Causes of the American Revolution

Stamp Act

A tax that the British Parliament placed on newspapers and official documents sold in the American Colonies. Colonists protested the Stamp Act with Boycotts.

Salutary Neglect

an English policy of relaxing the enforcement of regulations in its colonies in return for the colonies' continued economic loyalty. Basically, England did not force the colonies to follow it's laws until after the French and Indian War. The end of salutary neglect is a cause of the American Revolution.

2nd Continental Congress

1)Sent the "Olive Branch Petition" asking for peace 2)Created a continental army with George Washington as the leader. 3) Agreed to write a formal letter declaring their independence from England (T. Jefferson).

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, and property. Wrote Two Treatises of Government

Samuel Adams

A Massachusetts politician who was a radical fighter for colonial independence. Helped organize the Sons of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence. He is believed to have led the Boston Tea Party. General Gage wanted to arrest him and John Hancock which lead to the battles of Lexington and Concord

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that was used as propaganda to increase support for a growing Patriot movement to declare independence from England.

Enlightenment

A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method. Writers of the enlightenment tended to focus on government, ethics, and science, rather than on imagination, emotions, or religion. Many members of the Enlightenment rejected traditional religious beliefs in favor of Deism, which holds that the world is run by natural laws without the direct intervention of God.

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, in order to avoid costly conflict with the Native Americans.

Boston Tea Party

A raid on three British ships in Boston Harbor in which Boston colonists, led by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty, threw tea into the harbor as a protest against the British Tea Act.

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

Also known as the Intolerable Acts. Several British laws designed to punish colonists for their role in the Boston Tea Party. The port of Boston was closed, government assemblies were cancelled, trade between the colonies halted. Massachusetts became a royal colony.

Paul Revere

American silversmith who became a hero after his famous ride to warn of the British advance on Lexington and Concord. 1 of 3 riders. He is also responsible for creating propaganda about the Boston Massacre by publishing his famous image called the "Bloody Massacre."

Olive Branch Petition

An offer of peace sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George lll.

Boston Massacre

British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were teasing and taunting them. Five colonists were killed. The colonists blamed the British and the Sons of Liberty and used this incident as an excuse to promote the Revolution. Crispus Attucks was a victim.

Writs of Assistance

It said that the customs officers and redcoats could inspect a ship's cargo and people's homes for smuggled goods without giving a reason. Writs of Assistance are similar to warrants issued without due process.

Navigation Acts

Laws that governed trade between England and its colonies. Colonists were required to ship certain products exclusively to England. These acts made colonists very angry because they were forbidden from trading with other countries. This is a good example of Mercantilism.

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.

Committees of Correspondence

Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies, 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.

Sons of Liberty

Patriot group that organized protests and petitions against the British and its policies. Led by leaders such as Sam Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere.

"Taxation without Representation"

Rallying cry of the Sons of Liberty because the Stamp Act was placed on them by a Parliament in which they had no elected representation.

No taxation without representation

Reflected the colonists' belief that they should not be taxed because they had no direct representatives in Parliament

First Great Awakening

Religious revival in the colonies in 1730s and 1740s; George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards preached a message of atonement for sins by admitting them to God. The movement attempted to combat the growing secularism and rationalism of mid-eighteenth century America. Made colonists challenge authority figures.

Stamp Act Congress

Representatives from some of the colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss a response to the Stamp Act, saying that Parliament couldn't tax without colonist' consent.

Quartering Act

Required colonists to provide food and shelter to British troops stationed in the colonies.

Tea Act

Tea Act Law passed by parliament allowing the British East India Company monopolize the tea business in the colonies. Its provided low-cost tea directly to the colonies - undermining colonial tea merchants; led to the Boston Tea Party.

Food and Provisions

The colonies agreed to send these to Massachusetts to account for the closing of Boston Harbor.

Parliament

The lawmaking body of British government. Congress is the equivalent branch of government in the United States today.

1 st Continental Congress

The legislative assembly composed of delegates from the rebel colonies who met during and after the American Revolution. During the 1st Continental Congress, delegates sent KGIII a list of grievances (complaints) and declared their loyalty to the crown.

Mercantilism

The practice of regulating colonial trade for the profit of the home country. The Navigation Acts imposed on the 13 colonies are an example of Mercantilism. It required that all trade is conducted with the oversight of British authorities. It also required the colonies to send raw materials to England and required them to purchased manufactured goods from them.

French and Indian War Debt

The reason Parliament gave for raising taxes on the colonies. Parliament felt that the colonies should help pay for their own protection.

Boycott

The refusal to buy or sell certain products or services. This was the primary form of protest among the 13 colonies.

French and Indian War

This struggle between the British and the French in the colonies of North America over control of the Ohio River Valley. The Treaty of Paris ended the war and France ceded control over the disputed territory to Britain.

Repeal

To cancel a law.

Intolerable

Too much too bear, too harsh.