IB History of Americas

Albany Plan of Union

A plan in which every colonial legislature would elect delegates to an American Continental assembly presided over by a royal governor. This was Benjamin Franklin's idea.

Benjamin Franklin

He was a key figure in the revolutionary war. He was the American ambassador to France. He published Poor Richard Almanac.

Mercantilism

Belief in the benefits of profitable trading. The British placed fiscal restrictions on the colonies and that angered the colonist.

Salutary neglect

A British policy during the 17th and 18th century of avoiding struck enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep American colonies obedient to England.

Pontiac's Rebellion

A war when Native American warrior under Ottawa chief Pontiac attacks the British forces at Detroit. The campaign was launched on May 7,1763 by natives who were unsatisfied with British postwar policies in the Great Lake region.

French and Indian War

A war between the French and the British. France's expansion into the Ohio River Valley brought constant conflict between the French and the British. It lasted from 1756-1763 and resulted in the French giving up most of their territory in the United States.

Edward Braddock

He was a major general for the British. He is infamous for his mistake of marching to Ft. Duquesne to attempt to capture Ft. Duquesne during the French-Indian War.

William Pitt

The British prime minister during the French-Indian War. He changed the tide of the war. He promised to reimburse the Colonists if they were to fight in the war. This would create judge fiscal troubles for the British Empire.

George Washington (early)

In 1754 he led 300 troops against the French at Ft. Duquesne. During the expedition he built Fort Necessity. He rode across the battle lines during the Battle of the Monongahela and saved the remnants of the British and Virginian forces.

Fort Duquesne

A point at which the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers join. It was a major trading port that was held by the French. In 1755 General Braddock's failed expedition here that could have been a monumental defeat to the British.

Battle of the Wilderness

A failed British attempt to capture the French Ft. Duquesne. It was a major setback for the British.

Iroquis

A group of 5 tribes that inhabited the areas of Ontario and upstate New York. They aligned with the English during the war.

The Treaty of Paris

This ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. The council that negotiated peace included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens.

Proclamation of 1763

It was issued by King George III of England on October 7,1763. It was issued after the end of the French-Indian War, which forbade all settlement past the Appalachian Mountains.

Québec Act

It was passed by British parliament to replace the temporary government of Canada with a permeant government. It gave Canadians religious freedom which was important because most Canadians were Catholic.

George Greenville

The prime minister of Britain during the Revolutionary war. He passed the Stamp Act.

Navigational Acts

This act required all of the colony's imports to be bought England or resold by English merchants in England. It began in 1651.

Admiralty Court

Maritime courts that have power over disputes about the sea. The courts were given jurisdiction over laws, such as the Stamp Act of 1765.

Writs of Assistance

They were documents that served as search warrants. It allowed customs officials to enter any ship or building they wanted to.

Molasses Act

An act passed by parliament to encourage the purchase of British molasses. A six pence per gallon on imports from non-British colonies was charged.

Sugar Act

The modified version of the Sugar and Molasses Act passed in 1733. It only hurt a few colonies, mostly Massachusetts.

Stamp Act

An act of British parliament in 1756 that took revenues from the colonies by imposing taxes on newspapers, legal, and commercial documents.

Custom

A tax imposed on imports and exports of goods. A duty is a tax levied by the state. A tariff is a tax imposed on imported goods and services. The customs made the colonist angry.

Virginia Resolves

A series of resolutions passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses. These 5 resolutions were pushed for by Patrick Henry.

Patrick Henry

He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. He presented his points to the point of treason.

Stamp Act Congress

The first American congress composed to fight unfair taxation. James Otis and John Dickinson were 2 major delegates at the conference in New York between October 7-25.

George III

The British king who reigned for 59 years. He won the French- Indian War and lost the Revolutionary War. He forced William Pitt to resign his office.

Repeal

To revoke or annul. George III revoked the Stamp Act on March 18,1766.

Quartering Act

This act required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies. No matter what housing had to be found by the colonist for the British.

James Otis

He was an American lawyer who was famous for challenging the writs of assistance. He argued that this undermined the natural rights of citizens and that the writs of assistance should be declared null and void.

Rights of the Colonists asserted and proved

Pamphlets written by James Otis to incite the American public to fight against the British.

Lord North

The British Prime Minister who attempted to salvage the East Indian Tea Company. To do this he sent excess tea to the colonies to be sold, the tea act.

Declaratory Act

An act in which the British parliament repealed the Stamp Act and lessened the Sugar Act. It stated that British Parliament's taxing authority was the same in America as in England.

Townsend Acts

Taxes on glass, paper, tea, oil, lead, and paint which attempted to raise 40,000 British pounds a year in taxes. Customs officials seized one of John Hancock shipments and the officials was raided.

Charles Townshend

The chancellor of the Exchequer, who proposed the program. He did this because England needed to raise money to pay for the French- Indian War.

Committees Of Correspondence

A War of American Colonies maintaining communication lines. 1/2 of Massachusetts towns would join the Boston committees in 1722.

Samuel Adams

He was a failed brewer and newspaper published. He organized Boston's sons of Liberty, conceived of the Boston Committee of Correspondence and coordinated Boston's resistance to the Tea Act which resulted in the Tea Party.

John Dickinson

He wrote essay, Letters of a Pennsylvania Farmer, regarding the nonimportation and nonexportation agreements against Britain. He was opposed to American independence.

Letter of a Federal Farmer

A pamphlet published by an a anonymous farmer. It argued that by the states would be annihilated by one national government.

Massachusetts Circular Letter

A statement written by Sam Adams and passed by the Mass. House of Representatives in February 1768. This was in response to the Townsend Acts.

Nonimportation Agreements

A response to the Stamp and Townsend Acts. Colonies agreed to boycott English goods.

William Burke

He was a mediator between George Greenville and Ralph Varney.

Virtual Representation

A theory that held that American colonist did not need to elect their officials. The theory held that the representatives in Parliament represented everyone in the British Empire even the British citizens knew that was not true.

Gaspee Incident

A British Customs vessel that was engaged in the anti-smuggling operations. Led by Abraham Whipple and John Brown they attacked, boarded, looted, and torched the ship.

Boston Massacre

A street fight that occurred between a "patriot" mob throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to conjure up ideas of succeeding.