Chapter 5: American Revolution Flashcards
Empire
A single political authority that has a large number of external regions or territories and different peoples under its sovereignty
Revolution
Public seizure of the state in order to overturn the existing government and regime
Boston Tea Party
Dramatic attempt by Boston leaders to show colonial contempt for the Tea Act; Sons of Liberty, dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped British tea into Boston Harbor; triggered similar actions across the colonies
Direct Democracy
Democracy that allows the public to participate directly in government decision making
Treaty of Paris
Signed Sept 3, 1783, the treaty that ended the Revolutiuonary War, recognized American independence from Britain, established the border between Canada and the United States, fixed the Western border at the Mississippi River, and ceded Florida to Spain
Great Awakening
The first major series of American religious revivals; began in the 1720s and and ended in the 1750s
Sons of Liberty
Groups of male colonists who organized against England’s enforcement of the Stamp Act, didstributed anti-British propaganda, and occasionally harassed and attacked colonial officials
First Continental Congress
Early gathering of colonial delegates in 1774 that called for the repeal of all oppressive parliamentary laws since 1763
Radicalism
Political ideology that favors dramatic, often revolutionary change
Non-Importation Movement
The effort to protest parliamentary legislation by boycotting British goods. This occurred in 1766, in response to the Stamp Act; 1768, after the Townshend duties; and in 1774, after the Coercive Acts.
Coercive Acts
British Parliament’s retalitation against the Boston Tea Party that was meant to coerce Boston colonists by reducing the colony’s rights to self-governance. Closed the port of Boston until residents paid for the damaged property and moved Massachusetts court cases against royal officials back to England in a bid to weaken colonial authority.
Presidential system
A political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are combined in one executive office
Political Economy
The power relations that mutually constitute the production, distribution and consumption of resources in a given society
Articles of Confederation
First frame of government for the United States; in effect from 1781-1788, it provided for a weak central authority and was soon replaced by the Constitution
Nation-State
A geographically bounded space encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent
Republicanism
Political theory om 18the Century Englanf and America that celebrated active participation ni public lifeby economically independent citizens as central to freedom
Lexington & Concord
The first shots fired in the Revolutionary War, an April 9, 1775, near Boston; approximately 100 Minutemen and 250 British soldiers were killed
Olive Branch Petition
(1775) Petition drafted by moderates in Congress to the the King George to avert full-on with the British. Stated that the colonists wished to remain part of Great Britain, but with full rights of citizenship. Was received after King George had already declared war on the colonies.
Dunmore’s Proclamation
1775 Proclamation issued by the British commander Lord Dunmore that offered freedom to all enslaved African Americans who joined the British Army. The proclamation heightened concerns among some patriots about the consequesnces of independence.
Paul Revere
Prominent member of the Sons of Liberty. Circulated famous engraving of the Boston Massacre that became a crucial piece of propaganda for the Independence movmement.
Virginia Resolves
Resolutions passed by the Virginia legislature declaring only the colonies’ governments had the right to tax colonists; first appearance of the notion of “taxation without representation”
Political Ideology
The basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals of politics and the ideal balance of freedom and equality
Globalization
The process of interaction and exchange between peoples and ideas from different parts of the globe, the extension of economic, political, and cultural relationships among nations, through commerce, migration, and communication.
Battle of Saratoga
A multi-stage battle in New York ending with the surrender of British general John Burgoyne. The victory ensured the diplomatic success of American representatives in Paris, who won a military alliance with France, that became the deciding factor of US victory.
Reactionary
Person or group who seek to restore the institutions of a real or imagined earlier order
Conservatism
A political ideology that is skeptical of change and supports the current order (status quo)
Nation
A group of people bound together by by a common set of linguistic, historical, and cultural characteristics, as well as political aspirations, the most important of which is self-government
Popular Sovereignty
The principle that ultimate power lies in the hands of the electorate.
John Locke
French Enlightenment who argued for the doctrine of Natural Rights: the rights to life, liberty, and property. Argued that political authority was not given by God or a monarch, but was instead derived from social compacts that people entered into to preserve their natural rights. Argued that individuals were were formed primarily by their environment, not by inherent, or God-given qualities, and that education, both civic and academic, was key to the formation of a funtioning society of rational citizens. These ideas were among the most influential in the founding documents of the United States.
