WHS US History Unit #2 Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary and concept flashcards based on the WHS US History Unit #2 Test Study Guide.

WHS US History: Unit #2 Map Locations

Key geographic features, bodies of water, and Revolutionary War sites to locate, including Lexington & Concord, Boston, New York, Trenton, Saratoga, Valley Forge, Yorktown, Atlantic Ocean, Mississippi River, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior.

French & Indian War

A conflict in North America fought between Great Britain and France (with Native American allies on both sides) that resulted in British victory, territorial expansion, and significant war debt for Great Britain.

British Response to War Debt

Following the French & Indian War, Great Britain responded to its financial debt by imposing new taxes and trade regulations directly on the American colonies.

Social Contract and Natural Rights

Enlightenment concepts developed by John Locke asserting that all individuals possess fundamental rights and that governments exist through a contract with the governed; these ideas heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Enlightenment

An 18th-century European movement that emphasized reason, individual liberty, and democratic principles, providing the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

The formal document adopted in 1776 that announced the Thirteen Colonies' separation from Great Britain, articulating principles of human rights and self-government.

Tomas Paine's Common Sense

A widely circulated pamphlet written by Tomas Paine that argued logically against British monarchy and persuaded colonial public opinion in favor of independence.

Quartering Acts

British laws requiring colonial authorities and residents to provide housing, food, and accommodations to British military soldiers.

Stamp Act

A 1765 direct tax passed by the British Parliament that required colonists to pay a tax on paper goods and printed materials.

Tea Act

A 1773 British law designed to help the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly on tea sales in North America, provoking intense colonial protest.

Boston Massacre

An incident in 1770 in which British soldiers fired into a hostile mob of colonists in Boston, resulting in five civilian deaths and fueled anti-British sentiment.

No taxation without representation

A colonial slogan expressing outrage that Parliament imposed taxes on American colonists who lacked elected representatives in the British government.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The peace treaty ending the Revolutionary War that recognized U.S. independence and established new western boundaries extending to the Mississippi River, severely impacting Native American groups.

British Army and Navy Strengths and Weaknesses

British strengths included a professional army, strong navy, and financial backing; weaknesses included long supply lines across the Atlantic, unfamiliarity with terrain, and fighting away from home.

American Army and Navy Strengths and Weaknesses

American strengths included knowledge of local geography, leadership from George Washington, and strong motivation; weaknesses included severe shortages of supplies, food, weapons, and trained soldiers.

Women's Contributions to the War Effort

Women aided the Revolutionary cause by running farms and businesses, supplying troops, working as military nurses and cooks, and occasionally taking on roles in intelligence or combat.

Foreign Contributions to the War Effort

Foreign officers (such as Lafayette and von Steuben) and governments (such as France and Spain) provided crucial military training, naval support, troops, and financial loans to the American revolutionaries.

Second Continental Congress

The legislative body of colonial delegates that served as the de facto national government during the Revolution, establishing the Continental Army and drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Battles of Lexington & Concord

The opening military engagements of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775 in Massachusetts.

Battle of Trenton

A key 1776 battle following George Washington's surprise crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night, resulting in a victory over Hessian forces and raising Continental Army morale.

Battle of Saratoga

A major 1777 battle in New York that resulted in the defeat of British forces and served as the turning point of the war by securing a formal alliance with France.

Battle of Yorktown

The final major land battle of the American Revolution in 1781, where combined American and French forces forced the surrender of General Cornwallis's army.

Shays' Rebellion

An 1786–1787 armed uprising by indebted Massachusetts farmers protesting state taxes and farm foreclosures, highlighting the weakness of the central government under the Articles of Confederation.

Guerilla Warfare

An irregular warfare strategy utilizing hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, and mobility to defeat a larger, more traditional military force.

Mercantilism

An economic policy where a mother country regulates trade and relies on its colonies for raw materials and markets to build national power and wealth.

Boycott

An organized form of protest involving the refusal to purchase, trade, or use products from a particular country or business.

Salutary Neglect

The unofficial British practice of loosely enforcing parliamentary trade regulations in the American colonies, which fostered local independence and self-governance.