C5 Basic Knowledge Flashcards
revenue
Incoming money; what Britain needed to pay for the expense of the French and Indian war
resolution
a formal expression of opinion; the Virginia assembly passed a resolution that they were the only ones allowed to tax their people
boycott
an organised refusal to buy certain goods; what many colonists did to British and European goods
repeal
cancel; what Parliament did to the Stamp Act after much colonial protest
writs of assistance
1767; legal documents that allowed customs officers to enter any place to search for smuggled goods
effigy
rag figures; created representing tax collectors and then burned by Sons of Liberty groups in protest of the Stamp Act
non-importation
agreements in which merchants pledged not to buy or use goods imported from Britain
Stamp Act
a law passed in 1765 by Pariliament that placed a tax on nearly all printed materials, such as newspapers, wills, and playing cards; all printed materials required a stamp, was applied by a British official after the tax was paid
Patrick Henry
a member of the Virginia House of Burgessess who persuaded its members to take action against the Stamp Act, lead to a resolution by the assembly
Samuel Adams
helped start the Sons of Liberty group in Boston to protest the Stamp Act
propoganda
information made to influence public opinion; the colonial leaders used the Boston Massacre as this
committee of correspondence
an organization used in early protests against the British taxes; reformed by Samuel Adams in 1772
Stamp Act Congress
October 1765; delegates from nine colonies met in New York and drafted a petition to the king and Parliament declaring that only the colonial assemblies would tax the colonists
Crispus Attucks
the first to die in the Boston Massacre; a part African, part Native American dockworker; became a symbol of the injustice felt around the event
Boston Massacre
a violent encounter between a mob of colonists and British soldiers on March 5th, 1770; resulted in the death of five colonists and the wounding of
Tea Act
an act passed by Parliament in 1773 to save the East India Company; gave them a monopoly over tea trade in America; let them sell directly to shopkeepers and bypass colonial merchants
Boston Tea Party
December 16th, 1773; a response by the Boston Sons of Liberty to the royal governor’s order to unload three ships of tea; men disguised as Mohawks boarded the ships nad threw 342 chests of tea overboard
George III
the King of England; realized that Britain was losing control over the colonies and declared “we must master them or totally leave them alone”
Coercive Acts
harsh laws intended to punish Massachusetts for resisting the British rule; closed Boston Harbor until the colonists paid for the ruined tea, banned town meetings in New England, forced Bostonians to shelter soldiers; caused other colonies to sent food and clothing to Boston; known as the Intolerable Acts by the colonists
Quebec Act
set up a government for Quebec and gave it the area west of the Appalachians and north of the Ohio River, ignoring colonial claims there
Proclamation of 1763
set the Appalachain mountains as a temporary Western boundary for the colonists; angered colonists who owened land in these parts
militia
groups of civilians trained to fight in emergencies; formed around the colonies to fight British rule
minutemen
name of militia members who were known for rapidly arriving to duty
Loyalist
those who wished for the colonists to remain under the rule of Great Britain; known as Torys
Patriot
those who wished for the colonists to declare independence from Great Britain; known as Whigs
First Continental Congress
September 1774; 55 delegates from all colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia; formed to represent colonial interests and challenge British rule; drafted a statement that asked for the repeal of 13 acts from Parliament that they believed had violated natural laws; voted to boycott British trade; endorsed Suffolk Resolves calling for the people to arm themselves against the British, lead to the formation of miltias
John Adams
a lawyer from Massachusetts sent to the First and Second Continental Congresses with his cousin Samuel Adams
John Jay
a lawyer from New York sent to the First and Second Continental Congresses
Richard Henry Lee
a delagate from Viriginia at the second Continental Congress; proposed that the colonies declare total independence from Great Britain
George Washington
unanimously chosen to lead the Continental Army after John Adams recommended him
Paul Revere
a member of the Sons of Liberty, who was alerted to the British troops on April 18th, 1775 by Dr. Joseph Warren; rode through the countryside with William Dawes to alert Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to Lexington and Concord
petition
formal request; Olive Branch petition sent to George III
preamble
introduction; states that those who wish to create a new country should explain their reasons for doing so
Second Continental Congress
assembled for the first time on May 10th, 1775; took a year before it decleared independence; started to govern the colonies during that time; authorized printing of money and set up a post office under Benjamin Franklin; established committees to communicate with Native Americans and other countries; created the Continental Army to fight against the British
Continental Amry
created by the Second Continental Congress; George Washington was unanimously chosen to lead the Continental Army after John Adams recommended him
Olive Branch Petition
sent to George III after Washington left to take charge of the forces in Boston; told the king that the colonists wished to keep peace and asked for protection of their rights; George III responded by hiring 30,000 German troops to aid his soldiers
Thomas Paine
a political activitist during the American Revolution, pulbished Common Sense
Common Sense
a bold pamplet published by Thomas Paine in 1776 than called for complete independence and greatly influenced colonial thinking
Declaration of Independence
after the second continental congress voted on Lee’s resolution for independence on July 2nd, 1776, Congress approved the Declaration on July 5th, 1776; 56 delegates signed (starting with John Hancock); has four sections: preamble, Declaration of Natural Rights, List of Grievances, Resolution of Independence by the United States
List all majors events leading up to the Declaration of Independence in order.
Proclamation of 1763, Sugar Act, Stamp act, Stamp Act Congress, Stamp Act repeal, writs of assistance, Townshend Acts, Boston Massacre, committees of correspondence, Tea Act, Boston Tea Party, Coercive (Intolerable) Acts, Quebec Act, First Continental Congress, Paul Revere’s ride, Lexington and Concord, Battle of Bunker Hill, Second CC, Washington chosen as leader, Olive Branch Petition, Common Sense published, Declaration of Independence
Townshend Acts
1767; taxes on imported goods such as glass, tea, and paper
Sugar Act
passed in 1764; lowered the import tax on molasses in the hopes that colonists would pay instead of smuggling and let officers seize smuggled goods without going to court
