American Revolution Test Flashcards
what did French fear the loss of and to who?
fur trading in the Ohio Valley to English settlers
what did small battles escalate to?
global conflict
who was George Washington?
- land surveyor & militia officer
- attacked French in Ohio Valley 1754
what the British representatives fail to do?
get full Iroquois support against French
what did Benjamin Franklin propose and in what?
- in Albany Plan of Union
- proposed “general government” for 13 colonies
who approved the Albany Plan of Union? rejected?
- delegates approved
- colonial assemblies rejected
why did colonial assemblies reject the Albany Plan of Union?
didn’t want to give their individual power
whose loss began the major fighting of what war?
- General Edward Braddock 1755
- French & Indian War
what British action led to the discontinuation of attacks of British troops?
- British eventually cut off supply lines
- Delaware Indians stopped attacking British troops
what land did the British gain as a result of what agreement?
- Treaty of Paris 1763
- Canada, all French land east of Mississippi, & Florida from Spain
what happened to French power in North America after the Treaty of Paris? what were the British left with?
- basically eliminated
- major debt
what was Pontiac’s War?
- Ottawa chief led attacks against British
- w/o French support, it ended
what did the Proclamation of 1763 do?
prohibited English settlement west of Appalachians
who did the British begin aggressively prosecuting?
smugglers avoiding customs duties
where were trials of suspected smugglers being held?
- British naval courts in Nova Scotia
- not jury trials in the colonies
what two things angered colonists?
- trials of suspected smugglers
- taxes to pay for British troops in Appalachians
what was the Sugar Act?
- 1764
- raised taxes on molasses and sugar
- placed taxes on other imported goods
- suspected smugglers’ property could be seized w/o due process
what was the Stamp Act?
- 1765
- placed new tax on all legal documents (wills, diplomas, marriage papers)
- also taxed most goods made of paper (newspapers, playing cards, dice)
- all good had to have legal stamp on it proving you paid the tax
colonists were upset they weren’t included in what?
- Britain’s policy making
- including banning of paper money to slow inflation
what did colonists begin to do in retaliation?
boycott (refuse to buy) certain goods & services
what did the colonists participate in? what was the purpose of this?
- peaceful protest (ex. nonimportation agreement)
- have Stamp Act repealed/cancelled
what did Britain continue to do despite colonist retaliation?
- place taxes & duties on colonists
- including Townshend Acts
why did colonists organize their own protests?
- protest tax on household goods
- protest writs of assistance
- protest Townshend Acts
how did the Boston Massacre start?
- crowd of colonists heckling British regulars (soldiers) at the Boston Custom house
- attacked them with ice balls & oyster shells
what did the soldiers do at the Boston Massacre?
fired into the crowd, killing 5 people
who defended the British soldiers at the Boston Massacre? were they successful?
- John Adams
- yes
what did Thomas Jefferson suggest each colony create? why?
- committee of correspondence
- unify colonial response to Britain’s actions
how did the Boston Tea Party occur?
- colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians
- dumped tea into Boston Harbor
what was the Boston Tea Party a protest against?
British tea companies ability to sell to colonists at a lower rate
what did colonists believe the issue was regarding the Boston Tea Party?
Parliament’s ability to tax colonists
what were the four Coercive Acts?
- Boston Port Act
- Massachusetts Government Act
- Administration of Justice Act
- Quartering Act
what did the Boston Port Act do?
closed Boston Harbor; no ships in or out until tea was paid for
what did the Massachusetts Government Act do?
- colonists couldn’t hold meetings more than once a year w/o permission
- trial juries now chosen by British officials
what did the Administration of Justice Act do?
British customs officials accused of crimes could be tried out of the colonies
what did the Quartering Act do?
British soldiers could move into colonist homes if no other housing was “available”
when and where was the First Continental Congress held?
September 1774 in Philidelphia
what did the Declaration of Rights and Grievances do?
expressed loyalty to king but condemned Coercive Acts
what did representatives from all colonies, besides Georgia, agree to do?
- boycott British goods
- stop exporting goods to England
- until Coercive Acts repealed
what was each colony urged to do?
train & establish a militia
define miltia.
citizens who serve as soldiers during an emergency
define minutemen.
Massachusetts militia who were ready to fight “at a minute’s notice”
what did a group of British soldiers leave Boston to do?
seize a weapons cache held by Sons of Liberty
who were the midnight riders & what did they do?
- Dr. Samuel Prescott, William Dawes, & Paul Revere
- warn & assemble militia to protect weapons
how many minutemen were gathered? were they outnumbered?
- 70 minutemen on Lexington green
- outnumbered by British troops
what started a firefight at Lexington?
- British asked minutemen to leave
- shot fired, not known by who
what did the British do after finding no weapons? what did they find?
- headed back to Boston
- faced by 300 minutemen on Concord Bridge
what were the British forced to do as a result of what at Lexington & Concord?
- retreat
- shot at by militia & sharpshooters in woods
where did the Second Continental Congress meet?
Philidelphia
what did the Second Continental Congress approve?
continental army to be led by George Washington
what were colonists holding on June 16, 1775? what were British regulars sent to do?
- Breed’s Hill
- 2200 sent to take the hill
what was William Prescott’s famous quote?
“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”
how did the Battle of Bunker Hill improve American morale?
1000 casualties helped build confidence
what was “Common Sense”?
written work by Thomas Paine that attempted to break some colonists’ loyalty to Britain
what are three things Paine stated in “Common Sense”?
- monarchy was wrong
- colonists didn’t “owe” anything to Britain
- staying under British control was bad for colonists
why was independence a hard decision for Congress?
they would be traitors to England & executed
who did Congress decide on the draft the document? what did it state?
- Thomas Jefferson
- declared colonies “free and independent states”
who signed the document and when?
- continental congress
- July 4, 1776
what were some pros on the colonial side?
- good with firearms
- strong leadership (G. Washington)
- will to defend home/property
- knowledge of land -> guerilla warfare
what were some cons on the colonial side?
- lack of experience & organization
what were some pros on the British side?
- well trained & experienced
- excellent navy
- many colonists supported
where were some cons on the British side?
- far from home (news, supplies)
- didn’t know land as well
what was the Battle of Trenton-Princeton?
- Washington crosses Delaware
- ambushes Hessian mercenaries
what was the Camp at Valley Forge?
- new officers from France & Prussia help Washington train Continental Army
- boosted morale
what was the Battle of Saratoga?
- turning point of war
- American victory French to join in war against Britain
who retreated to Yorktown to protect supply lines?
General Charles Cornwallis
what did the French Navy do?
blockaded harbor
what did American & French forces do to Yorktown?
surrounded the city
what was Cornwallis forced to do?
surrender
who negotiated a treaty with the British Parliament?
- John Adams
- Benjamin Franklin
- John Jay
what was the result of what 1783 treaty?
- Treaty of Paris 1783
- US recognized as independent nation by Britain
what did the idea of a republic lead to?
- new ideas & freedoms throughout colonies
- voting rights for men (all social classes & religion)
what small gains were made for minorities?
- education for women
- emancipation for African-Americans in most northern areas
what enlightenment thinker’s idea of social contract was used in the formation of the Declaration of Independence?
John Locke
what signaled the start of the AR?
Lexington & Concord
what was Cornwallis’ mistake?
- when he retreated to the Yorktown Peninsula to protect supply lines
- led to British defeat
what trapped the British army at Yorktown?
blockade of French warships
what was a major reason for conflict where the French feared the loss of fur trading in the Ohio Valley?
conflict between Great Britain and France
what was the Declaration of Independence?
- listed King George III’s misdeeds
- asserted citizens’ rights
- declared people’s right to overthrow gov.
what are the four parts of the Declaration?
- preamble
- natural rights
- British wrongs/grievances
- independence
why did Parliament raise taxes in the colonies after 1763?
to pay for the French & Indian War
what were created as a result of the Boston Tea Party, “grounding” Boston?
Coercive Acts
the French navy blockaded Chesapeake Bay causing this.
British surrender
what was the strategy used by colonists to resist British military tactics?
guerilla warfare
who was the Declaration of Independece directed towards?
King George III
life and liberty are references to what?
natural rights
this idea was in both the Declaration and Treaty of Paris.
independence from Britain
which enlightenment principle was the basis of the delclaration?
natural rights
who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
who were the mercenaries ambushed at Trenton?
Hessians
which five men collaborated on the Declaration of Independence?
- Thomas Jefferson
- Benjamin Franklin
- John Adams
- Roger Sherman
- Robert R. Livingston
