US history exam 2

Boston Massacre

a confrontation between a crowd of Bostonians and British soldiers on March 5, 1770, which resulted in the deaths of five people, including Crispus Attucks, the first official casualty in the War for Independence

Coercive Acts

four acts (Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Port Bill, Quartering Act) that Lord North passed to punish Massachusetts for destroying the tea and refusing to pay for the damage

Committees of Correspondence

colonial extralegal shadow governments that convened to coordinate plans of resistance against the British

Daughters of Liberty

well-born British colonial women who led a non-importation movement against British goods

direct tax

a tax that consumers pay directly, rather than through merchants' higher prices

indirect tax

a tax imposed on businesses, rather than directly on consumers

Intolerable Acts

the name American Patriots gave to the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act

Loyalists

colonists in America who were loyal to Great Britain

Massachusetts Circular

a letter penned by Son of Liberty Samuel Adams that laid out the unconstitutionality of taxation without representation and encouraged the other colonies to boycott British goods

no taxation without representation

the principle, first articulated in the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions, that the colonists needed to be represented in Parliament if they were to be taxed

non-importation movement

a widespread colonial boycott of British goods

Proclamation Line

a line along the Appalachian Mountains, imposed by the Proclamation of 1763, west of which British colonists could not settle

Sons of Liberty

artisans, shopkeepers, and small-time merchants who opposed the Stamp Act and considered themselves British patriots

Suffolk Resolves

a Massachusetts plan of resistance to the Intolerable Acts that formed the basis of the eventual plan adopted by the First Continental Congress for resisting the British, including the arming of militias and the adoption of a widespread non-importation, non-exportation, and non-consumption agreement

vice-admiralty courts

British royal courts without juries that settled disputes occurring at sea

Which of the following was a cause of the British National Debt in 1763?

the French and Indian War and the continued British military presence in the American colonies

What was the main purpose of the Sugar Act of 1764?

It strengthened enforcement of molasses smuggling laws.

What did British colonists find so onerous about the acts that Prime Minister Grenville passed?

They believed Britain was taxing them without their consent and violating their rights as Englishmen through taxation without representation.

Which of the following was not a goal of the Stamp Act?

to declare null and void any laws the colonies had passed to govern and tax themselves

For which of the following activities were the Sons of Liberty responsible?

the hanging and beheading of a stamp commissioner in effigy

Which of the following was not one of the goals of the Townshend Acts?

greater colonial unity

Which event was most responsible for the colonies' endorsement of Samuel Adams's Massachusetts Circular?

Lord Hillsborough's threat to dissolve the colonial assemblies that endorsed the letter

What factors contributed to the Boston Massacre?

Tensions from the British military occupation of Boston, competition for jobs, harassment between soldiers and colonists, and an angry crowd confronting British troops.

Which of the following is true of the Gaspée affair?

Colonists believed that the British response represented an overreach of power.

What was the purpose of the Tea Act of 1773?

to help revive the struggling East India Company

What was the significance of the Committees of Correspondence?

They allowed the colonies to communicate, coordinate resistance to British policies, and organize united action.

Which of the following was decided at the First Continental Congress?

to boycott all British goods and prepare for possible military action

Which colony provided the basis for the Declarations and Resolves?

Massachusetts