Unit 2 Terms for USH Fall Final

French and Indian War

a war in North America between France and Britain (both aided by indian tribes)

Benjamin Franklin

American intellectual, inventor, and politician He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.

Navigation Acts

Laws that governed trade between England and its colonies. Colonists were required to ship certain products exclusively to England. These acts made colonists very angry because they were forbidden from trading with other countries.

Albany Congress

1754 Intercolonial Congress. Urged the crown to take direct control of Indian relations beyond the boundaries of the colonies. Drafted a plan of confederation for the continental colonies. was not ratified by any colony and parliament did not accept it.

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalacian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Stamp Act

an act passed by the British parliment in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents

The Boston Massacre

incident in 1770 in which British troops fired on and killed American colonists

Sons of Liberty

A group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution

Daughters of Liberty

organization of colonial women formed to protest British policies

Boston Tea Party

protest against increased tea prices in which colonists dumped british tea into boston harbor

Intolerable Acts

series of laws passed in 1774 to punish Boston for the Tea Party

First Continental Congress

Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met to discuss problems with Britain and to promote independence

Battles of Lexington and Concord

1st battle of the American Revolution. Known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World"

Second Continental Congress

They organized the continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the comittee to draft the Declaration of Independence

Olive Branch Petition

An offer of peace sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George lll

Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill)

First major battle of the Revolution. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. However, the British suffered more deaths.

Thomas Paine-Common Sense

A British citizen, he wrote Common Sense, published on January 1, 1776, to encourage the colonies to seek independence. It spoke out against the unfair treatment of the colonies by the British government and was instrumental in turning public opinion in favor of the Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

1776 statement, issued by the Second Continental Congress, explaining why the colonies wanted independence from Britain.

George Washington

At this time in history he was the Commander of the Continental Army

Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben

Former Prussian military officer who volunteered his services during Valley Forge to train Continental forces how to operate as an army.

Patriots vs. Loyalists

Patriots were colonists who wanted independence from Great Britain. Loyalists were colonists who chose to side with the British.

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

Frenchman who offered to serve for no pay in exchange for title of general. Became Washington's most trusted aide over time. Courageous soldier and diplomat.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the American Revolution. It was very important because it convinced the French to give the U.S. military support. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River, and, most importantly, showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy, Great Britain.

Battle of Yorktown

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.

Treaty of Paris

agreement signed by British and American leaders that stated the United States of America was a free and independent country

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Shay's Rebellion

A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

The Great Compromise in the Constitution

the compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia plans that created one chamber of the Congress based on population and one chamber representing each state equally

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.

Alexander Hamilton

1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.