The American Revolution: From Unrest to Independence

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards detailing key historical terms, acts, battles, and political ideologies of the American Revolution based on the lecture material.

Salutary Neglect

The unofficial policy of relaxed British control over colonial trade and governance, which ended after the French and Indian War when Britain tightened its economic and military presence.

Peace of Paris (1763)

The treaty that ended the French and Indian War, leaving Great Britain with heavy war debts and prompting tighter administrative control over the American colonies.

Proclamation of 1763

A royal decree prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, frustrating colonists who sought to move into western territories.

Sugar Act (1764)

British legislation that placed an indirect tax on imported sugar and molasses in the American colonies to generate revenue for the Crown.

Committees of Correspondence

Inter-colonial shadow governments organized by patriot leaders to coordinate opposition and disseminate information regarding British actions.

Stamp Act (1765)

The first direct tax placed on the American colonists by Parliament, requiring a revenue stamp on all legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and books.

Sons of Liberty

A radical political organization formed to protest and fight British taxation through public demonstrations, boycotts, and direct action.

Declaratory Act (1766)

An act passed alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act, affirming Parliament's absolute authority to bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever.

Townshend Acts (1767)

A series of parliamentary measures that levied import duties on British china, glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea imported into the colonies.

Boston Massacre (1770)

A violent confrontation where British soldiers fired into a colonial mob in Boston, an event leveraged by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere to rally anti-British sentiment.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

A political protest by the Sons of Liberty who dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to oppose the Tea Act and the East India Company's monopoly.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

A series of punitive laws passed by Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party, closing Boston Harbor, revoking Massachusetts' charter, and enforcing troop quartering.

First Continental Congress (1774)

A convention of delegates from twelve colonies (excluding Georgia) that met in Philadelphia to coordinate response measures, issue the Declaration of Rights, and recommend militia preparations.

Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775)

The initial military engagements of the Revolutionary War, featuring the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' where colonial minutemen skirmished with British troops.

Second Continental Congress (1775–1781)

The governing body that managed the colonial war effort, created the Continental Army, appointed George Washington as commander, and adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

A final attempt by the Second Continental Congress to avert war by professing loyalty to King George III, which was formally rejected by the King.

Common Sense (1776)

An influential pamphlet written by Thomas Paine using plain language to denounce monarchical rule and persuade colonists to pursue complete independence.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

The official document drafted by Thomas Jefferson formally severing political ties with Great Britain, grounded in Enlightenment principles of natural rights and government consent.

Republicanism

A political ideology holding that a government's legitimacy rests on civic virtue and the willing subordination of private self-interest to the common good.

Radical Whigs

British political commentators whose writings cautioned American colonists to remain vigilant against monarchical tyranny, systemic political corruption, and threats to liberty.

Continental Army

The official military force formed by the Second Continental Congress, consisting of colonial volunteers led by General George Washington.

Marquis de Lafayette

A French aristocrat and military officer who joined Washington's staff, serving as a vital strategist and liaison securing official French aid for the colonies.

Levellers

Radical proponents during the Revolutionary period who advocated for radical economic equality, whose grievances were largely dismissed by colonial leaders.

Daughters of Liberty

An association of colonial women who supported non-importation boycotts against Britain by manufacturing homemade goods and spinning homespun cloth.

Molly Pitcher

The historical figure based on Mary Ludwig Hays, who carried water to Continental troops during the Battle of Monmouth and took over her wounded husband's cannon duties.

Republican Motherhood

The post-revolutionary ideology emphasizing that women held a vital civic duty to be educated so they could rear virtuous, patriotic children for the new nation.

Battle of Trenton (1776)

A Christmas-night surprise attack led by George Washington across the Delaware River, capturing Hessian mercenaries and dramatically restoring American army morale.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

A pivotal American victory in upstate New York that resulted in the surrender of British General Burgoyne's forces, persuading France to formally allied with the U.S.

Winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778)

The severe winter encampment of the Continental Army in Pennsylvania where Baron Friedrich von Steuben trained the army into a disciplined tactical force.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

The final major land battle of the Revolutionary War, where combined American and French military and naval forces trapped General Cornwallis, compelling his surrender.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The peace agreement that officially ended the Revolutionary War, recognizing American independence and setting boundaries west to the Mississippi River.

Articles of Confederation

The first national constitution of the United States, creating an intentionally weak central legislature with no executive branch, judiciary, tax base, or standing army.

Shays' Rebellion (1786)

An armed revolt by indebted Massachusetts farmers protesting foreclosures, demonstrating the central government's weakness under the Articles of Confederation.