Chapter 4

Colonial America and Pre-Revolutionary Events

1. Pragmatic Sanction (1713)

• A decree issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI to allow his daughter, Maria Theresa, to inherit the throne, which had been restricted to male heirs under earlier laws. It influenced European politics and later colonial governance.

2. Salutary Neglect (1607–1763)

• A British colonial policy in which England avoided strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, especially trade regulations, to keep the American colonies obedient. This fostered self-governance and economic independence in the colonies.

3. French and Indian War (1754–1763)

• The North American theater of the Seven Years' War, fought between British colonists and the French (along with their Native American allies). It resulted in British victory but also significant debt, which led to increased taxes on the American colonies.

4. Sugar Act (1764)

• A British law aimed at raising revenue from the American colonies by imposing taxes on sugar, molasses, and other products. It was the first tax specifically aimed at the American colonies and contributed to colonial dissatisfaction.

5. Stamp Act (1765)

• A British law that taxed paper goods (newspapers, legal documents, etc.) in the American colonies. It was highly unpopular and led to widespread protests, marking a significant step toward colonial unity against British policies.

6. Townshend Duties (1767)

• A series of laws passed by the British Parliament placing duties on imported goods like glass, tea, and paper. The colonies responded with boycotts and protests, which intensified tensions with Britain.

7. Tea Act of 1773

• A British law designed to help the struggling British East India Company by allowing it to sell surplus tea directly to the colonies, bypassing colonial merchants. This led to the Boston Tea Party as a form of protest against British taxation.

8. Coercive/Intolerable Acts (1774)

• A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party. The Acts included the closing of Boston Harbor, restricting local government in Massachusetts, and enforcing the quartering of British soldiers in homes.

9. Continental Army (1775)

• The army formed by the colonies to fight against Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. George Washington was appointed its commander-in-chief.

10. Valley Forge (1777–1778)

• The winter encampment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, where troops faced severe hardships, including cold, starvation, and disease. Despite these challenges, it was a turning point that strengthened the resolve of the American forces.

11. Articles of Confederation (1781–1789)

• The first governing document of the United States, which established a weak central government with limited powers, leaving most authority to the states. It was later replaced by the U.S. Constitution due to its inability to manage national issues.

12. Three-fifths Compromise (1787)

• A compromise reached during the Constitutional Convention that counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of taxation and representation in Congress.

French Revolution and Its Key Events

13. French Revolution: Causes

• Economic hardship (debts from wars, including the American Revolution), widespread inequality (feudal system), and Enlightenment ideas about liberty and equality led to growing discontent and the eventual outbreak of the revolution in 1789.

14. Louis XVI (1754–1793)

• The King of France at the time of the Revolution. His inability to solve France's financial crisis and his perceived ineffectiveness contributed to the revolution. He was eventually executed during the Reign of Terror.

15. Estates-General (1789)

• A meeting of the three estates (clergy, nobility, and commoners) convened by Louis XVI to address the financial crisis. The Third Estate (commoners) eventually broke away and formed the National Assembly, which sparked the Revolution.

16. Tennis Court Oath (1789)

• An oath taken by the members of the Third Estate (and some sympathetic clergy and nobles) in a tennis court after being locked out of the Estates-General. They vowed not to separate until a new constitution was created.

17. Sans-culottes

• Radical working-class revolutionaries in France, often associated with the more extreme elements of the Revolution. They were named for wearing long pants (instead of the knee-breeches worn by the aristocracy) and sought more direct action and reform.

18. 1791 French Constitution

• A constitution that established a constitutional monarchy in France, limiting the powers of the king and creating a new legislative body. It was short-lived, as it was replaced after the monarchy was abolished in 1792.

19. Girondins and Jacobins

• Two major political factions during the French Revolution:

  • Girondins: A more moderate faction that favored a constitutional monarchy and war with foreign nations.

  • Jacobins: A radical faction led by figures like Robespierre that sought to push the revolution further and support a republic, using more aggressive measures.

20. Reign of Terror (1793–1794)

• A period during the French Revolution marked by mass executions, including the guillotining of thousands of perceived enemies of the revolution, especially under the leadership of the Jacobins and Robespierre.

21. Thermidorean Reaction (1794)

• The period following the fall of Robespierre, where the radical phase of the French Revolution ended. The Jacobins were overthrown, and a more moderate government took control, ending the Reign of Terror.

22. 1795 French Constitution

• A new constitution that created the Directory, a five-member executive body that ruled France after the fall of the Jacobins. It marked a shift toward a more conservative phase of the Revolution, although the country remained unstable.