American Revolution and Founding Documents Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key people, events, and documents related to the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

French and Indian War

A conflict from 1754-1763 where Britain and its American colonists fought France and Native allies for control of North American territory; the resulting debt led to British taxation of the colonies.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A British order issued in 1763 that limited colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, causing resentment among colonists who desired western land.

Sugar Act

A 1764 tax on sugar and molasses imports that included stricter customs enforcement, which increased colonial resistance to British control.

Stamp Act

A 1765 direct tax requiring stamps on newspapers and legal documents; it unified colonial opposition and inspired the slogan 'no taxation without representation.'

Townshend Acts

Taxes enacted in 1767 on imported glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea that increased colonial boycotts and helped lead to the Boston Massacre.

Boston Massacre

An event on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers killed five colonists; the incident was used as propaganda by Patriots to build opposition to British rule.

Boston Tea Party

A protest on December 16, 1773, where the Sons of Liberty dumped British tea into Boston Harbor, directly resulting in the passage of the Coercive Acts.

Coercive Acts

Punitive laws passed in 1774 that closed Boston Harbor and punished Massachusetts; these acts united the colonies and led to the First Continental Congress.

Committees of Correspondence

Intercolonial communication networks established around 1772, with members like Samuel Adams, to share news and coordinate resistance against Britain.

Continental Congress

An intercolonial political body (First in 1774, Second in 1775) that coordinated resistance and served as the central government during the American Revolution.

Lexington and Concord

The first military clashes of the American Revolution occurring on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts, which began open warfare between Britain and the colonies.

Thomas Paine

The English-born revolutionary writer who authored Common Sense in 1776, a pamphlet that persuaded many colonists to support independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence

A document drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and issued on July 4, 1776, declaring the colonies independent and justifying the separation based on natural rights.

George Washington

A Virginia planter and commander of the Continental Army from 1775-1783 whose leadership was critical in securing American independence.

Battles of Saratoga

A major 1777 American victory in New York that stopped a British invasion from Canada and convinced France to enter an open alliance with the United States.

Battle of Yorktown

The final major battle of the Revolutionary War in 1781, where American and French forces forced the surrender of Lord Cornwallis and moved Britain toward peace.

Articles of Confederation

The first national constitution of the United States (ratified 1781), which created a weak central government that was eventually replaced by the Constitution.

Shays' Rebellion

An 1786-1787 armed uprising by Massachusetts farmers over debt and taxes that exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

A 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where delegates such as James Madison and Benjamin Franklin replaced the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution.

Great Compromise

An agreement at the 1787 Constitutional Convention that created a two-house Congress with equal state representation in the Senate and population-based representation in the House.

Federalist Papers

A series of essays written in 1787-1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to defend the Constitution and encourage its ratification.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, which protect civil liberties and helped secure support for the federal government.