American Colonial History: Key Concepts and Events

What was a dowry?

Money/Valuables a woman received from her father after marriage.

What was the right of coverture?

The husband was the legal head of marriage.

What were dowry rights?

The wife earned 1/3 of the estate if the husband died.

What were the three geographic areas of the English colonies?

Southern, Middle, New England.

What was the Tidewater and who lived there?

An estuary for large planters.

What was the Piedmont and who lived there?

The Appalachian foothills where smaller farmers lived.

Where did most of the South Carolinian aristocracy live during the warm months?

Charleston.

True or False: The Middle colonies were characterized by a large diversity in religion and ethnicity.

True.

What were the difficult features of New England's climate?

Cold climate and rocky soils.

What was the focus of New England's economy?

Shipbuilding, merchants, fishing, whaling, and slaves.

What was the Triangle Trade and what were its two major routes?

Africa, West Indies, New England (molasses to rum).

Whose ships were moving the Triangle Trade material?

New England.

What is fiat money?

Paper money backed by the belief the government promises to accept.

What was different about Enlightenment thinkers?

They used human reason to understand the universe.

Who was the main founder of the colony of Georgia?

Col. James Oglethorpe.

What were the two main reasons for the founding of Georgia?

To produce silk and wine, and to shield South Carolina.

What was the Great Awakening?

A religious revival focused on personal conversion experience.

Who brought the Great Awakening to the colonies in a mass attended speaking tour?

John Wesley.

What was salutary neglect?

Little interference in the colonies.

What happened during the Stono Rebellion of 1739?

20 slaves attacked a South Carolina home.

Which kingdoms were fighting each other in the War of Jenkins' Ear?

Spain and England.

Where in North America did the Spanish attack?

Georgia.

Which kingdoms were fighting each other in King George's War?

France and Spain vs. England.

Which French North American fortress was the main focus of the fighting in King George's War?

Louisbourg.

What are the four most significant things about the French and Indian War?

France leaves America, British debt, colonist involvement, and colonial government changes.

Who was sent to try to convince the French to leave the Ohio country in 1753?

George Washington.

Who was sent to drive the French out of Fort Duquesne in 1754?

Gov. Dinwiddie/George Washington.

What year did the French and Indian War begin and who was responsible for the first shots?

1754; allied Indians.

What was the controversy surrounding this first engagement?

Louis Coulon assumed command.

What tactic did the French use to defeat Washington at Fort Necessity?

Wilderness tactics.

Who was appointed the first British supreme commander in North America in 1755?

Edward Braddock.

Which major general was killed during the Battle of Monongahela?

Edward Braddock.

Who became the British supreme commander in 1756?

John Campbell.

Who became the French supreme commander in 1756?

Louis Joseph Gozon de Veran (Marquis de Montcalm).

Who were the commanders in the Battle of Fort William Henry and who won?

Montcalm and George Murray; Montcalm won.

What happened to the British prisoners of war while they were being escorted to Fort Edward?

They were attacked.

Who becomes Prime Minister in England in 1758 and changes the focus of the English war effort?

William Pitt.

Who is put in command of the British army in 1758?

James Abercromby.

What major French fortress is captured by the British in 1758?

Louisbourg.

What French fort did General Abercromby attack in 1758 and why did this attack fail so badly?

Fort Carillon; the attack failed due to poor planning.

Who became the British supreme commander in 1759?

Jeffery Amherst.

Who were the commanding generals in the Battle of Quebec and who won?

Wolfe and Montcalm; Wolfe won.

Which generals were killed during the Battle of Quebec?

Both Wolfe and Montcalm.

What year were the French forces in Canada surrendered?

1760.

What year did the French and Indian War officially end?

1763.

What did the British gain from the Treaty of Paris?

Florida and Canada.

What did the Spanish gain from the Treaty of Paris?

Louisiana and France.

What did France lose with the Treaty of Paris?

New World Empire.

Who became the king of England in 1760?

King George III.

Who became the Lord of the Treasury in England in 1763?

George Grenville.

What was Grenville's solution to fixing England's budget problem?

He taxed the colonials.

Who was put in charge of British colonial military affairs in 1760?

Jeffery Amherst

What year was Chief Pontiac's revolt?

1763

What did the Proclamation of 1763 state?

British closed land west of the Appalachian divide to colonials.

What did the Sugar Act of 1764 put into law?

Taxes on molasses.

What was the main colonial response to the Sugar Act, especially in Boston & New York City?

Boycott.

Why were the colonists protesting the Sugar Act?

They saw the tax as a violation of their rights.

What did Parliament have the undisputed right to do to the colonies?

Regulate trade.

What legal right was the Sugar Act violating?

Taxation without representation.

What document gave British subjects this legal right?

Magna Carta.

What did the Quartering Act of 1764 require of the colonists?

Americans to provide shelter and food to British soldiers.

How were the British soldiers stationed in the colonies perceived by the colonists?

Seen as oppressive.

What did the Stamp Act of 1765 put into effect?

Taxed documents (stamped to be legal).

Which Act is considered the first direct tax of the North American colonies?

Stamp Act.

Whom did the colonists claim had the power to enact internal taxes on the colonies?

Colonial assemblies.

Why did the colonists argue that Parliament did not represent them?

They were seeking representation in Parliament.

What was meant by the principle of 'virtual representation'?

All of Parliament represented British subjects.

What did the Declaratory Act state?

Parliament had the right to govern the colonies.

Who took over Parliament's colonial policy in 1767 and what were his goals?

Charles Townshend; to enact taxes.

What were the Townshend Duties?

Fees on paper, paint, glass, and lead.

Who replaced Townshend as the leader in Parliament after Townshend died in 1767?

Frederick North (Lord North).

What year did the Boston Massacre occur and what happened to cause the massacre?

1770; a mob pressed soldiers.

What was the only thing not repealed from the Townshend Duties in 1770?

Tax on tea.

What did the Tea Act of 1773 specify?

East India Tea would be sold cheaper.

What was the Boston Tea Party and what group was responsible for it?

Colonists dumped tea into the harbor.

What did the Coercive Act do to the city of Boston?

Closed Boston port and placed the city under martial law.

How did the colonists respond to the Acts passed in 1774?

First Continental Congress.

What was good and bad about the typical colonial soldier?

Good marksmen, little training; ranks broke.

What battle tactic mattered most in an 18th century army?

Holding ranks in line.

What year did the Second Continental Congress start?

Spring 1775.

Who did the Second Continental Congress pick to lead the colonial army?

George Washington.

Who did the British put in charge in Massachusetts?

Thomas Gage.

Who was sent on the sea route to warn the people of the British soldiers?

Paul Revere.

Who was sent on the land route to warn the people of Lexington?

William Dawes.

Which battle was the first battle of the Revolutionary War?

Lexington.

Who were the commanding officers in this battle and who won?

Francis Smith & John Parker; Colonists won.

Did the British fire the first shot in the Revolutionary War?

False.

Where was the second battle of the Revolutionary War?

Concord.

At what location in this battle were the first British soldiers killed in the Revolutionary War?

North Bridge.

Which major British fort was surrendered to Ethan Allen without a shot fired?

Ticonderoga.

Who were the three generals that joined Thomas Gage in Boston?

John Burgoyne, Henry Clinton, William Howe.

Who won the battle of Bunker Hill and why was the victory so costly for the victors?

British won; it was costly in terms of casualties.

Who were the American commanders during the invasion of Canada?

Benedict Arnold & Richard Montgomery.

What caused the American forces to lose the Battle of Quebec?

Loss of decisive leaders.

Who wrote Common Sense and what did it inspire many Americans to do?

Thomas Paine; inspired Americans to declare independence.

Who introduced the resolution for independence upon the floor of Congress on June 7, 1776?

Richard Henry Lee.

Who were the members of the Declaration Committee?

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin.

What date was the Declaration of Independence officially adopted?

July 4, 1776.

Who was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson.

Who was labeled the main 'villain' in the Declaration of Independence?

King George III.