Causes of the American Revolution and the French & Indian War

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the French and Indian War, imperial taxation acts, colonial protest methods, and key figures leading up to the American Revolution.

Loyalist

An American colonist who remained loyal to Great Britain and King George III during the conflict leading up to and through the American Revolution.

Patriot

An American colonist who supported resistance against British parliamentary policies and advocated for colonial rights and independence; patriotism is defined as love for and devotion to one's country.

Protest

A statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to a policy, law, or authority.

Boycott

A concerted refusal to buy goods or use a service as a method of economic protest.

Effigy

A sculpture, doll, or model of a person (such as a dummy) constructed to be mocked, hanged, or burned in public protest.

Propaganda

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, created and distributed to promote a particular political cause, viewpoint, or agenda.

Salutary Neglect

The undocumented British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws in the 13 colonies, allowing them substantial self-rule as long as trade remained profitable.

Guerilla War

A style of warfare characterized by irregular ambushes, hit-and-run tactics, and using dense terrain for cover, which proved challenging for traditional British military formations.

Appalachian Mountains

The geographic mountain range that formed a natural boundary between the 13 British colonies and French-claimed territory in North America by 1750.

Ohio River Valley

The disputed frontier territory west of the Appalachian Mountains claimed by both Great Britain and France, rich in resources and the center of the fur trade conflict.

Albany Congress (1754)

A meeting of British colonial delegates held in Albany, New York, to negotiate an alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy and coordinate a common colonial defense against the French.

Albany Plan of Union

A 1754 proposal drafted by Benjamin Franklin suggesting that the colonies form a unified Grand Council of elected representatives for shared defense, which the individual colonial assemblies rejected.

"Join, or Die"

A famous 1754 political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin showing a snake cut into segments, symbolizing the necessity for the colonies to unite against the French threat during the French and Indian War.

Fort Necessity

A British outpost hastily built by George Washington in 1754 near Fort Duquesne, where his troops were encircled and forced to surrender on July 4, 1754, following combat with approximately 800 French and Native American fighters.

General Edward Braddock

A British commander unfamiliar with guerrilla warfare who was defeated and mortally wounded at the Battle of the Monongahela in July 1755.

William Pitt

The British governmental leader who turned the tide of the French and Indian War by deploying top British generals, investing financial resources, and securing broader Native American alliances.

Battle of Quebec (1759)

A September 1759 British victory where 4,500 troops under General Wolfe assembled on the Plains of Abraham and forced French retreat, leading to the surrender of Quebec.

Capitulation of Montreal (1760)

The surrender of isolated French forces to Great Britain on September 8, 1760, which ended fighting in North America and finalized the conquest of New France.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

The formal peace agreement that concluded the French and Indian War, removing France from the Ohio River Valley and transferring French Canada and Spanish Florida to Great Britain.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A royal decree issued by King George III forbidding Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains in order to prevent violent clashes with Native Americans.

Pontiac's Rebellion

An uprising by a confederation of Native American tribes in 1763 resisting British military post-war occupation and colonial encroachment into the Ohio River Valley.

Sugar Act (1764)

A revenue-raising act passed by Parliament that taxed imported sugar, molasses, and other goods, sparking colonial outrage over customs enforcement and taxation without representation.

Quartering Act

A British statute mandating that colonial authorities provide food, drink, and housing accommodations to stationed British troops.

Stamp Act (1765)

A direct British tax requiring a revenue stamp on printed materials in the colonies, including newspapers, legal documents, pamphlets, and playing cards.

"No Taxation Without Representation"

A colonial slogan affirming the principle that Parliament could not legally impose internal taxes on colonists who lacked elected representatives in the British legislature.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

A gathering of delegates from 9 colonies in New York City that issued a unified declaration against parliamentary taxation, arguing that colonists could not be taxed without their consent.

Andrew Oliver

A wealthy Boston merchant and crown-appointed stamp collector whose effigy was hung from the Liberty Tree on August 14, 1765, and whose property was ransacked by protesting mobs.

Sons of Liberty

An intercolonial network of activists, originating in Boston and New York City, that organized public rallies, coordinated commercial boycotts, and occasionally employed violent crowd action to resist British tax laws.

Daughters of Liberty

A network of colonial women who supported anti-British boycotts by manufacturing homespun textiles and brewing herbal tea substitutes.

Tar and Feathering

A violent, humiliating form of punishment used by colonial mobs against royal customs officials and loyalists, involving covering the victim in hot tar and poultry feathers.

Committees of Correspondence

Intercolonial communications networks established by patriot leaders to circulate information, coordinate political actions, and monitor British policies throughout the colonies.

Townshend Acts (1767)

A series of parliamentary acts that placed import duties on paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea shipped to the colonies, prompting renewed non-importation boycotts.

Writs of Assistance

Blanket search warrants issued by the British government allowing customs officials to inspect colonial ships, businesses, and homes for suspected contraband without specific probable cause.

Non-Importation Agreements

Formal compacts signed by colonial merchants and consumers pledging to halt the purchase and importation of manufactured goods from Great Britain as economic leverage.

Tea Act (1773)

British legislation granting the financially struggling British East India Company a monopoly on the colonial tea trade, which provoked colonial resistance including the Boston Tea Party.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Punitive laws enacted by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, which closed Boston Harbor, altered the colonial charter, and quartered troops in private structures.

Terrorism

The systematic use of terror, fear, and violence, especially as a means of coercion against individuals or governments.

Coercion

The practice of compelling someone to act through force, intimidation, or threats.

Usurpation

The illegal seizure or taking of authority, power, or property by force or without constitutional right.

John Peter Zenger Trial (1735)

A landmark colonial trial in which a printer was acquitted of seditious libel, establishing an early legal precedent for freedom of the press and the right to critique governing authorities.