Ch 3 Revolutionary America Flashcards
(40 cards)
Abolition
Movement to end slavery
Siege
A military blockade and attack on a city to force it to surrender.
Articles of Confederation
Frist constitution of the US. It was ratified in 1781 by the thirteen original states; it provided a legal symbol of their union by giving the central government little to no power over the states or their citizens
National Debt
The amount of money a national government owes to other governments or its people
John Hancock
American revolutionary patriot who was president of the Continental Congress
Deborah Sampson
Patriot who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army.
James Armistead
African American slave who became an American spy and helped defeat the British.
Hessian Mercenaries
Professional soldiers from Germany that were hired to fight for Britain
Abigail Adams
John Adam’s wife, she appealed to her husband to protect the rights of women
Declaration of Independence
Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state.
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence. Became the 3rd president of the United States
Paul Revere
Boston silversmith who rode into the countryside with William Dawes to spread news of British troop movement
Loyalists
American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence
French and Indian War
Between France and England to remove the French threat to the American colonies
Magna Carta
English document from 1215 that limited the power of the king and provided basic rights for citizens
Enlightenment
a movement that emphasized science and reason as guides to help see the world more clearly
Sons of Liberty
organization of colonists formed by Samuel Adams in opposition to the Stamp Act and other British laws and taxes
Taxation
The process of a government levying a charge on people or things (e.g. property taxes).
Boston Massacre
Clash between British soldiers and a Boston mob, March 5, 1770, in which five colonists were killed.
Boston Tea Party
the dumping of 18,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor by colonists in 1773 to protest the Tea Act
Treaty of Paris
treaty of 1763 that ended the Seven Years’ War and resulted in British dominance of the Americas
Common Sense
1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that persuaded many Americans to support the Revolutionary cause
John Locke
English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights
Trail of Tears
The forced movement of Cherokees in 1838 to land west of the Mississippi River