Humanities review

Declaration of Independence

• D: A document that lists rights and grievances that Britain was violating. It showed why we were becoming independent.

• A: The colonies were being oppressed by Britain and wanted to separate.

• Year: 1776

• Author: Thomas Jefferson

Crispus Attucks

• D: First death of the American Revolution; was shot while protesting in Boston, 1770.

• A: The colonists protesting against British occupation got aggressive; shots were fired.

Abigail Adams

• D: The wife of John Adams, 1st First Lady, important political figure.

• A: She was a symbol of women's rights and advocated for them, even asking her husband to include them in the Declaration of Independence.

George Washington

• D: Commander of the Continental Army.

• A: Credited with winning the American Revolution, was made leader because of his experience; led many battles.

Treaty of Paris

• D: A peace agreement in 1783 that officially ended the Revolutionary War and established British recognition of the independence of the United States.

• A: Britain lacked the money to continue with the war. Benjamin Franklin played a key role in negotiations.

• E: Treaty of Paris in 1763, Treaty of Alliance in 1778.

Boston Massacre

• D: Protestors rebelled in Boston due to British occupation; British shot many colonists (5).

• A: This caused patriots to get mad at the British despite the soldiers being tried.

John Paul Jones

• D: Founder of the American Navy, was a naval commander for patriots, Scottish.

• A: Captured British supply ships and captured a British supply fort in Nassau.

Boston Tea Party

• D: Out of rebellion for the Tea Acts, the Sons of Liberty went on a ship full of tea and dumped out tons in the Boston Harbor.

• A: This caused the British to implement the Intolerable Acts onto the Boston people.

Boycotts

• D: A popular method of protest in which colonists refused British goods; this started in 1765 and soon spread to other colonies.

• A: The colonists hoped their efforts would harm the British economy and convince Parliament to repeal the taxes.

Stamp Act

• D: An act passed by the British to tax the colonies to raise money.

• A: The Stamp Act caused more protests and the formation of The Sons of Liberty and the Stamp Act Congress to repeal it.

Patrick Henry

• D: In 1775, Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, delivered his famous speech. He also served in the First Continental Congress.

• A: His speech inspired and gained support for the patriot cause.

Sons of Liberty

• D: A secret group of rebels led by Samuel Adams mainly centered in Boston; they used violence to scare tax collectors and also boycotted.

• A: Boston Tea Party was a big success for the revolution; Townshend Acts boycotts.

Thomas Paine

• D: Author of patriotic pamphlets, like Common Sense, that were very popular.

• A: Wrote in a way that even the uneducated could understand, which persuaded many to the patriotic cause.

  • Common Sense: Sold over 120,000 copies that persuaded people to independence.

  • American Crisis: Persuaded people to keep fighting for independence. GW used this to motivate soldiers at Valley Forge.

Haym Salomon

• D: A patriot of Jewish descent who donated $600,000 to support the American cause.

• A: Joined the Sons of Liberty and used his influence to convince many Hessians fighting for the British to give up.

Lexington and Concord

• D: British tried seizing arms from Concord; British fought a lot but retreated at Concord because they couldn’t find arms.

• A: First shots fired in the Revolution; sparked the Revolutionary War.

Saratoga

• D: In 1777, General John Burgoyne tried to meet other British forces in NYC, but patriots used guerrilla tactics to slow British advance and leave them leaderless. Burgoyne surrendered.

• A: Major turning point as the Americans' victory gained patriots the help of France and Spain.

Valley Forge

• D: In 1777-1778, the winter at Valley Forge where Washington moved his troops away from British-occupied Philadelphia; there 2,000 men died.

• A: A new training and drill transformed the Continental Army into a new and improved army with discipline and strength. They gained morale.

Bunker Hill

• D: Patriots dug trenches on top of Breed's Hill; British charged 3 times to set the hill.

• A: Colonists were forced to retreat after running out of ammo. They cost 2x the British compared to their own losses; morale and boost.

Proclamation of 1763

• D: Set up by the British to prevent colonists from settling past the Ohio River Valley because it would result in fights with Natives.

• A: Colonists were angered that they couldn’t settle in the land they fought for.

Tea Act

• D: Allowed British East India Company to sell directly to colonists, cutting out merchants for free trade.

• A: This caused the Sons of Liberty to toss lots of tea into Boston Harbor (Boston Tea Party).

Yorktown

• D: Cornwallis stationed his troops for protection, but Washington, Rochambeau, and the French navy surrounded the British and forced surrender.

• A: The last major battle of the American Revolution; Cornwallis surrendered his whole army.

Declaratory Act

• D: An act that gave British Parliament the power to make any laws in the colonies.

• A: This caused British to pass more taxes and acts like the Townshend Acts.

Patriot Advantages and British Disadvantages

• D: Patriots had spirit and knew the terrain, while the British didn’t have much motivation, had supply issues, and didn’t know the terrain well.

• A: Gave patriots resilience against British forces.

Marquis de Lafayette

• D: A Frenchman who brought troops and a ship over 60 soldiers; became a major general in the Continental Army and fought in the Battle of Yorktown.

• A: His arrival boosted morale and helped secure victory.

Mercy Otis Warren

• D: A patriot woman who wrote plays and pamphlets for the war cause and was a member of the Daughters of Liberty.

• A: She also collaborated with Revolutionary leaders and boosted morale.

Benjamin Franklin

• D: Secured French alliance, member of the Second Continental Congress, helped draft the Declaration of Independence.

• A: Key in gaining French support for independence.

Paul Revere

• D: Midnight rides; his actions allowed for preparations at Lexington and Concord.

• A: Known for alerting the colonists.

Intolerable/Coercive Acts

• D: Laws to punish Boston after the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor.

• A: This caused the Continental Congress to assemble and angered many colonists.

Salutary Neglect

• D: A period when Britain allowed the colonies to operate freely without much enforcement to keep loyalty.

• A: The British ignored colonists who were trading with other countries for more profit.

Townshend Acts

• D: Imposed taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea to help the British with governing the colonies.

• A: Colonists boycotted British goods and were supported by the Sons of Liberty.

Committees of Correspondence

• D: Groups of patriots in the colonies who were in charge and kept in contact.

• A: They wrote opinions to each other and brought the issue to the public.

Writs of Assistance

• D: British customs officers were allowed to search colonial ships to stop smuggling.

• A: Colonial merchants protested invasion of privacy and property (James Otis).