American Revolution and Colonial History

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, historical figures, battles, acts, and intellectual movements from the French and Indian War through the American Revolutionary War based on lecture notes.

General John Burgoyne

British military officer who led forces to capture Albany, New York, but was defeated at Saratoga after moving slowly and expecting reinforcements from General Howe that never arrived.

General Horatio Gates

American general who commanded 7,000 Continental soldiers to victory at Saratoga, but later suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Camden.

Battle of Saratoga

Major Continental victory in New York where General Gates defeated General Burgoyne, convincing France to form a full military alliance with the United States.

Valley Forge

Winter encampment 20 miles from Philadelphia where Washington's troops suffered through harsh winter conditions, losing 2,000 men to disease and 2,000 to desertion while undergoing rigorous military training.

Battle of Oriskany

August 6 battle where British-allied Native Americans and loyalists ambushed militia drinking at Oriskany Creek, inflicting nearly 500 casualties out of 840 total fighters.

Fort Stanwix

Continental fort where American forces successfully repelled an attack by British soldiers and their Native American allies.

Benjamin Franklin

America's first significant diplomat who traveled to France in 1776 and negotiated a formal military and commercial treaty of alliance after the victory at Saratoga.

Marquis de Lafayette

19-year-old French aristocrat who joined the Continental Army in 1777, served as a trusted officer under Washington, and commanded troops in Virginia leading to the British surrender at Yorktown.

Southern Strategy

British military plan to conquer southern colonies one by one, relying on loyalist support and exploiting fears of slave uprisings before turning to New England.

General Cornwallis

British commander who established military control over South Carolina after the fall of Charleston, but was eventually trapped and forced to surrender at Yorktown.

Benedict Arnold

Talented Continental military officer who turned traitor in 1780 by secretly providing American troop movements to the British.

Battle of the Chesapeake

Naval battle where the French fleet under Admiral de Grasse defeated British ships, preventing British forces from rescuing Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Continental Army

Military force established by the Second Continental Congress and commanded by George Washington, composed of volunteer soldiers and militias.

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Notable Continental Army military unit made up predominantly of Black soldiers fighting for revolutionary ideals and promises of freedom.

Deborah Sampson

Woman who disguised herself as Robert Shirtliff to enlist in the Continental light infantry, serving in combat and scouting operations.

Dorchester Heights

High ground overlooking Boston fortified by Washington using heavy cannons captured from Fort Ticonderoga, forcing British General Howe to evacuate the city.

Hessians

Approximately 8,000 German mercenary soldiers hired by Great Britain to fight against American forces.

Battle of Long Island

British military victory under General Howe that captured New York, transforming it into Britain's central naval base and prison facility during the war.

Battle of Trenton

Surprise Continental victory on December 26, 1776, after Washington crossed the icy Delaware River on Christmas night to attack Hessian forces.

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770 confrontation where British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists throwing snowballs and debris, resulting in five colonial deaths.

Tea Act of 1773

Parliamentary law granting the British East India Company a complete monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies.

Boston Tea Party

Protest organized by the Sons of Liberty who disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

Series of punitive British laws (also called Coercive Acts) that closed Boston Harbor, limited local governance in Massachusetts, and mandated housing for 4,000 occupying troops.

First Continental Congress

1774 assembly of delegates from twelve colonies in Philadelphia that drafted petitions to King George III and organized boycotts of British imports.

Common Sense

50-page political pamphlet published by Thomas Paine in early 1776 that used Enlightenment concepts and biblical references to advocate for complete independence from Great Britain.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

Opening military clashes of the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775, sparked by British attempts to seize weapons and arrest colonial opposition leaders.

Second Continental Congress

Assembly meeting in Philadelphia following Lexington and Concord that served as a wartime government by establishing the Continental Army, issuing currency, and managing foreign relations.

Olive Branch Petition

Final petition sent by the Continental Congress seeking peace with King George III, which was rejected when the King declared the colonies in open rebellion.

Declaration of Independence

Document authored primarily by Thomas Jefferson and adopted in 1776, outlining Enlightenment principles of rights and formally severing political ties with Great Britain.

Anglicization

Development of colonial elite society and two-house legislative governance structures to mirror the social and political hierarchies of Great Britain.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of minimal imperial oversight and trade law enforcement, allowing the American colonies to develop self-governance and commercial independence.

Navigation Acts

Trade laws mandating that colonial commodities such as tobacco, sugar, and rice be transported exclusively to British ports on British vessels.

Impressment

British naval policy of seizing colonial merchant sailors and forcing them into service in the Royal Navy.

French and Indian War

North American portion of a global conflict fought over control of land and trade in the Ohio River Valley.

Albany Plan of Union

1754 proposal authored by Benjamin Franklin attempting to unite the colonies under a representative government to collect taxes and coordinate defense, which was rejected by both colonies and Crown.

Peace of Paris 1763

Treaty ending the French and Indian War, in which France surrendered the Ohio River Valley to Britain, Spain ceded Florida to Britain, and France transferred territories west of the Mississippi to Spain.

Acadians

French-speaking Catholic farmers expelled from Canada by the British during the French and Indian War, many of whom resettled in southern Louisiana and became known as Cajuns.

Proclamation of 1763

Royal decree prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent expensive military conflicts with Native American nations.

George Grenville

British Prime Minister who enacted policies to manage national debt—which grew from 75 million to 133 million pounds—by enforcing laws, quartering troops, and levying new colonial taxes.

Stamp Act

1765 imperial tax requiring a revenue stamp on legal documents, newspapers, licenses, and playing cards in the colonies.

Committees of Correspondence

Intercolonial shadow communication networks created to spread information regarding colonial grievances and organize unified protests.

Daughters of Liberty

Colonial women who supported non-importation boycotts against the Townshend Acts by spinning homespun cloth and brewing herbal tea to replace British goods.

Great Awakening

18th-century religious revival across the American colonies characterized by passionate sermons, emotional public engagement, and questioning inherited authority.

The Enlightenment

European intellectual movement focused on rationality, natural rights, and social contract theory that significantly shaped American political thought.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher whose principles regarding natural rights to life, liberty, and property formed the theoretical foundation of the Declaration of Independence.

Phillis Wheatley

First published African American female poet, who composed noted literary works while enslaved in Boston.