Events to The American Revolution

Boston Tea Party

Boston patriots organized the Boston Tea Party to protest the 1773 Tea Act. In December 1773, Samuel Adams warned Boston residents of the consequences of the Tea Act. Boston was boycotting the tea in protest of the Tea Act and would not let the ships bring the tea ashore. Finally, on the night of December 16, 1773, colonials disguised as Indians boarded the ships and threw the tea overboard. They did so because they were afraid that Governor Hutchinson would secretly unload the tea because he owned a share in the cargo.

Redcoat

British soldiers who fought against the colonists in the American Revolution; so called because of their bright red uniforms

Taxation without representation is Tyranny

During the Revolutionary War, citizens in colonies were taxed but not allowed to vote in Parliment James Otis or "No taxation without representation" which was created in reaction to the Stamp Act This was the biggest argument against the British

Thomas Jefferson

He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and the author of The Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States.

propaganda

Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause. An example of propaganda was The Boston Massacre drawing by Paul Revere

Writs of Assistance

It was part of the Townshend Acts. It said that the customs officers could inspect a ship's cargo without giving a reason. Colonists protested that the Writs violated their rights as British citizens. Allowed tax inspectors to search and seize any property

King George III

King of England during the American Revolution

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

Patrick Henry's virginia convention speech "I do not know what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death" "If this be treason make the most of it"

John Hancock

Patriot leader and president of the Second Continental Congress; first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere made this ride through the town to warn people that the British were coming, happened before the Batlle of Lexinghton and Concord

put events in order

Proclamation Line of 1763 Sugar Act Stamp Act Quartering Act Townshend Act Boston Massacre Tea Act Boston Tea Party Intolerable Acts Midnight Ride Battles of Lexington & Concord

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. He believed the rebellion was warranted according to the basic facts of the Enlightenment. He convinced farmers and merchants in the colonies that war and independence was necessary

First Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress convened on September 5, 1774, to protest the Intolerable Acts. They voted for a boycott of British imports, and sent a petition to King George III, conceding to Parliament the power of regulation of commerce but stringently objecting to its arbitrary taxation and unfair judicial system. Petitioned King George III and Parliament to repeal acts

Lexington Concord

The first battle of the Revolution in which British general Thomas Gage went after the stockpiled weapons of the colonists in Concord, Massachusetts. April 19, 1775

Boston Massacre

The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans Paul Revere called this the Bloody Massacre as a Patriot Perspective

repeal

To cancel

Quatering Act

name given to a minimum of two Acts of British Parliament in the local governments of the American colonies to provide the British soldiers with any needed accommodations or housing. This provided housing and supplies for British soldiers

Townshend Acts

passed by Parliament in 1767, placed taxes on imported materials such as glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Led to outrage and tons of people boycotted British goods. This helped to pay slaries of British Officers and raise money for Great Britain

protest

to speak out

Sam Adams

was a member of the Sons of Liberty who started the Committee of Correspondence to stir public support for American independence.

Old North Church

where the Sons of Liberty hung the lanterns that alerted riders Revere and Dawes in Boston on how the British were traveling to Concord "One if by land, Two if by sea"

Committees of Correspondence

• Committees of Correspondence, organized by patriot leader Samuel Adams, was a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies. They provided the organization necessary to unite the colonies in opposition to Parliament. The committees sent delegates to the First Continental Congress. Created by Sam Adams in order to exchange letters on colonial affairs, keep colonies informed, ensure people around all 13 colonies did not forget the cause of liberty

Sugar Act

(1764) British deeply in debt partl to French & Indian War. English Parliament placed a tariff on sugar, and molasses. colonists avoided the tax by smuggling and by bribing tax collectors.

Bunker Hill

(June 17, 1775) Site of a battle early in the Revolutionary War. This battle contested control of two hills (Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill) overlooking Boston Harbor. The British captured the hills after the Americans ran-out of ammunition. "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!" Battle implied that Americans could fight the British if they had sufficient supplies.

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc This act directly taxed the colonists and angered the colonists because Englishmen living in Britain did not have to pay this tax. The colonists protested the Stamp Act by boycotting British Goods. When Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, This proved to the colonists tat protests boycotts and mob actions worked!

Tea Act

1773 act which eliminated import tariffs on tea entering England and allowed the British East India Company to sell directly to consumers rather than through merchants. Led to the Boston Tea Party. When it was passed by Parliament it actually lowered the tax on tea... BUT stated that colonists could only buy tea from Britain

John Locke

17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to LIFE, LIBERTY & PROPERTY. They are born into a state of nature with certain rights

John Adams

A Massachusetts attorney and politician who was a strong believer in colonial independence. He argued against the Stamp Act and was involved in various patriot groups. As a delegate from Massachusetts, he urged the Second Continental Congress to declare independence. He helped draft and pass the Declaration of Independence. Adams later served as the second President of the United States. He defended the soldiers accused of murder following the Boston Massacre

Ben Franklin

A delegate from Pennsylvania and proposed the "Albany Plan of the Union" as a way to strengthen colonies and diplomat sent to France to get help during revolution; Perfect example of the Enlightenment; A writer, scientist, diplomat, political philosopher, and a printer. He was influential in the American Revolution, Continental Congress, Declaration of independence, and was influential in creating the America as we know it. He wsa the colonial ambassador sent to Great Britain to petition Parliament to hear the requests of the colonial people.

Crispus Attucks

A free black man who was the first person killed in the Revolution at the Boston Massacre. He is often considered a martyr of The American Revolution.

Patrick Henry

A leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799) "Give me liberty or give me death" A Virginia leader who called for resistance to The Stamp Act

Milita

A policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war

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 local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies. The Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. A group that staged protests against the Stamp Acts and Townshend Acts. Organized and participated in public protests against the Stamp Act

Boycott

A refusal to buy certain goods. This was the greatest strategy against the British because it hurt the British economy. "These boycotts served to increase tensions between Britain and her colonies, not to mention having a negative impact on the revenue so desperately needed in the British coffers. The increased tension contributed to more than a few violent incidents in the colonies, especially in the Boston area, where the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the shots fired at Lexington and Concord soon put the colonists on a road from which there was no turning back."

Intolerable Act

A series of laws set up by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for its protests against the British. They were passed by King George to punish the colonists for The Boston Tea Party The most damaging part of the Coercive Acts from the perespective of the colonists was the closing of Boston Harbor

Loyalist

American colonists who remained loyal to the crown and to Britain and opposed the war for independence.

Patriot

American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won

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)