3.1 vocab

musser

(colonial) assembly

one of the two subdivisions of colonial government. Consisted of elected, property-owning men who wanted to ensure that colonial law followed English law. They approved taxes, colonial budgets, and also checked the power of the government.

french and indian war

a war between the French (catholics) + French-allied natives and the British (through American militiamen). French-allied natives raided British towns on the border between New England and New France, took captives, and ransomed and converted said captives.French victories were often due to alliances with the Natives. This war ended due to the peace traties of Paris and Hubertusburg in 1763.

pontiac’s war

a war started by an ottawa leader. He and 300 warriers sought to take Fort Detroit in May 1763, but that resulted in a 6-month siege of the fort. They did this because after the British took control of this once French-owned land (due to the Treaty of Paris), they treated the natives very poorly. Due to disease, native forces were weakened, and they waved the white flag in 1766. They did not ‘win’ the war, but they did change the British policies.

royal proclamation of 1763

issued during Pontiac’s war. This creates the proclamation line, which uses the Appalachian Mountains as the boundary between British colonies and native-controlled lands.

salutary neglect

the approach used by Britain in terms of the colonies, which was a hands-off approach. They exercised little direct control over the colonies and had generally allowed its navigation laws to go unenforced. However, the wars fought were expensive, blamed on the colonists by Britain, and the government decided to increase their involvement to pay off war debts.

anglicization

a process in which 18th century colonists were adopting cultural habits similar to those of the British. Colonists attempted to mimic British culture, which led to political, intellectual, cultural, and economic developments.

sugar act

passed in 1764, it placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries. This raised money for the crown, and enforced the navigation acts to prevent sugar smuggling, specifically molasses, to bypass taxes.

stamp act

passed in 1765, it placed duties on printed paper in the colonies, including but not limited to legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and advertisements. This was the first direct tax paid by people in the colonies, as opposed to taxes on imported goods, which tended to be restricted to merchants.

sons of liberty

groups established in 1766 that were opposed to the acts passed and organized further resistance. This sent a message to the Parliament and influenced colonists to stop being hired as stamp collectors (no one to distribute stamps).

stamp act congress

a congress formed by representatives from the 9 colonies in New York in 1765. They decided that only the representatives could have power to approve taxes. They issued the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances”, which affirmed that colonists had the same rights as Britons.

declaratory act

an act passed by Parliament asserting that hey had the full power and authority to make laws for the colonies. This reserved Parliament’s right to impose taxes. Because colonists were celebrating the repeal of the stamp act, they didn’t notice this act that had been passed.