American Revolution: Congress, Independence, and Major Battles (1774–1781)

First Continental Congress

Meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to coordinate a response to British policies; most delegates still sought reconciliation rather than independence. 1774

Republican virtues

Qualities believed necessary for a successful republic: self-reliance, independence, honesty, hard work, and thrift.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

Document asserting colonial rights and protesting British policies while seeking redress. 1774

Continental Association

Agreement organized by the First Continental Congress to boycott British imports and encourage non-consumption. 1774

Officers of Inspection

People appointed to monitor compliance with the Continental Association's boycott.

Conciliatory Proposition

British proposal intended to resolve the colonial dispute by allowing colonial contributions toward imperial defense and administration.

Provincial Congress

Colonial representative body that could organize resistance and exercise local governing authority outside royal control.

John Hancock

Prominent Massachusetts Patriot; president of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Paul Revere and William Dawes

Riders who warned colonists that British troops were moving toward Lexington and Concord in April 1775.

Battle of Lexington

Opening clash of the Revolutionary War between British troops and Massachusetts militia. April 19 1775

Battle of Concord

Colonial militia resisted British troops searching for military supplies; British forces retreated toward Boston. April 19 1775

Second Continental Congress

Colonial congress that coordinated the war effort, established the Continental Army, and later declared independence. 1775

Olive Branch Petition

Final major appeal to King George III seeking reconciliation; the king rejected it. 1775

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort captured by Patriot forces, providing artillery and military supplies for the American cause. 1775

Ethan Allen

Leader of the Green Mountain Boys who helped capture Fort Ticonderoga.

Benedict Arnold

Officer who helped capture Fort Ticonderoga and participated in the 1775 invasion of Canada; later became a famous American traitor.

Battle of Bunker Hill

British victory near Boston that caused heavy British casualties and showed the colonists could fight effectively. June 17 1775

William Prescott

Colonial officer associated with the defense of Breed's Hill during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Thomas Paine — Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet arguing for independence and criticizing monarchy; helped persuade colonists to support separation from Britain.

John Adams

Patriot leader who strongly supported independence and helped advance the Declaration of Independence.

Abigail Adams

Writer who discussed independence, politics, and women's rights; urged John Adams to remember women when creating new laws.

Richard Henry Lee

Introduced the congressional resolution for American independence in June 1776.

Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)

Declared the colonies independent and justified separation using natural rights and the consent of the governed.

Natural rights

Rights people possess inherently; the Declaration identifies life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Consent of the governed

The idea that legitimate government derives its power from the people.

Right of revolution

The principle that people may change or abolish a government that violates their rights.

British military strategy

Generally relied on professional troops, naval power, control of major ports and cities, and defeating the Continental Army.

American military strategy

Survive as an army, exploit knowledge of local terrain, wear down British forces, and gain foreign assistance.

Battle of Montreal

Part of the American invasion of Canada; American forces occupied Montreal before continuing toward Quebec. 1775

Richard Montgomery

American general who led the capture of Montreal and was killed during the assault on Quebec.

Battle of Quebec

Failed American assault on Quebec during the invasion of Canada; Montgomery was killed and Arnold was wounded. December 31 1775

Battle of Boston / Dorchester Heights

American forces fortified Dorchester Heights with artillery, forcing the British to evacuate Boston. 1776

Henry Knox

Officer who organized the expedition to transport captured artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to the Boston area.

Knox Expedition

Transported artillery over difficult winter terrain to help fortify Dorchester Heights and force the British from Boston.

Battle of Long Island / Brooklyn

Major British victory that forced Washington's army to retreat from Brooklyn and New York. August 27 1776

General William Howe

British army commander during the New York and Philadelphia campaigns.

Admiral Richard Howe

British naval commander who worked alongside his brother William Howe and participated in peace efforts.

Hessians

German troops hired by Britain to fight in the Revolutionary War.

Johann Rall (Rahl)

Hessian commander whose troops were defeated at Trenton in December 1776.

Battle of Trenton

Washington's surprise attack on Hessian troops after crossing the Delaware River; boosted Patriot morale. December 26 1776

Battle of Princeton

American victory following Trenton that helped Washington's army regain momentum. January 3 1777

Hugh Mercer

American general mortally wounded during the Battle of Princeton.

Battle of Saratoga

Major American victory that helped persuade France to ally openly with the United States. 1777

General John Burgoyne

British general whose army surrendered at Saratoga in October 1777.

General Horatio Gates

American general associated with the American victory at Saratoga.

French Alliance

Formal alliance between France and the United States; brought military, financial, and naval assistance to the Americans. February 6 1778

Why was Saratoga a turning point?

The American victory helped secure French support, making the war an international conflict and improving American prospects.

Southern Strategy

British plan to gain control of the southern colonies, relying partly on Loyalist support.

Guerrilla warfare

Use of small, mobile forces, surprise attacks, and knowledge of local terrain against a larger conventional army.

Battle of Cowpens

American victory in South Carolina that badly weakened British forces in the South. January 17 1781

Daniel Morgan

American commander who led the Patriot forces at Cowpens.

Banastre Tarleton

British officer and cavalry commander defeated by Morgan's forces at Cowpens.

Battle of Yorktown

American and French forces surrounded Cornwallis's British army, leading to its surrender on October 19, 1781.

Charles Cornwallis

British general who surrendered his army at Yorktown.

Treaty of Paris

Peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American independence. 1783

First battle of the Revolutionary War

Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775.

Last major battle of the Revolutionary War

Yorktown, ending with Cornwallis's surrender on October 19, 1781; fighting and military activity continued elsewhere afterward.

Main American advantage in the war

Determination to maintain independence, local knowledge, persistence, and eventual foreign assistance.

Main British challenge in the war

Fighting a distant war across the Atlantic while maintaining supply lines and controlling a large territory.

Why did the Americans invade Canada in 1775?

They hoped to weaken British control, gain Canadian support, and prevent Canada from becoming a base for British operations.

Why did the British evacuate Boston in March 1776?

American artillery positioned on Dorchester Heights made the British position difficult to hold.

Why was the Battle of Trenton important?

It revived Patriot morale after setbacks in New York and encouraged continued resistance.

Why did the British focus on the South?

They hoped Loyalist support would help them regain control of the southern colonies.

Why was Yorktown decisive?

French naval support and combined American-French forces trapped Cornwallis's army and forced its surrender.

What did the Declaration of Independence accuse the king of doing?

Violating colonial rights through taxation without consent, obstructing representative government, maintaining troops, and restricting colonial self-government.

Edmund Burke — Conciliation with the Colonies

British politician who argued that reconciliation and concessions were wiser than trying to control the colonies through force. 1775

Patrick Henry — "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"

Speech urging resistance and preparation for conflict, delivered at the Second Virginia Convention. 1775

Republican government

Form of government in which authority rests with the people and their representatives rather than a hereditary monarch.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the Revolution.

Patriots

Colonists who supported resistance to Britain and, increasingly, independence.

Continental Army

Army established by the Second Continental Congress and commanded by George Washington.

George Washington

Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army who led the American war effort.

Why did the French support the Americans?

France wanted to weaken Britain and saw the American cause as an opportunity after Britain's defeat at Saratoga.

What did the Treaty of Paris establish about U.S. territory?

Britain recognized U.S. independence and accepted boundaries extending to the Mississippi River, with other provisions addressing fishing rights and debts.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances vs. Declaration of Independence

The 1774 document protested British policies while seeking redress; the 1776 Declaration formally announced separation from Britain.

Continental Association vs. Continental Army

The Association organized an economic boycott in 1774; the Continental Army was the military force established in 1775.

British victory at Brooklyn vs. American victory at Trenton

Britain won Brooklyn in 1776 and forced an American retreat; Washington's surprise victory at Trenton later that year revived Patriot morale.