Chapter 5-The American Revolution

Declaration of Independence

A statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Adopted by the United States Congress on May 20, 1785. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress did not have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the inhabitants of the United States. Therefore, the immediate goal of the ordinance was to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territory west of the original states acquired at the 1783 peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War.

Shay's Rebellion

An armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution who led the rebels, known as "Shaysites" or "Regulators". Most of Shays' compatriots were poor farmers angered by crushing debt and taxes. Failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment in debtor's prisons or the claiming of property by the government.

Judith Sargent Murray

An early American advocate for women's rights, an essayist, playwright, poet, and letter writer. She was one of the first American proponents of the idea of the equality of the sexes—that women, like men, had the capability of intellectual accomplishment and should be able to achieve economic independence. Her landmark essay "On the Equality of the Sexes," was published in the Massachusetts Magazine in March and April 1790.

Saratoga/French Intervention

Decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the Revolution, and is generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought south of Saratoga, New York. Burgoyne, whose campaign to divide New England from the southern colonies had started well but slowed due to logistical problems, won a small tactical victory over General Horatio Gates and the Continental Army in the September 19 Battle of Freeman's Farm at the cost of significant casualties. His gains were erased when he again attacked the Americans in the October 7 Battle of Bemis Heights and the Americans captured a portion of the British defenses. Burgoyne was therefore compelled to retreat, and his army was surrounded by the much larger American force at Saratoga, forcing him to surrender on October 17. News of Burgoyne's surrender was instrumental in formally bringing France into the war as an American ally, having previously given supplies, ammunition and guns, notably the de Valliere which played an important role in Saratoga.

1st Continental Congress

Delegates from all 13 colonies convened in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia in 1774. They rejected a plan for a colonial union under British authority, endorsed a statement of grievances, approved a series of resolutions, and agreed to nonimportation, nonexportation, and nonconsumption as means of stopping all trade with Great Britain. They also agreed to meet again next spring.

State Constitutions

Except for Connecticut and Rhode Island, the states created new constitutions. In the constitutions, the executive had to be limited.

Treaty with Spain of 1786

Guaranteed Spain's exclusive right to navigate the Mississippi River for 25 years. It also opened Spain's European and West Indian seaports to American shipping. However, the Treaty was not ratified under the Articles of Confederation.

Loyalists/Tories

Individuals who remained loyal to Great Britain during the years up to and during the Revolutionary War. Many who were Loyalists were from the higher strata of colonial society; when war actually broke out and it became apparent that the British were not going to quickly win, almost all went to Canada, the West Indies, or back to Great Britain.

2nd Continental Congress

Meeting of delegates from the American colonies in May 1775; during the session some delegates expressed hope that the differences between the colonies and Britain could be reconciled, although Congress authorized that the Continental Army be created and that George Washington be named commander of the army.

Sons of Liberty

Men who organized in opposition to British colonies during the late 1760s and 1770s. They were founded and most active in Boston, where in response to the Stamp Act they burned the local tax collector in effigy ad burned a whole building that he owned. They also organized the Boston Tea Party. Samuel Adams was one of the leaders of this group.

John Locke

Paine used the liberal ideals of the enlightened philosopher, John Locke, and radical criticisms of aristocratic government to press the case for liberty.

Articles of Confederation

Ratified in 1781, this document established the first official government of the United States; allowed much power to remain in the states, with federal government possessing only limited powers. They were replaced by the Constitution in 1788.

Patriots

Rebelled against British control during the American Revolution.

Sovereignty

Supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.

Iroquois Confederacy

The Indians allied themselves with the British and played a role in the unsuccessful campaigns of Burgoyne in the North.

Yorktown

The defeat of the forces of General Cornwallis in this battle in October of 1781 essentially ended the hopes of the British for winning the Revolutionary War. American and French troops hemmed the British in on the peninsula of Yorktown, while the French navy located in the Chesapeake Bay made rescue of the British troops by sea impossible.

Republicanism

The political value system that stresses liberty and inalienable rights as central values, makes the people as a whole sovereign, rejects inherited political power, expects citizens to be independent in their performance of civic duties, and criticizes corruption.

Treaty of Paris 1783

The treaty ending the Revolutionary War, and signed in 1783; by the terms of this treaty the U.S. received the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The British did keep their Canadian territories.

Common Sense

Very popular 1776 publication in the colonies written by Englishman Thomas Paine, who had come to America in 1774; rejected the entire concept of government by monarchy. After publication of this document, public sentiment in the colonists turned decisively for independence.

Virginia's Statute of Religious Liberty

Was drafted in 1777 by Thomas Jefferson. In 1786, the Virginia General Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law. It supported separation of church and state, and freedom of conscience.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

Was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory. The battle was a decisive victory for the United States.

"Camp Followers"

Women who followed the Patriot armies.