Honors V.A & US History Unit 2: The American Revolution

French and Indian War

A war between England and France between 1754 and 1763; also known as the Seven Years War

George Washington

Military general of the American rebel forces; president of the Constitutional Convention ; first president of the United States

Treaty of Paris (1763)

Signed by Great Britain and France in 1763; officially ending the French and Indian War

Stamp Act

British law passed in 1765 that imposed a tax on all printed materials

Boston Massacre

A riot that occurred on March 5, 1770 in the city of Boston when colonists confronted British troops and the troops fired upon killing several colonists

Boston Tea Party

An event where colonists, disguised as Indians, boarded three ships and tossed several hundred chests of tea into the harbor in protest against British taxes on tea

Lexington and Concord

First military confrontation of the Revolutionary War; this battle occurred in Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775, between colonial minutemen and British Soldiers

Minutemen

American colonist ready to fight at a minute's notice

Patriots

Colonists who called for independence from Great Britain

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain

Neutrals

Colonist who remained neutral

Natural Rights

Individuals have undeniable basic rights given to them by nature of God

Social Contract

An agreement for mutual benefit between an individual, group, or community and its government

Ordered Liberty

The philosophical concept expressing the balance sought in the system of government in the United States

Common Sense

Authored by Thomas Paine and published in 1776, inspired colonists to declare and fight for independence

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence; third president of the United States

Declaration of Independence

The act by which the Continental Congress declared the colonies to be free and independent of England on July 4, 1775

Revolutionary War

War between Great Britain and its American colonies occurring between 1775 and 1783, in which the colonies won their independence from British control

Yorktown

Last battle of the Revolutionary War fought in Yorktown , Virginia, where the British Army surrendered

Treaty of Alliance

Agreement signed on February 6, 1778 between France and the United States, in which each country agreed to help the other defend itself against England

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Signed by the United States and Great Britain in 1783; officially ended the Revolutionary War and acknowledged America's independence