American Revolution Key Terms

Second Continental Congress

Representative body of delegates from all thirteen colonies. Drafted the Declaration of Independence and managed the colonial war effort.

Bunker Hill

Fought on the outskirts of Boston, on Breed's Hill, the battle ended in the colonial militia's retreat, though at a heavy cost to the British.

Olive Branch Petition

Conciliatory measure adopted by the Continental Congress, professing American loyalty and seeking an end to the hostilities. King George rejected the petition and proclaimed the colonies in rebellion.

Hessians

German troops hired from their princes by George III to aid in putting down the colonial insurrection. This hardened the resolve of American colonists, who resented the use of paid foreign fighters.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's pamphlet urging the colonies to declare independence and establish a republican government. The widely read pamphlet helped convince colonists to support the Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

Formal pronouncement of independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson and approved by Congress. The Declaration allowed Americans to appeal for foreign aid and served as an inspiration for later revolutionary movements worldwide.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Declaration of rights adopted during the French Revolution. Modeled after the American Declaration of Independence.

Loyalists

American colonists who opposed the Revolution and maintained their loyalty to the king; sometimes referred to as "Tories."

Battle of Long Island

Battle for the control of New York. British troops overwhelmed the colonial militias and retained control of the city for most of the war.

Trenton

George Washington surprised and captured a garrison of sleeping German Hessians, raising the morale of his crestfallen army and setting the stage for his victory at Princeton a week later.

Saratoga

Decisive colonial victory in upstate New York, which helped secure French support for the Revolutionary cause.

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

Privately owned armed ships authorized by Congress to prey on enemy shipping during the Revolutionary War. More numerous than the tiny American navy, privateers inflicted heavy damages on British shippers.

Yorktown

George Washington, with the aid of the French army, besieged Cornwallis at Yorktown, while the French naval fleet prevented British reinforcements from coming ashore. Cornwallis surrendered, dealing a heavy blow to the British war effort and paving the way for an eventual peace.

Treaty of Paris

Peace treaty signed by Britain and the United States ending the Revolutionary War. The British formally recognized American independence and ceded territory east of the Mississippi while the Americans, in turn, promised to restore Loyalist property and repay debts to British creditors.

Benedict Arnold

American general who became a notorious traitor for the British.

Thomas Paine

Author of Common Sense and influential political pamphleteer.

Abigail Adams

Advocate for women's rights and wife of John Adams.

Richard Henry Lee

Virginia delegate who introduced the resolution for independence.

Lord Charles Cornwallis

British general whose surrender at Yorktown sealed the American victory.

John Burgoyne

British general defeated and captured at the Battle of Saratoga.

Benjamin Franklin

Statesman, diplomat to France, and signer of the Declaration.

Comte de Rochambeau

Commander of French forces who joined Washington at Yorktown.

Nathanael Greene

American general known for wearing down British forces in the South.

Joseph Brant

Mohawk leader and British ally who fought against American expansion.

George Rogers Clark

Frontiersman who secured the Northwest territory during the war.

Admiral de Grasse

French naval commander whose fleet trapped the British at Yorktown.