11th Grade United States History - Test #2 Review

Comprehensive vocabulary review flashcards covering Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 key people, events, battles, compromises, and constitutional terms for 11th Grade US History Test #2.

Thomas Gage

British general who tried to capture colonial weapons and supplies in Massachusetts.

Paul Revere and William Dawes

Patriots who warned colonists that British soldiers were coming before Lexington and Concord.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

First battles of the American Revolution in April 1775, where the colonists fought back against British soldiers.

Second Continental Congress

Meeting where colonial leaders organized the army and chose George Washington as a commander.

Olive Branch Petition

Last attempt by the colonists to make peace with Britain before declaring independence.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Early battle where the colonists lost but showed they could fight the British.

George III

King of Britain during the American Revolution who opposed colonial independence.

Hessians

German soldiers hired by Britain to fight against the colonists.

Patriots

Colonists who supported independence from Britain.

Loyalists

Colonists who wanted to remain part of Britain.

Charles Cornwallis

British general who surrendered at Yorktown, helping end the Revolutionary War.

Battle of Trenton

Battle on Christmas night in 1776 where Washington surprised and defeated Hessian soldiers after crossing the Delaware River.

John Burgoyne

British general who surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga.

William Howe

British general who captured New York City and fought against Washington.

Battle of Brandywine

British victory that allowed them to capture Philadelphia.

Battle of Germantown

Battle where Washington tried unsuccessfully to take back Philadelphia from the British.

Battle of Saratoga

Major American victory in 1777 that convinced France to join the war on America’s side and help with soldiers, money, and supplies.

Valley Forge

Place where Washington’s army spent a difficult winter training and improving as soldiers.

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

German officer who trained American soldiers at Valley Forge.

Henry Clinton

British general who replaced William Howe as commander of British forces in America.

Battle of Monmouth

Battle in New Jersey where American troops fought the British to a standstill.

Nathanael Greene

American general who helped defeat the British in the South.

Battle of Yorktown

Final major battle where British General Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces in 1781.

Treaty of Paris

1783 agreement that officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.

July 2, 1776

The date on which the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

Work that helped convince people that independence was necessary.

Articles of Confederation

America’s first government; it was weak because the national government had very little power.

Annapolis Convention

1786 meeting where leaders discussed problems with the Articles of Confederation and called for another meeting.

Shays’s Rebellion

Uprising by Massachusetts farmers protesting high taxes and debt, which showed the national government was too weak.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting where leaders wrote the U.S. Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.

James Madison

Father of the Constitution; helped write the Constitution and supported a strong national government.

Virginia Plan

Plan for a strong national government with three branches and representation based on population.

New Jersey Plan

Plan for equal representation for every state, no matter its population.

Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise

Agreement that created two parts of Congress: the House based on population and the Senate with equal representation.

House of Representatives

Part of Congress where each state’s number of representatives depends on its population, originally elected by voters every two years.

Senate

Part of Congress where every state has two senators, originally chosen by state legislatures to serve six-year terms.

Supreme Court

Highest court in the United States that decides if laws follow the Constitution; justices are nominated by the president, approved by the Senate, and serve for life.

Electoral College

Group of electors who officially choose the president, originally voting for two people without separating votes for president and vice president.

Impeachment

Process of formally accusing a government official of wrongdoing.

3/5 Compromise

Agreement that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Checks and Balances

System where each branch of government can limit the power of the other branches.

Amendment

An official change or addition to the Constitution.

Federalists

People who supported the Constitution and wanted a stronger national government.

Anti-Federalists

People who opposed the Constitution because they feared the national government would become too powerful and wanted a Bill of Rights.

Slave Trade Compromise

Constitutional agreement stating that Congress could not stop the international slave trade until 1808.

Fugitive Slave Clause

Constitutional clause stating that enslaved people who escaped to another state had to be returned to their enslavers.