UNIT 2: Revolution and Early National Period

Question 1

Salutary Neglect

Answer 1

British policy if not strictly enforcing parliamentary laws in the colonies in the 18th century

Question 2

Britain faces large debt after the seven years war

Answer 2

Government was desperate to raise money;
thus, it increased taxes in Britain and America;

Britain interferred more in American affairs

Question 3

British King

Answer 3

George III pursued a more active role in the American government but had limited ability;

Parliament lacked adequate information on the colonies (when passing legislature);

America balmed Parliament for imposing regulations and taxation (blamed the King as well)

Question 4

American thought on King George III

Answer 4

a monarch that did not have the greatest abilities;

questionable; lacked basic understanding of human nature;

there was debate over parliamentary sovereignty

Question 5

Colonial Assemblies

Answer 5

had a powerful role in American government;
seemed equal to Parliament

Question 6

Virtual Representation

Answer 6

British officials insisted on;

implies that every member of the Parliament represents the entire empire

Question 7

American stance on virtual representation

Answer 7

No taxation without representation

Question 8

Who shaped colonial political thought?

Answer 8

John Locke and Commonwealthmen

Question 9

Commonwealthmen

Answer 9

British political writes of the late 17th and 18th centuries

Question 10

The Proclamation Line of 1763

Answer 10

British Parliament stated that colonization west of the line is banned;

an irritation;
Americans mostly ignored it

Question 11

Why did the British Parliament put up the Proclamation Line in 1763?

Answer 11

After the seven years war, the government did not want to spend money on military expenditures

Question 12

Imperial Legislation

Answer 12

The Proclamation Line of 1763;
Sugar Act, 1764;
Stamp Act, 1765;
Declaratory Act, 1766;
Townshed Revenue Acts, 1767

Question 13

Sugar Act

Answer 13

put into action in 1764;
first new tax after the seven years war;
an attempt of the British government to raise money in the colonies;

reduced existing tax on molasses but created strict enforcement

Question 14

American stance on the Sugar Act of 1764

Answer 14

Colonial assemblies protested;
sent notes to London

Question 15

Stamp Act

Answer 15

put into action in 1765;
internal tax in America;
after 9 months, the act was repealed;
tax on commercial paper, newspapers;

repealed by Parliament in 1766

Question 16

Stamp Act Congress

Answer 16

9 colonies showed up in New York

Question 17

Sons of Liberty

Answer 17

a group of men that lead riots and boycotts;

forced tax collectors to resign

Question 18

Declaratory Act

Answer 18

put into action in 1766;

asserted authority of Britain to tax America

Question 19

Townshed Revenue Acts

Answer 19

put into action in 1767;
new taxes on glass, lead, paper, paints, and tea;

customs commission enforced the law more strictly;

Britain promoted as commercial regulations

Question 20

Townshed Revenue Acts

Answer 20

imposed in 1767;

boycotts continued;
Daughters of Liberty formed

Question 21

Daughters of Liberty

Answer 21

women who joined Sons of Liberty in boycotting British taxation in the America;

spinned, weaved, and made their own clothes rather than buying from Britain (the imported products)

Question 22

Boston Massacre

Answer 22

occurred in 1770;
British troops have been in Boston since 1768 (caused tension);

a mob began harrassing British soldiers -> 5 Americans died, 8 or 10 were wounded;

Britain pulled back and removed their troops from Boston;

most of the Townshed Revenue Acts were repealed except for one (the tax for tea)

Question 23

Tea Act

Answer 23

imposed in 1773;
British government aid for East India Co.;

allowed India to ship their tea directly to America;

Americans rejected tea tax on principle;
the first tea ships that came to the colonies were turned away in Philadelphia and in New York

Question 24

Boston Tea Party

Answer 24

occurred on December 16th, 1773;

300 chests of tea thrown overboard;

ships were allowed to come to Boston and anchor;
they couldn’t find anyone to unload them;

Volunteer group of American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians went onboard and threw them away;

10,000 lbs of tea ($4-5 billion worth today);

people gathered in harbour and cheered the American patriots on

Question 25

Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts

Answer 25

passed in 1774; punishment for Boston; united Americans; other colonies were reluctant to support the Tea Party; shut down the port of Boston (for any type of business)

Question 26

Suffolk Resolves

Answer 26

drafted by American leaders; American statement, saying, "We will resist! We will not obey Intolerable Acts! We will withold our taxes. If necessary, we will prepare for war."

Question 27

First Continental Congress

Answer 27

met in Philadelphia in the fall in 1774; endorsed Suffolk Resolves and passed Continental Association; passed a documents, The Declaration of Rights and Grievences; American colonies were in state of rebellion

Question 28

Continental Association

Answer 28

withold all commerce with Britain

Question 29

Lexington and Concord

Answer 29

Massachusetts; occurred in 1775 in spring; first skirmishes of the beginning war; first shots of the Revolutionary War; the British commander, General Gage, led a few hundred of British men to Concord; on the way, there was an engagement with Lexington militia; militia was prepared better; British troops moved on to Concord (retreated to Boston)

Question 30

General Gage

Answer 30

British leader that commanded a few thousand troops in Boston; received information that American leaders were building arms and supplies

Question 31

Second Continental Congress

Answer 31

took place in 1775 (spring); voted to create Continental Army and chose Geroge Washington as their commander; Thomas Jefferson wrote the petition

Question 32

Olive Branch Petition

Answer 32

American appeal to the King; "We will respect you. We want to talk and find a peaceful solution

Question 33

Prohibitory Act

Answer 33

passed in 1775; last out of series of acts passed by Parliament; Britain decided to crush the rebellion; announced a naval blockade of the American ports; used navy to cut access to ports; attacked American ships; encouraged slaves in the South to run away (promised freedom)

Question 34

Common Sense

Answer 34

published by Thomas Paine in January 1776; argument for independence and democracy

Question 35

Thomas Paine

Answer 35

convinced the Americans that it was time for independece; arrived in America a couple of years earlier

Question 36

Thomas Jefferson

Answer 36

wrote Declaration and voted for U.S. Independence with the help of five delegates

Question 37

Ben Franklin

Answer 37

was elected to draft the Declaration; he and John Adams made some revisions

Question 38

Independence

Answer 38

declared on July 4th

Question 39

General Howe

Answer 39

British; attacked New York and had easy victories in 1776; they were first battles of the War for Independence; had more than 40,000 soldiers; Washington barely had 20,000; George Washington was forced to retreat (kept his army together) from New York back into New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Question 40

First battles of the War for Independence

Answer 40

took place in New York (Staten Island); The Battle of White Plains

Question 41

Washington's first victories of the War for Indepence

Answer 41

at Trenton, Princetown; were boost to American morale

Question 42

General Burgoyne

Answer 42

a British young officer; had a force of 10,000 men; brought down second army from Canada to reinforce army under General Howe; wanted to take control of the Hudson Valley

Question 43

Battle of Saratoga

Answer 43

a turning point in 1777; American victory (attacked outposts (military camps); General Howe and the major British force were sitting in New York; eventually moved to New Jersey; took Philadelphia and forced the Continental army to retreat; planned to go off to New England; (British troops were west of New England); British navy cut access to ocean; General Burgoyne's army was small and immobile; American army forced Burgoyne to surrender after two battles in upstate New York; the battle taxed the entire British army out of commission; Burgoyne ended up surrendering his entire army of about 7,000-8,000 at that point

Question 44

Ben Franklin

Answer 44

American minister that has been sent to France as embassy to conduct diplomacy

Question 45

Treaty of Amity and Commerce

Answer 45

passed in 1778; Ben Franklin secured; guaranteed more supplies

Question 46

Treaty of Alliance

Answer 46

passed in 1778; full blown alliance; France enetered war and colonial rebellion became a worldwide conflict

Question 47

Britain's southern strategy

Answer 47

under General Cornwallis; gained some successes 1780-1781

Question 48

British surrended in 1781

Answer 48

in Yorktown; tried to reinforce troops afterward; the French navy came from the west and chased away British fleet that came down to reinforce Cornwallis; the French controlled the oceans off of Virginia; George Washington and the French troops blocked Cornwallis' escape route on land, so he was boxed in; Cornwallis surrended in Yorktown

Question 49

Treaty of Paris

Answer 49

final settlement in 1783; American negotiators, Ben Franlin, John James, and John Adams, joined together in Paris and secured a diplomatic triumph: Britain recognized American Independence and recognized Mississippi as western border

Question 50

George Washington

Answer 50

fought 9 battles, only won 3; held army together and preserved; won the war

Question 51

Spain

Answer 51

joined the war on American side

Question 52

Plight of the Loyalists

Answer 52

approximately 20-25% of free Americans were loyal to Britain; loyalists faced threats, assault, and loss of property; 100,000 loyalists left or were banished from the united States; hostility towards loyalists ended after the Treaty of Paris; about 15,000-20,000 African-American slaves that worked for the British (fought and supported) were able to leave; some went to Nova Scotia; scattered across the empire from the Carribean