French and British Colonies: The Road to Revolution (Flashcards)

A comprehensive set of practice flashcards covering the key concepts from the notes on the French and Indian War and the road to American Revolution.

Which colony was the last to be established among the 13 colonies?

Georgia.

Georgia was named after which king?

George II.

Why did Georgia want a defensive buffer with respect to Spanish Florida?

To protect South Carolina from Spanish Florida.

By the 1700s, how were the 13 colonies described?

Well established.

The late 17th-century empires-at-war were primarily between which powers?

Great Britain (England) and France, sometimes with Spain.

What were the wars largely fought over in the American colonies?

Control of land, fur trade, and dominance of the continent.

How long did the series of imperial wars span (from 1689 to 1763)?

About 74 years.

Name the first three wars and their dates.

King William’s War (1689-1697); Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713); King George’s War (1744-1748).

What did Britain gain in Queen Anne’s War?

Nova Scotia and trading rights in Spanish America.

Which fortress did New Englanders capture during King George’s War?

Louisbourg.

In King William’s War, which Native Confederacy allied with England?

Iroquois Confederacy.

Which Native Confederacy supported the French in King William’s War?

Wabanaki Confederacy.

What was the Deerfield incident in Queen Anne’s War?

Raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts (1704) with about 50 dead and 100 taken to Canada.

During King George’s War, what significant territorial gain did Britain achieve?

Capture of Louisbourg, gaining access to the St. Lawrence River.

What is Louisbourg's strategic importance?

It controlled access to the St. Lawrence River and Canada.

What were the Navigation Acts intended to regulate?

Trade: colonies must sell to England and buy from England.

Did the Navigation Acts greatly bother the colonists?

Not much; they found ways around them and preferred English goods.

How much did Britain interfere in internal colonial politics?

Not much; local self-government was generally tolerated.

Who is cited as an example of a governor with limited interference in colonial politics?

Governor Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts.

What had the French established in the Ohio River Valley by 1700?

A string of forts to defend claims and maintain trade routes.

What event marked the first shots of the French and Indian War?

Fort Necessity (Fort Necessity skirmish) in 1754.

Where is Fort Necessity located?

On the western edge of Pennsylvania.

Who commanded the Virginia forces at Fort Necessity?

George Washington.

What happened at Fort Necessity on July 3, 1754?

Washington surrendered after a daylong siege.

What was the fate of Braddock’s Expedition at the Monongahela?

A disastrous defeat; Braddock was killed and over 900 men were killed, wounded, or captured.

What was the Albany Plan of Union?

Franklin’s proposal for an intercolonial government for defense; never approved.

What famous cartoon supported colonists’ calls for unity and colonial union?

“Join, or Die” by Benjamin Franklin.

Which treaty ended the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War) in North America?

Treaty of Paris, 1763.

What did the Treaty of Paris (1763) accomplish in North America?

France gave up claims to North America; Britain gained Canada and land east of the Mississippi; Spain gained Louisiana.

What was Pontiac’s Rebellion about?

Ottawa-led attacks against western frontier settlements in 1763; British used regular troops to quell it.

What was the Proclamation Line of 1763?

Prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to stabilize relations with Native Americans.

Why did colonists resist the Proclamation Line?

They had fought for that land and many settled beyond the line; it limited westward expansion.

What was the Quartering Act a part of?

Measures requiring colonists to provide housing and supplies for British troops.

What were the Townshend Duties (1767) intended to tax?

Glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea.

What was the colonial reaction to the Townshend Duties?

Boycotts and protests; many colonists sought to avoid taxes.

What was the Stamp Act of 1765 taxed on?

Printed materials: legal documents, newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, decks of cards, dice.

What was the main colonial objection to the Stamp Act?

Taxation without representation.

What happened during the Stamp Act Crisis?

Mobs attacked tax collectors; Stamp Act Congress; boycott; protests.

What did the Declaratory Act (1766) assert?

Parliament’s right to legislate for the colonies in all cases whatsoever.

What caused the Boston Massacre (1770)?

Tensions over British troops in Boston; five colonists were killed; used as propaganda.

What was the Tea Act of 1773 designed to do?

Let the East India Company sell tea directly to the colonies, undercutting local merchants; tea taxed.

What happened at the Boston Tea Party?

December 16, 1773; Sons of Liberty dumped tea from three ships into Boston Harbor.

What were the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts?

Acts to isolate and punish Boston and Massachusetts: closed port, curtailed self-government, banned town meetings, quartering of troops.

What organizations helped coordinate colonial resistance besides assemblies?

Sons of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence.

What was decided at the First Continental Congress (1774)?

Meeting to discuss common interests and oppose the Intolerable Acts; planned boycotts and militia defense; agreed to meet again.

How did the First Continental Congress refer to George III and themselves?

George III as “Most Gracious Sovereign”; themselves as inhabitants of British America, still British subjects.

What did Lord North’s offer propose in handling colonial opposition?

Colonists could tax themselves, with Parliament requesting it, in an attempt to win moderates.

Who were the Minutemen?

Farmers and townspeople around Boston who trained and prepared to fight on short notice.

What was Acadian expulsion in 1755, and who were the Cajuns?

Acadians were expelled from Acadia (Nova Scotia/Maine) and many relocated to Louisiana; Cajuns are their descendants.

What were the key British victories that shifted the war’s momentum (Louisbourg, Quebec, Montreal)?

Louisbourg (1758), Quebec (1759), and Montreal (1760) were pivotal victories for Britain.

What happened to Canada after the Treaty of Paris (1763)?

Britain gained Canada and land east of the Mississippi; France ceded its mainland claims.

What was the outcome for France after the war?

France lost most of its North American empire; Britain emerged dominant in North America.

What major policy change did Britain implement to pay war debts and tighten control?

Administrative reforms to strengthen imperial authority and permanent army presence in the Americas.

Why did colonists view themselves as more united after the Intolerable Acts and early conflicts?

British policies threatened local liberties and unified disparate colonial groups against Britain.

What is the difference between British and colonial views on military capability after the war?

British: colonies were unreliable and undisciplined; Colonial: colonies were capable and deserved a say in defense.

What is the purpose of Committees of Correspondence?

To facilitate intercolonial communication and coordinate resistance.

What significant change did the First Continental Congress signal about colonial governance?

A move toward de facto self-government and a step away from direct imperial oversight, even as subjects of the Crown.