YAWP Chapter 5 American Revolution

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Who was John Locke, and what was his core political idea?

English Enlightenment philosopher whose Essay Concerning Human Understanding argued that human minds begin as a blank slate. Posited that individuals are shaped by their environment and education rather than interior aristocratic superiority. His ideas empowered colonial thinkers to question traditional authority and accept natural rights philosophy.

What role did King George III play leading up to the Revolution?

Ascended the British throne in 1760 and brought Tories into government to establish an authoritarian vision of empire. He backed new colonial taxation, issued the Proclamation of 1763, and officially declared the colonies in open rebellion in 1775. He repeatedly rejected colonial petitions for reconciliation, making independence political consensus.

What was the purpose and impact of the Royal Proclamation of 1763?

Issued by King George III following the Seven Years' War, it forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its goal was to avoid costly armed conflicts with Native American tribes along the frontier. However, land-hungry colonists bitterly protested the restriction, viewing it as an infringement on their territorial rights.

Sugar Act of 1764

Passed by Parliament to combat molasses smuggling, it cut the import duty in half while dramatically tightening enforcement. It required smugglers to be tried in vice-admiralty courts without juries rather than in local courts. This raised fears among colonists about the curtailment of traditional liberties and jury rights.

Who were the Sons of Liberty and what tactics did they use?

popular resistance organizations formed in colonial cities by 1766 to combat British taxation. used popular protests, public notices, boycotts, and violent intimidation—such as burning property—to force stamp distributors to resign. Their aggressive actions effectively made British tax enforcement impossible.

Why was the Stamp Act of 1765 uniquely controversial?

imposed Parliament's first direct ("internal") tax on colonial paper goods, including newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards. Unlike previous customs duties on imports, it affected colonists across all social classes. Colonists strongly resisted it under the principle that taxation without representation was unconstitutional.

Declaratory Act of 1766

Passed immediately alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act, it asserted Parliament's full power and authority to pass binding laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever". While colonists celebrated the Stamp Act's repeal, Parliament reserved its right to tax and rule the colonies directly in the future.

Townshend Acts of 1767

levied new customs duties ("external" taxes) on common imported goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Revenues were intended to pay the salaries of royal governors and judges, bypassing colonial assembly control. Colonists resisted through widespread nonimportation agreements and boycotts.

What was the political significance of "homespun" clothing?

locally woven fabric created by colonial women who organized spinning clubs to support nonimportation boycotts. Wearing homespun transformed everyday domestic attire into a visible emblem of virtue, patriotism, and resistance against British luxury imports.

Committees of Inspection

Established under the Continental Association in 1774, empowered to police their communities and enforce nonimportation boycotts. They published the names of violators to shame them as "enemies of American liberty". This granted ordinary colonists unprecedented local political and executive authority.

What occurred during the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770?

British soldiers fired into a hostile crowd outside Boston's Custom House, killing five colonists. Defense attorney John Adams helped win an acquittal for most of the soldiers in court. However, Paul Revere's widely circulated engraving framed the event as a deliberate slaughter, fueling anti-British outrage.

How did Colonial Assemblies view their authority relative to Parliament?

Colonial assemblies managed local taxation, colonial revenues, and the salaries of royal officials. Colonists came to view their elected assemblies as holding the same exclusive legislative jurisdiction over them that Parliament held over Great Britain. They interpreted British lack of governing prior to 1763 as justification for their local self-governance.

What caused the Boston Tea Party of 1773?

Colonists resisted the Tea Act because buying the tea—even at cheaper prices—meant implicitly accepting Parliament's right to tax them. On December 16, 1773, a group of men disguised as Mohawks boarded three ships and dumped 342 chests of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. In response, Parliament passed the punitive Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.

What did the First Continental Congress accomplish in 1774?

Meeting in Philadelphia in response to the Coercive Acts, delegates issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances and created the Continental Association. The Association created a system-wide agreement for nonimportation, nonconsumption, and nonexportation. It also deputized local committees to enforce boycotts across twelve colonies.

What military strategy did George Washington adopt during the War for Independence?

Recognizing that his continental troops could not win traditional head-on engagements against the professional British military, Washington avoided large risky battles. He employed a strategy of smaller skirmishes and defensive maneuvers to keep his army intact. His goal was to prolong the war and erode British public support.

Why was Thomas Paine's Common Sense so influential?

Published in early 1776, this popular pamphlet denounced the monarchy and argued against a small island ruling an entire continent. Written in accessible language with vivid biblical references, it directly convinced thousands of colonists to abandon reconciliation and advocate for full American independence.

What was the significance of Lord Dunmore's Proclamation of 1775?

Virginia's royal governor offered freedom to enslaved people and indentured servants who fled their enslavers to fight for the British military. While intended as a practical military measure, it marked the first mass emancipation in American history. It deeply alarmed white Southern enslavers and pushed many toward the patriot cause.

What core ideas were expressed in the Declaration of Independence?

Invoked natural law to assert that all men possess unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It asserted that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and can be altered or abolished if they become destructive. The bulk of the text listed specific grievances against King George III.

Why was the Battle of Trenton a major turning point in 1776?

On Christmas night in 1776, George Washington led a surprise attack across the icy Delaware River against the British at Trenton, New Jersey. The victorious battle captured valuable military stores and provided a vital boost to American morale. This victory encouraged enlistments at a moment when the Continental Army faced near collapse.

Why was the Battle of Saratoga considered the strategic turning point of the war?

In late 1777, American forces defeated and captured General John Burgoyne's British army in upstate New York. This decisive victory proved that the Continental Army could defeat major British armies in open conflict. It directly persuaded France to sign a formal military alliance with the United States in 1778.

How did the Battle of Yorktown bring an end to active fighting in 1781?

American and French armies trapped General Cornwallis's British force at Yorktown, Virginia, while the French navy blockaded escape by sea. Cornwallis was forced to surrender his entire army in October 1781 after a brief siege. This catastrophic defeat destroyed British public support for the war and forced peace negotiations.

What was the outcome and lesson of the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775?

Fought on Breed's Hill near Boston, British troops launched frontal assaults to dislodge fortified colonial militiamen. Although the British eventually captured the hill when Americans ran out of ammunition, they suffered massive casualties. The battle demonstrated that American militia could stand firm against professional British troops.

What happened at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775?

British troops marched to confiscate colonial militia military supplies stored at Concord. A shot fired at Lexington Green led to skirmishes, and colonial "minutemen" harassed the retreating British regiments all the way back to Boston. These opening military engagements marked the official outbreak of the Revolutionary War.

What were the primary weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Ratified in 1781, the Articles created a weak national government with a single vote per state in Congress. It intentionally granted the central government no power to place taxes, regulate foreign or interstate commerce, or establish a federal judiciary. These limitations left the postwar confederation largely ineffectual in handling national debts and administrative crises.

Who were the Loyalists, and what happened to them after the war?

Colonists who remained faithful to King George III and Parliament, often including royal officials, Anglican clergy, and wealthy merchants. Around 60,000 Loyalists fled the United States during and after the war to escape persecution and property seizure. Many settled in Canada, Great Britain, or the West Indies.

How did the state constitutions of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts contrast?

Pennsylvania created a highly radical one legislative chamber constitution without a governor, granting voting rights to all free taxpaying men regardless of property. Massachusetts created a checks-and-balances framework with a governor, 2 legislative chambers, and property qualifications. Massachusetts also pioneered passing its constitution through a specialized constitutional convention and popular ratification.

What was Thomas Jefferson's primary contribution to the Revolutionary movement in 1776?

A Virginia delegate selected by the Second Continental Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. Drawing on Enlightenment natural rights philosophy, he articulated the fundamental ideas of human equality and popular sovereignty. His original draft also included an anti-slavery clause that was ultimately removed by Congress.

What key roles did John Adams play during the Revolutionary era?

A prominent Boston lawyer who famously defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre to uphold the rule of law. He later served as a radical delegate to the Continental Congress, advocating fiercely for independence and pushing for George Washington to command the Continental Army.

Who was Thomas Paine, and why was his writing so impactful?

An English radical immigrant who arrived in Philadelphia shortly before the war broke out. His writing combined straightforward political reasoning with passionate rhetoric, convincing common readers that monarchy was tyranny. His works, including Common Sense, transformed independence into a popular national crusade.

How did Paul Revere contribute to the patriot cause?

A Boston silversmith, patriot messenger, and member of the Sons of Liberty. He created the iconic anti-British propaganda engraving of the Boston Massacre and rode to Lexington in April 1775 to warn militia leaders that British troops were advancing.

What were the major terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1783?

Signed on September 3, 1783, it officially ended the War for Independence and recognized the full sovereignty of the United States. It set the new nation's western border at the Mississippi River and promised protection for Loyalist property that states largely ignored.