The Road to the American Revolution and Beyond

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing key terms, acts, historical figures, and events surrounding the American Revolution.

Proclamation of 1763

A measure that prevented American colonists from moving westward beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Organizations that helped colonists organize resistance to British policies.

Committees of Correspondence

Groups formed in the colonies that helped organize resistance against British policies.

Common Sense

A publication by Thomas Paine that presented arguments supporting independence in language accessible to ordinary colonists.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

A document that explained the colonists' justification for separating from Britain, highlighting grievances regarding mistreatment and taxation without representation.

Stamp Act of 1765

A direct tax on the American colonies enacted by Britain to raise money to pay off war debts.

Quartering Act (1765)

A requirement for British soldiers to live in or take over the homes of colonists.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes levied by Britain on tea, paper, lead, glass, and paint to generate more money from the colonies.

Boston Massacre (1770)

An event in 1770 where British troops killed 5 colonist civilians.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

An act of protest in 1773 where colonists threw British tea into Boston Harbor to oppose British taxes.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Measures that closed Boston Harbor as punishment for the Boston Tea Party until the damages were paid for by the colonists.

First Continental Congress (1774)

A meeting in Philadelphia where delegates attempted to compromise with Britain, leading colonies to begin training armies after the King refused.

Patriots

Colonists who wanted independence from Britain, also referred to as Continentals or Minutemen.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to the King and wanted to stay part of Britain, also known as Tories.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The official treaty in 1783 that ended the American Revolutionary War.

Hessians

Approximately 30,000 experienced, trained mercenary soldiers hired by the British from what is now Germany.

John Locke

A British philosopher whose ideas about natural rights and the social contract influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Marquis de Lafayette

A French leader who provided money and military leadership to the American Patriots.

Baron von Steuben

A Prussian officer who trained and professionalized the Patriot army.

John Adams

An American diplomat who secured financial funding from the Dutch during the Revolutionary War.