American Revolution and Colonial Era Study Guide

Vocabulary and key concepts covering the colonial tensions, key figures, and events of the American Revolution.

Cede

To surrender.

Militia

An organized body of armed volunteers.

Mercenary

A soldier who fights for pay, often for a foreign country.

Blockade

Shutting down a port or railway to prevent people or supplies from coming in or leaving.

Boycott

An organized campaign to refuse to buy certain products.

Alliance

An agreement between two parties.

Writ of Assistance

A court order that allows officials to make undefined searches.

Minutemen

Colonial militia volunteers who were prepared to fight at a minute's notice.

Lord Charles Cornwallis

British commander who surrendered at Yorktown.

Privateer

An armed civilian ship that has permission to attack enemy ships.

Traitor

A person who betrays his or her country.

Civilian

A person not in the military.

Bernardo de Galvez

Louisiana governor of Spain who helped the American war effort.

Thomas Paine

The author of 'Common Sense'.

Francis Marion

The leader of guerrillas in the South.

Ethan Allen

Leader of the Green Mountain Boys who captured Fort Ticonderoga.

Albany Plan of Union

A plan aimed to provide a way for the English colonies to work together.

Proclamation of 1763

Order declaring that colonial settlers had to stay east of the Appalachian Mountains.

Stamp Act (1765)

Parliamentary act that required colonists to buy stamps to put on legal documents.

Tea Act

British law resented by colonists because it established a British monopoly on tea.

Townshend Acts

British acts that prompted colonists to react by staging boycotts.

Olive Branch Petition

A petition stating that the colonists were loyal to the King.

Second Continental Congress

The colonial gathering that chose George Washington as commander of the Continental Army and began war preparations.

Declaration of Independence

Document whose main purpose was to explain why the colonies wanted to break free from Britain, featuring a first section outlining general ideas about society and government.

Richard Henry Lee

Statesman who introduced the Virginia resolution to Congress proclaiming that the colonies were 'free and independent states'.

Battle of Saratoga

Battle in the Middle States that served as the major turning point in the American Revolution.

Treaty of Paris

The signed treaty that marked the official end to the American Revolution.