French and Indian War: Causes, Battles, and Consequences in Colonial America (chapter 4)

French and Indian War

A conflict from 1754 to 1763 between England and France over land west of the Appalachian Mountains, especially the Ohio River Valley.

Albany Plan of Union

A proposal during the French and Indian War aiming to gain the help of the Iroquois Confederacy and unite the colonies for defense.

William Pitt

The Prime Minister of Britain in 1757 who sent more soldiers and supplies to support the war effort against France.

Treaty of Paris 1763

The agreement that officially ended the French and Indian War, marking the end of France's power in North America.

Navigation Acts

Laws that expanded English shipping and manufacturing by banning foreign vessels from trading with the colonies.

Salutary Neglect

The British policy of leaving the colonies to govern themselves, which led to increased colonial self-reliance.

Writs of Assistance

Search warrants that allowed British officials to stop colonial merchants from illegally trading with foreign nations.

Proclamation of 1763

A declaration by Britain that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Sugar Act 1764

Legislation that increased duties on refined sugar and textiles while lowering the duty on colonial imports of foreign molasses to discourage smuggling.

Quartering Act 1765

An act that required colonists to house British soldiers, leading to complaints about a peacetime army stationed in America.

Stamp Act

A tax imposed on newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, pamphlets, and legal documents, leading to widespread colonial protest.

Sons of Liberty

A group formed to protest against the Stamp Act and other forms of taxation without representation.

Taxation without Representation

The principle that it is unjust to tax individuals without giving them a voice in the legislative body imposing the tax.

Declaratory Act

An act passed by Parliament in 1766 that reaffirmed its authority over the colonies after the repeal of the Stamp Act.

Pontiac's Rebellion

A Native American uprising against British expansion into the Ohio River Valley following the French and Indian War.

Fort Duquesne

A French fort built in 1754 at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which became a focal point in the French and Indian War.

Fort Necessity

A fort built by George Washington and his militia in 1754 after a confrontation with French forces.

James Wolfe

British general who led the forces that captured Quebec in 1759, a significant victory in the French and Indian War.

Enumerated Articles

Items that could only be sold to Britain and the colonies, limiting colonial trade with other nations.

Colonial Boycott

A refusal to buy British goods as a form of protest against taxation and British policies.

Patrick Henry

A colonial leader known for his declaration 'No taxation without representation,' which became a rallying cry for colonists.

Townsend Acts

Levied duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea.

Samuel Adams

Led resistance against British policies.

Boston Massacre

March 1770 event where a Boston crowd erupted in violence against British soldiers, resulting in 5 colonists killed.

Tea Act

Allowed East India Tea Company to ship tea to America without paying a hefty duty, underselling colonial importers.

Coercive Acts

1774 acts that included closing Boston port until destroyed tea was paid for and depriving Massachusetts people of speech and election rights.

Quebec Act

Extended boundary of Canadian province south to the Ohio River, subjecting the area to French-Canadian law.

First Continental Congress

Delegates from 12/13 colonies met in Philadelphia in September 1774 to issue a declaration of rights.

Committees of Correspondence

Established by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty in 1772 to publicize complaints against the British.

Boston Tea Party

Sons of Liberty held a protest by tossing British tea into the harbor.

Lexington and Concord

April 1775 confrontation where local minutemen fired on British soldiers looking for colonial weapons.

Second Continental Congress

May 1775 meeting to decide whether to comply with England or continue to resist, resulting in the creation of the Continental Army.

Bunker Hill

June 17, 1775 battle where Americans fortified Breed's Hill and inflicted heavy casualties on the British.

Ethan Allen

Leader of the Green Mountain Boys militia who captured British forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in May 1775.

General Gage

Military governor appointed under the Coercive Acts.

Minutemen

Local militia who were ready to fight at a moment's notice during the Revolutionary War.

George Washington

Appointed head of the Continental Army during the Second Continental Congress.

Intolerable Acts

Colonial term for the Coercive Acts, reflecting their severe impact on colonial rights.

Boston Freed

Washington arrived and forced British under General Howe to leave Boston in 1776.

American Independence

Result of the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783.

Shots Heard 'Round the World

Phrase describing the first gunfire which sparked the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord.

Military Governor

Appointed official who governed Massachusetts under the Coercive Acts.

Militia

Crushed a Loyalist force at Moore's Creek, NC.

British Attack

Drive off British attack later in '76 at Charleston.

King George

Approved closing the colonies to all commerce while the rebellion continued.

Hessian Mercenaries

German troops hired by the British.

Common Sense

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine published in January 1776.

Richard Henry Lee

Introduced a resolution in Virginia in June 1776 declaring the colonies free and independent.

Thomas Jefferson

Chosen by Congress to write the Declaration of Independence.

Paul Revere

Famous for his midnight ride to warn of British troops.

John Hancock

President of the Second Continental Congress, known for his large signature on the Declaration.

Hessians

German troops allied with the British during the American Revolution.

Battle of Princeton

A battle where Washington defeated British regiments in January 1777.

Battle of Brandywine

A battle where Washington was beaten on September 11, 1777.

Valley Forge

Winter camp for Washington's troops, known for harsh conditions.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko

A Polish military engineer who served in the Continental Army.

Baron von Steuben

German officer who trained the Continental Army.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the war, where Continental forces defeated Burgoyne on October 17, 1777.

George Rogers Clark

Led frontier fighters in the Midwest and forced British garrison to surrender in 1779.

Nathanael Greene

Took charge of Continental troops in the South in 1780.

Yorktown

Site where Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.

Treaty of Paris 1783

Agreement that acknowledged American independence and set boundaries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.

Privateer

Privately owned ship authorized to attack enemy ships.