American Pageant Chapter 6

Albany Congress

a meeting of delegates from seven British colonies in Albany, New York, to secure Iroquois support and coordinate defense against the French during the early stages of the French and Indian War

Battle of Québec

British victory in Montreal 1759-60. The last time the French flag flew in Canada.

Proclamation of 1763

a British royal decree, issued by King George III after the French and Indian War, that prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

Republicanism

the ideology that government should be based on the consent of the governed and a society where citizens prioritize the common good over private, selfish interests, rather than an absolute monarchy or aristocracy

Pontiac's War

a significant post-French and Indian War Native American uprising against British rule in the Great Lakes region. Led by the Ottawa chief Pontiac in 1763, it involved a confederation of tribes attacking British forts and settlers to resist the new British policies and westward expansion.

Radical Whigs

a group of 18th-century British political commentators who advocated for liberty by warning against the corruption and abuse of power by the British monarchy and its ministers

French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)

(1754-1763) Nine-year war between the British and the French in North America; it resulted in the expulsion of the French from the North American mainland.

Mercantilism

an economic system where a colonizing country (the "mother country") aims to increase its wealth and power by controlling colonial trade to ensure a positive balance of trade—exporting more than it imports

Sugar Act

a British law that taxed sugar, molasses, and other goods imported into the American colonies to raise revenue for the Crown, ending the era of Salutary Neglect

Quartering Act

a series of British parliamentary acts, primarily the 1765 act, that required the American colonies to provide housing, food, and other supplies to British soldiers stationed in North America

Stamp Act

a 1765 British law requiring a tax on all printed materials in the American colonies, such as legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards, to help pay for colonial defense after the French and Indian War

Admiralty Courts

refers to the Vice-Admiralty Courts, which were British maritime tribunals that tried smuggling cases and violations of the Navigation Acts in the colonies without a jury, a practice colonists found to be a violation of their rights and a tool of British oppression

Stamp Act Congress

an October 1765 meeting in New York City where delegates from nine American colonies gathered to draft a unified response to the British Parliament's Stamp Act, issuing a Declaration of Rights and Grievances that asserted colonists' rights and stated only their elected representatives could tax them

William Pitt

British "Organizer of Victory" decided to focus British resources on Canada and the Ohio River Valley rather than the West Indies.

nonimportation agreements

a colonial boycott of British goods, organized by groups like the Sons of Liberty and merchants, to exert economic pressure on Parliament and force the repeal of unpopular British tax laws, such as the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts

Pontiac

Ottawa chief who led an uprising trying to drive the British out of the Ohio Country.

Sons of Liberty

a radical patriot organization formed in 1765 to protest British taxation and oppression, using tactics like boycotts, intimidation, riots, and vandalism to pressure British officials and advance colonial rights and independence

Daughters of Liberty

women who organized and participated in boycotts of British goods and promoted homespun alternatives to support the American Patriot cause before and during the American Revolution

Declatatory Act

passed by the British Parliament in 1766, asserted Britain's complete legislative authority over the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" and accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act

Townshend Acts

a series of British laws named after Charles Townshend that levied taxes on imported goods like glass, paint, lead, paper, and tea into the colonies

Boston Massacre

a deadly confrontation on March 5, 1770, where British soldiers fired on a hostile Boston mob, killing five colonists, including Crispus Attucks

Committiees of Correspondence

a network of provisional governments and communication systems established by Patriot leaders in the Thirteen Colonies to share information about British actions and coordinate colonial resistance

Boston Tea Party

a political protest on December 16, 1773, where American colonists, disguised as Mohawks and led by the Sons of Liberty, destroyed 342 chests of tea by dumping them into Boston Harbor to protest British taxation without representation and the monopoly granted to the East India Company by the Tea Act of 1773

“Intolderable Acts”

a series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774, primarily targeting Massachusetts, to punish the colony for the Boston Tea Party

Quebec Act

extended the boundaries of the province of Quebec to the Ohio River, allowed French colonists to practice Catholicism and retain French civil law, and set a precedent for guaranteeing religious liberties

First Continental Congress

a convention in 1774 where delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to respond to the Intolerable Acts, drafting a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, organizing a boycott of British goods, and agreeing to meet again if their demands were not met, marking a significant step in colonial unity and resistance against British authority

The Association

a 1774 agreement established by the First Continental Congress to enforce a complete boycott of British goods through non-importation, non-consumption, and non-exportation policies, in response to Parliament's repressive measures

Battles of Lexington & Concord

the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, where British troops attempted to seize colonial military supplies but were met by Patriot militias

Valley Forge

the winter encampment of George Washington's Continental Army from December 1777 to June 1778

George Grenville

British Prime Minister (1763-1765) known for his policies that imposed new taxes and sought tighter control over the American colonies, including the Sugar Act of 1764 and the controversial Stamp Act of 1765, which were significant catalysts leading to the American Revolution.

Charles Townshend

British statesman and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (head of the treasury) who pushed through the Townshend Acts of 1767, a series of measures that levied duties on goods like lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea imported by the American colonies to raise revenue for the British government and assert parliamentary authority over them.

Crispus Attucks

a soldier of Wampanoag and African descent who was the first person killed during the Boston Massacre in 1770

George III

British monarch during the American Revolution, known for his firm stance against American independence, his attempts to suppress the rebellion with military force, and his refusal to surrender the colonies, which ultimately led to the American victory and the loss of the colonies to the British crown. 

Lord North

the Prime Minister of Great Britain who led the country through most of the American Revolutionary War. His premiership saw the passage of acts, like the Tea Act of 1773, that escalated tensions with the American colonies and ultimately led to the war for independence.

Samuel Adams

leading Boston revolutionary, known for galvanizing public opposition to British taxation and organizing the Sons of Liberty. He was a key figure in promoting the American cause, signing the Declaration of Independence, serving in the Continental Congress, and later becoming the governor of Massachusetts.

Marquis de Lafayette

young, wealthy French aristocrat who volunteered to serve in the American Continental Army without pay during the Revolutionary War, becoming a trusted officer under George Washington and playing a crucial role in securing French aid and in the decisive victory at the Siege of Yorktown. His actions embodied the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and democracy, and his support significantly boosted American morale and military success.

Baron von Steuben

Prussian military officer who served as the Continental Army's inspector general during the American Revolution, training troops at Valley Forge in standardized Prussian drills to improve their discipline, organization, and battlefield effectiveness. His methods, codified in the army's first drill manual, transformed the poorly-trained soldiers into a professional fighting force that was crucial to the American victory.