| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Quartering Act | an act passed by the British that allowed British troops to live in the homes of the colonists |
| Tea Act | British law that allowed the British East India Tea Compnay to sell directly to shop keepers, causing a monopoly on tea |
| Townshend Act | British law that put indirect taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea |
| writs of assistance | act of parliment that allowed British officials to search warehouses and homes for smuggled goods |
| Intolerable Acts | name given by colonists to the Coercive Acts; a series of laws set up by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for its protests against the British |
| 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 homes. |
| Sons of Liberty | Secret societies formed to protest new taxes passed by Parliament. Led the Boston Tea Party and threatened tax collectors. |
| Daughters of Liberty | This orginization supported the boycott of British goods. They urged Americans to wear homemade fabrics and produce other goods that were previously available only from Britain. They believed that way, the American colonies would become economically independent. |
| Sam Adams | American Revolutionary leader and patriot |
| Thomas Jefferson | wrote the declaration of independence |
| Boston Massacre | The first bloodshed of the Amercan Revolution, as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans |
| 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 |
| Olive Branch Petition | An offer of peace sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George lll prior to the colonists requesting independence |
| 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 |
| boycott | refuse to buy a product as a means of protest, in this case British goods |
| Declaration of Independence | This document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It established the 13 colonies as independent states, free from rule by Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the majority of this document. |
| Common Sense | a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation |
| Thomas Paine | American Revolutionary leader who supported the American colonist's fight for independence, wrote Common Sense |
| loyalist | A person who supported the British during the American Revolution |
| patriot | A person who supported the colonists during the American Revolution |
| American Revolution | The war between the American colonies and Great Britain (1775-1783), leading to the formation of the independent United States. |
| Battle of Lexington | April 19th 1775. first battle outside of Concord, british attempted to capture weapons and patriot leaders Adams and Hancock, start of revolutionary war |
| Battle of Bunker Hill | First major battle of the Revolution. It showed that the Americans could hold their own in battle. |
| Battle of Trenton | Dec 25, 1776- crossing of the Delaware led by George Washingon, took British by surprise |
| 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. |
| Battle of 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. |
| Treaty of Paris 1783 | Ended the Revolution, recognized American Independence, granted all land south of Canada to Florida & Atlantic to Mississippi to Americans |
| Articles of Confederation | this document, the nations first constitution, was 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 |
| executive branch | the branch of the United States government that is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws |
| legislative branch | the branch of government that makes the laws. |
| judicial branch | The branch of government that settles differences about the meaning of the laws. (p. 353) |
| Stamp Act | A tax that the British Pariliament placed on newspapers and official documents sold in the American Colonies |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace
!