The Road To Independance Flashcards
What was the purpose of the Sugar Act of 1764?
To cut the tariff on foreign made molasses and add regulations on shipping to better control colonial trade
Colonial merchants found the act more reasonable than the risks of smuggling.
What did the Stamp Act of 1765 tax?
Paper, certain legal documents, and playing cards
This was a direct tax on the colonists.
What does the slogan ‘No Taxation without Representation’ signify?
The belief that the British Parliament had no right to pass certain laws because it did not represent the American colonists.
What was declared by the Declaratory Act?
That the British Parliament had the power and authority to rule over the colonies in all cases.
Who spoke out against the Stamp Act?
James Otis, Sam Adams, and Patrick Henry.
Fill in the blank: The only taxes Parliament could levy on the colonists were _______.
tariffs to regulate and manage trade.
Why could colonists not vote in parliamentary elections?
Colonists had no voice, so Parliament had no reason to listen to their concerns.
What actions did the Sons of Liberty take against British officials?
They harassed and threatened British officials as well as colonists who supported the Stamp Act.
What was the preferred method of opposition for most colonial leaders?
More peaceful means of opposition.
Who testified against the Stamp Act before Parliament?
Benjamin Franklin.
What was the outcome of Benjamin Franklin’s testimony?
The defects in the law became more obvious, leading to the repeal of the tax.
What did the Townshend Duties impose on goods?
Tariffs on goods made in England and shipped to the colonies.
Who wrote ‘Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania’?
John Dickinson.
What did John Dickinson argue in his letters?
Parliament could regulate colonial trade with foreign countries.
How were the new tariffs viewed by the colonists?
As a sneaky way for Parliament to tax the colonists.
What action did colonial leaders take in response to the new tariffs?
Called for a boycott of the taxed goods.
What did Parliament do in response to the boycott?
Sent two regiments of soldiers to Boston to keep order.
What sparked the Boston Massacre?
A crowd began taunting soldiers and throwing snowballs, ice, and sticks.
Who was killed during the Boston Massacre?
Crispus Attucks.
What action did Parliament take following the Boston Massacre?
Ended the Townshend Duties to persuade colonists to stop their boycott.
What was the Tea Act?
An act of the British parliament that granted a monopoly to the East India Company on sales of tea to the American colonies
The Tea Act was aimed at reducing the surplus of tea held by the East India Company.
What were the Committees of Correspondence?
Committees formed in response to the Tea Act that allowed colonies to share information via letters and coordinate their opposition to Parliament
These committees played a crucial role in uniting the colonies against British policies.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
A protest where Bostonians, some dressed as Indians, dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act
This act of defiance occurred on December 16, 1773.
What is a blockade?
The use of naval forces to stop shipping
Blockades were often used during conflicts to restrict supplies.
What were the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts?
Laws passed by British Parliament that punished the Massachusetts colony for the destruction of tea and required colonists to provide pay, housing, and food for British troops
These acts included the closing of Boston’s port and the suspension of Massachusetts’ government.
What was the First Continental Congress?
A meeting of American delegates in Philadelphia in 1774 to decide on economic measures regarding Parliament’s actions against Massachusetts
This congress marked a significant step towards colonial unity.
What was the main provision of the Tea Act regarding the East India Company?
The East India Company would be the only legal supplier of tea to the colonies
This provision aimed to undercut smuggling and increase tea sales.
What was the purpose of the Boston Tea Party?
To prevent the tea from being unloaded, sold, or consumed by dumping chests of tea overboard
This protest was a direct response to the Tea Act.
What were the consequences of the Intolerable Acts for Boston?
Closed Boston’s port and suspended the elected, representative government of Massachusetts
These measures were intended to punish the colonists but instead fueled resistance.
What did the Intolerable Acts include regarding British troops?
The Quartering Act, which required colonists to provide and pay for adequate housing and food for British troops
This act was particularly unpopular among colonists.
What was the colonists’ belief regarding the Coercive or Intolerable Acts?
They believed that these acts went too far and violated their constitutional rights
This belief galvanized colonial opposition to British rule.
Which colonial leaders attended the First Continental Congress?
Patrick Henry, John Dickinson, and Sam Adams
These leaders were instrumental in rallying support against British policies.
What action did the First Continental Congress take regarding British goods?
Voted to boycott nearly all British goods for as long as the Intolerable Acts were in effect
This boycott was a form of economic protest.
What would happen if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed by September 1775?
Colonies would stop selling goods to Britain
This was a significant threat to British economic interests.
Did the Intolerable Acts bring the colonies closer together or intimidate them?
Brought the colonies closer together instead of intimidating them to behave better
This unity laid the groundwork for further resistance and eventual revolution.
What did Parliament pass a ban on?
The shipment of gunpowder and arms (muskets) to the colonies.
Who famously declared ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’?
Patrick Henry.
What did Patrick Henry’s declaration imply about the situation with Britain?
War with Britain could not be avoided.
A line drawn along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains, west of which colonists were forbidden to settle
Proclamation line of 1763
A protest group in Massachusetts that harassed and threatened British officials and colonists who supported the Stamp Act.
Sons of liberty
The process of joining with others in refusing to deal with a country, person, or organization as a way of protesting or forcing changes.
Boycott
Tariffs placed in 1767 on goods made in England and shipped to the colonies.
Townshend duties
A skirmish in 1770 between a British sentry and troops and a crowd of Bostonians resulting in five deaths and six injuries
Boston massicure
