Colonial Resistance and Escalation of Tensions

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to the colonial resistance against British rule leading up to the American Revolution.

Seven Years War

A conflict that left Britain in debt and led them to impose new taxes on the American colonists.

King George III

The monarch of Britain from 1760 who sought to reassert the power of the monarchy over the colonies.

George Grenville

A British Prime Minister who believed colonists were too autonomous and promoted the enforcement of British laws.

Stamp Act (1765)

A tax on printed documents that led to colonial anger over 'taxation without representation'.

Stamp Act Congress

A meeting of delegates from 9 colonies who agreed that only colonial assemblies could tax Americans.

Sons of Liberty

A group formed by colonists to organize protests against British taxation and policies.

Declaratory Act

An act passed by Parliament asserting its power to make laws for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever'.

Currency Act

An act that banned the colonial printing of paper money, causing economic hardship.

Quartering Act

An act that required colonies to house and supply British soldiers, leading to conflict with colonial legislatures.

Townshend Duties

Taxes on imports such as lead, paper, and tea that prompted widespread boycotts.

Boston Massacre (1770)

An event where British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five colonists and escalating tensions.

Paul Revere

An American silversmith who used the Boston Massacre as propaganda to provoke anti-British sentiments.

Committees of Correspondence

Groups formed to spread information and unify the colonies in opposition to British rule.

Tea Act (1773)

An act that granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea, provoking colonial resistance.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

A protest where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor, symbolizing rebellion against British control.

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

British laws imposed to punish Boston, including closing its harbor and reducing self-government.

Quebec Act

An act expanding Quebec territory and granting more rights to Catholics, seen as a threat by colonists.