European History Test 4 Study Guide (Howie's Classs)

George Washington crossed the Delaware River and attacked a Hessian outpost in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve while they weren't expecting it, this was a military victory; the British saw these as minor American victories, but Americans saw them as, "Hey, we can win this war!" and Washington was able to get a lot more recruits

Describe Washington's victory at Trenton, 1776. Why was this so important?

all French North American claims ceded to England; The war left England in a lot of debt bc they were fighting France in Europe, as well

Describe the immediate results of the French and Indian War. Particularly understand why it saddled Great Britain with so much debt.

Boston Massacre = 1770; British shot several Bostonians during a Boston riot, and several died including a child, so Sam Adams published this as Boston Massacre in newspapers; British response was 4000 troops sent to Boston Boston Tea Party = 1773; 3 years of heavy troops in Boston from the Boston Massacre, so 100 Bostonians dressed as Indians boarded a ship waiting to be unloaded with British tea from the East Indies (ship belonged to East India Trading Company, which had been given a monopoly on tea in the empire in 1773); Dumped all 342 chests of tea overboard

Describe the key conflicts in Boston that helped bring about increased tensions between the British and the colonies

1770 on, colonies encouraged mutual boycotting through "circular letters" that were passed by one colonial assembly and circulated to the others; 2 major colonies take the lead on this: Massachusetts (center of agitation) and Virginia (largest, wealthiest colony)

Describe the process of how thirteen very individual colonies became willing to work together to resist the British over time.

Massachusetts had already expressed their hatred toward the king , and so declaring independence had to also be determined by the other colonies to decide if their issues with the king were worth completely breaking away from him and working together as one nation to fight him

Explain this statement: "By the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776, Massachusetts was already in an undeclared war with the British Empire. What was to be decided then, by the Second Continental Congress, was whether or not the other twelve colonies, all holding grievances of their own against the British, would unify and join in this war."

had been secretly supplying Americans in May 1776; February 1778, Benjamin Franklin negotiated two treaties with them: trade treaty and "perpetual alliance" (France recognized American independence and agreed to military and financial assistance); 1778 - 1783, France provided guns, money, equipment and 1⁄2 of America's "regular" army, and practically all of her navy

Identify and describe France's role in helping the United States win the Revolutionary War

pledged allegiance and asked King George for deceleration of hostilities. His answer was, "no"

Identify the Olive Branch Petition and King George's response?

written by Thomas Paine; circulated all throughout colonies, spreading sentiment of independence and convinced colonists that independence was the only option left

Identify the importance of Common Sense. Who wrote this?

Cornwallis (British Leader in the South) surrendered there; The Lower South, formerly in British hands, was then recaptured by Patriots

Identify the importance of the American victory at Yorktown

it argues that all men are created equal; they used the Mosaic law and the 10 commandments and other laws passed in the old testament from God; they used Montesquieu's ideas, john lock's ideas who proposed new theories of religious toleration and property rights; we are endowed by our Creator by certain inalienable rights - life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness; when gov goes against these rights then the people have the right to declare their independence, natural liberty fo man is to be free from superior power of other men - sam adams (used these enlightenment ideas to convince people to revolt)

Know the argument of the Declaration of Independence. How did both Biblical and Enlightenment ideals contribute to it?

Rebel victories (Saratoga, Trenton and Princeton, Yorktown), British overconfidence - they had not realized the colonies ability to unify and fight and they were not expecting them to win any battles, Sacrifice and debt - they realized that the cost of this war was not worth keeping the colonies apart of England, world conflict - the british also had problems with other countries not just with the colonies that they had to deal with

Know the document, "Why the British Lost the Revolutionary War."

Ideological reasons, Economic reasons, and Revolutionaries & British retaliation

Mr. Keagy credits three broad categories as contributors to the Revolutionary War. What are these?

false

True or false? Independence was an original goal of the First Continental Congress.

Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania

What did John Dickinson write?

- American Independence; Western border at Mississippi, so the colonists could now move farther west; and Restoration of loyalists' property

What key agreements were made at the Treaty of Paris, 1783?

- Battle of Lexington and Concord: 1775, British general Gage (in charge of MA gov. under MA Government Act) sent troops to retrieve militia stockpiles at Concord (also to arrest Sam Adams & John Hancock); Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott rode to let the militia and minutemen know they were coming ("Paul Revere's Ride") Militia mobilized and ambushed British between Lexington and Concord; 4000 minutemen vs. 700 British regulars ("redcoats"); British never got supplies - The Battle of Breed's Hill (Bunker Hill): 1775; Colonists besieged British troops in Boston, but were soon surrounded and had to surrender

What key battles took place before the Second Continental Congress declared independence?

the British had an army in Canada and in the colonies and they were going to link them together along the Delaware river and try to defeat the north without allowing them to get reinforcements from the South; at Saratoga, the colonists went up to Canada and defeated which did not allow the armies to link; after this the French realized the Americans had a chance; war in the north essentially went into a stall; Continental Army re-took Philadelphia and chased British back to New York; Continentals then defeated in Rhode Island

What major results came out of the American victory at Saratoga?

created an inter-colonial union and gov. for all 13 colonies with an elected Congress. Went to the colonial legislatures for adoption or rejection, and every colonial legislature rejected the plan bc each colony had "a distinct government, independent of the rest, pursuing its own interest and subject to no general command

What was Benjamin Franklin's "Plan of the Union"? What response did it receive from the colonies? Why?

when the government left colonists alone the colonists would trade freely with other countries that didn't follow trade requirements. British mercantilism was when Americans would supply raw goods to Britain and Britain would sell those goods and give some of the profit to the Americans

What was benign, or salutary, neglect? What impact did it have on the colonies? Make sure you understand British mercantilist theory and how they applied it

Placed revenue taxes on imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea; Goal: raise money to pay royal governors to salaries (had previously been paid by colonial assemblies)

What was significant about the Townsend Revenue Act of 1767?

the English bill of rights, natural law, and tradition (no tax w/o representation and jury trials) was the British constitution; was a constitutional crisis because the Americans were mad that the British were in their homes and they wanted to conserve traditional english rights that were being violated.

What was the 'British constitution?' What does it mean that the American War for Independence was a "conservative" revolution?

In 1754, English officials met to negotiate territorial disputes with Ohio (the British didn't want war with the French, but wanted the land). At the conference, they adopted Benjamin Franklin's Plan

What was the Albany Conference and why did it meet? What decisions did it make (or not make)?

the British thought that because they supported some of the Americans during the french and indian war, all of them should have to pay taxes to make up for what was lost.

What was the British parliamentary and king's perspective on the colonial resistance and taxation crisis? Aka, understand their perspective on why the colonists should pay taxes.

The British won many victories during the war, but their strategy of one major victory = total victory never played out.

What was the British strategy for winning the war? Why did this never work?

Said that Parliament had the power to legislate in the colonies "in all cases whatsoever"; Rejected colonial arguments against Stamp Act, said they were only repealing because it was more work than it was worth; fundamental disputes weren't resolved; made things worse

What was the Declaratory Act of 1766, and why was it so enraging to the colonists?

British promised the Indians that they would grant them land for helping them in the French and Indian war but they never gave it to them so the Indians started an uprising. The British prohibited colonial settlement west of the Appalachians so now there was peace with the Indians; Keep colonists closer to the sea where they could better control them

What was the Proclamation of 1763 and what did it do? What role did Pontiac's Uprising have with this?

to collect revenue; Tax to stamp legal documents, books, papers, cards, etc.; First internal tax (consumption tax) placed on the colonies; Huge outcry against this! "No taxation without representation!" and started boycotting British goods; the sons of liberty emerged; mobs started in MA

What was the original purpose of the Stamp Act? What did it do? What was the broad colonial reaction?

1764; the goal was to collect revenue, not just to regulate trade; also began a system of admiralty (naval) courts to handle violations (and presumed guilt) which violated the right to trial by jury and presumed innocence

What was the original purpose of the Sugar Act?

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts: Boston Port Act - closed Boston harbor until tea was paid for; Massachusetts Government Act - Dissolved town gov. & placed the MA gov. directly under British control; Justice Act - All British soldiers accused of crimes in colonies to be tried in Britain; Quartering Act - strengthened the Quartering Act by requiring the use of private homes for troops Quebec Act - gave land in Quebec back to France

What was the purpose of the Coercive Acts? What did the colonists call them and why?

1775 - 1783

What were the years of the American Revolution?

May 1775

When did Second Continental Congress meet?

1776

When did the Battles of Trenton & Princeton take place?

1781

When was the Battle of Yorktown?

1770

When was the Boston Massacre

1773

When was the Boston Tea Party?

July 4, 1776

When was the Declaration of Independence (day, month, year)

1754 - 1763

When was the French and Indian and War

1774

When was the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts?

1765

When was the Stamp Act

1764

When was the Sugar Act

1783

When was the Treaty of Paris

early years = in upper New York and the mid-Atlantic states. later years = in the south

Where was the most significant fighting in the early part of the American Revolution? In the later years?

Organized riots and protests; Headed out of Boston by Sam Adams; Demolished the stamp office in Boston; Raided the tax collector's home; Went on to incite violence over the years leading to 1776

Who were the Sons of Liberty? What role did they play in bringing about the Revolutionary War?

loyalist colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution.

Who were the Tories (in the colonies)?

British people who said colonies were disobedient children who should be reprimanded and put back under their control; the old whigs were sympathetic to the colonies and the new whigs agreed more with the tories

Who were the Tories and the Whigs in the English Parliament (to the extent I explained them in class)?

put colonies in a "State of Defense"; Promoted George Washington to be commander-in-chief of colonial forces. Delegates sent an "Olive Branch Petition," pledging allegiance to and asking King George III for a deceleration of hostilities.

Why did the Second Continental Congress meet?

hey hid in the swamps and ambushed and stuff bc they knew the lands

who did the fighting in the south differ from the fighting in the north?

Nathaniel Greene

who led the revolutionists in the south?

France, Spain, and the Netherlands

who were the colonist's primary allies?