American Revolutionary War Review

Vocabulary terms, key historical figures, and significant events from the American Revolutionary War review sheets.

Continental

Something that relates or belongs to a continent.

Enlist

To enroll for military or Naval services.

Guerilla

An army trying to change the government by making unexpected attacks.

Grievance

A formal complaint.

Preamble

An introduction.

Privateer

A vessel under commissions of War; private ships authorized by the government to attack foreign merchant ships and take their cargo.

Resolution

A formal state of Opinion.

Traitor

One who betrays another's Trust.

Thomas Jefferson

The writer of the Declaration of Independence.

Benedict Arnold

A figure on the British side who attempted to surrender the fort known as West Point to the British.

Friedrich Von Steuben

An officer on the American side whose drills sharpened soldiers' skills and discipline at Valley Forge.

Marquis De Lafayette

A French nobleman who aided the Continental Army and helped convince the French government to sign the treaty.

Battle of Long Island

An August 22nd, 1776 engagement where British General Howe forced Washington's troops from the East River, securing British control of New York City and cutting off New England.

Battle of Trenton

A surprise attack on Trenton following Washington's Christmas night 1776 crossing of the Delaware River with 2,400 men, yielding a ringing American victory.

Battle of Saratoga

A major turning point in the war where American forces defeated British General John Burgoyne, eliminating the British threat to New England and lifting American spirits.

Valley Forge

The harsh winter quarters where the Continental Army gathered strength and trained under Friedrich Von Steuben.

Battle at Flamborough Head

A 1779 naval encounter in which Commander John Paul Jones, aboard the Bonhomme Richard, forced the British warship Serapis to surrender.

Battle of Yorktown

The final major battle of the Revolutionary War, which enabled the colonists to regain control of the South.

Treaty of Paris

The treaty approved by Congress on April 15th, 1783, officially recognizing the independence of the United States and setting its national borders.

charles Cornwallis

A British Army officer and colonial administrator who played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War, famously surrendering at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

Friedrich Von Steuben

America: helped the continental army train and improve its tactics during the Revolutionary War at Valley Forge

Georgia Rogers Clark

An American soldier and frontiersman who played a crucial role in the Northwest Territory during the Revolutionary War, helped claim Ohio River Valley

George Washington

Leader of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, won at Yorktown

Horatio Gates

a soldier in the continental army

John Paul Jones

american captain of a naval ship, he refused to surrender saying he just started fighting

5 main parts of the declaration of independence

1. preamble

2. . protect peoples rights: life liberty and the pursuit of happiness

3. . List of Grievances

4. The Denunciation (or Statement of Attempts): colonists tried repeatedly to warn and seek peacef

5. The Conclusion (Formal Declaration of Independence): Officially dissolves all political ties with Great Britain, declares the 13 colonies to be free