American Revolution and Colonial Era Review

Flashcards covering key multiple-choice questions, primary source concepts, and vocabulary terms from the American Revolutionary War and colonial history notes.

Why did France decide to aid the North American colonies in their war for independence?

France wanted to weaken the British empire.

What was the intended purpose of the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts passed by Parliament in 1774?

To punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.

During the period of fighting between April 1775 and June 1776, what did the colonists claim was their goal?

To restore their rights within the British Empire.

What was one of the military advantages the British enjoyed in the American Revolution?

The ability to enlist foreign soldiers, Loyalists, and Native Americans in their military forces.

Which factor contributed most directly to the American victory in the Revolution?

French military and financial assistance.

Which method of colonial resistance achieved the greatest success in reversing Parliamentary legislation before the Revolutionary War?

Boycotts of British goods.

What did the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolutionary War recognize regarding United States territory?

It recognized United States sovereignty over territory east of the Mississippi, between the Great Lakes and Florida.

Which type of individual was most likely to remain loyal to England during the American Revolution?

An Anglican clergyman.

Why did a number of Native American nations join the British during the Revolutionary War?

They believed that a British victory would restrain American expansion into the West.

Why did the Tea Act (1773) anger American colonists?

It granted the East India Company a virtual monopoly on the tea trade.

Why did General Gage dispatch British troops to Lexington and Concord in April 1775?

To arrest radical leaders and seize stockpiled weapons.

What was the geographical sequence of the major fighting during the Revolutionary War?

Major fighting began in New England, then moved to the Middle Colonies, and ended in the South.

What conclusion about American sentiment toward Loyalists is supported by the political cartoon 'The SAVAGES let loose, OR The Cruel FATE of the LOYALISTS'?

During and after the Revolution, American sentiment toward those loyal to Britain became increasingly hostile.

What was the causal link between the Seven Years' War and the Revolutionary War?

Britain's massive debt after the Seven Years' War resulted in a push for greater control over the Thirteen Colonies, sparking debate among colonists over the pursuit of independence.

Which publication most immediately built on the ideas expressed in the 1775 Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms?

The publication of the pamphlet Common Sense.

The issuing of the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms best serves as evidence of what colonial effort?

Efforts of colonists to protect their rights as English subjects.

How did the British Crown respond to actions like the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms?

By declaring the American colonies to be in open rebellion.

What evidence challenges the assertion in the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms that British actions were 'unprovoked'?

A series of popular boycotts, mob protests, and violence against royal officials.

What activity did women in organizations like the Ladies Association of Philadelphia typically engage in during the Revolutionary era?

Producing goods for the Patriot cause.

What concept resulted directly from women's efforts during and immediately after the Revolutionary era?

The ideal that women would teach republican values to their children (Republican Motherhood).

What type of evidence best supports arguments regarding women's political involvement in the Revolutionary era?

Correspondence between husbands and wives involved in Revolutionary politics.

Why did John Adams date the beginning of the American Revolution to the 1760s?

Because of renewed efforts by Great Britain to consolidate imperial control over the colonies.

What factor most directly contradicted John Adams' theory about the American Revolution?

The existence of considerable Loyalist opposition to the Patriot cause.

What does Joseph Galloway's 1774 excerpt suggest about members of the First Continental Congress?

Some members of the First Continental Congress sought a compromise between submission to British authority and independence.

What key issue was Joseph Galloway's plan designed to address?

The lack of American representation in the British Parliament.

What map year represents North America just prior to the outbreak of the French and Indian War?

1754.

Why did the territorial map of North America change significantly ten years after 1754?

The French lost their territory after the French and Indian War.

What economic consequence did Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War have on its American colonies?

The British government increased taxation of colonial goods to help pay off the debt created by the war.

What territorial claim did Great Britain gain as a result of the Seven Years' War?

Great Britain gained a claim to land extending to the Mississippi River.

What effect did the conclusion of the Seven Years' War have on Native American societies?

The British government attempted to restrict western settlement to reduce tensions between colonists and Native Americans.

How did the Sugar Act of 1764 represent a major shift in British colonial policy?

For the first time, the British levied taxes aimed at raising revenue rather than regulating trade.

Which view was NOT held by Prime Minister Grenville following the French and Indian War?

He did not want to reward the colonies through his extension of 'salutary neglect'.

The quote '[God's] wrath towards you burns like fire…' is characteristic of which movement?

The Great Awakening of the 1730s.

For what purpose was Benjamin Franklin's 1756 'JOIN, or DIE' cartoon created?

To gain support for the Albany Plan of Union.

What is the correct chronological order of the Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, and Boston Massacre?

Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Boston Massacre.

How did internal social and economic differences behave among American colonists during the decade preceding the Revolution?

Social and economic differences frequently surfaced.

Approximately what percentage of the colonial population were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War?

They made up approximately 20–30 percent of the population.

To what trend did George Whitefield's open-air preaching directly contribute?

Greater independence and diversity of thought.

George Whitefield's open-air preaching exemplifies which 18th-century religious movement?

The expansion of Protestant evangelism.

In which geographical region was Fort Duquesne located?

Region 2 (Ohio River Valley / Pennsylvania region).

In which numbered region did the British surrender at Yorktown occur?

Region 4 (Virginia / Chesapeake).

Which historic sites are contained within region 3 on the colonial map?

Sites I and II (Lexington/Concord and Plymouth).

Who was John Calvin?

An influential Protestant reformer whose theological writings established Calvinism, emphasized predestination, and heavily influenced Puritan thought in colonial America.

What were the Committees of Correspondence?

Intracolonial networks of communication established by Samuel Adams to share news of British overreach, organize non-importation boycotts, and coordinate resistance.

What was the Headright System?

A system used principally in Virginia that granted 50 acres of land to colonial landowners for every indentured servant whose passage they financed, leading to rapid expansion and eventual land scarcity.

What were the Intolerable Acts?

A series of 1774 punitive measures passed by Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party, closing Boston Harbor and suspending Massachusetts local governance.

What was the Olive Branch Petition?

A 1775 final plea sent to King George III by the Second Continental Congress asserting colonial loyalty and begging for peaceful settlement, which was rejected by the King.

What was the Encomienda system?

A Spanish colonial labor system granting conquistadors and settlers control over Indigenous populations for agricultural/mining labor under the pretext of Christian conversion.

What was the Tea Act of 1773?

A 1773 act of Parliament that lowered the tax on East India Company tea to bail out the failing company, giving it a virtual monopoly and angering colonists over unrepresented taxation.

What was the Treaty of 1713 (Treaty of Utrecht)?

A treaty that ended Queen Anne's War, ceding French territories (such as Acadia) to Britain and initiating a multi-decade period of relative peace and 'salutary neglect'.

Who was Roger Williams?

A Salem minister banished from Massachusetts Bay for preaching freedom of conscience, who went on to found Rhode Island with strict separation of church and state.

Regarding the Pennsylvania ratification convention data, which statement is unsupported?

That the size of each occupational group was probably proportionate to its size in the Pennsylvania population.

What is the clause 'To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers…' commonly called?

The elastic clause.

Which statement is true of the United States Constitution as adopted at the Constitutional Convention?

It was built on a series of compromises.