Chapter 5 The American Revolution

Quartering Act

March 24, 1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.

minutemen

Member of a militia during the American Revolution who could be ready to fight in a minute.

The "unalienable rights" stated in the Declaration of Independence

life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

propaganda

material distributed by those in favor of a specific cause and reflecting their point of view, Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause.

Representation in Parliament

Colonists felt that the laws and taxes passed by the British were unfair because they had no representation in Parliament.

Thomas Jefferson

Delegate from Virginia. Man of the Enlightenment. Planter, Plantation owner, . Author of the Declaration of Independence--which he would proudly say was "pure LOCKE". He later served as the third President of the United States. 3rd President of the United States. Lastly, Jefferson would request that he be known for having authored the Declaration of Independece and being the Father (founder) of the University of Virginia.

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists ( Most likely members of the Sons of Liberty) disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.

Lexington and Concord

A 1775 conflict between colonial minutemen & British soldiers attempting to take the colonists' large store of arms. These were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord to stop the colonists who were hoarding arms. The next day, on April 19, 1775, the first shots were fired in Lexington, starting the war. The battles resulted in a British retreat to Boston.

John Adams

A Massachusetts attorney & politician. He would defend the soldiers who were responsible for the Boston Massacre. Later, he would be a strong supporter/believer in colonial independence. Cousin to Sam Adams. 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.

Ally

A country that agrees to help another country achieve a common goal, ie. American Revolution - French were allies.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation.

Loyalist

A person who supported the British during the American Revolution. Also known as a Tory or Tories. They were typically members of the Anglican Church (Church of England).

Patriot

A person who supported the colonists during the American Revolution, a colonist who wanted to break free from Britain's rule. Most patriots were congregationalists (Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians..)

Benedict Arnold

American General who was labeled a traitor when he assisted the British in a failed attempt to take the American fort at West Point.

Ben Franklin

American patriot, writer, printer, and inventor. During the Revolutionary War he persuaded the French to help the colonists.

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). In the series, The Sons of Liberty , the patriots use Revere's warehouse to run their smuggling operation

What were the strengths of the British?

At the time of the American Revolution, England or Great Britian was the most powerful nation on earth. They had a strong well-trained army and navy along with a strong central government with food, ammunition and the support of colonial loyalists and Native Americans.

King George III

He was the king of England from 1760 to 1820, exercised a greater hand in the government of the American colonies than any of his predecessors (those who ruled before he came to the throne.) Colonists were torn between loyalty to the king and resistance to acts carried out in his name. After King George III rejected the Olive Branch Petition, many colonists came to see him as a tyrant.

Marquis de Lafayette

He was very rich and noble when he arrived in America at the age of 19 years old. He believed in the liberty that the Americans were fighting for and asked to help. He became a general on Washington's staff and fought hard. He was known as "the soldier's friend," and is buried in france but his grave is covered with earth from Bunker Hill.

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.

Yorktown

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. British Gen. 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.

Declaration of Independence

Most famous "break up letter " from the colonists to King George III.The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

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 Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies.

John Hancock

Patriot leader. Wealthy smuggler (Sons of Liberty). President of the Second Continental Congress; first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Samuel Adams

Played a key role in the defense of colonial rights. He is thought to be the leader and founder of the Sons of Liberty. He suggested the formation of the Committees of Correspondence. Adams was crucial in spreading the principle of colonial rights throughout New England and is credited with provoking the Boston Tea Party..

First Continental Congress

September 1774, delegates from twelve colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts

Crispus Attucks

The African-Native American man who was the first man to die in the Boston Massacre, also considered the first death in the Revolutionary War

Saratoga

The battle which was the turning point of the Revolution . The colonists won this major battle against the British . It is considered THE turning point of the war because the French decided to support the colonials with money, troops, ships, etc.

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. The colonists had been teasing and taunting the soldiers. Five colonists were killed. The colonists blamed the British. Many patriots, including members of the Sons of Liberty would this to promote their desire to fight Great Britian.

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.

Treaty of Paris of 1783

This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.

Thomas Paine

Very influential Patriot and writer whose pamphlet Common Sense, published in 1776, convinced many Americans that it was time to declare independence from Britain.

George Washington

Virginia planter, plantation owner, delegate from Virginia and soldier. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and was much more successful in this second command. Would become the 1st President of the United States of America.

Valley Forge

Washington and troops were low on supplies, food, and clothing. Because it was a harsh winter, 1/5 of soldiers died. Name given to the 1777-1778 encampment at Valley Forge by the American military under General Washington. It was America's first real effort to field a professional military against the British.

Sons of Liberty

a group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution. It is believed to have been organized and led by Samuel Adams, a tavern owner in Boston, Mass.

Stamp Act

a tax on all printed materials

Mercantilism

an economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

American Revolution (1776-1783)

political upheaval of 13 colonies in North America that join together to break free from the British empire; issued the Declaration of Independence and brought the first successful federal government

boycott

to refuse to buy items from a particular country. The colonists upheld a boycott of all British goods.