Chapter 5: The American Revolution (1775-1783)

citizen-soldiers

Part-time non-professional soldiers, mostly poor farmers or recent immigrants who had been indentured servants, who played an important role in the Revolutionary War

Continental Army

Army authorized by Continental Congress, 1755-1784, to fight the British; commanded by George Washington

militias

Part-time "citizen soldiers" called out to protect their towns from foreign invasion and ravages during the American Revolution

Battle of Trenton (1776)

First decisive American victory that proved pivotal in reviving morale and demonstrating General Washington's abilities

alliance with France

Critical diplomatic, military, and economic alliance between France and the newly independent US, codified by the Treaty of Alliance (1778)

Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom (1786)

A Virginia law, drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1777 and enacted in 1786, that guarantees freedom of, and from, religion

Hessians

German mercenary soldiers who were paid by the British royal government to fight alongside the British army

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Decisive defeat of almost 6000 British troops under General John Burgoyne in several battles near Saratoga, New York, in October 1777; the American victory helped convince France to enter the war on the side of the Patriots

Valley Forge (1777-1778)

American military encampment near Philadelphia, where more than 3500 soldiers deserted or died from cold and hunger in the winter

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War; General Cornwallis, along with over 7000 British troops, surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 17, 1781

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty that ended the Revolutionary War recognized American independence from Britain, created the border between Canada and the United States, set the western border at the Mississippi, and ceded Florida to Spain

republican ideology

Political belief in representative democracy in which citizens govern themselves by electing representatives, or legislatures, to make key decisions on the citizens' behalf

state constitutions

Charters that define the relationship between the state government and local governments, while also protecting individual rights and freedoms

Articles of Confederation

The first form of government for the United States, ratified by the original thirteen states in 1781; weak in central authority, it was replaced by the US Constitution drafted in 1787