Unit 3: Road to Revolution Vocabulary

Key vocabulary terms, historical figures, acts, and events leading to the American Revolution covered in Unit 3.

King Philip's War

A devastating conflict in New England between Native American tribes (led by Metacom, a Wampanoag chief whom the English called "King Philip") and English colonists along with their Native allies.

Great Awakening

A religious movement that became widespread in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s.

Enlightenment

The Age of Reason; a movement that began in Europe in the 1700s as people began examining the natural world, society, and government.

John Lock

An English philosopher during the Enlightenment who argued that there was a social contract between people and their government, influencing the writers of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.

Natural Rights

Basic rights that all human beings are born with, and that no government or person can justly take away.

Social Contract

An unwritten or written agreement where people (or students) give up a small amount of complete freedom to follow rules and cooperate, in exchange for safety, order, and protection from their government, leader, or community.

Allies

A person, group, or country that joins together with another for a common purpose or mutual support.

George Washington

A revolutionary war hero and Patriot leader who served as a representative to the Continental Congresses, commanded the Continental Army, and was unanimously elected to two terms as president of the United States.

French and Indian War

A North American conflict fought between Great Britain and France, along with their respective Native American allies, primarily for control of the Ohio River Valley and fur-trading territory.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

The treaty that ended the French and Indian War.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

A conflict where Native Americans tried to halt the advance of European settlements by attacking British forts, ending when they surrendered in 1766.

Proclamation of 1763

A law issued by King George III on October 7, 1763, after the French and Indian War.

Parliament

The supreme legislative body in a democratic country, equivalent to the U.S. Congress.

King George III

The ruler of Great Britain and Ireland during the American Revolution.

Taxation Without Representation

The belief that it is unfair and illegal for a government to charge people taxes when they have no elected voice or vote in that government.

Sugar Act

A law passed by the British Parliament to make the American colonies help pay off massive debt from the French and Indian War.

Stamp Act

A law passed by Parliament that raised tax money by requiring colonists to pay for an official stamp whenever they bought paper items such as newspapers, licenses, and legal documents.

Boycott

An organized refusal to buy, use, or deal with a person, business, organization, or country to protest unfair practices or force policy changes.

Sons of Liberty

Secret groups of American colonists formed in 1765 to protest unfair British laws and taxes leading up to the American Revolution.

Samuel Adams

An American revolutionary who led against the agitation that led to the Boston Tea Party and signed the Declaration of Independence.

Townshend Acts

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1767 and 1768 that placed taxes on everyday goods imported into the American colonies.

Boston Massacre

An incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five people.

Crispus Attucks

An American merchant sailor of African and Native American descent killed during the Boston Massacre.

Propaganda

A biased message or form of communication meant to persuade people to believe a specific point of view by appealing to their emotions rather than using balanced facts.

Tea Act

A law passed by Parliament allowing the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies, undermining colonial tea merchants and leading to the Boston Tea Party.

Boston Tea Party

A protest against the Tea Act in which a group of colonists boarded British tea ships and dumped more than 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

Laws passed by Parliament to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party and to tighten government control of the colonies.

Quartering Acts

One of the Coercive or Intolerable Acts requiring each colonist to provide a place in their home, or quarter, for British soldiers.