American Revolution Unit Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on key concepts, documents, battles, factional divisions, and societal/international impacts of the American Revolution based on the provided notes.

Common Sense

A pamphlet published in January 1776 by Thomas Paine that used simple, clear, and forceful language to argue that the American colonies should become independent states and break all ties with the British Monarchy, igniting widespread public demand for independence.

Deism

An Enlightenment belief held by many European and American thinkers that God established natural laws when creating the universe but does not intervene in human affairs, though God rewards or punishes individuals for their actions.

Yorktown

The final major battle of the American Revolution in 1781 in Virginia, where American forces combined with the French navy forced British General Cornwallis to surrender, delivering the final blow to the British army.

Declaration of Independence

A foundational document drafted by Thomas Jefferson as part of a committee of five, following a resolution on July 2, 1776, and formally adopted on July 4, 1776, to declare colonial independence from England and list specific grievances against English actions.

First Continental Congress

A meeting held in Philadelphia in September 1774 in response to the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts), bringing together radicals (Patrick Henry, Sam Adams), moderates (G. Washington, John Dickinson), and conservatives (John Jay, Joseph Galloway) who sought to address threats to liberty without initially seeking independence.

Treaty of Paris, 1783

The treaty that formally ended the American Revolution, in which Great Britain recognized American independence and established the Mississippi River as the western boundary of the United States.

Second Continental Congress

A meeting held in Philadelphia starting in May 1775 after the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, where New England radicals pressed for independence, resulting in the Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms, the Olive Branch Petition, and the Declaration of Independence.

British Strengths and Weaknesses at the Start of the Revolution

Strengths included a larger population, wealthy economy, well-trained and experienced army, large navy, supply support from American Tories, and American Indian alliances. The primary weakness was operating from a far distance.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

Fought in April 1775 between British soldiers and Massachusetts Minutemen following the warning rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes, marking the first military engagements of the American Revolution.

Patriots vs. Loyalists/Tories

Patriots supported independence and fought in local militias. Loyalists (Tories) opposed independence, aided British soldiers with supplies, fought alongside the British army, were concentrated in GA, NY, and NJ, and frequently relocated to Canada after the war.

Battle of Saratoga

An October 1777 American victory over British forces in Saratoga, New York, that served as a major turning point by securing a critical military alliance between France and the American colonists.

Suffolk Resolves and Declaration and Resolves

Measures created by the First Continental Congress (1774); the Suffolk Resolves called for immediate repeal of the Coercive Acts, military preparations, and boycotts, while the Declaration and Resolves urged the King to restore colonial rights while acknowledging Parliament's authority to regulate commerce.

Social Contract

An Enlightenment concept asserting that people agree to form a government to promote liberty and equality, directly countering the 'Divine Right of Kings' and shaping American revolutionary political thought.

Olive Branch Petition

A July 1775 petition sent by the Second Continental Congress pledging loyalty to King George III and asking him to intervene with Parliament to restore colonial rights, which the King rejected before agreeing to Parliament's Prohibitory Act (1775) declaring the colonies in rebellion.

American Strengths and Weaknesses at the Start of the Revolution

Strengths included a strong commitment to independence among soldiers and eventual inclusion of African American troops. Weaknesses included reliance on local militias, Washington's lack of a large permanent army, presence of Tories, lack of a navy, and Native Americans largely siding with the British.

Daughters of Liberty Actions During the American Revolution

Womens' wartime contributions that included running family farms and businesses to maintain the economy, supplying troops, serving as cooks and nurses in camps, and rarely fighting in battle directly like Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher).

Republican Motherhood

An ideology stemming from Enlightenment ideas and women's wartime contributions that advocated educating women so they could teach their children civic values in the home, expanding women's civic influence without establishing social or legal equity with men.

International Impact of the American Revolution

The global influence of American ideals of self-government, equality, and natural rights, which inspired the French Revolution (1789-1799), the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), the Irish Rebellion (1798), and 19th-century Latin American independence movements.

Native Americans and American Independence

Most Native Americans allied with the British during the Revolution and gained no benefit from American victory, as Americans viewed them as obstacles to territorial expansion and increasingly advocated for their removal.