George III
King of Britain when the colonies were growing rapidly and the colonies declared independence.
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence who had strong beliefs on the ideas of John Locke and the Enlightenment.
Lord Cornwallis
Commanded the British army and surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown in 1781.
Louis XVI
King of France who wanted to weaken British forces and helped America defeat British.
George Washington
Commanded the U.S. army against one of the most powerful country in the world and won independence.
Navigation Act
Law that was passed to restrict the colonies to only sell products to Britain.
French and Indian War
War between Britain and France that was fought in North America for land in 1754.
Stamp Act
Law that was passed in 1765, that to buy an official stamp you had to pay a tax on the stamp that was used for wills, deeds, newspapers, and other written material.
Boston Tea Party
A protest to the import tax on tea. Group of colonists dumped large amount of tea in the Boston Harbor in 1773.
Shot heard around the world
This was the first shot of the American Revolution in Lexington, Massachusetts then spread to Concord.
Marquis De Lafayette
French officer which admired Americas Declaration of Independence.
Articles of the Confederation
A document which citizens ruled through their representatives that they vote for. Was built with only one branch of government.
Congress
Each state had one vote in through this. It had the power to declare war, enter into treaties, and coin money.
Checks and Balances
Stopped other branches of the government from taking power or to much power.
Federal System
Separated powers between the national and state governments.
Federalists
Was for the constitution and believed the constitution helped balance the national and state powers.
Antifederalists
These people feared of the power of the government so they wanted a bill of rights to protect their personal rights.
Bill of Rights
First ten Amendments to the Constitution to protect a persons rights.
Declaration of Independence
A document that was wrote in 1776, this document declared independence from Britain.
Taxation Without Representation
Argued by the colonist for being taxed without having any representation with the Parliament.
Lexington
Place where the first shot in the American revolution was shot.
Concord
After the first shot the fighting spread to this area in the American Revolution.
First Continental Congress
Every representative from every state except Georgia met in Philadelphia to protest the treatment of Boston.
Second Continental Congress
Formed after the king would not listen. They formed an army and organized to be controlled of by George Washington.
American Revolution
A war in 1775, between the British and the colonies. Colonies fighting for independence won it in 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia.