Key Concepts from Enlightenment and American Revolution

Flashcards covering key concepts from the Enlightenment and American Revolutionary context.

Thomas Hobbes

Philosopher who wrote Leviathan (1651), advocating for strong central authority, believing humans in a state of nature are brutish.

John Locke

Philosopher known for Two Treatises of Government (1689) emphasizing government by consent and the right to rebel, which influenced Thomas Jefferson.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Philosopher who wrote The Social Contract, advocating for limited government and viewing government as a necessary evil.

Montesquieu

Philosopher who wrote The Spirit of Laws (1754), introduced the concept of separation of powers, which inspired the U.S. Constitution.

Voltaire

Philosopher who advocated for civil liberties, particularly focusing on freedom of speech and religion.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of lenient colonial governance prior to 1763.

Mercantilism

Economic policy benefiting the mother country through colonial trade.

Navigation Acts

British laws restricting colonial trade to benefit England.

Writs of Assistance

Blanket search warrants viewed as violations of colonial rights.

Proclamation of 1763

Proclamation that banned colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Stamp Act (1765)

Tax on printed materials that led to widespread colonial protest.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Asserted Parliament’s authority to legislate for colonies in all cases whatsoever.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imports like glass, paint, and tea that sparked boycotts.

Tea Act (1773)

Act giving British East India Company a monopoly, triggering the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts (1774)

Punitive laws enacted after the Boston Tea Party that united colonial opposition.

No Taxation Without Representation

Slogan protesting the lack of colonial representation in Parliament.

Virtual vs. Actual Representation

British vs. colonial views on political representation.

Stamp Act Congress

First unified colonial response to British policy.

Sons of Liberty

Radical group led by Sam Adams that used protest and intimidation against British policies.

Committees of Correspondence

Networks established for colonial communication and resistance.

Boston Massacre (1770)

Clash between British troops and colonists used as propaganda.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Protest against the Tea Act that resulted in the Coercive Acts.