American History Unit Test #1

The 7 Years War (French and Indian War)

Conflict between Britain and France that left Britain in severe financial debt while gaining Canada and land east of the Mississippi.

Proclamation Line of 1763

King George III's decree forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This is one of the causes of the American Revolution.

Sugar Act

Taxed foreign goods, especially sugar, and coffee, and textiles to help pay off French and Indian War debts.

Stamp Act

1765 British law requiring colonists to pay a fee for an official stamp on legal documents and printed paper.

Declaratory Act

Asserted that Parliament had absolute power to make laws for the American colonies.

Townshend Acts

Placed taxes on imported goods like glass, lead, paint, and paper to raise revenue.

Tea Act

Allowed the British East India Company to monopolize the American tea trade, leading to the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

Punitive laws passed by Parliament that closed Boston Harbor and banned local town meetings.

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770 event outside the Boston Customs House where British soldiers fired into a crowd, leaving five dead.

Paul Revere

Patriot silversmith who created a famous engraving of the Boston Massacre used as anti-British propaganda.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest where the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of British tea into the harbor.

The Great Awakening

18th-century religious movement that helped foster a broader spirit of political self-rule.

First Continental Congress

1774 Philadelphia meeting where 12 colonies voted to boycott British goods and prepare local militias.

Common Sense

Bestselling 1776 pamphlet written by Thomas Paine arguing that used simple, everyday language to persuade American colonists to fight for complete independence from Great Britain. It argued that monarchies should have no natural rights to rule people, and that it was absurd for an island like Great Britain to rule a continent. He encouraged the colonies to form their own independent government ruled by the people.

"The Law is King"

Thomas Paine's principle that in a free nation, the law should be supreme rather than a king.

Declaration of Independence Author

Thomas Jefferson, appointed by the Second Continental Congress to draft the document.

Three Unalienable Rights

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, which every government must protect.

John Locke

European Enlightenment philosopher whose social contract theory inspired Thomas Jefferson.

Patriots

Colonists who fought for independence and wished to break away from Great Britain.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to King George III and wanted to stay part of the British Empire.

Second Continental Congress

May 1775 assembly that created the Continental Army and appointed George Washington commander-in-chief.

Colonel Tye

Loyalist military commander of African descent who fought for the British in exchange for freedom.

Samuel Sutphen

Enslaved individual who fought alongside Patriot militias in hopes of personal emancipation.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

April 1775 Massachusetts towns where 'the shot heard 'round the world' was fired.

Battle of Bunker Hill

1775 battle where British suffered heavy casualties on Breeds Hill; gave colonists crucial confidence. (British won)

Guerrilla Warfare

Battle tactic adapted from Native Americans involving ambushes and snipers firing from behind trees.

Battle of Trenton

December 1776 surprise attack across the frozen Delaware River on Christmas Day, against Hessian mercenaries. (Colonists won)

Battle of Saratoga

This was actually two battles. The first battle the colonist lost. The second battle the colonist won. British general Burgoyne surrendered 6,000 troops. After the second battle, France came to aide America. It's called the turning point of the American Revolution.

Valley Forge

Winter camp where a Prussian mercenary drilled and transformed the Continental Army into a disciplined force.

Battle of Yorktown

American and French troops join forces with 17,000 strong. They outnumbered Cornwallis's 9,000 troops. A malaria outbreak devastated Cornwallis's men. The Treaty of Paris was signed in which ended American Revolution.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Agreement in which Great Britain formally recognized the United States as an independent nation.

Battle of Brandywine

The longest one-day battle in the war where Cornwallis surprise attacked the Colonists, taking over Philadelphia, causing 1100 casualties. (British won)

The Battle of New York

The British attacked the key sea port of New York, and outnumbered the colonists (British won)

Battle of Princeton

The battle where colonists attempted to surround the British, marching 12 miles to Princeton. George Washinted led an effective campaign and a victory to the colonists. (Colonists won)

War in the South and West

In the Appalachians Mountains, Colonists met continual resistance with the Native Americans who fought for the British with the promise of regaining lost land; Southern battles were characterized by guerilla hit-and-run warfare tactics against the British while marching in the American land.