America Secedes from the Empire

A complete list of key terms, historical figures, battles, and concepts from the American Revolution lecture notes.

Second Continental Congress

A convention of delegates from all 13 colonies that met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, to address grievances, raise money, establish an army, and appoint George Washington as commander of the Continental Army.

George Washington

Appointed commander of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress; served as a trusted moral force, wealthy Virginian aristocrat, and political figurehead.

Ethan Allen

Leader of the Green Mountain Boys who, alongside Benedict Arnold, captured gunpowder and artillery at Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775.

Battle of Bunker Hill

A June 1775 battle in which 1,500 American sharpshooters slowed a frontal assault by 3,000 British soldiers until running out of gunpowder and retreating.

Olive Branch Petition

A July 1775 document sent to King George III professing American loyalty and begging him to cease hostilities, which was rejected when the King declared the colonies in rebellion in August 1775.

Hessians

German mercenary troops hired by King George III in September 1775 to fight against the American colonists.

Invasion of Canada

An October 1775 American offensive led by Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold attempting to capture Quebec and gain a 14th colony, which ultimately failed.

Common Sense

A highly popular 1776 pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that advocated for American independence and the creation of a republic where government power derives from the people.

Thomas Paine

Author of the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, which sold 120,000 copies in a few months and rallied support for independence and republican government.

Lee Resolution

A motion introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776, declaring that 'these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.'

Declaration of Independence

A document written by Thomas Jefferson and formally approved on July 4, 1776, outlining the natural rights of humankind and detailing grievances against King George III.

Patriots

American rebels, also known as Whigs, who promoted political education, were strongest in New England (Presbyterianism and Congregationalism), and tended to belong to a younger demographic.

Loyalists

Colonists loyal to King George III, also known as Tories, who comprised 16% of the American population and were typically older, educated, wealthy, and concentrated in places like New York City, Charleston, New Jersey, and Quaker Pennsylvania.

Riding the Rail

A form of harsh public humiliation used against Loyalists prior to the Declaration of Independence.

Battle of Long Island

A July 1776 engagement where 35,000 British soldiers routed Washington's 18,000 troops, forcing the Americans to retreat across Manhattan Island and New Jersey.

Battle of Trenton

A December 26, 1776 battle following Washington's stealth crossing of the Delaware River, in which American forces surprised and captured about 1,000 sleeping Hessians.

Washington Crossing the Delaware (Leutze)

An 1851 historical painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze depicting George Washington's stealth December 1776 river crossing prior to the Battle of Trenton.

Battle of Princeton

A surprise American attack where Washington left campfires burning as a ruse and defeated a smaller British detachment.

General Burgoyne

British general who led an invasion south from Canada down the Hudson Valley but was delayed by Benedict Arnold and heavy baggage, ultimately surrendering at Saratoga.

General William Howe

British general who chose to attack Philadelphia and defeat Washington at Brandywine Creek and Germantown rather than advancing up the Hudson River to support Burgoyne.

Battle of Saratoga

An October 1777 American victory that resulted in General Burgoyne's surrender and persuaded France to enter the war as an official ally of the United States in 1778.

Nathaniel Green

American general who successfully cleared most of Georgia and South Carolina of British forces during the southern campaign.

John Paul Jones

A daring naval commander in the small U.S. Navy who targeted and destroyed British merchant ships.

Privateers

Privately owned ships authorized as legalized pirates—numbering roughly 1,000 vessels and 7,000 men—that captured 600 British prize ships during the Revolutionary War.

Battle of Yorktown

The final major siege of the war ending on October 19, 1781, where Washington, Rochambeau's French army, and the French fleet trapped General Cornwallis, forcing his surrender.

Treaty of Paris 1783

The formal peace treaty negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay in which Britain recognized U.S. independence and granted territorial borders extending west to the Mississippi River and south to Florida.