Mid-Term Review | US Honors
Struggle for Independence
Key Objectives:
Explain the causes and describe the French and Indian War.
The main reason for the war was due to competition over land & trade in the Ohio River Valley. France created forts along the area to assert their control, which made the British acknowledge the competition. It was also known as the Seven Years’ War, where Britain ultimately defeated France. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the war, which caused France to let go of their land in Canada & East of the Mississippi to Britain. It left large amounts of debt on the British, which would later set tensions between Britain & the colonies.
Describe why the British defeat of the French in North America prompts Parliament to attempt to tighten commercial and political control of the thirteen colonies.
After the war concluded, the British inherited large amounts of debt, which led Parliament to seek revenue from the colonies that would be done through high taxes & trade restrictions. Parliament later created acts such as the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, & the Townshend Acts, and also the Navigation Acts (trade). Everything Parliament did just raised tensions between the two countries.
Terms:
Albany Plan of Union - Created and proposed by Benjamin Franklin at the Albany Congress. The plan stated that a coordinated colonial army be created to address the Indian attacks, however, lacked approval because the colonists lacked the unity to solve a common problem.
Benjamin Franklin - Responsible for creating and proposing the Albany Plan of the Union and the “Join or Die” political cartoon. He is known as one of the founding fathers of the American Revolution.
“Join or Die” - Referenced as the United State’s first political cartoon. Encouraged Americans to join the French and Indian War.
French and Indian War - Land disputes over the Ohio River Valley led to the war between Great Britain, France, and their Native American allies. Since Great Britain controlled the colonies, it was necessary that British colonists assist with the war efforts.
Ohio River Valley - Was the main reason that the French and Indian War began.
Salutary neglect - Also recognized as beneficial neglect. For a majority of the colonial period, England did not pay much attention to the American colonies.
Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763 - Armed conflict between the British and Native American groups after the French and Indian War.
Proclamation (Line) of 1763 - Created by the British that restricted settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Colonists mainly ignored the line, because they believed they should have the right to settle west after fighting in the French and Indian War with the British.
Navigation Acts - Series of laws that were passed by the British Parliament that set restrictions on colonial trade.
Stamp Act - Required colonists to pay taxes on different forms of paper, documents, and playing cards. The tax was represented by a stamp.
Sugar Act - Tax placed on sugar, molasses, and other products.
Townsend Acts - Tax placed on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea on the colonists by the British Parliament.
Intolerable Acts - Also known as the Coercive Acts, they were created in response to the Boston Tea Party. The acts closed the Boston ports until all tea from the Boston Tea Party was paid for, and housed soldiers in private homes (Quartering Act).
Sons of Liberty - Radical political organization that was formed in 1765 following the creation of the Stamp Act. They incited riots & burned customs houses (where stamped paper was kept). Leaders of the organization included Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere.
Patriots - Colonists who rebelled against the British during the American Revolution.
Boston Massacre - On March 5th, 1770, a fight broke out and later became a public confrontation. 5 people were killed and 6 were wounded.
Boston Tea Party - On December 16th, 1776, colonists boarded ships in the Boston Harbor and dumped 18,000 pounds of tea into the harbor.
“No taxation without representation” - Used by the colonists to protest the high taxes the British Parliament continued to place.
“Virtual representation” - Stated that members elected to Parliament represented the entire British empire, not specific people or geographical locations. In the colonies, this was rejected as the colonists expected to be represented by their geographical location.
Common Sense - Created by Thomas Paine that helped change the opinion of the colonists towards independence and separate from Britain.
Continental Congress - Was the main governing body during the American Revolution. Their main goal was to end the abuses of Parliament and get their rights.
Declaration of Independence - Was the official statement of independence from the colonies to the British Parliament in 1776. Stated the grievances of the British Parliament against the colonies.
John Locke - Influenced the American Colonists by bringing ideas that allowed them to have natural born rights & overthrow a government that refuses to protect the rights.
“Social contract” - The idea that government exists with consent of the governed that led the revolutionaries to break free of Britain.
“Consent of the governed” - The idea that a government’s legitimacy & moral right to use state power is justified & lawful only when agreed to by the people over which that political power is exercised.
Lexington & Concord - Marked the beginning of the American Revolution and is known as the “shot heard around the world” due to its impacts.
Guerilla warfare - Fighting style used by the colonists that were learned from the Native Americans.
Baron von Steuben - Appointed by George Washington, he was the Major General & Inspector General of the Continental Army. He formed a model company of soldiers & trained them to march, use bayonets, & execute orders quickly on the battlefield.
Battle of Bunker Hill - Ended in American defeat, but it showed they could hold their own against the superior British army. This also proved that reconciliation between England & the colonies was no longer possible.
Battles of Trenton and Princeton - After he and his troops crossed the Delaware River in a storm, his army was able to defeat a garrison of Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. Later, the Battle of Princeton rescued the Patriot cause from one of its darkest hours after the 1776 New York Campaign.
Battle of Saratoga - At this battle, the Americans defeated the British army & it lifted the patriot morale, and furthered the hope for independence. It also secured French/foreign assistance that was needed to win the war.
Battle of Yorktown - Washington & his forces defeated Charles Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown, Virginia. The victory directly led to peace negotiations that ended the war and gave America its independence.
Treaty of Paris - Recognized American independence and established American boundaries. The Continental Congress also pledged that pre-war debts would be paid.