Democratic Revolutions

Stamp Act

Passed by Parliament in 1765, this levied taxes on a long list of commercial and legal documents, diplomas, newspapers, almanacs, and playing cards.

Townsend Acts

A series of measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. Glass, lead, paint.

Boston Massacre

This was a confrontation on March 5, 1770, in which a group of nine British soldiers shot five people of a crowd of three or four hundred who were harassing them verbally and throwing various projectiles. This was one of the many things that would enrage the colonies and spark the revolutionary war.

Boston Tea Party

The Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans and held a rowdy Tea Party in which they boarded East India Company ships and threw tea from them into the harbor.

Tea Act

Law was passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773. It granted the British East India Company Tea a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. The colonial traders were not allowed to sell or trade tea anymore.

Intolerable Acts

A series of laws were passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws aimed to punish Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest of the Tea Act. These acts include the Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, Quartering Act, and Quebec Act.

Lexington and Concord

In April 1775 fighting between colonial and British troops began at Lexington and Concord. This is the fight that the quote, “the shot heard around the world” came from. It is what people view as the official start of the war. It was also an American victory as the British were driven back by “minute men” or colonists on call to fight the British.

Continental Congress

This was the group of elected officials that led the Americans in the revolutionary war. They came together before the actual declaration of war and were the people who officially decided to start it. This group would end up being responsible for things like the drafting of the declaration of independence and the article of confederation. All the people in this group had notable marks on history like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, etc.

George Washington

The first president of the United States, and served two terms in office. His service would set the limit for future presidents after him.  He was  one of the founding fathers, who helped to write the constitution. He was a great military officer in the revolutionary war. He has a very impressive list of accomplishments even past those.

Battle of Bunker Hill

This happened on June 17, 1775, early in the Revolutionary War, the British defeated the Americans. Even though they lost, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the British, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost during the Siege of Boston. The reason for such casualties on the British end is due the Colonial forces hiving a very good strategic advantage being high up and aiming down.

The Olive Branch Petition

This was adopted by Congress on July 5th, 1775. This was sent to the King as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared.The Petition emphasized their loyalty to the British crown and emphasized their rights as British citizens. The Congress met according to adjournment.

Common Sense

A book written by Thomas Paine that mobilized the public opinion in favor of independence.

Patriot

A colonist who rejected British rule over the colonies during the American Revolution.

Loyalist

A colonist who supported the crown/king of England. Convinced slaves to fight for the mother country.

Battle of Long Island (New York)

Battle for the control of New York. British troops overwhelmed the colonial militias and retained control of the city for most of the war.

Battle of Trenton

Battle where Washington's army surprised the Hessians on Christmas Day (Crossing the Delaware).

Battle for Philadelphia

British forces invade what was the capital city. Continental Congress is forced to disband. Washington tries to block the British, but his attempt fails and the Americans lose the city.

Battle of Saratoga

An American victory over British troops in 1777 it was a turning point in the American Revolution.

General Burgoyne

A British general, captured Fort Ticonderoga, surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga.

Valley Forge

Continental Army's camp during the winter of 1777-1778.

Marquis de Lafayette and the French

He was a young and ambitious Frenchman who came to America to help out Washington in his efforts against the British. He was eventually assigned control over one of Washington's armies. The French in general helped out majorly in the war by supplying money and weapons. Also in a major turning point, they used their ships to block off a harbor helping to win the war for the Americans.

Frederich von Stueben

Prussian major general that joined the continental army and taught the army military drills, tactics, and discipline

Charles Cornwallis

Commanding general of the British forces that were defeated at Yorktown in 1781, ending the American Revolution.

Nathaniel Greene

American general who employed tactics of fighting and then drawing back to recover, then attacking again.

Yorktown

Last battle of the war of independence in 1789 where the British surrendered.

Treaty of Paris

The 1763 peace treaty that ended the Seven Years’ War, according to vast French territories in North America and India to Britain and Louisiana to Spain.

The Three Estates

French inhabitants were divided into three orders: the clergy, the nobility, and everyone else. The peasants started a reform to end laws such as this

Old Regime

The Political and Social system that existed in France before the French Revolution

Estates General

Traditional representative body of the three estates of France that met in 1789 in response to imminent state bankruptcy

Tennis Court Oath

Peasants invaded a Tennis court in rebellion to an unfair say in the national assembly. They claimed they were the government and would not stop meeting until they had a constitution.

Louis XVI

Was convinced to call an assembly of notables to gain support for major fiscal reforms. His efforts to reject this reform failed and he had to carry through with the changes.

The National Assembly

French representative assembly formed in 1789 by the delegates of the third estate and some members of the clergy, the second estate.

Storming the Bastille

Revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval army fortress and prison, seen as the true start of the French Revolution.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man

First declaration drafted by the French to determine their future after Monarchy. document of fundamental political rights adopted by the national assembly that enforced liberty and freedom for the French people.

Limited (Constitutional) Monarchy

Government led by a monarch whose powers were limited by a Constitution, and who was required to consult Parliament.

Radicals

Those who favor extreme change.

Moderates

This group could live with or without the king, wanted some additional changes and supported violence only if it was justified.

Conservatives

Wanted traditional values and monarchy.

The Reign of Terror

The period from 1793 to 1794, during which Robespierre’s Committee of Public Safety tried and executed thousands suspected of treason and a new revolutionary culture was imposed.

War w/ Austria

The French ended up in a war against Austria because the monarchy was so close there. Austria had originally tried to prevent the killing of the King and Queen, once this happened they went to war with the French. The Austrians often won over the French taking their land, this changed after some reformation by the French and soon they were defeated.

The “September Massacres”

The French Citizens broke into the prison massacring about half of all the prisoners resulting in about 1600 deaths.

Louis XVI’s Execution

Killed because of his monarchical and misruling of France, 1793.

The Jacobins

Members of a political club during the French Revolution to which many of the deputies of the Legislative Assembly belonged

Sans-Culottes

The laboring poor of Paris, so called because the men wore trousers instead of the knee breeches of the aristocracy and the middle class; the term came to refer to the militant radicals of the city.

Committee of Public Safety

Established and led by Robespierre, fixed bread prices and nationalized some businesses. secret police who also controlled the war effort; reign of terror.

Maximillien Robespierre

Stopped dechristianization measures, and was a famous French speaker and he was turned on and executed by guillotine.

Directory

Established after the reign of terror, a corrupt five man group, overthrown by Napoleon after 4 years.

Thermidorian Reaction

A reaction in 1794 to the violence of the Reign of Terror, resulting in the execution of Robespierre and the loosening of economic controls.

Napoleon

Became the leader of France because he brought a stronger dictatorship that led to authoritarian rule. He sought to put am end to civil strife in France in order to create unity and consolidate his rule. And he did. But Napoleon saw himself as a man of destiny, and the glory of war and the dream of universal empire proved irresistible.

National Bank

Napoleon created a national bank in his new reforms that lead to a more stable economy and more wealth to be shared.

Civil Service System

Hiring government workers on the basis of open, competitive examinations and merit (schooling to raise good politicians).

Napoleonic Code

French Civil code promulgated in 1804 that reasserted the 1789 principles of the equality of all male citizens before the law and the absolute security of wealth and private property.

Saint Domingue/ Haiti

First Latin American territory to free itself from European rule, slave revolt resulted in the abolition of slavery.

Louisiana Purchase

Territory in western United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million. Gave France money and doubled the size of the US.

Battle of Trafalgar

Battle that destroyed Napoleon's Mediterranean fleet on October 21, 1805.

Battle of Austerlitz

Battles were a teamed up Austria, Russia, and Sweden were no match for Napoleon and were swiftly defeated in December of 1805 causing the collapse of the third coalition.

The Continental System

A blockade imposed by Napoleon to halt all trade between continental Europe and Britain, thereby weakening the British economy and military.

The Peninsular War

Spanish rebels, with the aid of British forces, fought and drove napoleon's french troops out of Spain after he put his brother on the throne.

Invasion of Russia

Napoleon decided to invade Russia with 700,000 soldiers. Alexander then decided to use scorched earth tactics. Napoleon returned to Poland with 40,000 soldiers.

Battle of Lepzig

Napoleon's loss to the 6th coalition and got him exiled to Elba.

The Hundred 100 Days

The period of time that is associated with Napoleon trying unsuccessfully to find allies to unite against the allies.

Battle of Waterloo

The last battle of Napoleon, after Napoleon successfully fled his banishment off the island of Elba, but unsuccessfully gathered troops, he was quickly defeated by the allied forces.

Louis XVIII

Younger brother of Louis XVI, sat on the throne of the newly restored bourbon dynasty.

St Helena

Island off the western coast of Africa, where Napoleon was imprisoned after his failed incursion. 

The Congress of Vienna

Meeting of European rulers; established a system by which the balance of power would be maintained: liberal revolutions would be repressed.

Legitimacy

The belief that the only legitimate rulers of Europe were the ones who had already ruled and that those who rule are the only ones supposed to rule.

Concert of Europe

An Agreement between European countries that if a revolution begins in a country they will group up together to fight back against the revolution.

Collapse of New Spain

Peninsular war and removing the royals destabilize New Spain, along with weaker economies than the English and French colonies.

Peninsulares

A term for natives of Spain and Portugal. (Iberian Peninsula)

Simon Bolivar

Venezuelan statesman who led the revolt of South American colonies against Spanish rule.