Revolutionary War Flashcards

Flashcards for review of lecture notes.

The Enlightenment

An 18th-century intellectual movement from Europe emphasizing reason, science, and natural law. It challenged traditional forms of authority like the monarchy and the church.

The Great Awakening

A series of emotional religious revivals in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s that stressed personal faith and challenged established church authority.

Mercantilism

The dominant economic theory where a nation's power is based on accumulating wealth by exporting more than it imports. Colonies serve as sources of raw materials and captive markets.

Salutary Neglect

Britain's unofficial, hands-off policy of not strictly enforcing its own trade laws on the American colonies. Its end after 1763 was a major cause of friction.

Social Compact (Social Contract)

The Enlightenment idea that people voluntarily form a government to protect their natural rights. The government's authority comes from the "consent of the governed."

Virtual Representation

The British argument that every member of Parliament represented the interests of all British subjects, including the colonists, even if the colonists could not vote for them.

Deism

A popular Enlightenment-era belief in a God who created the universe but does not intervene in its affairs (the "clockmaker" analogy).

Rationalism

The core belief of the Enlightenment that the universe operates according to logical, orderly, and knowable natural laws that can be understood through reason.

Pluralism

The social condition where multiple religious groups coexist in one society. This was a major outcome of the Great Awakening.

Disestablishment

The process of stripping a church of its official status as the state-supported religion, meaning it would no longer be funded by taxes. A consequence of pluralism.

Evangelicalism

A Protestant movement from the Great Awakening emphasizing a personal conversion experience ("born again"), the authority of the Bible, and the duty to spread the faith.

"Hellfire & Brimstone"

A style of preaching, famously used by Jonathan Edwards, that used vivid and terrifying descriptions of God's wrath and the pains of hell to provoke an emotional response and repentance.

Committees of Correspondence

Networks organized by the Patriots to spread information and coordinate resistance efforts among the colonies, creating a unified response to British actions.

Non-importation

The main strategy of colonial protest, consisting of organized boycotts where colonists refused to buy or import British goods.

Mobilization

The process of organizing and encouraging large numbers of people to take collective action, such as participating in boycotts or protests.

Self-sufficiency

The ideal of providing for oneself without relying on others. It was seen as a virtue necessary for citizens in a republic.

Free Holders / Yeoman Farmers

Independent, land-owning farmers. They were considered the ideal citizens for a republic because their economic independence protected them from corruption and influence.

"Empire of Goods"

A term describing the interconnected Atlantic economy where the colonies were a massive consumer market for British manufactured goods.

New Lights

The faction during the Great Awakening that embraced the new, emotional style of revivalist preaching.

Old Lights

The traditional, established clergy during the Great Awakening who rejected the emotionalism of the revivals.

Sons of Liberty

A Patriot group that organized protests against British policies, most famously the Stamp Act. They sometimes used intimidation and violence to enforce boycotts.

Whigs

The political label adopted by American Patriots who opposed what they saw as corrupt and tyrannical British imperial policies.

Tories

The political label for American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown; also known as Loyalists.

Patriots

American colonists who supported the movement for independence from Britain. They made up about one-third of the population.

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to the British King and opposed independence. They made up about one-third of the population.

Continental Army

The main, formal army of the United States during the Revolution, created by the Second Continental Congress and commanded by George Washington.

Militias

Local, volunteer forces of citizen-soldiers who were called upon to fight for short periods, typically near their own homes. They supplemented the main army.

French & Indian War (Seven Years' War)

(1754-1763) A war between Britain and France over control of North America. The British victory resulted in massive debt, which led to the end of Salutary Neglect and the start of colonial taxation.

Boston Massacre

(1770) An incident where British soldiers fired into a hostile crowd, killing five colonists. It was heavily publicized through Patriot propaganda.

Boston Tea Party

(1773) A protest against the Tea Act in which the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Native Americans, destroyed a large shipment of tea by dumping it into Boston Harbor.

Lexington & Concord

(1775) The first armed clashes of the American Revolutionary War, known as "the shot heard 'round the world."

Battle of Trenton

(1776) A surprise winter attack led by George Washington against Hessian mercenaries. It was a crucial psychological victory that boosted American morale.

Battle of Saratoga

(1777) The turning point of the Revolutionary War. This major American victory convinced France to become a formal ally of the United States.

French Alliance

(1778) The formal treaty between the United States and France, which brought crucial military and financial support (including a navy) to the American cause.

Battle of Yorktown

(1781) The final major battle of the Revolution. A combined American-French land siege and a French naval blockade forced the surrender of British General Cornwallis.

Glorious Revolution

(1688-1689) The bloodless overthrow of King James II in England. In the colonies, it led to the collapse of the Dominion of New England and strengthened the power of colonial assemblies.

Navigation Acts

A series of British laws passed from the 1650s onward to enforce mercantilism by controlling colonial trade and ensuring profits went to England.

Molasses Act of 1733

A British tax on non-British molasses. It was largely ignored and evaded through smuggling, making it a prime example of Salutary Neglect.

Proclamation of 1763

A British law issued after the French & Indian War that banned American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Sugar Act of 1764

An act that lowered the tax on molasses but was the first to be strictly enforced for the purpose of raising revenue. It established Admiralty Courts with no juries.

Stamp Act of 1765

A direct tax on all printed items, including newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards. It provoked the cry of "no taxation without representation."

Declaratory Act of 1766

An act passed by Parliament on the same day the Stamp Act was repealed. It stated that Parliament had the absolute right to make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."

Townshend Duties of 1767

Taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea. The revenue was specifically earmarked to pay the salaries of royal officials in the colonies.

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) of 1774

A series of harsh, punitive laws passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston Harbor and severely restricted Massachusetts's self-government.

Common Sense

A highly influential pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, published in 1776, that used plain language to argue forcefully for immediate independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

(1776) The document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, that formally declared the colonies' separation from Great Britain. It was based on Enlightenment ideals.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

A famous sermon delivered by Jonathan Edwards during the Great Awakening. It is a prime example of the "hellfire & brimstone" style of preaching.

1st Continental Congress

(1774) A meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies that met in response to the Intolerable Acts. It organized colonial resistance and approved the Suffolk Resolves.

2nd Continental Congress

(1775-1781) The body that acted as the national government for the colonies during the war. It created the Continental Army, appointed George Washington as commander, and issued the Declaration of Independence.

Suffolk Resolves

Radical declarations adopted by the First Continental Congress that rejected the Intolerable Acts, called for a boycott of British goods, and encouraged colonists to arm themselves.

George Whitefield

A charismatic English preacher and a central figure of the Great Awakening. His traveling sermons across the colonies helped create a shared evangelical experience.

Jonathan Edwards

A prominent New England theologian and minister during the Great Awakening, most famous for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

Slaves in the Revolution

Fought on both sides. Many sided with the British, who offered freedom in exchange for military service. The war's outcome did not end slavery.

Women in the Revolution

Played crucial support roles by managing farms and businesses, boycotting British goods, producing homespun cloth, and serving as nurses and cooks for the armies.

John Locke

An English Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas on natural rights ("Life, Liberty, and Property") and the "social compact" heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Voltaire

A French Enlightenment philosopher associated with Deism and the "Clockmaker" analogy of God.

Isaac Newton

An English scientist whose discoveries about a universe governed by natural laws were a cornerstone of Enlightenment Rationalism.

Benjamin Franklin

A leading American figure of the Enlightenment, known for his scientific experiments (applied science) and diplomatic efforts, including securing the French Alliance.

William Penn

The Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, known for his "Holy Experiment" in religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native Americans.

Sir Edmund Andros

The deeply unpopular royal governor of the short-lived Dominion of New England.

Samuel Adams

A radical Patriot from Boston who was a key organizer of the Sons of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence.

George Grenville

The British Prime Minister responsible for the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act.

Charles Townshend

The British Chancellor of the Exchequer who created the Townshend Duties.

Andrew Oliver

The Boston stamp agent who was forced to resign by the Sons of Liberty.

Captain Thomas Preston

The British officer in command during the Boston Massacre who was acquitted of murder.

General Thomas Gage

The British general whose need to house troops led to the Quartering Act.

General Charles Cornwallis

The British general who led the Southern Campaign and ultimately surrendered at Yorktown.

General John Burgoyne

The British general who was defeated and surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga.

Admiral de Grasse

The French naval commander whose fleet was essential for the victory at Yorktown.

Sir William Johnson

A key British diplomat and liaison to the Iroquois League, particularly the Mohawk nation.