Chapter 5: The Problem of Empire Flashcards
Sugar Act of 1794
A law that increased duties on sugar and other goods, leading to protests and opposition from American colonists.
vice-admiralty courts
Courts in which British judges, rather than colonial juries, heard cases involving violations of trade regulations, causing resentment among colonists.
Stamp Act of 1765
A tax on printed materials, such as newspapers and legal documents, which sparked widespread protests and played a key role in the lead-up to the American Revolution.
virtual representation
The idea that British Parliament represented the interests of all British subjects, including those in the American colonies, even if they couldn’t vote for members of Parliament.
Quartering Act of 1765
A law requiring colonists to provide housing and supplies to British troops stationed in the colonies, further straining colonial relations with Britain.
Stamp Act Congress
A gathering of colonial delegates who protested the Stamp Act and asserted the rights of colonial assemblies to tax and govern themselves.
Sons of Liberty
A secret organization of American colonists formed to protest British policies and enforce nonimportation agreements.
English common law
A legal system based on precedent and customs, which influenced the development of American legal traditions.
natural rights
The idea that individuals have inherent rights to life, liberty, and property, as articulated by philosophers like John Locke and influential in American political thought.
Declaratory Act of 1766
A law asserting the British Parliament’s authority to make laws binding on the American colonies.
Townshead Act of 1767
A series of acts that imposed taxes on imported goods and led to protests and boycotts in the colonies.
nonimportation movement
A boycott of British goods by American colonists in response to taxes and trade restrictions.
committees of correspondence
Communication networks established among American colonies to coordinate resistance to British policies.
Tea Act of May 1773
A law that granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies, leading to the Boston Tea Party.
Coercive Acts
A series of punitive measures imposed on Massachusetts by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party, also known as the Intolerable Acts in the colonies.
Continental Congress
A gathering of colonial representatives that played a crucial role in coordinating resistance to British policies and ultimately in declaring independence.
Continental Association
An agreement among the American colonies to boycott British goods and halt exports to Britain until their grievances were addressed.
Dunmore’s War
A conflict in 1774 between Virginia settlers and Native American tribes, led by Governor John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, over land rights.
Minutemen
American militia members who were ready to mobilize quickly in case of emergencies, including the outbreak of the American Revolution.
Second Continental Congress
A meeting of colonial representatives that managed the colonial war effort and eventually adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Declaration of Independence
A document drafted in 1776 that asserted the American colonies’ independence from British rule and articulated the reasons for the separation.
popular sovereignty
The principle that the authority and legitimacy of government are derived from the consent of the governed, a key concept in American democracy.
