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
Commitee of correspondence
Commitees created by the Massachussets House of Representatives in the 1760s to help towns and colonies share information about resisting British laws. User-contributed
Boston Massacre
This historical event was caused by the colonists unhappiness with the taxation of good and so they boycotted. This eventually lead to a school yard fight in which two british soldiers shot and killed five people and leaving eight wounded. User-contribute
First Continental Congress
Delagates from all colonies except georgia met to discuss problems with britain and to promote independence User-contributed
Boston Tea Party
demonstration (1773) by citizens of Boston who (disguised as Indians) raided three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor noun
John Adams
Lawyer who defended British soldiers in the Boston Massacre trial. He believed in "innocent until proven guilty." In spite of these actions, he supported colonial independence. User-contributed
Stamp Act
an act passed by the British parliment in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents noun
Patrick Henry
a leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799) noun
Sons of Liberty
A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. They incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the l
Right of representation
Having say/standing up for oneself User-contributed ...A British principle of governemtn which American colonists valued
Nonimportation agreement
colonists agreed not to import goods taxed by England
Tarring and feathering
It was punishment that involves hot tar and feathers on people. It was used to intimidate the tax collectors.
Sugar Act
(1764) British deeply in debt partl to French & Indian War. English Parliament placed a tariff on sugar, coffee, wines, and molasses. colonists avoided the tax by smuggling and by bribing tax collectors.
Quartering Act
March 24, 1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.
Taxation without representation
Primary grief of the American colonists pre-Revolutionary War. The English Bill of Rights in 1689 set forth that no taxes could be collected without consent of Parliament. SInce the colonists had no representation, they believed that the taxes violated th
Parliament
the lawmaking body of British government
Patriots
Colonists who wanted independence from Britain
legislature
the group of people elected to make laws
Smuggling
act of illegally importing or exporting goods
Quebec Act
Extended Canada's southern border, cutting off lands claimed by several colonies
Coercive Acts
This series of laws were very harsh laws that intended to make Massachusetts pay for its resistance. It also closed down the Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined tea. Also forced Bostonians to shelter soilders in their own h
James Otis
a young lawyer in Boston, argued that colonists should not be taxed by Parliament because they could not vote for members of Parliament. "no taxation without colonist representation
Militia
civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army
Loyalist
A person who supported the British during the American Revolution
Second Continental Congress
The meeting of colonial delegates, who 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
Continental Army
The official army of the colonies, created by second continental congress and led by George Washington
George Washington
Virginian, patriot, general, and president. Lived at Mount Vernon. Led the Revolutionary Army in the fight for independence. First President of the United States.
Thomas Paine
Revolutionary leader who wrote the pamphlet Common Sense (1776) arguing for American independence from Britain. In England he published The Rights of Man
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
Virginia delegate who wrote the Declaration of Independence
Natural Rights
the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord initiated the Revolutionary War between the American colonists and the British. British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord to stop the colonists who were loading arms. The next day, on April 19, 1775, the firs
July 4th 1776
Date the Declaration of Independence was officially approved by the Continental Congress.
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
Enlightenment
The intellectual revolution of the eighteenth century in which the philosophes stressed reason, natural law, and progress in their criticism of prevailing social injustices.
William Howe
during the summer of 1776, he led hundreds of British ships and 32,000 British soldiers to New York, and offered Congress the choice between surrender with royal pardon and a battle against the odds, and despite having far fewer troops, the Americans reje
Mercenary
a person hired to fight for another country than their own
Battle of Trenton
1776, On Christmas day at night, Washington's soldiers began crossing the Deleware River. The next morning, they suprise attacked the British mercenaries which were Hessians. The Americans were victorious
Charles Cornwallis
Commanding general of the British forces that were defeated at Yorktown in 1781, ending the American Revolution.
Battle of Princeton
A week after the Battle at Trenton, Washington left a few men to tend some campfires and fool the enemy again. He quietly marched his army to Princeton, where they suprised and beat a British force. New Jersey turned Patriot. This battle helped the Americ
Marquis de Lafayette
(1757-1834) French soldier who joined General Washington's staff and became a general in the Continental Army.
Benjamin Franklin
American patriot, writer, printer, and inventor. During the Revolutionary War he persuaded the French to help the colonists.
Valley Forge
Place where Washington's army spent the winter of 1777-1778, a 4th of troops died here from disease and malnutriton, Steuben comes and trains troops
Monmouth
The battle which took place on a blistering hot day in June 1778 in which Washington attacked redcoats retreating from Philadelphia. Neither side won a clear victory
Deborah Sampson
Patriot who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army.
Mary Hayes
Molly Pitcher" carried water to soldiers during battle
John Burgoyne
British general in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga but lost the battle of Saratoga in 1777 (1722-1792)
Bernardo de Galvez
governor of Spanish Louisiana, favored the Patriots, secretly supplied goods to Americans-southwestern frontier
Baron Von Steuben
The German commander who taught Washington's troops how to fight at Valley Forge.
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
Kings Mountain
1780 battle in NC where Patriots defeated Loyalist militia; many neutral citizens swung over to patriot side and there was increased dislike of the British
Yorktown
in 1781 during the American Revolution the British under Cornwallis surrendered after a siege of three weeks by American and French troops
Treaty of Paris
agreement signed by British and American leaders that stated the United States of America was a free and independent contry
Manumission
voluntary freeing of enslaved persons, especially those who had fought in the revolution
Nathanael Greene
American general of Rhode Island, helped to turn the tide against Cornwallis and his British army, used geography of land
Daniel Morgan
American general of Virginia who also helped turn tides against British, Won important victory at South Carolina. Did the dividing into 2 lines (front and back)-used clever tactics
Battle of Cowpens
a 1781 battle in south carolina, led by Daniel Morgan, where Americans won a important victory over the british.
Guilford Courthouse
The major battle in North Carolina that is won by the British, but Cornwallis withdraws to Virginia and ultimately to Yorktown because of his losses
The French
who came to help the cause of liberty after the American victory at Saratoga. They made the critical differnce at Yorktown to defeat British.
Declaratory Act
1766; Britains proclaimed the right to tax colonists for no reason without challenge
Tea Act
(1773) The act let the British East India Company bypass the colonial tea merchants and sell directly to the colonists. Although colonists would have to pay the tea tax, they would not have to pay the higher price charged by the merchants. Colonial tea me
Yorktown
last major battle in the revolution
Battle of Monmouth
Site where Washington restored hisreputation, Molly Pitcher fought, and African Americans comprised 7-8% of combatants on both sides
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
Captain Preston
Fought in the war because he was used to the colonies governing themselves
Right to life
Is a negative right: the right not to be killed unjustly
Howard Zinn
true motivation of revolutionary leaders was an opportunistic move to gain power, money and divert lower class anger
Deism
The religion of the Enlightenment (1700s). Followers believed that God existed and had created the world, but that afterwards He left it to run by its own natural laws. Denied that God communicated to man or in any way influenced his life. User-contribute