Act passed by the British when the Stamp Act was repealed to reaffirm Britain's absolute sovereignty over the American colonies.
Bunker Hill
military engagement that led King George III officially to declare the colonists in revolt
Ethan Allen
led a small American force to capture British strongholds at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, obtaining stores of gunpowder and weapons. these supplies pr...
John Paul Jones
early leader of the American Navy. Never made much of an impact on the British fleets, but did harass them.
George Rogers Clark
fronteirsman who seized many British forts in Illinois by surprise, helping to clear out the Ohio River Valley.
Privateers
basically legal American pirates. Captured British ships, brought in gold, rallied American support, and harassed the British
"Champagne Charley" Townshend
minister whose attempt to impose import taxes nearly succeeded, but eventually brewed trouble for Britain
Boston Port Act
reaction to the Boston Tea Party which closed the port of Boston
Franklin, Jay, John Adams
worked with the British to win a generous peace treaty
Olive Branch Petition
written by the Continental Congress after some initial military action between Britain and America. Proclaimed American loyalty to Britain and attempt...
Battle of Saratoga
a decisive battle in the American Revolution. The American victory helped rally the colonists to the American cause. Was a turning point in the war as...
Samuel Adams
defender of the common people's rights and organizer of underground propaganda and communication committees
militiamen
irregular American troops who played a crucial role in swaying the neutral civilian population toward the Patriot cause
Hessians
term for German mercenaries hired by the British to fight the Americans
William Franklin
Supporter of the loyalist cause who was the last royal governor of New Jersey.
nonimportation agreements
effective form of organized colonial resistance against the Stamp Act; made homespun clothing fashionable
tea
the product taxed under the Townshend Acts that generated the most colonial resistance
Patrick Henry
Famous for saying "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Thomas Jefferson
drafted Declaration of Independence
General Cornwallis
British general during the American Revolution. Was defeated at the Battle of Yorktown and surrendered his entire force.
virtual representation
British governmental theory that Parliament spoke for all British subjects, including American colonists, even if they did not vote for its members.
Loyalists, Tories
American colonists loyal to England and the British Crown. Most common among the older generations and in areas where the Anglican Church was still th...
Second Continental Congress
body that chose George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental Army
Joseph Brant
Mohawk chief who led many Iroquois to fight with Britain against American revolutionaries
General John Burgoyne
British general in the American Revolution. His failure was important to the American capture of the Hudson River Valley. Surrendered his entire comma...
Declaration of Independence
compiled by the Continental Congress to formally declare America as a nation independent from Britain, and to explain why this was fair and necessary....
Treaty of Paris
ends the American Revolution. US is formally recognized as an independent nation, and receives land west of the Mississippi.
Benedict Arnold
won many key battles for the American cause during the Revolution. Shockingly turned traitor in 1780 and sold out West Point to the British
Thomas Hutchinson
British governor of Massachusetts whose stubborn policies helped provoke the Boston Tea Party
Mississippi River
western boundary of the United States established in the Treaty of Paris
"continental"
paper currency authorized by Congress to finance the revolution. depreciated to near worthlessness
First Continental Congress
meeting of delegates from nine colonies in Philadelphia to address problems in the colonies. Produced appeals to the British government
admiralty courts
hated British courts in which juries were not allowed and defendants were assumed guilty until they could be proven innocent
Yorktown
decisive battle at which General Cornwallis surrendered. Washington assaulted the British by land while the French Navy blocked them off by sea.
Richard Henry Lee
member of the Philadelphia Congress from Virginia. Passionately believed that the American colonies should be free states independent from Britain. Hi...
1783
year Treaty of Paris (ending the American Revolution) was signed
natural rights
rights all humankind deserve, according to the Continental Congress. The colonies believed they deserved to revolt because the King went against these...
committees of correspondence
underground networks of communication and propaganda established by Samuel Adams that sustained colonial resistance
General Richard Montgomery
led the unsuccessful American attempt to capture Quebec, and was killed in the battle
General William Howe
British general in the American Revolution. Was not a great military leader, and was captured by surprise by George Washington on Christmas morning.
John Hancock
wealthy president of the Continental Congress and "King of the Smugglers"
Patriots, Whigs
American colonists who were pro-revolution and independence. They were extremely passionate and zealous and were always trying to win over those colon...
Common Sense
Argument for the importance of liberty and republicanism. Rallied the Americans together against the British Crown
General Nathanael Greene
American General who defeated British General Cornwallis and cleared Georgia and South Carolina of British troops
the south
region which saw some of the Revolution's most bitter fighting, from 1780 to 1782, between American General Nathanael Greene and British General Cornwallis
Holland
European nation other than France and Spain that supported the American Revolution by declaring war on Britain
Navigation Laws
set of laws passed by Parliament that restricted colonial trade and directed it to the benefit of Britain. largely ignored by the American colonists
Intolerable Acts
harsh measures of retaliation for the Boston Tea Party on Massachusetts, including the Boston Port Act
General William Howe
British general who chose to relax in New York and Philadelphia rather than march up the Hudson River to fight
Stamp Act
tax passed by Parliament which was repealed the next year after colonial resistance made it impossible to enforce
Thomas Paine
British immigrant who wrote Common Sense
2nd Continental Congress
met in Philadelphia as a response to the violence at Lexington and Concord. All of the thirteen colonies were represented. the delegates still wished...
George Grenville
British minister who raised a storm of protest by passing the Stamp Act
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