American Colonial History & Revolutionary War Key Concepts

Columbian Exchange

The massive transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, technology, and ideas between the Old World and the New World after Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage.

New World

The Americas (North, Central, and South America).

Mercantilism

The ideology of benefitting off of trade. It is the relationship between colonies and England. Sell more than you buy from other countries.

Capitalism

An economic system where private individuals and companies own the 'means of production'.

Joint-Stock Companies

A business owned by shareholders who buy and sell transferable shares, pooling capital for ventures, essentially forming the foundation for modern corporations where ownership is divided.

Chesapeake Colonies

Virginia and Maryland. Red clay made growing Tobacco prominent (primary cash crop). Geography wasn't suitable for towns. Founded and explored with the Jamestown colony (John Smith).

Virginia Company

A joint-stock company chartered by England to establish settlements in North America for profit.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in Virginia in 1607.

House of Burgesses

The first democratically elected legislative body in British North America.

Powhatan

A powerful confederacy of Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes in eastern Virginia.

Bacon's Rebellion

Nathaniel Bacon. Angry over the Virginia government's refusal to wage war on natives. Joined by White frontiersmen, White servants, and Black slaves for rebellion.

Indentured Servant

Servants who sell their labor for a limited time to pay off debt.

Pilgrims

English Protestants who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620 seeking religious freedom.

Puritans

Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England and founded Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Middle Colonies

Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware) known for diverse populations and strong trade economies.

William Penn

Son of an admiral and a Quaker (pacifist). Penn was given a land grant for repayment of a debt. In 1681, Penn creates a Quaker colony in his new land and names it, Pennsylvania (Penn's Woods).

Transatlantic Trade

A trading network connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Middle Passage

The brutal voyage enslaved Africans endured while being transported to the Americas.

Dominion of New England

A British attempt to centralize control over New England colonies by limiting self-government.

Navigation Acts

British laws regulating colonial trade to benefit England.

Salutary Neglect

Britain's unofficial policy for loosely enforcing laws in colonies, especially trade regulations.

Smuggling

The illegal trading of goods to avoid taxes or regulations.

Chattel Slavery

A system where enslaved people were treated as property for life.

French and Indian War

A conflict between Britain and France in North America over land and power (1754-1763).

Treaty of Paris (1763)

The treaty ended the French and Indian War, giving Britain most French territory in North America.

Albany Plan of Union

A 1754 proposal, primarily by Benjamin Franklin, to create a unified colonial government for better defense during the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

States that the colonists from the 13 colonies cannot migrate past the Appalachian mountains.

Stamp Act

A British tax on printed materials that angered colonists.

Townshend Acts

British taxes on imported goods like tea and glass.

Boston Massacre

A 1770 clash where British soldiers killed five colonists.

Tea Act

A law allowing the British East India Company to sell tea cheaply in the colonies.

Boston Tea Party

White guys dress up as Indians and throw tea off boats.

Intolerable Acts

Punitive laws passed by Britain to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party.

'Taxation without Representation'

The colonial belief that taxes were unjust without colonial representation in Parliament.

Social Contract Theory

The idea that governments exist to protect the rights of the people.

'Consent of the Governed'

The principle that government power comes from the people's approval.

Sons of Liberty

A group of colonial men who organized resistance to British policies.

Daughters of Liberty

Colonial women who supported resistance through boycotts and home production.

Committees of Correspondence

Networks that shared information and coordinated colonial resistance.

Patriot

A colonist who supported independence from Britain.

Loyalist

A colonist who remained loyal to Britain.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

A pamphlet arguing for complete independence from Britain.

Continental Army

The army formed by the colonies to gain independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document declaring the colonies' separation from Britain.

Thomas Hobbes

Without government life is a chaotic 'war of all against all.' Wrote the book The Leviathan.

John Locke

A philosopher who argued people have natural rights and can overthrow unjust governments.

Natural Rights

Basic rights such as life, liberty, and property.

Lord Cornwallis

British general who surrendered at Yorktown.

Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)

Washington's surprise attack against Hessian forces in 1776.

Saratoga

A decisive American victory in the Revolutionary War served as the war's crucial turning point by convincing France to form a military alliance.

Marquis de Lafayette

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette was a French general who aided the colonists in the Revolutionary War both militarily and financially.

Yorktown

The decisive final major battle of the American Revolutionary War, where American and French forces trapped and forced the surrender of British General Cornwallis in 1781.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War.

Liberty

Freedom from oppressive control or rule.

Democratic Republic

A government where citizens elect representatives to govern.

Articles of Confederation

America's first constitution, creating a weak central government.

Shay's Rebellion

An uprising of farmers protesting economic injustice, highlighting weaknesses in the Articles.

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting where the U.S. Constitution was drafted.

Federalism

A system dividing power between national and state governments.

Separation of Powers

The United States government has power split into 3 branches: Legislative, Judicial, Executive. They can all check each other's power/limit it to prevent tyranny.

Montesquieu

A philosopher who promoted separation of powers.

Prohibition of International Slave Trade

A constitutional clause banning the importation of enslaved people after 1808.

Checks and Balances

U.S. governmental system where each branch of the three branches can check and limit the power of the other two.

3/5 Compromise

In 1787 when the Southern states argued that slaves should be and should not be counted in the census population count, even though they were considered as 'property', it made it so that it counted three out of every five enslaved people for both legislative representation and direct taxation.

Great Compromise

An agreement creating a bicameral legislature with equal and proportional representation.

Limited Government

A system where government power is restricted by law.

Federalists

Supporters of a strong national government and the Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution who feared strong central power.

Ratification

The formal approval of the Constitution by the states.

Federalist Papers

Essays written to promote ratification of the Constitution.

The Federalist

A collection of essays defending the Constitution's principles.

Alexander Hamilton

A Federalist leader who promoted strong national government and economic growth.

James Madison

The 'Father of the Constitution' and key author of the Bill of Rights.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments guaranteeing individual freedoms.

Federalist Party

First political party advocating for a strong central government.

Democratic-Republican Party

A party supporting states' rights and agrarian interests (Thomas Jefferson and James Madison after he swapped sides).

Hamilton's Financial Plan

Policies to strengthen the national economy through debt payment and a national bank.

Whiskey Rebellion

Farmers in western Pennsylvania refused to pay the excise tax of whiskey. Washington accompanied the troops into Pennsylvania to stop the rebellion and collect the tax by force if necessary. Rebellion collapsed when troops arrived. First major domestic challenge to new government.

Regionalism/Sectionalism

Strong loyalty to regional interests over national unity.

Jay's Treaty

An agreement improving relations between the US and Britain.

Pinckney's Treaty

A treaty granting the U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and to New Orleans.

French Revolution

A radical revolution in France promoting liberty and equality.

Non-Intervention (Neutrality) Policy

The U.S. stance of avoiding involvement in foreign wars.

Washington's Farewell Address

A speech warning against political parties and foreign entanglements.