UNIT 2 TERMS

Second Continental Congress

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

Bunker Hill

the first important battle of the American Revolution (1775) (actually breeds hill) Technical British Victory.

Olive Branch Petition

Last ditch effort to avoid war with England, after Lexington and Concord

Hessians

German soldiers hired by George III to smash Colonial rebellion, more concerned about money than duty.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress, asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Statement of fundamental political rights adopted by the French National Assembly. Inspiration by American Revolution values and success.

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence

Battle of Long Island

A 1776 battle in New York in which more than 1,400 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured. Fatal defeat

Trenton

On Christmas night, 1776, Washington led 2,400 men across the Delaware River to attack the Hessians. The Americans killed 30 of the enemy and took 918 captives and 6 Hessian cannons.

Saratoga

American victory over British troops in 1777 that was a turning point in the American Revolution. FIRST AID OF FRENCH

Model Treaty

Sample treaty drafted by the Continental Congress as a guide for American diplomats. Reflected the Americans' desire to foster commercial partnerships rather than political or military entanglements.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix

Treaty signed by the United States and the pro-British Iroquois granting Ohio country to the Americans.

Privateers

"Legalized pirates," more than a thousand strong, who inflicted heavy damage on British shipping

Yorktown

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Surrender of Cornwallis in 1781. Trapped in the Chesapeake Bay because stuck between French navy and the American army.

Treaty of Paris

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

Benedict Arnold

Brilliant American general who turned traitor due to lack of recognition and debt. He plotted to surrender the strategic fort at West Point to the British, making his name synonymous with treason in American history.

Thomas Paine

Author of Common Sense (1776), a wildly popular pamphlet that used plain language to argue for total independence from Britain. He shifted popular opinion by framing the monarchy as a tyranny, directly inspiring the Declaration of Independence

Abigail Adams

Early advocate for women's rights and wife of John Adams. She is famous for her "Remember the Ladies" letter, which urged the Continental Congress to protect women's rights under the new government, serving as an early milestone in American feminist history.

Richard Henry Lee

Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress who introduced the Lee Resolution in June 1776, officially proposing that the colonies declare independence from Great Britain.

Lord Charles Cornwallis

Commander of British forces in the South. He is best known for his surrender at the Battle of Yorktown (1781), which effectively ended major combat operations in the Revolutionary War.

John Burgoyne

British general who commanded the northern army. He is famous for his crushing defeat and surrender at the Battle of Saratoga (1777), which served as the major turning point of the war.

Benjamin Franklin

Master diplomat who secured the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778) following the Battle of Saratoga. His efforts brought crucial French military and financial aid that ultimately won the war.

Comte de Rochambeau

Commander-in-Chief of the French Expeditionary Force. He marched his army south from Rhode Island to join George Washington, providing the vital French ground troops needed to trap Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Nathaneal Greene

Major General of the Continental Army known as the "Fighting Quaker." He successfully commanded the Southern Campaign, using a strategy of division and elusive retreat to exhaust General Cornwallis’s army and clear the South of British control.

Joseph Brant

Mohawk military and political leader (also known as Thayendanegea) who allied the Iroquois Confederacy with the British. He led devastating raids on American frontier settlements to protect Native lands from colonial expansion.

George Rogers Clark

High-ranking military officer on the northwestern frontier. His victories over the British and Native allies in the Illinois Country secured the Northwest Territory for the United States, greatly expanding its post-war borders.

Admiral de Grasse

French naval commander whose fleet won the Battle of the Chesapeake, establishing French naval supremacy and blocking the British navy from rescuing Cornwallis at Yorktown.

French and Indian War

Nine‑year conflict between Britain and France in North America; Britain wins, France expelled from mainland; sets stage for the global Seven Years’ War and later colonial tensions.

Albany Congress

1754 intercolonial meeting to unify colonies and secure Iroquois support; early attempt at colonial unity (Join or Die). Drafted a plan of confederation for the continental colonies. Not ratified, not accepted by parliament.

Battle of Québec

1759 British victory on the Plains of Abraham; decisive turning point leading to fall of Montreal and Treaty of Paris (1763).

Pontiac’s War

Native uprising led by Pontiac to resist British expansion into Ohio Valley; crushed brutally; British use smallpox‑infected blankets.

Proclamation of 1763

Banned settlement west of Appalachians; intended to stabilize frontier but angered colonists seeking land.

Republicanism

A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed.

Radical Whigs

British commentators warning against corruption and arbitrary power; prime influence on colonial suspicion of British rule.

Mercantilism

Give goods to mother nation (England) in return for resources for living; encourages colonies as sources of raw materials and markets for exports.

Sugar Act

First tax imposed on colonists; duty on West Indies sugar; lowered after protest.

Quartering Act

Required colonies to house and feed British troops; seen as violation of rights.

Stamp Act

First direct internal tax; required stamped paper for legal documents and newspapers; sparked “no taxation without representation.”

Admiralty Courts

Juryless courts for Navigation Act violators; burden of proof on accused; colonists saw them as rights violations.

Stamp Act Congress

Delegates from nine colonies petitioned repeal; early intercolonial unity. the congress was formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act.

Nonimportation Agreements

Boycotts of British goods; highly effective; unified colonial resistance. designed to put pressure on the British economy and force the repeal of unpopular parliamentary acts.

Sons of Liberty

Radical protest group enforcing boycotts and resisting British policies. opposed British policies at the time of the American Revolution

Daughters of Liberty

Women supporting boycotts; produced homespun goods.

Declaratory Act

Repealed Stamp Act but asserted Parliament’s full authority over colonies. Stated that Parliament could legislate for the colonies in all cases.

Townshend Acts

Indirect taxes on glass, paper, paint, tea; revenue used to pay royal governors; renewed protests.

Boston Massacre

British troops fire on colonists; propaganda fuel for resistance. Killed 5 americans.

Committees of Correspondence

Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies

Boston Tea Party

Protest against tea monopoly; colonists dump tea; triggers harsh British retaliation.

Intolerable Acts

Punitive laws closing Boston port, altering MA charter, expanding Quartering Act; leads to First Continental Congress.

Québec Act

Extended Quebec southward; allowed French laws and Catholicism; colonists misinterpreted it as punishment.

First Continental Congress

Delegates from 12 colonies meet to respond to Intolerable Acts; create The Association.

The Association

They fully boycott of British goods (import, export, consume); enforced by local committees; shadow government.

Battles of Lexington & Concord

First battles of Revolution; colonists defend munitions and force British retreat.

Valley Forge

Winter encampment showing American army’s supply weakness; severe suffering and desertion. Washington’s army suffered

William Pitt

A competent British leader, known as the "Great Commoner," who managed to destroy New France from the inside and end the Seven Year's War

Pontiac

famous chief of the Ottawa who led an unsuccessful rebellion against the British (1715-1769)

George Grenville

Became prime minister of Britain in 1763 he persuaded the Parliament to pass a law allowing smugglers to be sent to vice-admiralty courts. Also apart of Stamp Act.

Charles Townshend

British Prime Minister. Influenced Parliament to pass the Townshend Acts.

Crispus Attucks

The African-Native American man who was the first man to die in the Boston Massacre, also considered the first death in the Revolutionary War

George III

King of England during the American Revolution very stubborn and had bad officers n council

Lord North

British Prime Minister during revolution. He had passed the Coercive Acts and supported the king greatly to the extent that Britain was ruled only by the king.

Samuel Adams

American Revolutionary leader and patriot, Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence

Marquis de Lafayette

French soldier. He became a general on Washington's staff and fought hard. He was known as "the soldier's friend,".

Baron von Steuben

A stern, Prussian drillmaster that taught American soldiers during the Revolutionary War how to successfully fight the British.

Paxton Boys

a group of Scots-Irish men living in the Appalachian hills that wanted protection from Indian attacks, their ideas started the Regulator Movement

Regulator movement

a movement during the 1760's by western North Carolinians, mainly Scots-Irish, that resented the that the tax money was being unevenly distributed. Many of its members joined the American Revolutionists.

New York slave revolt

A revolt in 1712 claiming 9 white lives and 21 black lives demonstrated slaves desire for freedom

Stono Rebellion

the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies and resulted in stricter laws with more banned freedoms

Triangular Trade

A profitable trade route involving 3 areas, it was infinitely profitable that made New England Ports rich

Molasses Act

law that imposed a tax on sugar, molasses, and rum imported from non-British colonies into North American colonies. Weakest of navigation acts- avoided by smuggling

Arminianism

rejected Calvinist ideas of predestination that resulted in loss of power in the Congregational Church

Great Awakening

movement arose in reaction to the rise of skepticism and the waning of religious faith brought about by the Enlightenment. Protestants urged repentance

Old Lights

Favored quieter worship that was structured and rational. Did not like the new way of preaching. Opposed Great Awakening

New Lights

Emotional preaching who delivered theatrical sermons. Emphasized personal relationship with God

Poor Richard’s Almanack

widely read annual pamphlet published by Benjamin Franklin, providing farmers and townspeople with daily data such as planting guides, recipes, weather forecasts, etc. Promoted hard work

Zenger Trial

Libel (malicious false written) assumed of Zenger when his published articles attacked colony’s royal governor. Andrew Hamilton argued publishing truth should never be a crime, and the jury agreed.

Royal Colonies

colonies in British North America governed directly by the king and his officials. In this setup, the Crown chose the governor, gave him broad authority, and expected him to carry out royal policy rather than local wishes.

Proprietary Colonies

an English colony handed over to a single owner or a small group of owners, called proprietors, by a royal grant. The king essentially said, "Here's a chunk of North America. You run it.

Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur

French american writer and farmer who wrote Letters from an American Farmer, and described Americans as a mix of various ethnicities and highlighted economic freedom and equality

Jacobus Arminius

His teachings directly opposed Calvinism and heavily influenced later religious revivals in America like the First Great Awakening. Founded Arminianism

Jonathan Edwards

Puritan minister and theologian whose emotional preaching helped spark the First Great Awakening.

George Whitefield

an Anglican itinerant preacher whose dramatic, emotional open-air sermons made him the most famous figure of the First Great Awakening

John Trumbull

Known for his famous historical canvases depicting key events and leaders of the American Revolutionary War and was often alongside George Washington

John Singleton Copley

(1738–1815) documented prominent New England figures before moving permanently to London and was loyal to the British Crown

Phillis Wheatley

first African American woman to publish a book of poetry and a prominent literary voice during the American Revolutionary era

John Peter Zenger

an 18th century colonial printer whose 1735 trial for seditious libel established a foundational precedent for freedom of the press in America