American Colonial History

Key Events, Policies, and Revolutionary War

How much debt was Britain in by 1764?

133 million pounds.

What did the Proclamation Line of 1763 do?

Restricted colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Why did Britain create the Proclamation Line of 1763?

Response to Pontiac’s Rebellion and to stabilize fur trade.

Why were colonists angry about the Proclamation Line?

They felt entitled to the land after the French and Indian War victory.

What was a “custom”?

A tax on goods transported internationally.

Who was Lord Grenville?

British Prime Minister who created policies to reduce debt (Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Quartering Act).

What was the Sugar Act (1764)?

Indirect tax on imported sugar/molasses; strengthened anti-smuggling enforcement

What was the Stamp Act (1765)?

First direct tax on American goods/documents like newspapers, contracts, and licenses.

What was the colonial reaction to the Stamp Act?

Protests, Sons of Liberty formed, custom officers hanged in effigy, boycotts of British goods.

What did the Declaratory Act (1766) state?

Parliament had full authority to make laws over the colonies.

Why were writs of assistance controversial?

They allowed British officials broad power to search homes without cause.

Who called the writs of assistance “instruments of slavery”?

James Otis.

What were Committees of Correspondence?

Colonial networks for sharing ideas, debates, and resistance plans (organized by Thomas Jefferson).

What happened at the Boston Massacre (1770)?

British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing colonists; became propaganda fueling rebellion.

What was the Gaspee Affair (1772)?

Colonists looted and burned a British customs ship; Britain tried to send suspects back to England for trial.

What did the Tea Act (1773) do?

Gave the British East India Company cheaper tea sales, undercutting colonial merchants.

What was the Boston Tea Party?

Colonists dumped East India Company tea into Boston Harbor in protest.

What were the Coercive/Intolerable Acts?

Britain’s punishment for the Tea Party: closed Boston port, limited town meetings, quartering soldiers, trials moved to Britain.

What was the First Continental Congress (1774)?

Representatives from colonies met to organize resistance, boycott British goods, and demand repeal of Intolerable Acts.

Who wrote Common Sense and why was it important?

Thomas Paine; it rejected monarchy and divine right of kings, fueling calls for independence.

What were the three main purposes of the Declaration of Independence?

Declare independence, unify colonists, gain foreign support.

Colonist disadvantages in the Revolution?

Untrained soldiers, supply shortages, weak central government, recruitment difficulties.

British advantages in the Revolution?

Strong navy/army, financial resources, strong government.

British disadvantages in the Revolution?

Far from home, reliance on mercenaries, divided attention, underestimated colonists.

What happened at Lexington and Concord (1775)?

First battles; colonists proved they could fight.

What was the significance of Bunker Hill (1775)?

Heavy British casualties showed war would be long and costly.

Why was the Battle of Trenton (1776) important?

Boosted morale after Washington’s crossing of the Delaware.

Why was Saratoga (1777) a turning point?

Secured French support for the colonies.

What happened at Valley Forge (1777-1778)?

Harsh winter but improved training and unity for the Continental Army.

What was the outcome of Yorktown (1781)?

British defeat; ended the Revolutionary War.