Chapter 8 - America Secedes from the Empire, 1775-1783 Flashcards
Second Continental Congress
It met in 1776 and drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence, which justified the Revolutionary War and declared that the colonies should be independent of Britain.
George Washington
He had led troops (rather unsuccessfully) during the French and Indian War, and had surrendered Fort Necessity to the French. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and was much more successful in this second command.
Ethan Allen
Leader of forces that won control of Fort Ticonderoga from the British, which gave the colonists huge stores of weapons that they could use to fight the war.
Benedict Arnold
He had been a Colonel in the Connecticut militia at the outbreak of the Revolution and soon became a General in the Continental Army. He won key victories for the colonies in the battles in upstate New York in 1777, and was instrumental in General Gates victory over the British at Saratoga. After becoming Commander of Philadelphia in 1778, he went heavily into debt, and in 1780, he was caught plotting to surrender the key Hudson River fortress of West Point to the British in exchange for a commission in the royal army. He is the most famous traitor in American history.
Fort Ticonderoga
Located in upper New York, it was taken over by colonial forces under the leadership of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold. The win gave the colonists their initial cannons and heavy weapons that they would use to fight the British early in the war.
Bunker Hill
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the British troops were based in Boston. The British army had begun to fortify the Dorchester Heights near Boston, and so the Continental Army fortified Breed’s Hill, north of Boston, to counter the British plan. British general Gage led two unsuccessful attempts to take this hill, before he finally seized it with the third assault. The British suffered heavy losses and lost any hope for a quick victory against the colonies. Although the battle centered around Breed’s Hill, it was mistakenly named for nearby Bunker Hill.
Redcoats
Colonists’ name for the British troops because of the color of the uniforms.
Olive Branch Petition
On July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies.
Hessians
Prussian mercenaries hired by the British army to fight in the American Revolution.
Richard Montgomery
Colonial general who led the invasion of Canada. It was eventually turned back at the Battle of Quebec.
Thomas Paine
A British citizen, he wrote Common Sense, published on January 1, 1776, to encourage the colonies to seek independence.
Common Sense
It spoke out against the unfair treatment of the colonies by the British government and was instrumental in turning public opinion in favor of the Revolution.
Republic
The concept of the power of a government being derived from those who are ruled, not a monarch who ruled under the concept of “divine right.” The government’s job should be to protect those citizens, not to empower a ruler.
Natural Aristocracy
Unlike a hereditary aristocracy in Britain, some more conservative colonists felt that there should still be a ruling class that controlled the country. These people would naturally rise to the top because they were “better” than the common rabble.
Richard Henry Lee
Made the motion at the Continental Congress to declare independence.