American Revolution Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards derived from the lecture transcript covering major events, people, and terms of the American Revolution era.

Seven Years’ War

A major war (1756–1763) between Britain and France over control of territory and power, including North America.

Albany Plan of Union

Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 plan to unite the colonies for defense and cooperation.

Iroquois Confederacy

Alliance of six Native American nations in northeastern North America.

William Pitt

British leader who helped direct Britain’s war effort during the Seven Years’ War.

Peace of Paris 1763

Treaty that ended the Seven Years’ War and gave Britain much of France’s North American territory.

Neolin

Native American religious leader who encouraged resistance to European influence.

Germ Warfare

The use or spread of disease-causing organisms as weapons.

First Continental Congress

Meeting of colonial delegates in 1774 to respond to British policies.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Native American uprising against British control of western lands after the Seven Years’ War.

Proclamation of 1763

British order banning colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Republicanism

Political belief that government should serve the public and be based on elected representatives.

John Locke

Enlightenment thinker who argued that people have natural rights and government needs their consent.

Sugar Act

1764 British law that taxed sugar and other goods and strengthened enforcement of trade laws.

Stamp Act

1765 tax requiring colonists to pay for an official stamp on printed materials.

Virtual Representation

British argument that Parliament represented all British subjects, even those who did not vote for its members.

Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions

Patrick Henry’s resolutions challenging Parliament’s right to tax Virginians.

Declaratory Act

1766 law stating that Parliament had full authority to make laws for the colonies.

Internal Tax

Tax placed directly on goods or activities within a colony.

External Tax

Tax placed on imported or exported goods.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Groups of colonists who organized resistance against British taxation and policies.

Boston Massacre

1770 confrontation in which British soldiers killed five colonists.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest in which colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

British laws passed in 1774 to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party.

Second Continental Congress

Colonial meeting that managed the Revolutionary War effort and eventually declared independence.

Olive Branch Petition

Final colonial attempt to make peace with King George III in 1775.

Battle of Bunker Hill

1775 battle near Boston where colonial forces fought British troops; Britain won but suffered heavy losses.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine’s pamphlet arguing that the colonies should become independent from Britain.

George Washington

Colonial military leader who became commander of the Continental Army.

Salutary Neglect

Britain’s loose enforcement of colonial trade laws before the American Revolution.

King George III

British king during the American Revolution.

Whigs

British political group that generally opposed King George III’s policies and supported some colonial concerns.

Parliament

Britain’s lawmaking body.

Patrick Henry

Virginia leader who strongly opposed British taxation and argued for colonial rights.

Stamp Act Congress

1765 meeting of colonial representatives that protested the Stamp Act.

Writs of Assistance

General search warrants that allowed British officials to search for smuggled goods.

Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania

John Dickinson’s essays arguing that Parliament could regulate trade but should not impose certain taxes on the colonies.

Samuel Adams

Massachusetts political leader who organized resistance to British policies.

James Otis

Massachusetts lawyer who argued that colonists had rights that Parliament should respect.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

1768 letter encouraging colonies to resist British taxation and defend their rights.

Lord Frederick North

British prime minister during much of the American Revolution.

Crispus Attucks

African American and Native American man killed during the Boston Massacre; often considered the first American casualty of the Revolution.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial communication networks that shared information and coordinated resistance.

Gaspee Incident

1772 event in which colonists attacked and burned a British customs ship in Rhode Island.

Coercive Acts

Another name for the Intolerable Acts, which punished Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party.

Port Act

Law that closed Boston Harbor until the cost of the destroyed tea was paid.

Massachusetts Government Act

Law that reduced Massachusetts’ self-government and increased British control.

Administration of Justice Act

Law allowing certain British officials accused of crimes to be tried outside Massachusetts.

Quartering Act

Law requiring colonies to provide housing and supplies for British troops.

Quebec Act

British law expanding Quebec’s territory and protecting Catholic religious practices.

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, natural rights, and individual liberty.

Deism

Belief that God created the universe but generally does not interfere with its natural laws.

Rationalism

Belief that reason and logical thinking are important ways to understand truth.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Enlightenment thinker who argued that government should reflect the will of the people.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

Statement by the First Continental Congress listing colonial rights and complaints against Britain.

Paul Revere

Patriot who helped warn colonists that British troops were approaching Lexington and Concord.

John Jay

American Patriot, diplomat, and future first Chief Justice of the United States.

Suffolk Resolves

1774 resolutions calling for Massachusetts colonists to resist the Intolerable Acts.

Minutemen

Colonial militia members prepared to fight on short notice.

Lexington and Concord

1775 battles that marked the beginning of armed conflict in the American Revolution.

Prohibitory Act

British law declaring the American colonies outside the king’s protection and restricting colonial trade.

Declaration of the Causes and Necessity for Taking Up Arms

Continental Congress statement explaining why the colonies were fighting Britain.

Thomas Jefferson

Main author of the Declaration of Independence and later third U.S. president.

Patriots

Colonists who supported independence from Britain.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution.

Valley Forge

Pennsylvania winter camp where Washington’s army endured severe shortages and trained during 1777–1778.

George Rogers Clark

American military leader who captured British forts in the Northwest Territory.

Battle of Saratoga

Major American victory in 1777 that helped convince France to support the American cause.

Battle of Yorktown

1781 American and French victory that effectively ended major fighting in the Revolution.

Treaty of Paris 1783

Treaty that officially ended the American Revolution and recognized U.S. independence.

Economic Sanctions

Economic restrictions used to pressure another country or group.

Mt. Vernon Conference

1785 meeting that helped encourage cooperation between states over trade and navigation.

Annapolis Convention

1786 meeting that called for a larger convention to address problems with the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting where delegates created the U.S. Constitution.

James Madison

“Father of the Constitution” who played a major role in drafting and supporting it.

Alexander Hamilton

Founding Father who supported a strong national government and a strong financial system.

John Dickinson

Political writer and delegate who supported colonial rights and later helped draft the Articles of Confederation.

Checks and Balances

System that gives each branch of government ways to limit the power of the other branches.

Benjamin Franklin

Founding Father, scientist, diplomat, and influential supporter of American independence.

John Adams

Founding Father, Patriot, diplomat, and second U.S. president.

Charles Townshend

British official who created the Townshend duties on colonial imports.

George Grenville

British prime minister who supported new taxes on the American colonies.

Mercy Otis Warren

Patriot writer who criticized British rule and supported the American Revolution.

Mutiny Act

British law requiring colonies to provide supplies and accommodations for British soldiers.

Paxton Boys

Group of Pennsylvania settlers who attacked Native Americans in 1763–1764.

Tea Act

1773 law giving the British East India Company advantages in selling tea in the colonies.

Townshend Act

1767 laws placing taxes on imported goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A policy for surveying and selling western lands, setting aside sections for public education.

Shays’ Rebellion

of Massachusetts farmers protesting debt, taxes, and property foreclosures.It highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and prompted calls for a stronger national government.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A law that established a method for admitting new states to the Union from the Northwest Territory and set a precedent for future expansion. It outlined the process for territories to become states, guaranteed certain rights, and prohibited slavery in the new territories.

Annapolis Convention

A meeting of delegates from five states in 1786 to discuss trade and other issues, leading to the call for the Constitutional Convention.

Constitutional Convention

A gathering in 1787 in Philadelphia where delegates drafted the new Constitution of the United States, addressing the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and resulting in a stronger federal government.

Federalists

Supporters of the new 1787 Constitution who advocated for a strong national government.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents who feared central power and argued for the necessity of a bill of rights.

Virginia Plan

A proposal that called for representation in Congress to be based strictly on state population.

New Jersey Plan

A small-state proposal for equal representation in a unicameral legislature, regardless of size.

Great Compromise

An agreement that created a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal in the Senate.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A decision to count 60 percent of slaves for the purposes of state representation and taxation.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments securing individual liberties and limiting the power of the federal government.