American Revolution part 1

Revenue

Income a government collects to pay for expenses; Great Britain needed this to pay off debt from the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

A British decree prohibiting colonists from living west of the Appalachian Mountains to maintain peace with Native Americans and keep colonists under British authority.

Writs of Assistance

Legal documents that allowed British officers to search almost anywhere—shops, warehouses, and private homes—for smuggled goods.

Sugar Act (1764)

Law that taxed sugar, molasses, and luxury items while allowing officers to seize goods from smugglers without a court appearance.

Quartering Act (1765)

Required colonists to provide lodging, food, and supplies to British soldiers in areas without barracks.

Stamp Act (1765)

A tax on all paper goods, including newspapers, wills, and playing cards; it led to widespread colonial outrage and boycotts.

Patrick Henry

A member of the Virginia House of Burgesses who argued that only colonial assemblies had the right to tax their citizens.

Sons of Liberty

A protest group started by Samuel Adams that used effigies and boycotts to fight against the Stamp Act.

Effigies

Stuffed figures made to look like unpopular tax collectors, which were often burned in public protests.

Boycott

A refusal to buy British goods as a form of protest; this tactic caused British merchants to lose money and demand the repeal of taxes.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Passed after the repeal of the Stamp Act, it stated that Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for the colonies "in all cases."

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes imposed on imported goods such as glass, tea, and paper; the tax was paid before the items were brought into the colonies.

Daughters of Liberty

A group of women who supported boycotts by urging colonists to wear homemade fabrics rather than British-made cloth.

Boston Massacre (1770)

A tragic encounter where British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing 5 people; it was used as propaganda against the British.

Propaganda

Information or ideas specifically spread to help or harm a cause; Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre is a famous example.

Committees of Correspondence

An organization revived by Samuel Adams to spread political information and ideas throughout the colonies.

Tea Act (1773)

Gave the British East India Company control over the tea market and removed most tea taxes, which angered colonial merchants.

Boston Tea Party

An event on December 16, 1773, where the Sons of Liberty threw 342 chests of tea into the harbor to protest the Tea Act.

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

Laws passed in 1774 to punish Boston; they closed the harbor, banned town meetings, and forced the housing of soldiers.

Quebec Act (1775)

Established a government for Canada and extended its territory down to the Ohio River, which ignored colonial land claims.

Minutemen

Colonial militia members who were trained to be ready to fight at a minute's notice.

Paul Revere’s Ride

A mission on April 18, 1775, to warn the colonists in Lexington and Concord that the British troops were approaching.

"The Shot Heard ‘Round the World"

The first shot fired at the Battle of Lexington; it marked the official beginning of the American Revolution.

Battle of Bunker Hill

A 1775 battle where the British won but suffered over 1,000 casualties, proving the Americans were a tough opponent.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that used propaganda to persuade colonists to support independence from England.

Declaration of Independence

The document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, that officially proclaimed the United States as a new, independent nation.

John Locke

The English philosopher who inspired Thomas Jefferson with the idea that people are born with natural, inalienable rights.

4 Sections of the Declaration

The Preamble, two sections on rights and grievances, and the final section declaring the new nation's existence.

George Washington

The commander of the Continental Army who was chosen for his experience and leadership.

British Military Strengths

The strongest navy in the world, a well-trained army, massive wealth, and 17,000 Hessian mercenaries.

Continental Army Strengths

Fighting on home ground, strong motivation for independence, and the leadership of George Washington.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

A critical Patriot victory that served as the turning point of the war and convinced France to form an alliance with the Americans.

Valley Forge

The site where Washington’s army spent a harsh winter in 1777-1778, suffering from a lack of food, clothing, and supplies.

John Paul Jones

An American naval hero who defeated the British warship Serapis and famously declared, "I have not yet begun to fight."

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

The final major battle of the war where Washington and the French fleet trapped General Cornwallis, leading to his surrender.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The peace agreement that recognize American independence and ended the Revolutionary War.