USH Unit 2 Vocab

french and indian war

a conflict between Great Britain and France for control of territory

treaty of paris 1763

formally ended the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years' War) between Great Britain, France, and Spain

proclamation of 1763

imposed by the british and prohibited American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains following the French and Indian War.

the stamp act

a 1765 British law that imposed a direct tax on the American colonies, requiring stamps on various printed materials to raise money for Britain

the intolerable acts

The primary goal was to isolate and punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, a protest against the Tea Act.

the sons of liberty

a secret, underground Patriot organization in the Thirteen Colonies, formed around 1765, that used protests, boycotts, and sometimes violence to oppose British taxation and policies against colonial rights

the daughters of liberty

informal groups of patriotic colonial women who supported the American Revolution by boycotting British goods, producing homemade alternatives to those goods

committees of correspondence

crucial colonial organizations that facilitated communication and coordination among the Thirteen Colonies, primarily during the period leading up to the American Revolution

Thomas Paine

influential Anglo-American writer, revolutionary, and philosopher who wrote he influential pamphlets Common Sense and The American Crisis, which advocated for American independence and inspired the colonists during the Revolutionary War.

Common sense

the influential pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776, which used plain language to argue for the American colonies' independence from Great Britain and advocated for the creation of a democratic republic

Thomas Jefferson

Founding Father, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States

committee of five

the five members of the Second Continental Congress appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence

declaration of independence

a formal document, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, that announced the severance of the thirteen American colonies from British rule and their formation as a new, independent nation

John Locke

theories of natural rights, the social contract, and limited government profoundly influenced the American revolutionaries and the founding documents of the United States

natural rights

the fundamental rights inherent to all individuals, believed to be endowed by nature or God, and not dependent on government or laws

social contract theory

the idea that governments gain their legitimacy from the consent of the governed, with people agreeing to give up some of their freedoms in exchange for security and order provided by a civil society and its laws

Benjamin Franklin

played a crucial role in the American Revolution, helping to draft the Declaration of Independence, securing French support, and negotiating the Treaty of Paris

John Adams

second U.S. President. A leading advocate for independence, he played a vital role in the Continental Congress, helped draft the Declaration of Independence, and served as a diplomat in Europe

George Washington

first President of the United States and as the commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

continental congress

two legislative bodies that governed the thirteen American colonies during the Revolutionary War period

Marquis de Lafayette

French aristocrat and military officer who became a pivotal figure in the American Revolution, serving as a major general in the Continental Army

Baron von Steuben

a Prussian military officer who volunteered to help the American cause during the Revolutionary War. He is best known for training the Continental Army into a more disciplined fighting force

Valley Forge

a significant location during the American Revolutionary War, serving as the winter encampment for the Continental Army led by George Washington

“Crossing the Delaware”/Battle of Trenton

refers to General George Washington's daring, nighttime maneuver on Christmas 1776 where he and the Continental Army crossed the icy Delaware River on their way to surprise and attack Hessian troops at the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey, on December 26.

Battle of Saratoga

a crucial American Revolutionary War battle, involved two main engagements in Saratoga, New York, where American forces decisively defeated the British.

Battle of Yorktown

the decisive siege in October 1781 where combined American and French forces trapped and forced the surrender of a major British army led by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia

General Cornwallis

British military commander in the American Revolution, famous for his surrender at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, which effectively ended the war.

Crispus Attucks

an Afro-Native American man who was the first person killed in the Boston Massacre

Treaty of Paris 1783

the treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War, formally recognizing the United States as an independent nation and setting the new country's boundaries, extending as far west as the Mississippi River