American Revolution

The idea that a government should be split into three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) to check and balance power.

Baron de Montesquieu

The philosophical concept that the human mind is originally a blank slate, shaped primarily by environment and education.

Tabula Rasa

Argued that humans possess natural rights and that a legitimate government exists only by the consent of the governed.

John Locke

Argued that the people are in a "social contract" with their government, and can void laws they do not consent to.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

A formerly enslaved Black Loyalist who escaped to the British Army during the invasion of South Carolina and later secured his freedom.

Boston King

A formerly enslaved mixed-race dockworker who was the first person killed in the Boston Massacre.

Crispus Attucks

The commander in chief of the Continental Army who resigned his commission at the war's end to ensure civilian rule.

Georgia Washington

The British General who surrendered his southern army at Yorktown after being trapped by American and French forces.

Charles Cornwallis

The location of the first military engagements of the war, where local militias clashed with British regiments seeking to seize gunpowder.

Lexington and Concord

The site of a successful surprise attack by Washington on Hessian mercenaries on Christmas Day.

Trenton

The final major military engagement of the war where French and Continental forces laid siege to the British.

Yorktown

The site of a severe winter encampment in 1777–1778 where over 2,500 American soldiers died from disease and exposure.

Valley Forge

A personal narrative detailing the terror, abuse, and plundering experienced by unprotected women at the hands of British soldiers in South Carolina.

Eliza Wilkinson's Account

A philosophical essay detailing that humans in a state of nature are equal, and that civil society is formed to protect property and natural rights.

Second Treatise of Government

A highly popular pamphlet that denounced the British monarchy and stated that there is something absurd in supposing a continent should be governed by an island.

Common Sense

A formal document drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson that justified the colonies' separation from Britain by appealing to natural law and listing grievances against the King.

declaration of independence

A formal document drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson that justified the colonies' separation from Britain by appealing to natural law and listing grievances against the King.

Declaration of Independence

When Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John Adams urging him to "Remember the Ladies" in the new code of laws, he responded by enthusiastically endorsing her ideas and promising equal political rights for women.

False

Following the Revolutionary War, the Native American tribes that had allied with the British were rewarded with permanent protections for their ancestral lands west of the Appalachian Mountains.

False

The Boston Massacre began as a highly coordinated, unprovoked military assault by British troops against a completely peaceful colonial town meeting.

False

The Stamp Act of 1765 was historically significant because it was the first time Parliament imposed a direct, internal tax on the American colonists.

true

In his Second Treatise of Government, John Locke argued that absolute monarchy is inconsistent with civil society and therefore cannot be considered a legitimate form of civil government.

true

What was the immediate effect of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation in Virginia in 1775?

It offered freedom to enslaved people and indentured servants if they left their enslavers and joined the British forces.

During the resistance against the Townshend Acts, how did women most notably demonstrate their political participation?

By participating in spinning clubs to make homespun clothing and enforcing nonconsumption agreements

According to their 1775 declaration to the governor of Connecticut, what stance did the Oneida Nation take on the growing conflict between Britain and the colonies?

They declared strict neutrality, viewing the conflict as an unnatural quarrel between brothers.

What was a significant structural weakness of the Articles of Confederation ratified in 1781?

It gave the federal Congress no power to levy or collect taxes, or to regulate commerce.

Why was the Battle of Saratoga considered a major turning point in the Revolutionary War?

It was a decisive American victory that convinced France to officially ally with the United States.

Which Enlightenment philosopher’s ideas regarding the "consent of the governed" and natural rights to life, liberty, and property heavily influenced American revolutionary thought?

john locke

What was the first major postwar imperial action taken by Britain in 1763 that angered the colonists?

The royal prohibition of colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains

Which publication used clear, everyday language and biblical references to argue for independence and denounce the British monarchy?

Common Sense

What military strategy did George Washington ultimately rely on to secure victory against the superior British Army?

Waging a war of attrition, utilizing smaller skirmishes and avoiding major engagements to keep his army intact.

In George R. T. Hewes's firsthand account of the Boston Tea Party, what disguise did he and his fellow protestors wear?

The costume of Native Americans, including painted faces and tomahawks