US History - The Road to Revolution and the American Revolution

Samuel Adams

Patriot - 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. Firebrand from Massachusetts.

General Thomas Gage

British general in the Revolution. He was commander in chief of the North American forces and military governor of the Province of MA Bay.

King George III

Great Britain - King of England during the American Revolution

Friedrich von Steuben

Prussian Patriot - Military officer from Germany who trained American soldiers during the American Revolution.

Count de Rochambeau

Patriot - French general sent to America with a 6,000- soldier army to help the Americans against the British. A crucial factor at Yorktown, he would later lead the French Revolution

Sybil Ludington

Patriot - rode more than 40 miles to warn Americans of a British Attack

George Washington

Patriot - From Virginia, Commander of the Continental Army.

Patrick Henry

Patriot - a leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799) "Give me Liberty or Give me Death"

Benedict Arnold

Patriot - American General who was labeled a traitor when he assisted the British in a failed attempt to take the American fort at West Point.

Henry Knox

Patriot - Washington's first Secretary of War

Nathaneal Greene

Patriot - Secured battles to win over Yorktown

Ben Franklin

Patriot - Member of the second continental congress and helps write the declaration of independence

John Adams

Patriot - Was an attorney, becomes a patriot and apart of the second continental congress and helps write the declaration of independence

Paul Revere

Patriot - American silversmith remembered for his midnight ride (celebrated in a poem by Longfellow) to warn the colonists in Lexington and Concord that British troops were coming (1735-1818)

Crispus Attucks

Patriot - A free black man who was the first person killed in the Revolution at the Boston Massacre.

Marquis de Lafayette

Patriot - French soldier who joined General Washington's staff and became a general in the Continental Army.

General Charles Cornwallis

British general who fought the Patriots in the south; surrounded at Yorktown and surrendered to George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

Patriot - Main author of the Declaration of Independence, member of continental congress.

Thomas Paine

American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who Wrote common sense and The Crisis

Alexander Hamilton

Washingtons aide de camp and helped at the battle of yorktown.

Molly Pitcher

Patriot - heroine of the American Revolution who carried water to soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth Court House and took over her husband's gun when he was overcome by heat (1754-1932)

John Hancock

Patriot leader and president of the Second Continental Congress; first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

French and Indian War

English won, Indirect cause of the American Revolution because they go broke and need to tax the colonists.

Daughters of Liberty

This organization supported the boycott of British goods. They urged Americans to wear homemade fabrics and produce other goods that were previously available only from Britain. They believed that way, the American colonies would become economically independent.

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalacian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.

Patriot

American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won

Sugar Act

law passed by the British Parliament setting taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies

Boston Massacre

The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans

Intolerable Acts

in response to Boston Tea Party, 4 acts passed in 1774, Port of Boston closed, reduced power of assemblies in colonies, permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere, provided for quartering of troop's in barns and empty houses

Pontiac's Rebellion

1763 - An Indian uprising after the French and Indian War, led by an Ottowa chief named Pontiac. They opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when Pontiac was killed.

Triangular Trade

A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Africa sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent Guns and Rum to Africa

Quartering Act

1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.

Sons of Liberty

A group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution

Loyalist

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

Townshend Acts

A tax that the British Parliament passed in 1767 that was placed on leads, glass, paint and tea

Commitees of Correspondence

Commitees created by the Massachussets House of Representatives in the 1760s to help towns and colonies share information about resisting British laws.

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.

Militia

A group of civilians trained to fight in emergencies

martial law

type of rule in which the military is in charge and citizens' rights are suspended

Winter at Valley Forge

Washington and troops were low on supplies, food, and clothing. Because it was a harsh winter, 1/5 of soldiers died.

Battle of Trenton

On Christmas day at night, Washington's soldiers began crossing the Deleware River. The next morning, they suprise attacked the British mercenaries which were Hessians.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The battles of Lexington and Concord initiated the Revolutionary War between the American colonists and the British. British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord to stop the colonists who were loading arms. The next day, on April 19, 1775, the first shots were fired in Lexington, starting the war. The battles resulted in a British retreat to Boston.

Treaty of Paris 1783

This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Second Continental Congress

Convened in May 1775, the Congress opposed the drastic move toward complete independence from Britain. In an effort to reach a reconciliation, the Congress offered peace under the conditions that there be a cease-fire in Boston, that the Coercive Acts be repealed, and that negotiations begin immediately. King George III rejected the petition.

Common Sense

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

cash crop

a crop produced for its commercial value rather than for use by the grower.

Salutary Neglect

An English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies

Minutemen

Member of a militia during the American Revolution who could be ready to fight in sixty seconds

firebrand

An agitator

Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Warned colonial leaders and militia in Massachusetts of the impending march of British troops from Boston to seize military supplies in Concord and arrest Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the American Revolution. It was very important because it convinced the French to give the U.S. military support. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River, and, most importantly, showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy, Great Britain.

Battle of Yorktown

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. He surrendered October 19, 1781.

Declaration of Independence

1776 statement, issued by the Second Continental Congress, explaining why the colonies wanted independence from Britain.

First Continental Congress

September 1774, delegates from twelve colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts

Olive Branch Petition

On July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies.

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

Great Awakening

Religious revival in the American colonies of the eighteenth century during which a number of new Protestant churches were established.

The Crisis

Inspired American soldiers and citizens to persevere and fight for independence during a period of low morale and near defeat in the Revolutionary War.