Unit 3 Ch. 7 AP U.S. History Key terms

Second Continental Congress (1775)

Meeting of delegates from the 13 colonies; managed the war effort, adopted the Declaration of Independence, and acted as the national government.

Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)

Early battle of the Revolution; showed colonial determination even though the British eventually took the hill.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Final peace offer sent to King George III, asking for reconciliation; rejected by Britain.

Hessians

German soldiers hired by Britain to fight against the colonists.

Common Sense (1776)

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine urging colonists to declare independence and establish a republic.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Document written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, declaring American independence from Britain and listing grievances against the king.

Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)

French revolutionary document influenced by the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence.

Loyalists

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution.

Patriots

Colonists who supported independence from Britain.

Battle of Long Island (1776)

Major British victory; Washington's army escaped at night, preventing total defeat.

Battle of Trenton (1776)

Washington's surprise attack on Hessians after crossing the Delaware River; boosted American morale.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Turning point battle; American victory convinced France to ally with the U.S.

Model Treaty (1776)

Diplomatic guidelines proposed by Congress; sought commercial ties without political or military entanglements.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)

Treaty with the Iroquois, first between U.S. and Native Americans; ceded large tracts of land to the U.S.

Privateers

Privately owned armed ships authorized by Congress to attack British ships.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Last major battle of the war; British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington with French naval support.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the Revolutionary War; Britain recognized U.S. independence and granted land up to the Mississippi River.

Ethan Allen

Leader of the Green Mountain Boys; helped capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775.

Benedict Arnold

American general who later became infamous as a traitor when he plotted to surrender West Point to the British.

Richard Montgomery

American general who led the failed invasion of Canada in 1775.

Thomas Paine

Author of Common Sense; strong advocate for independence and republican government.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams; urged her husband to 'remember the ladies' in forming the new government.

Richard Henry Lee

Virginia statesman who first formally proposed independence in Congress.

Lord Charles Cornwallis

British general who surrendered at Yorktown, ending the major fighting.

William Howe

British commander at Bunker Hill and later in New York and Philadelphia campaigns.

John ('Gentleman Johnny') Burgoyne

British general who surrendered at Saratoga in 1777.

Benjamin Franklin

American diplomat; helped secure French alliance and negotiate the Treaty of Paris.

Comte de Rochambeau

French general who assisted Washington at the Battle of Yorktown.

Nathanael Greene

American general known as the 'Fighting Quaker'; led the southern campaign and wore down the British.

Joseph Brant

Mohawk chief who supported the British; fought against American settlers.

George Rogers Clark

American frontiersman who captured key British forts in the West.

Admiral de Grasse

French naval commander who blockaded Cornwallis at Yorktown, ensuring American victory.