Chapter 7 Flashcards
Enlightenment
Philosophical movement stressing human reason
John Locke
A philosopher who had the idea of natural rights, or rights that even the government couldn’t take away.
Social Mobilty
America had no titles aristocracy, a large middle class, and a huge underclass of slaves. America allowed poorer people to rise to the middle class.
Magna Carta
Charter of English and civil liberties. It stated that the king was not above the law. It also guaranteed the people civil liberties.
Parliament
England’s chief lawmaking body.
English Bill of Rights
1689–laws protecting the rights of English subjects and parliament
Colonial Governments
Parliament had two houses: House of the Lords and House of the Commons. House of the Lords were non-elected nobles, judges, and clergy. House of the Commons were elected.
French and Indian War
War of 1754-1763 between Britain, France, and their allies for control of North America
Treaty of Paris
Treaty that ended the seven year war between France and Britain
Proclamation of 1763
British declaration that forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachians
King George 3rd
British monarch who reigned during the American Revolution. He passed many reforms restricting the American colonies.
Quartering Act
Act requiring the colonists to quarter, or house, British soldiers and provide them with supplies
Sugar Act
Law placing a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped to the colonies.
Stamp Act
Law requiring all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing that a tax had been paid
Boycott
Refusal to buy
Boston Massacre
Incident in 1770 in which British troops fired on and killed American colonists. Five people were killed
Townshend Act
Acts passed by parliament in 1767 to tax imports in the colonies
Samuel Adams
Leader of the Boston Sons of Liberty
Boston Tea Party
Incident in 1773, when colonists protested British policies by boarding British ships and throwing their cargoes of tea overboard
Duties
Taxes paid on imported goods
John Adams
Lawyer who defended British soldiers accused of murder in the Boston massacre. He also helped draft a legal petition to try king suggesting that parliament had no right to tax the colonies.
Minutemen
Group of armed civilians (patriots) trained to be ready to fight “at a minute’s warning”
Intolerable Acts
Series of laws, known as the Coercive Acts, meant to punish Massachusetts and clamp down on resistance. They closed the Boston port, banned town meetings, replaced elected officials with appointed ones, increased governors power, and protected British officials.
First Continental Congress
Meeting of delegates from most of the colonies, called in reaction to the Intolerable Acts
Lexington and Concord
The first battles of the revolutionary was where the British wanted to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock. They also wanted to destroy the American’s weapons.
Loyalists
Americans who supported the British
Patriots
Americans who sided with the rebels
Tarred and Feathered
Liquid tar is poured or painted onto a victim while they are immobilized.
The Midnight Ride
When Paul Revere passed along the message “The British are coming! The British are coming!”
Second Continental Congress
Americas government during the revolutionary war
Continental Army
America’s patriot army during the revolutionary war
Thomas Paine
Political radical and the author of common sense. He believed that all men had the right to vote. He also ridiculed the idea that kinds were chosen by God.
Declaration of Independance
Document that declared America’s independence from Britain
Thomas Jefferson
Delegate from Virginia who wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Siege of Boston
After Lexington and Concord, British troops retreated to Boston. While they were deciding what to do, over 15,000 militiamen surrounded them. The British were under siege.
Bunker Hill
As the British with 2,200 men set fire to Charlestown. The British won, but they had casualties over 1,000 while the militia had about 400 casualties.
George Washington
The commander of the Patriot army. He United the army and helped create a model of unity for the nation.
Benedict Arnold
US army general in the revolutionary war who later turned traitor.
Battles of Saratoga
After the Burgoyne’s slow march, his men arrived at A former army camp at Saratoga. His men were exhausted. They were surrounded by Americans, and they eventually lost the battle. It was the turning point in the was because it gave people reason to believe the Americans could win. It also showed France and Spain the Americans could win.
Hessian Mercenaries
Mercenaries that came from the German region of Hesse.
General John Burgoyne
Commander of the Continental army. He commanded the slow march. He was the first British General to realize that they were not fighting an army, they were fighting a people.
Burgoyne’s Slow March
When Burgoyne and his army marched into enemy territory, the people had cut down trees to slow their pace. They had also burned crops and drove off cattle so they would not have a good source. It was when he realized they were not fighting an army, they were fighting a people.
Marquires De Lafayette
French aristocrat who volunteered to serve in Washington’s army. He used his own money to buy warm clothes for the troops at valley forge. He also persuaded the French king to send 6,000 soldiers to America.
Valley Forge
Site in southeast Pennsylvania where Washington and his army camped in the winter of 1777-1778
Hardships at Valley Forge
The army lacked supplies. Most dos not even have shoes. Not enough food or warm clothing. About 1/4 of them died. Diseases like small pox and typhoid fever.
France and Spain declare war and how it changed the war
France sent badly needed funds, supplies, and troops to America. Spain weakened Britain by attacking them. Their alliances forced Britain to fight multiple battles on land and sea, so they had less troops at any given place.
Benjamin Franklin
American writer, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat.
Battle of Yorktown
Final battle of the war, in which French and American forces led by George Washington defeated British General Cornwallis
Lord Cornwallis
British General whose campaigns in the south led to his defeat at Yorktown
The war in the South
The British captured most of Georgia. They also had the worst American defeat of the war. The British had expected all the slaves in the south to join them because they promised to set them free. Although thousands joined the army, not all were set free.
Guerrilla War
Small bands of fighters who weaken the enemy with surprise raids and hit-and-run attacks
Reasons the British lost
Soldiers only fought for pay. They were unprepared. Generals were uncoordinated and disunited. No allies. Orders could take months to reach them.
Reasons the Americans Won
Fought for their lives, and ideals. Civilians actively supported the cause. Smart generals. France and Spain provided tropos, and weakened Britain. Americans knew the land. 250,000 troops
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The 1783 treaty that ended the revolutionary war. It stated that the US was independent, each side would repay debts, and the British would return any enslaved people they had captured.
Debts and Losses
Many soldiers after the war had no money due to little or no pay. Some were given certificates to land in the west, but many sold it to pay for food and other basic needs.
Native American Lands
The native Americans lived off their lands before the Americans. They respected the land and the animals.
Native American Lands after the Americans Won
Most of the native American’s land was taken by colonists after they won. There were reservations for them though.
Freedom and Slavery227
Vermont outlawed slavery. Pennsylvania gradually freed slaves. Some slaves even sued for freedom.
Battle of Trenton
The Americans attacked the day after Christmas. They arrived to a camp of sleeping men. They captured or killed more than 900 Hessians and gained needed supplies.
