Chapter 5

Which of the following helped neutralize Britain's military advantages over the colonists in the Revolutionary War?

America was too vast to be conquered by conventional military methods of the era.

Why did Americans resist parliamentary taxation?

During the 1760s, British rulers claimed that Parliament could make laws for the colonists "in all cases whatsoever." Americans challenged this "parliamentary sovereignty." Drawing on the work of English philosopher John Locke, Americans insisted that God had given them certain natural and inalienable rights. By attempting to tax them without representation, Parliament threatened those rights.

Explain Washington's military strategy in the Revolution.

General Washington, the Commander in Chief, assumed five main roles during the war. First, he designed the overall strategy of the war, in cooperation with Congress. ... When France entered the war, he worked closely with the soldiers it sent--they were decisive in the great victory at Yorktown in 1781.

The Second Continental Congress formed a Continental Army and appointed __________ its commander.

George Washington

Describe the short & long-term results of the Battle of Saratoga.

His surrender to American forces at the Battle of Saratoga marked a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. The scope of the victory is made clear by a few key facts: On October 17, 1777, 5,895 British and Hessian troops surrendered their arms.

What events in 1775 and 1776 led to the colonists' decision to declare independence?

In 1775, following battles at Lexington and Concord, militiamen from throughout New England descended on Boston, besieging the British troops encamped there. In response, the Continental Congress formed the Continental Army and appointed George Washington commander. In 1776, Thomas Paine's Common Sense convinced colonists that a republic was a better form of government than monarchy, and Congress declared independence.

Name the location of the first battle of the American Revolution.

Lexington and Concord

How did different groups of American colonists experience the American Revolution?

Many different people participated in the war against Britain. Patriots who fought to ensure republican values and liberty were respected by the government while Loyalists fought to retain the lifestyles they enjoyed under British rule. Women supported the war effort directly by helping on the military front or indirectly by maintaining the households while the men of the family were away fighting. African Americans often chose to support the British in hopes of securing their freedom, while Native Americans fought to prevent the further spread of white settlement into their territory.

List the advantages & disadvantages of the Americans & the British in the American Revolution.

On the other hand, the Americans had many intangible advantages. The British fought a war far from home. Military orders, troops, and supplies sometimes took months to reach their destinations. ... Americans had a grand cause: fighting for their rights, their independence and their liberty.

Describe the colonial reaction to the Stamp Act.

Parliament passed the "Stamp Act" to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' War. It required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various papers, documents, and playing cards.

An American victory in 1777 at which of the following sites changed the course of the war by convincing the French to ally with America?

Saratoga

Explain the key concept in the British/colonial political conflict.

The British government increasingly attempted to incorporate its North American colonies into a coherent, hierarchical, and imperial structure in order to pursue mercantilist economic aims, but conflicts with colonists and American Indians led to erratic enforcement of imperial policies.

Describe the American response to the Intolerable Acts.

The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by the British to the detriment of colonial goods.

Explain the results of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 formally ended the American Revolutionary War. American statesmen Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay negotiated the peace treaty with Great Britain. ... England agreed to begin peace negotiations with the Americans to end the Revolutionary War.

Describe the origins & results of the Boston Tea Party.

The news of the Boston Tea Party reached London, England on January 20, 1774, and as a result the British shut down Boston Harbor until all of the 340 chests of British East India Company tea were paid for. This was implemented under the 1774 Intolerable Acts and known as the Boston Port Act. ... The Boston Tea-Party.

Why did it take eight years of warfare for the Americans to gain independence?

To win their independence, the colonies first had to overcome the formidable military power of Great Britain. Britain had four times the population of the colonies, was the world's leading manufacturer, and had a well-trained and experienced army and the world's best navy. The outgunned colonists had to rely on a war of attrition. It was only after the victory at Saratoga in 1777 convinced the French to enter into an alliance that the colonists were able to win conclusive battles and successfully end the war.

What events eroded the bonds of empire during the 1760s?

Wars in America were expensive. Parliament established the Proclamation Line of 1763 to reduce the costs of protecting the frontier, angering colonists seeking new lands in the West. Parliament also concluded that the colonists should help reduce the rising national debt, but when it passed the Stamp Act in 1765, Americans protested. Colonists boycotted British-manufactured goods. Taken aback, Parliament repealed the hated statute, while maintaining in the Declaratory Act of 1766 its complete legislative authority over the Americans.

Which of the following refers to the colonial militia?

minutemen