American Revolution Review: From Conflict to Independence (1775-1783)

Flashcards covering key events, figures, and concepts of the American Revolution from early armed conflicts (1775) through the Treaty of Paris (1783), designed to aid in vocabulary review.

Lexington and Concord

Early armed conflicts in April 1775, described as a "clarion call to arms," where minutemen surrounded Boston to trap British forces.

Bunker Hill

A June 1775 battle where British frontal assaults resulted in heavy casualties against entrenched colonists, who ultimately withdrew due to low gunpowder.

Second Continental Congress

Convened in May 1775 in Philadelphia, representing all 13 colonies, initially seeking redress from Britain rather than outright independence.

Olive Branch Petition

Adopted in July 1775 by the Continental Congress, professing loyalty to King George III and begging him to stop hostilities; a last major attempt at reconciliation.

George Washington

A Virginia planter selected in May 1775 to command the Continental Army, chosen for political reasons and his leadership qualities despite not being a battlefield genius.

Ticonderoga & Crown Point

British garrisons captured by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in May 1775, securing crucial gunpowder and artillery for the Continental Army.

Hessian mercenaries

German soldiers hired by King George III in August 1775 to fight against the colonists, perceived as "butchers," with many later deserting to settle in America.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

A radical pamphlet published in early 1776 that argued government legitimacy derives from popular consent, dismissed the king as a "royal brute," and shifted public opinion toward full independence.

Republicanism

An ideology appealing to colonists, emphasizing that power flows from the people, not a monarch, and demonstrated by existing self-governance structures like town meetings.

Civic Virtue

A key tenet of republicanism, where individuals sacrifice personal interests for the public good.

Richard Henry Lee's Resolution

Introduced on June 7, 1776, proposing that the colonies "are, and of right ought to be free and independent States," marking the formal political break from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

Approved on July 4, 1776, after Thomas Jefferson's draft, which framed the argument for separation using natural-rights language and listed grievances against King George III.

Loyalists

Colonists (~16% of population) who valued loyalty to the Crown, many wealthy and educated, feared violent change, and were concentrated in areas like New York City and Charleston.

Patriots

Colonists (~84% of population) who were motivated by liberty and revolutionary zeal, with strongholds in New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Battle of Trenton

A surprise attack on a Hessian garrison by Washington's forces on December 26, 1776, resulting in the capture of approximately 1,000 troops and boosting American morale.

Battle of Princeton

A tactical victory by Washington's forces on January 3, 1777, using a feint with campfires to defeat a smaller British detachment, further restoring morale.

Benedict Arnold's Flotilla

A fleet built by Arnold on Lake Champlain, which, despite being destroyed, significantly delayed British forces in 1776 and prevented their control of the lake prior to Burgoyne's invasion.

Battle of Saratoga

A decisive American victory in October 1777 under General Horatio Gates, forcing Burgoyne's surrender and serving as a crucial turning point that secured French aid.

Model Treaty

Drafted by the Continental Congress (John Adams), emphasizing "no political connection; no military connection; only a commercial connection" as America's ideal foreign policy.

Franco-American Alliance

Signed on February 6, 1778, establishing a military alliance with France, recognizing American independence, and committing both nations to fight Britain until American freedom was secured.

General Nathaniel Greene

A Quaker tactician who employed a strategy of "delay, stand, then retreat" in the Southern Campaign to exhaust General Cornwallis, ultimately clearing most of Georgia and South Carolina.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)

The first treaty between the United States and an Indian nation, where the Iroquois ceded most of their lands, following intense raids along the western frontier.

George Rogers Clark's Expedition

A successful expedition (1778-1779) in the Illinois Country down the Ohio River, capturing British forts and pressuring Britain to consider the region north of the Ohio River as American.

Privateers

Legally authorized pirates, privately owned armed vessels commissioned by Congress, which captured British merchant shipping, boosted morale, but diverted manpower from the regular army.

Siege of Yorktown

A combined American-French operation in October 1781, where Washington's army and French forces under Rochambeau besieged Cornwallis, while Admiral de Grasse blockaded by sea, leading to Cornwallis's surrender.

Admiral de Grasse

The French Admiral whose powerful West Indies fleet arrived in the Chesapeake, providing crucial naval support that enabled the decisive American-French victory at Yorktown.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The peace treaty that formally recognized United States sovereignty, established its boundaries (Mississippi River to the west, Great Lakes to the north), and granted vast trans-Appalachian lands to the U.S.