CST: The First and Second Continental Congress

835211

Representative government

form of government where officials are elected by the people to represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf

Sugar Act

1764; required taxes to be collected on molasses brought into the colonies; gave British officials the right to search the homes of anyone suspected of violating it

Stamp Act

1765; taxed printed materials such as newspapers and legal documents; protests led them to be repealed in 1766 but included the Declaratory Act (stated that Parliament had the right to govern the colonies

Quartering Act

1765; required colonists to provide accommodations and supplies for British troops; colonists also could not trade west of Appalachia without British permission

Townshend Acts

1767; taxed paper, paint, lead, and tea that came into the colonies; led to boycotts some by Samuel and John Adams

Boston Massacre

March 5th, 1770; tension over taxes led colonists to taunt British soldiers, who opened fire; resulted in the repealing of the Townshend Act

Boston Tea Party

1773 Tea Act allowed for the East India Company to sell directly to shops, harming tea merchants; Sons of Liberty boarded ships and dumped tea into the harbor

Coercive Acts

Boston ports shut down until value of tea destroyed was paid back

Required that local government officials in Massachusetts were appointed by the government instead of elected by the people

Allowed British soldiers to be tried in Britain instead of in Massachusetts

Required locals to provide lodging for British soldiers, even in private homes

First Continental Congress

September 5th, 1774; delegates from 12/13 colonies affirmed British loyalty but wanted the Intolerable Acts to be repealed; instituted a trade embargo with Britain

Intolerable Acts

colonial term for the Coercive Acts

Battle of Lexington and Concord

first battle of the American Revolution

British response to First Continental Congress

George III declared that the colonies must submit or face military action; assemblies formed militias

Second Continental Congress

May 10th, 1775 in Philadelphia; discussed independence and established an army

Commander in Chief of the Continental Army

George Washington

Declaration of Independence

signed by Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776

Olive Branch Proposal

an attempt by the colonies to avoid war, but was shot down by King George III

Common Sense

written by Thomas Paine; made a strong case for independence and was widely distributed

Turning point of American Revolution

Battle of Saratoga in 1777; intervention of France, Spain, and the Netherlands in 1778

Articles of Confederation

first constitution of the United States, established in 1781; created a weak government with most power held by the states