Module 2 Key Terms: American Revolution

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Albany Plan 

A 1754 proposal by Benjamin Franklin for a unified government of the Thirteen Colonies. Aimed to improve colonial defense and promote mutual interests during the French and Indian War.

Battle of Bunker Hill 

Battle in the American Revolutionary War fought on June 17, 1775, in which British forces took control of the Charlestown Peninsula.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point in the American Revolutionary War in 1777, resulted in American victory, encouraging French support for the colonial cause.

Battle of Yorktown

Final major battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought in 1781, leading to British surrender and eventual peace negotiations.

Boston Massacre

An incident on March 5, 1770, where British soldiers shot and killed five colonists during a confrontation in Boston, fueling anti-British sentiments.

Boston Tea Party

December 16, 1773: protest against British taxation, in which they dumped tea into Boston Harbor as an act of defiance.

Chattel Slavery

Slavery in which people are owned as personal property (inherited, bought, sold, gifted)

 civic duty

legal and moral obligations of citizens to maintain a functioning society

Committees of Correspondence

Shadow governments under the leaders of the colonies to coordinate opposition to British forces and facilitate communication.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's Common Sense, published in 1776, was a pamphlet advocating for American independence from British rule.

Continental Army 

The Continental Army was established in June 1775, playing a role in securing American independence.

Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776, announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

It asserted that colonists had the same rights as British citizens. taxation without representation. 1765

Deism

The belief that God created the universe but does not interfere with it.

First Continental Congress

A 1774 meeting of colonial delegates that coordinated resistance to British policies and called for a boycott of British goods.

 French and Indian War

A 1754–1763 war between Britain and France over control of North America, Britain won, but its war debt led to new taxes on the colonies.

 Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)

British laws passed in 1774 to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. They increased British control.

 Lexington and Concord

The first battles of the American Revolution, fought in Massachusetts in April 1775. Colonial militia resisted British troops.

 loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution.

 minutemen

Colonial militia members who were trained to be ready to fight on short notice.

 natural rights

Basic rights that people are born with, such as life, liberty, and property.

 No Taxation without Representation

The colonists’ belief that Britain should not tax them because they had no elected representatives in Parliament.

 Olive Branch Petition

A 1775 petition sent by the colonists to King George III asking for peace. The king rejected it and declared the colonies in rebellion.

 patriots

Colonists who supported independence from Britain.

Proclamation Line of 1763

prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. It was meant to reduce conflicts with Native Americans.

Quartering Act

A British law requiring colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers.

Second Continental Congress

A 1775 meeting of colonial delegates that managed the war effort. Created the Continental Army and chose George Washington as its commander.

social contract 

The idea that people agree to give up some freedoms in exchange for government protection and order.

Sons of Liberty

A colonial group that organized protests and resistance against British taxes and laws.

Stamp Act

1765 British law that taxed printed materials in the colonies. It led to widespread protests because colonists had no representation in Parliament.

 Stamp Act Crisis

The widespread colonial protest against the Stamp Act of 1765.

Sugar Act

A 1764 British law that taxed sugar and other goods imported by the colonies.

Tea Act

A 1773 British law that allowed the British East India Company to sell tea cheaply in the colonies but kept a tax on tea.

 The Enlightenment

An intellectual movement that emphasized reason, individual rights, and government by consent.

 The First Great Awakening

A religious revival in the 1730s–1740s that emphasized personal faith and challenged traditional religious authority.

Townshend Acts

A series of 1767 British taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea. Led to boycotts

 Treaty of Paris 1763

The treaty that ended the French and Indian War. Britain gained most of France’s territory in North America.

 Treaty of Paris 1783

The treaty that officially ended the American Revolution. Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation.

Valley Forge

The site where Washington’s Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778. Soldiers trained and became a more disciplined fighting force.

Abigail Adams

The wife of John Adams who supported the American Revolution and advocated for women’s rights.

 Baron von Steuben

A Prussian military officer who trained Washington’s Continental Army at Valley Forge.

 Benedict Arnold

An American general who betrayed the Patriot cause and joined the British. He attempted to hand over the American fort at West Point to Britain.

Benjamin Franklin

Helped draft the Declaration of Independence and secured French support for the Americans. Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris

George Washington

The commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

 George Whitefield

A famous preacher during the First Great Awakening who traveled throughout the colonies.

John Adams

A Patriot leader who supported independence and helped draft the Declaration of Independence.

John Dickinson

A colonial leader who opposed British taxation but initially argued against independence. Helped draft the Articles of Confederation.

 John Hancock

president of the Second Continental Congress who strongly supported independence.

Jonathan Edwards

A preacher and theologian who helped lead the First Great Awakening.

 King George III

The British king during the American Revolution. Supported British efforts to maintain control over the colonies.

Marquis de Lafayette

A French officer who volunteered to fight alongside the Americans during the Revolution.

Patrick Henry

Famous for his speech supporting resistance to Britain, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” became an important leader in the movement for independence.

Samuel Adams

organized resistance to British taxes and helped found the Sons of Liberty. played a role in the Boston Tea Party and the movement for independence.

Thomas Jefferson

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence. argued that people have natural rights and that governments exist to protect those rights.