Social Studies

Mercantilism

• An economic system where the colonies existed exclusively to generate wealth for the mother country (Great Britain). The colonies provided raw materials to Britain and were forced to buy manufactured goods in return, strictly limiting colonial trade with other nations.

Lack of Representation in Parliament

• Colonists argued that because they did not elect representatives to the British Parliament, Parliament had no right to tax them. This gave rise to the slogan, 'No taxation without representation!'

Proclamation of 1763

• A law issued by King George Ill that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was meant to avoid conflicts with Native Americans, but it angered colonists who wanted access to fertile

The Stamp Act

• A tax placed on commercial and legal paper items, including newspapers, playing cards, and legal documents. It led to widespread colonial boycotts and protests.

The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts):

• A series of harsh laws passed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. These acts closed the port of Boston, suspended town meetings, and forced colonists to house British soldiers (Quartering)

Lexington and Concord (1775):

• The opening engagements of the war, often referred to as the
  'shot heard 'round the world.'

Declaring Independence (1776)

• The Second Continental Congress formally cut political ties with Great Britain.

Battle of Saratoga(1777)

The turning point of the American Revolution. The American victory convinced France to openly form an alliance and provide military support,money,and naval forces to the Patriots.

Winter at Valley Forge (1777-1778)

• A brutal winter camp where George Washington's
  Continental Army faced extreme frostbite, starvation, and disease. Despite the hardships, the time was used to rigorously train the soldiers into a professional fighting force.

Battle of Yorktown (1781):

• The final major battle of the war. General George Washington, with the help of the French navy, trapped and surrounded British General Lord Cornwallis, forcing his surrender.

Treaty of Paris of 1783

• The official peace agreement that ended the war. Great Britain formally recognized the United States as an independent nation and established the new U.S. borders west to the Mississippi River.

Abigail Adams:

• Wife of John Adams who advocated for women's rights, famously advising her husband to 'remember the ladies' when drafting new

John Adams

• A prominent Massachusetts lawyer who defended the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre to uphold the rule of law. He later championed the cause of independence at the Continental Congress.

Samuel Adams

• A fierce leader of the Sons of Liberty who organized colonial protests and established the Committees of Correspondence to coordinate resistance against British policies.

Mercy Otis Warren

• A Patriot author and playwright who wrote popular poems and plays mocking British officials to convince colonists to support independence.

George Washington

• Washington: Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army who successfully led the military through severe hardships to defeat the British Empire.

Thomas Jefferson

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Benjamin Franklin

• A brilliant diplomat who traveled to Europe to secure the crucial military alliance with France.

Thomas Paine

• Author of Common Sense, a widely read pamphlet that used simple language to argue that the colonies should break away from the British monarchy.

Patrick Henry

• A passionate Virginia orator famous for his speech declaring, 'Give me liberty, or give me death!'

King George lll

• The monarch of Great Britain during the revolutionary era who rejected colonial petitions and sent troops to suppress the rebellion.

Marquis de Lafayette

• A young French nobleman who volunteered his military service to the Continental Army and helped secure French resources.

Crispus Attucks

• An African-American sailor who became the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was killed during the Boston Massacre.

Wentworth Cheswell

An educated African-American Patriot, schoolmaster, and soldier who made a midnight ride similar to Paul Revere's to warn towns that British troops were arriving.

James Armistead

An enslaved African American who acted as a highly effective double-agent sp for the Patriots, feeding critical tactical intelligence to Lafayette.

Unalienable Rights

Rights that belong to all human beings form birth and cannot be taken away by any government. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson defined these as life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Grievances

The list of formal complaints against King George Ill detailed in the Declaration of Independence. Examples include imposing taxes without colonial consent, quartering troops in private homes, and denying the right to a trial by jury.

Paul Revere

created the engraving of the Boston Massacre

Thomas Paine

Importance of Common Sense essay

Boston Tea Party

Intolerable Acts by King George lll

Olive Branch Petition

last attempt by Continental Congress to avoid war

but King George Ill ignored it.

Bunker Hill

1st major battle of Revolution

John Hancock

1st to sign the Declaration of Independence (wrote really big)

Major benefit of Vally Forge

much needed time to train soldiers though it was cold and miserable

Salutary Neglect

this is King George lll attitude towards American coloniests before French and Indian War

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution made