What were the causes of the American Revolution?
Proclamation of 1763, Intolerable Acts, Stamp Act, Mercantilism, Lack of Representation in Parliament, and British economic polocies following the French & Indian War.
Intolerable Acts
In response to Boston Tea Party, 4 acts passed in 1774, Port of Boston closed, reduced power of assemblies in colonies, permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere, provided for quartering of troop's in barns and empty houses.
ben franklin
American patriot, writer, printer, and inventor. During the Revolutionary War he persuaded the French to help the colonists.
crispus attucks
The African-Native American man who was the first man to die in the Boston Massacre, also considered the first death in the Revolutionary War
king george III
He was the king of England from 1760 to 1820, exercised a greater hand in the government of the American colonies than had many of his predecessors. Colonists were torn between loyalty to the king and resistance to acts carried out in his name. After King
thomas jefferson
He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States.
thomas paine
Patriot and writer whose pamphlet Common Sense, published in 1776, convinced many Americans that it was time to declare independence from Britain. He also wrote The American Crisis to urge colonists to join the fight against the British.
george washington
Commander of the Continental Army. He had led troops (rather unsuccessfully) during the French and Indian War, and had surrendered Fort Necessity to the French. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and was much more successful in t
Lexington and Concord
A 1775 conflict between colonial minutemen & British soldiers attempting to take the colonists' large store of arms; began the Revolutionary War, British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord to stop the colonists who were loading arms. The next day
Saratoga
The battle which was the turning point of the Revolution because after the colonists won this major victory, the French decided to support us with money, troops, ships, etc.
Yorktown
Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.
Valley Forge
Washington and troops were low on supplies, food, and clothing. Because it was a harsh winter, 1/5 of soldiers died. Name given to the 1777-1778 encampment at Valley Forge by the American military under General Washington. It was America's first real effo
Treaty of Paris of 1783
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi Rive
Loyalist
A person who supported the British during the American Revolution
propaganda
material distributed by those in favor of a specific cause and reflecting their point of view, Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause.
Patriot
A person who supported the colonists during the American Revolution, a colonist who wanted to break free from Britain's rule
First Continental Congress
September 1774, delegates from twelve colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts
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.
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
Continental Army
Army formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation.
Guerilla Warfare
type of fighting in which soldiers use swift hit-and-run attacks against the enemy
Sons of Liberty
a group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution.
Ally
a country that agrees to help another country achieve a common goal, ie. American Revolution - French were allies.
Boston Massacre
British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were teasing and taunting them. Five colonists were killed. The colonists blamed the British and the Sons of Liberty and used this incident as an excuse to promote the Revolution.
Representation in Parliament
Colonists felt that the laws and taxes passed by the British were unfair because they had no____________________.
What were the strengths of the British?
They had a strong well-trained army and navy along with a strong central government with food, ammunition and the support of colonial loyalists and Native Americans.
Declaration of Independence
The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.
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)
Marquis de Lafayette
He was very rich and noble when he arrived in America at the age of 19 years old. He believed in the liberty that the Americans were fighting for and asked to help. He became a general on Washington's staff and fought hard. He was known as "the soldier's
boycott
to refuse to buy items from a particular country. The colonists upheld a __________against British goods.
minutemen
Member of a militia during the American Revolution who could be ready to fight in a minute.
natural rights stated in the Declaration of Independence
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Quartering Act
March 24, 1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.
Spain and France
supported the colonist's war for independence; were allies of the colonists
American Revolution
helped to ignite or spark the French Revolution
Parliament
government in Great Britain
French and Indian War
due to the costly war, the king began taxing the colonists which led to a lot of tension between Britain and the colonists
Boston Tea Party
colonists angry over tax on tea protested by throwing the tea into the harbor
Proclamation of 1763
The British king forbade the colonists from moving into lands west of the Appalachian mountains
Tea Act
Tax on all British tea
Stamp Act
a tax on all printed materials