Unit 2: American & French Revolutions

Colonist

Someone who lives in a land that is ruled by another country.

Navigation Act of 1651

A law that said the American colonists could only sell their most valuable goods to Britain.

French and Indian War

A war fought in the American colonies from 1754-1763 between the British and the French (both aided by Indian tribes) for possession of land in North Carolina, which the British won.

Proclamation of 1763

A law that said American colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains after the French and Indian War.

Sugar Act

A 1764 law passed by the British Parliament setting taxes on molasses and sugar imported into the colonies. Colonists avoided this tax by smuggling in these items and by bribing tax collectors.

Stamp Act

A 1765 law that required colonists to pay a tax on printed items like newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards.

"Taxation without representation"

Being taxed by a government without having any elected leaders or voice in making the laws that decide those taxes. This is what the American colonists accused the British government of doing.

Sons of Liberty

A radical, secret organization who organized protests and fought for American colonial independence.

Boycott

A refusal to buy or use goods and services as a form of protest against a specific group or cause.

Declaratory Act

A 1766 law that stated Parliament had authority over the colonies and the right to tax and pass legislation "in all cases whatsoever."

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770 incident in which British troops fired on and killed American colonists and fueling anti-British anger in the colonies.

Tea Act

A 1773 law that allowed the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the American colonies, hurting the business of American tea sellers. This led to the Boston Tea Party.

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes on tea in which Boston colonists disguised as Native Americans dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.

Coercive Acts

Four laws passed in 1774 meant to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. These laws closed Boston Harbor, banned town meetings, forced colonists to house British soldiers, and allowed British officials accused of crimes to be tried in Britain instead of in the colonies.

King George III

The British monarch during the American Revolution who refused to grant the colonies fair treatment or independence.

First Continental Congress

A meeting of colonial leaders in 1774 to organize resistance against British policies and send a message to King George III.

Second Continental Congress

A meeting of colonial leaders in 1775 that managed the war effort and eventually declared independence.

George Washington

Commander of the Continental Army who led American forces to victory in the Revolutionary War.

Declaration of Independence

A document approved in 1776 that declared the colonies free from British rule and outlined their rights and complaints.

Thomas Jefferson

The main author of the Declaration of Independence and a key leader in the movement for American liberty.

General Cornwallis

The British commander who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, ending major fighting in the Revolutionary War.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, which created a weak national government with most power held by the states.

Republic

A form of government in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting held in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation, which resulted in the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Constitution

The set of rules that explains how the U.S. government works, how leaders are chosen, and laws are made.

Federal system

A system of government in which power is shared between a national government and individual state governments.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual freedoms such as speech and religion.

revolution

a great change from things in the past

political revolution

a major change to the government or political leadership.

non-political revolution

a major change to the technology, economy, social hierarchy, or ideas in society.

hierarchy

a system of ranking groups of people

overthrow

to remove someone from power by force

Estate System

social hierarchy in France made up of 3 Estates, clergy, aristocracy, and working class people

clergy

Church officials such as priests, monks, and nuns that are part of the 1st Estate.

aristocrats

Land owners who have titles of nobility who are part of the 2nd Estate.

3rd estate

Bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants who paid almost all of the taxes and make up about 97% of the population.

Bourgeoisie

Middle Class people including bankers, factory owners, merchants, professionals, skilled artisans.

Urban workers

The poorest group within the third estate; included tradespeople, apprentices, laborers, and domestic servants.

Peasants

The largest group in the 3rd estate who paid half of their income to nobles, the Church, and the King.

King Louis XVI

King of France when the revolution began, weak leader, executed during the French Revolution

Estates General

An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, hadn't met in 175 years

National Assembly

a French law making group created by representatives of the 3rd Estate on June 17, 1789, to enact laws and reforms in the name of the French people

Representative government

A form of democracy in which the people vote for representatives who then vote on laws.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

French Revolution document that outlined what the National Assembly considered to be the natural rights of all people and the rights that they possessed as citizens, created on August 25, 1789

Olympe de Gouges

A French writer and activist who demanded equal rights for women and wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman. On November 3, 1793 she was executed by guillotine for criticizing the revolution.

Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen

This document, written by Olympe de Gouges wrote in response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man, states that Woman deserve the same political rights of men.

Limited Constitutional Monarchy

Government led by a monarch whose powers were limited by a Constitution.

Legislative Assembly

A French congress with the power to create laws and approve declarations of war, established by the constitution of 1791.

Emigres

French nobility who fled country to escape the Revolution & wanted to undo Revolution reforms and go back to the Old Regime

Sans-culottes

radical group made up of shopkeepers & workers who wanted a greater voice in government, lower prices, and an end of food shortages ("those without knee breeches" = people who wore regular trousers instead of fancy pants)

Radicals

Group in the Legislative Assembly who sat on the left side of the hall, opposed monarchy, and wanted big, comprehensive changes to how the government ran

Moderates

Group in the Legislative Assembly who sat in the center of the hall and wanted some changes to government but less than radicals

Conservatives

Group in the Legislative Assembly who sat on the right side of the hall and supported a limited monarchy and wanted little changes

National Convention

Legislative group that replaced the Legislative Assembly and then abolished the monarchy, declared France a republic, and gave all adult male citizens the right to vote and hold office. They took office on September 21, 1792

Republic

A form of government where power is held by the public, typically through elected representatives.

Jacobins

The most radical political group of the French Revolution who ruled France during the Reign of Terror.

Maximilien Robespierre

A revolutionary leader of the Jacobins who tried to wipe out every trace of France's past monarchy and nobility.

Jean-Paul Marat

A revolutionary leader of the radical Jacobins who helped launch the Reign of Terror and overthrow the moderate Girondists. He was stabbed to death in his bath by Charlotte Corday who agreed with the moderate Girondists.

Girondists

A moderate political group during the French Revolution, active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention from 1791 to 1793.

Committee for Public Safety

A committee of the National Convention led by Robespierre whose chief task was to protect the revolution from its enemies. Under Robespierre's rule, the committee killed more than 40,000 people.

Reign of Terror

A period during the French Revolution from September 1793 - July 1794 when Robespierre ruled as a dictator and thousands were executed for perceived disloyalty to the revolution. This period only ended with Robespierre's execution.

The Directory

The 4th and final government of the revolution made up of a five man group of directors and a two-part law making assembly.

Royalist Sympathizers

People who supported the monarchy and the royal family (King Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette)

Coup d'Etat

To overthrow the government and its powers (translates to "blow to the state")

Plebiscite

A direct vote in which a country's people have the opportunity to approve or reject a proposal or law

Lycees

french government-run public schools

Napoleonic Code

A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon