IB history of americans

Proclamation of 1763

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

Salutary Neglect

An undocumented English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies. British colonial policy during the reigns of George one and George two. Relaxed supervision of internal colonial affairs by royal bureacrats contributed significantly to the rise of American self government

Writ of assistance

Legal document that enabled officers to search homes and warehouses for goods that might be smuggled; a search warrant., the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

George Grenville

became prime minister of Britain in 1763 he persuaded the Parliament to pass a law allowing smugglers to be sent to vice-admiralty courts which were run by British officers and had no jury. He did this to end smuggling.

Sugar Act

Halved the duty on foreign made molasses, placed duties on certain imports, and strengthened the enforcement of the law allowing prosecutors to try smuggling cases in a vice-admiralty court; lowered tax on molasses.

Stamp Act

An act passed by the British parliament in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents.

Stamp Act Congress

Group of colonists who protested the Stamp Act, saying that Parliament couldn't tax without colonist' consent., A meeting of delegations from many of the colonies, the congress was formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act It adopted a declaration of rights as well as sent letters of complaints to the king and parliament, and it showed signs of colonial unity and organized resistance.

Declaratory act

Act passed in 1766 just after the repeal of the Stamp Act. Stated that Parliament could legislate for the colonies in all cases.

Townshend act

A tax that the British Parliament placed on leads, glass, paint and tea.

Non-importation agreement

Pledges to boycott, or decline to purchase, certain goods from abroad; not to import goods taxed from England.

Intolerable Acts

A series of laws set up by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for its protests against the British. (Coercive Acts)

Boston Tea Party

Demonstration (1773) by citizens of Boston who (disguised as Indians) raided three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor.

Quebec Act

Passed in 1774 by the British Parliament, it extended political and legal concessions to the inhabitants of Quebec and granted them religious freedom.

Patrick Henry

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"

John Adams

America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained."

Sam Adams

A Massachusetts politician who was a radical fighter for colonial independence. Helped organize the Sons of Liberty and the Non-Importation Commission, which protested the Townshend Acts, and is believed to have lead the Boston Tea Party. He served in the Continental Congress throughout the Revolution, and served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1794-1797.

Sons of Liberty

Secret societies formed to protest new taxes passed by Parliament. Led the Boston Tea Party and threatened tax collectors.

John Hancock and The Liberty

John Hancock was a very good smuggler. He and The Liberty-a ship- were on the brink of rebellion against the British troops.

John Dickenson (PA)

A man who said that Britain's actions were no reason to go to war, that America would only suffer and die from being free from their mother country. "Father of the Articles" and committee of writers.

Thomas Paine and Common Sense

Paine wrote Common Sense, which was a pamphlet discussing how independence from Britain was the only option. Paine wanted to steer American anger towards English constitution.

Declaration of Independence

The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

Richard Henry Lee

Member of the Second Continental Congress who urged Congress to support independence; signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Loyalists

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

Boston Massacre

British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were teasing and taunting them. Five colonists were killed. The colonists blamed the British and the Sons of Liberty and used this incident as an excuse to promote the Revolution.

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.

"... until you see the whites of their eyes."

A quote that William Prescott said at the battle of bunker hill, he told his men not not to fire until they could see the whites of the enemies eyes

Means: wait until you have a chance of success.

"Shot heard 'round the world"

The first shot fired of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord when a group of armed minutemen confronted a British column.

Hessians

German mercenaries that were hired by the British for putting down the rebellion of the colonies. The hiring of these men showed to the colonists that the British had only military action in mind as a solution to the current problems.

What were the causes of the American Revolution?

Proclamation of 1763, Intolerable Acts, Stamp Act, Mercantilism, Lack of Representation in Parliament, and British ecomonic polocies following the French & Indian War.

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

French and Indian War?

It was a war fought by French & English on American soil over control of the Ohio River Valley-- English defeated French in1763. Historical Significance: established England as number one world power and began to gradually change attitudes of the colonists toward England for the worse. 2. A war in North America between France and Britain (both aided by indian tribes).

What was the role of John Adams in the American Revolution

A Massachusetts attorney & politician who was a strong believer in colonial independence. He argued against the Stamp Act and was involved in various patriot groups. As a delegate from Massachusetts, he urged the Second Continental Congress to declare independence. He helped draft and pass the Declaration of Independence. Adams later served as the second President of the United States

What was the role of Samuel Adams in the American Revolution?

Samuel Adams played a key role in the defense of colonial rights. He had been a leader of the Sons of Liberty and suggested the formation of the Committees of Correspondence. Adams was crucial in spreading the principle of colonial rights throughout New England and is credited with provoking the Boston Tea Party..

What was the role of Benjamin Franklinin the American Revolution?

American patriot, writer, printer, and inventor. During the Revolutionary War he persuaded the French to help the colonists.

What was the role of King George III in the American Revolution?

He was the king of England from 1760 to 1820, exercised a greater hand in the government of the American colonies than had many of his predecessors. Colonists were torn between loyalty to the king and resistance to acts carried out in his name. After King George III rejected the Olive Branch Petition, the colonists came to see him as a tyrant.

What was the role of Thomas Jefferson in the American Revolution?

He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States.

What was the role of Thomas Paine in the American Revolution?

Patriot and writer whose pamphlet Common Sense, published in 1776, convinced many Americans that it was time to declare independence from Britain. He also wrote The American Crisis to urge colonists to join the fight against the British.

What was the role of George Washington in the American Revolution?

Commander of the Continental Army. He had led troops (rather unsuccessfully) during the French and Indian War, and had surrendered Fort Necessity to the French. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and was much more successful in this second command.

What is the significance of 1776?

It was the year that the Declaration of Independence was signed. Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence's final wording; this was the first Independence Day on July 4, 1776.

Articles of Confederation

This document, the nation's first constitution, was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1781 during the Revolution. The document was limited because states held most of the power, and Congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

A 1775 conflict between colonial minutemen & British soldiers attempting to take the colonists' large store of arms; began the Revolutionary War, 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.

Battle of Saratoga

The battle which was the turning point of the Revolution because after the colonists won this major victory, the French decided to support us with money, troops, ships, etc.

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.

Winter at Valley Forge, PA

Washington and troops were low on supplies, food, and clothing. Because it was a harsh winter, 1/5 of soldiers died. Name given to the 1777-1778 encampment at Valley Forge by the American military under General Washington. It was America's first real effort to field a professional military against the British.

Treaty of Paris of 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.

First Continental Congress

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

Second Continental Congress

They organized the Continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the comittee to draft the Declaration of Independence.

Common Sense

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

Sons of Liberty

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

What were the strengths of the British?

They had a strong well-trained army and navy along with a strong central government with food, ammunition and the support of colonial loyalists and Native Americans.