Chapter 7: America Secedes from the Empire (1775-1783)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, events, and treaties from the notes on the American Revolution (1775–1783).

Second Continental Congress

The colonial body that met in Philadelphia in 1775 with all 13 colonies; aimed to draft appeals to the king and coordinate the colonial war effort; independence was not yet a widely accepted goal.

George Washington

Chosen by the Second Continental Congress to lead the Continental Army.

Olive Branch Petition

July 1775 appeal declaring loyalty to the king and asking him to stop hostilities; rejected by King George III.

Bunker Hill

June 1775 battle where the Americans attacked the British; the British won but suffered heavy casualties.

Hessians

German mercenaries hired by Britain in 1775 to help restore order in the colonies.

Ticonderoga and Crown Point

Locations captured by American forces under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in May 1775.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet arguing for independence and a republican form of government.

Republicanism

Idea that sovereign power rests with the people and should be exercised through a republic.

Richard Henry Lee's Resolution

Proposed at the Continental Congress to declare independence.

Thomas Jefferson

Selected to draft the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence

Formal announcement approved on July 4, 1776 declaring the colonies independent and outlining reasons.

Loyalists (Tories)

Colonists loyal to Britain; about 16% of the population; concentrated in New York, Charleston, PA, and NJ; faced persecution after independence.

Patriots (Whigs)

Colonists who supported independence; especially strong in New England.

Trenton

December 26, 1776: Washington crossed the Delaware and captured about 1,000 Hessians.

Saratoga (Burgoyne’s Blunder)

Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga (October 17, 1777) marked a turning point and secured French aid.

Franco-American Alliance (1778)

France openly allied with the United States to defeat Britain in the war.

Model Treaty

A template for American-French trade that avoided political or military entanglements.

Yorktown

October 19, 1781: Cornwallis’s surrender after a combined Franco-American siege led by Washington, Rochambeau, and de Grasse.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the war; Britain recognized U.S. independence; defined borders; Florida ceded to Spain; Loyalists and property issues addressed.

Iroquois Fort Stanwix Treaty (1784)

First treaty between the United States and an Indian nation; Iroquois ceded significant lands to Americans.

John Paul Jones

Called the father of the U.S. Navy; pioneered privateering and naval warfare.

Privateering

Private ships authorized by government during wartime to attack enemy vessels; financed war and boosted morale.

Nathaniel Greene

American general who cleared most British troops from Georgia and South Carolina.

Armed Neutrality

Catherine the Great’s policy to defend neutral shipping and curb British naval power by uniting remaining neutral European powers.