Chapter 8: America Secedes from the Empire (1775-1783)

Question 1

What was the Second Continental Congress?

Answer 1

representative body of delegates from all 13 colonies. Drafted the Declaration of Independence and managed the colonial war effort.

Question 2

What was the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Answer 2

fought on the outskirts of Boston, on Breed’s Hill, the battle ended in the colonial militia’s retreat, though at a heavy cost to the British.

Question 3

What was the Olive Branch Petition?

Answer 3

conciliatory measure adopted by the Continental Congress, professing American loyalty and seeking an end to the hostilities. King George rejected the petition and proclaimed the colonies in rebellion.

Question 4

Who were the Hessians?

Answer 4

German troops hired from their Princes by George III to aid in putting down the colonial insurrection. This hardened the resolve of American colonists, who resented the use of paid foreign fighters.

Question 5

What is “Common Sense”?

Answer 5

Thomas Paine’s pamphlet urging the colonies to declare independence and establish a republican government. The widely read pamphlet helped convince colonists to support the Revolution.

Question 6

What was the Declaration of Independence?

Answer 6

Formal pronouncement of independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson and approved by Congress. The Declaration allowed to appeal for foreign aid and served as an inspiration for later revolutionary movements worldwide.

Question 7

What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man?

Answer 7

Declaration of rights adopted during the French Revolution. Modeled after American Declaration of Independence.

Question 8

Who were the Loyalists?

Answer 8

American colonists who opposed the Revolution and maintained their loyalty to the king, someone referred to as Tories.

Question 9

Who were the Patriots?

Answer 9

American colonists who supported the American Revolution, also known as Whigs.

Question 10

What was the Battle of Long Island?

Answer 10

Battle for the control of New York. British troops overwhelmed the colonial militias and retained control of the city for most of the war.

Question 11

What was the Battle of Trenton?

Answer 11

Washington surprised and captured a garrison of sleeping German Hessians, raising the morale of his crestfallen army and setting the stage for his victory at Princeton a week later.

Question 12

What was the Model Treaty?

Answer 12

a sample treaty drafted by the Continental Congress as a guide for American diplomats. Reflected American desire to foster commercial partnerships rather than political/military entanglements.

Question 13

What was Armed Neutrality?

Answer 13

loose alliance of non belligerent naval power, organized by Russia’s Catherine the Great, to protect neutral trading rights during the war for American independence.

Question 14

What was the Treaty of Fort Stanwix?

Answer 14

treaty signed by the US and the pro-British Iroquois granting Ohio country to the Americans.

Question 15

What were Privateers?

Answer 15

privately owned armed ships authorized by Congress to prey on enemy shipping during the Revolutionary War. More numerous than the tiny American navy, privateers inflicted heavy damage on British shippers.

Question 16

What was the Battle of Yorktown?

Answer 16

Washington, with the aid of the French army, besieged Cornwallis at Yorktown, while the french naval fleet prevented British reinforcements from coming ashore. Cornwallis surrendered, dealing a heavy blow to the British war effort and paving the way for eventual peace.

Question 17

What was the treaty of Paris?

Answer 17

peace treaty signed by Paris and the US ending the Revolutionary War. The British finally recognized American independence and ceded territory east of the Mississippi while the Americans, in turn, promised to restore Loyalist property and repay debts to British creditors.

Question 18

Who was Ethan Allen?

Answer 18

along with Benedict Arnold, he was in charge of a tiny American force that surprised and captured the British garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in May 1775.

Question 19

Who was Benedict Arnold?

Answer 19

alon with Ethan Allen, in charge of a tiny American force that captured British garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in May 1775. He also became a traitor to the Americans and went to the British.

Question 20

Who was Richard Montgomery?

Answer 20

one invading column under this Irish-born general, formerly of the British army, pushed up the Lake Champion route and captured Montreal. He was joined at Quebec by the bedraggled army of General Benedict Arnold. The general was killed by the assault on Quebec on the last day of 1775 and Arnold was wounded in one leg.

Question 21

Who was Thomas Paine?

Answer 21

wrote “Common Sense”, began his incendiary tract with a treatise on the nature of government and eloquently anticipated Thomas Jefferson’s declaration that only lawful states were those that derive “their powers from the consents of the governed”. He convinced the American colonists to fight for independence, and drafted the Declaration of Independence, and of American foreign policy as well.

Question 22

Who was Abigail Adams?

Answer 22

Wife of John Adams, chides her husband, raising her voice on behalf of women. She threatened to “foment” a rebellion.

Question 23

Who was Richard Henry Lee?

Answer 23

Fiery person of Virginia, on July 7, 1776, moved that “these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states”. His resolution was the formal “declaration” independence by the American colonies that was needed to cut British ties.

Question 24

Who was Lord Charles Cornwallis?

Answer 24

He surrendered his entire force of 7000 men on October 18, 1781 at Yorktown.

Question 25

Who was William Howe?

Answer 25

British army officer known for capturing Quebec in 1759.

Question 26

Who was John Burgoyne?

Answer 26

Forced to surrender his entire command at Saratoga, October 17, 1777.

Question 27

Who was Comte de Rochambeau?

Answer 27

Commanded powerful French army which arrived in Rhode Island, Newport, 1780.

Question 28

Who was Nathanael Greene?

Answer 28

Quaker-reared tactician who exhausted his foe, Cornwallis, in vain pursuit. He finally succeeded in clearing most of Georgia and South Carolina of British troops.

Question 29

Who was Joseph Brant?

Answer 29

Mohawk Chief who believed American expansion into the west, and urged other Indian tribes to join the British.

Question 30

Who was George Roger Clark?

Answer 30

1778-1779 he floated down the Ohio River with about 175 men and captured in quick succession the forts of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes. Admirers claimed that his success forced the British to cede the region north of the Ohio River to the US at the peace table in Paris.

Question 31

Who was Admiral de Grasse?

Answer 31

Operating with a powerful fleet in the West Indies, advised the Americans that he was free to join them in an assault on Cornwallis at Yorktown.