Declaration of Independence Flashcards

Sons of Liberty

Colonial group that organized protests against British taxes.

Daughters of Liberty

Women who supported boycotts by making homespun goods.

Civic Humanism

Political philosophy emphasizing active citizenship and public service.

Civic Virtue

Idea that citizens must act for the common good.

Thomas Paine

Author of Common Sense (1776), arguing for independence.

Samuel Adams

Revolutionary leader; helped organize the Boston Tea Party.

George Whitefield

Influential preacher during the First Great Awakening.

Johnathon Edwards

Puritan minister; author of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island; advocate for religious freedom.

Animism

Belief system attributing spirits to nature, animals, and objects.

Currency Act

British law restricting colonies from issuing paper money.

Boston Massacre

1770 killing of colonists by British soldiers in Boston.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest against Tea Act; colonists dumped tea into harbor.

Encomienda System

Spanish colonial system forcing Native labor in exchange for 'protection.'

Headright System

Land grant policy offering acres to settlers paying for passage.

Article I

Establishes U.S. legislative branch (Congress).

Article II

Establishes U.S. executive branch (President).

Article III

Establishes U.S. judicial branch (Supreme Court).

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec Empire.

James Otis

Lawyer who argued 'Taxation without representation is tyranny.'

Father Serra

Spanish missionary who founded California missions.

Olmec

Early Mesoamerican civilization (1200-400 BCE), known for stone heads.

Leif Erikson

Norse explorer; first European to reach North America (~1000 CE).

John Winthrop

Puritan leader; 'City upon a Hill' sermon.

John Locke

Enlightenment thinker; natural rights of life, liberty, property.

Stamp Act

1765 British tax on paper goods, sparking protests.

William Penn Plan

Early proposal (1697) for colonial unity by William Penn.

William Dawes

Rode with Paul Revere to warn of British advance in 1775.

John Rolfe

Jamestown settler who introduced tobacco cultivation.

Albany Plan

Benjamin Franklin's 1754 plan for colonial unity.

Coronado

Spanish explorer of the American Southwest.

Rousseau

Enlightenment philosopher; wrote The Social Contract.

Montesquieu

Enlightenment thinker; separation of powers.

French and Indian War

1754-1763 conflict between Britain and France in North America.

Puritans

Religious reformers who settled Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 rebellion of Virginia settlers against elites.

De Las Casas

Spanish priest who defended Native Americans.

Anne Hutchinson

Banished Puritan woman who challenged church leaders.

Voltaire

Enlightenment thinker; free speech and religion.

Sugar Act

1764 tax on sugar and molasses imports.

Intolerable Acts

1774 punitive laws against Massachusetts after Boston Tea Party.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire.

Ponce de Leon

Spanish explorer of Florida; linked to 'Fountain of Youth.'

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, rights, and science.

Great Awakening

1730s-1740s religious revival in the colonies.

Salem Witch Trials

1692 trials and executions for alleged witchcraft.

Bunker Hill

1775 battle showing colonists could fight British troops.

First Continental Congress

1774 meeting to coordinate colonial response to Britain.

Second Continental Congress

1775-1781; acted as colonial government during Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

1776 document declaring U.S. independence, mainly by Jefferson.

Lexington and Concord

First battles of the American Revolution (1775).

3 D's

diplomacy, development, and defense

4 R's

Refers to Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, and Religion/Revolution (context-dependent).

New England Confederation

1643 colonial alliance for defense and cooperation.