Chapter 5 - The Problem of Empire, 1763-1776 Flashcards
Revenue Act of 1762
enforced the collection of trade taxes
George Grenville
British prime minister who passed the Currency Act and the Sugar Act of 1764
Currency Act of 1764
banned American colonies from using paper money as legal tender
Sugar Act of 1764
set a duty of 3 pence per gallon on molasses and tightened customs enforcement so that it could be collected
vice-admiralty courts
tribunals governing the seas and run by British-appointed judges
Stamp Act of 1765
required a tax stamp on all printed items
virtual representation
the claim that colonists were British citizens, therefore they were represented in Parliament
Quartering Act of 1765
required colonial governments to provide barracks and food for British troops
Stamp Act Congress
New York conference where delegates met to discuss the growing issues of British rule
Sons of Liberty
a secret society of colonists formed to protest for and protect colonial rights
Patriot
any colonist who supported independence
English common law
centuries-old body of legal rules and procedures that protected subjects of the monarch
Montesquieu
French Enlightenment philosopher who advocated for separation of powers
John Dickinson
author of “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania” who urged colonists to remember their ancestors and oppose parliamentary taxes
Declaratory Act of 1766
explicitly reaffirmed Parliament’s full power and authority
Charles Townshend
unsympathetic prime minister who sought restrictions on colonial assemblies and laid taxes on trade
Townshend Act of 1767
imposed duties on colonial imports of paper, paint, glass, and tea
nonimportation movement
movement to reduce household consumption of imported goods and increase domestic production (especially textiles)
Lord North
prime minister who was a skilled politician and persuaded Parliament to repeal most of the Townshend duties (while still retaining the tax on tea)
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770 - nine British soldiers fired into a crowd of townspeople, killing five
George III
King of Britain from 1760-1820
Loyalist
any colonist who wished to remain loyal to Britain
committee of correspondence
allowed Patriots to communicate with other colonial leaders when new threats to liberty occurred
Tea Act of May 1773
provided financial relief for the East India Company by giving the company a government loan and canceling import duties on tea exported to Ireland and the colonies
Boston Tea Party
to protest the Tea Act, artisans and laborers disguised themselves as Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor
Coercive Acts
four acts that forced Massachusetts to pay for tea lost in the Boston Tea Party and submit to imperial authority
Boston Port Bill
one of the Coercive Acts; closed Boston Harbor to shipping
Massachusetts Government Act
one of the Coercive Acts; annulled charter and prohibited most town meetings
Quartering Act (of the Coercive Acts)
one of the Coercive Acts; mandated new barracks for British troops
Justice Act
one of the Coercive Acts; allowed trials for capital crimes to be transferred to other colonies or to Britain
Quebec Act
allowed Roman Catholicism in Quebec and extended Quebec’s boundaries into the Ohio River Valley, angering many colonists
Continental Congress
meeting of twelve mainland colonies run by Patriot leaders
Samuel Adams
radical Patriot leader in Massachusetts
Continental Association
established to enforce a third boycott of British goods
Neutral
any colonist who remained neutral between Britain and the colonies, usually to preserve their family’s property and independence
Lord Dunmore
Virginia’s royal governor; led a militia to defeat the Ohio Shawnees and claim Kentucky
Dunmore’s War
single-battle conflict in which Lord Dunmore and the Virginia militia defeated the Ohio Shawnees for Kentucky
Minutemen
members of colonial militias who were ready to fight at a moment’s notice
Lexington and Concord
British General Thomas Gage dispatched soldiers to capture leaders and supplies in Concord; Paul Revere and other riders warned Patriots so that militiamen could meet British soldiers first at Lexington then at Concord - ended in violence and initiated war
Second Continental Congress
met as British attacked Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
pamphlet that inspired the colonists to fight for independence
Declaration of Independence
document issued by the Continental Congress that declared colonial independence from Britain
Thomas Jefferson
prominent Patriot and primary author of the Declaration of Independence; later became an Antifederalist leader and third president
popular sovereignty
the principle that ultimate power lies in the hands of the electorate