia
volunteer army of citizens who serve as soldiers during an emergency
representative government
a form of government in which people elect leaders to stand in for them; these leaders create laws and policies that reflect the interests of the people they represent
Magna Carta
document signed by king of England in 1215 saying that the king would share power with the English nobility
Parliament
the British law-making body
English Bill of Rights
passed by Parliament and listed rights of English people and rules that English monarchs had to follow
monarch
a single person who rules a nation and achieves that position through heredity
democracy
government in which people have the power to make political decisions
mercantilism
economic theory that says a country should acquire as much wealth as possible (this is done by exporting more goods than they import)
Navigation Acts
trade laws that were meant to keep Britain's colonies from trading directly with other countries (tried to ensure Britain would benefit financially from colonies)
Ohio River Valley
area of land in North America that Britain and France competed for
George Washington
young officer sent by British to warn the French to stay clear of British claimed territory
French and Indian War
war that erupted from the conflict between the French and the British over the Ohio River Valley
Treaty of Paris 1763
formally ended the French and Indian War and outlined the terms for peace - France lost most of its land in North America and Britain's American Empire more than doubled
Pontiac's Rebellion
Native American nations in the Ohio River Valley came together to fight the new British landowners - the rebellion failed, but it did great damage to the colonies and British rule
Proclamation of 1763
order that established a line along the Appalachian Mountains beyond which colonists were not allowed to settle