Unit 2 | American Revolution NOTE

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individualism, and natural rights, influencing revolutionary thought.

Great Awakening

Religious revival in the 1730s-40s promoting personal connections with God and emotional worship.

Natural Rights

Concept by John Locke that individuals possess inherent rights to life, liberty, and property.

Social Contract

Rousseau's idea that individuals consent to surrender some freedoms for government protection.

Separation of Powers

Montesquieu's principle advocating for distinct government branches with checks and balances.

Navigation Acts

British laws requiring colonies to trade valuable goods exclusively with England.

Salutary Neglect

British policy allowing colonial self-rule as long as it remained profitable.

French and Indian War

Conflict between British colonists and French/Natives, leading to British territorial gains.

Proclamation of 1763

King George III's decree restricting colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Native American uprising against British expansion following the French and Indian War.

Albany Conference

1754 meeting proposing a unified colonial government for defense against the French.

Sons of Liberty

Group of colonists opposing British taxation, known for organizing protests like the Boston Tea Party.

Stamp Act

1765 law imposing a direct tax on printed materials, leading to colonial resistance.

Boston Massacre

1770 incident where British soldiers killed five colonists, escalating tensions.

Tea Act

1773 law allowing the British East India Company to sell tea directly to colonists, provoking protests.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act.

First Continental Congress

1774 assembly of colonial delegates advocating for resistance against British policies.

Lexington and Concord

1775 battles marking the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Early battle demonstrating colonial resolve despite British victory due to higher casualties.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point in the war, leading to French support for the American cause.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Agreement ending the Revolutionary War and recognizing American independence.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, facing persecution post-war.