History 2010 Exam 2

Front 1

The Second Continental Congress

Back 1

1. Originally located in Philadelphia, but moved throughout the revolution

2. Raised the Continental Army

3. Appointed George Washington as General of the Armies.

4. Printed money for the war

5. Olive Branch Petition: Direct appeal to the king, English Bill of Rights made King and Parliament equal.

6. Eventually responsible for the Declaration of independence.

Front 2

Friedrich von Steuben

Back 2

1. Experienced Prussian Soldier of fortune.

2. Arrives at Valley Forge Feb. 1778.

3. Congress appoints him as Inspector General of the Continental Army.

4. Spoke no English.

5. Had a talent for motivating men.

6. Almost single-handedly reorganized Washington's army

- fixed camp's poor conditions

- instituted drill techniques

- taught proper, efficient ways of firing & reloading weapons.

7. responsible for keeping the army from falling apart.

Front 3

Articles of Confederation

Back 3

1. First government after the revolution, first written constitution of the US.

2. Reflected America's fear for centralized power and strong attachment to states.

3. New national government to be a perpetual union.

4. Explicitly reserved to each state, not the government, "it's sovereignty, freedom and independence."

5. Single chambered congress. Had power to declare war, conduct foreign affairs, make treaties.

6. Weakness was a lack of federal power. Could not pass laws, nor enforce them. No way to make amendments to the articles practically. No revenue for the gov't.

Front 4

Valley Forge

Back 4

1. Washington's Army encamped at Valley Forge during the Winter of 1777-78

2. Army suffers terribly due to frigid Winter.

3. Disease spread through camp.

4. Friedrich von Steuben arrives to help the Army reorganize.

5. Close to Philadelphia and Congress.

Front 5

Boston Massacre

Back 5

1. Both sides had significantly different interpretations of what happened.

2. Mob of 100-150 townspeople with sticks and clubs assemble outside customs house

3. Officer orders to open fire. Soldiers open fire.

-11 wounded

-5 mortally wounded

4. Afro-Indian Crispus Attox one of 5 killed.

- well respected

5. Paul Revere does engraving of the massacre

which showed the British as the 'bad' side.

6.

Front 6

Sugar Act (1764)

Back 6

1. Act which taxed sugar and molasses imported to the colonies.

2. The act was meant to raise revenue for the British Empire to pay off British war debt.

3. This tax targeted American merchants and ship captains.

4. Tax imposed confusing regulations.

5. Those who were caught smuggling were tried in British run courts rather than colonial courts.

6. The origins of 'taxation without representation.'

Front 7

Stamp Act (1765)

Back 7

1. Required colonists to use stamped paper for legal documents, the paper of course cost a fee.

2. First tax which targeted ALL American Colonists.

3. Once again an attempt to raise revenue to pay off British Debt.

4. Stamp Act congress called to New York in 1765. This congress called for legal methods of opposition.

- Boycotting of British goods & The Homespun movement

5. Other colonists, often the 'Sons of Liberty', employed extra legal methods of opposition.

- Intimidation of the stamp agents & royal officials through: tar & feather, hanging and burning of effigies, and destruction of property.

6. Stamp act is repealed in March of 1766.

Front 8

Townshend Acts (1767)

Back 8

1. External tax levied on importers of goods, but passed onto consumers in the retail price.

2. Imposed taxes on tea, glass, lead, paper, and paint.

3. Meant to reassert British imperial authority in the colonies.

4. Yet another attempt to raise revenue for British debt.

5. Established a fund which would pay for the salaries of royal colonial governors.

6. Colonists began to Boycott and riot.

7. John Dickinson writes 'Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania' ,

- "We are taxed without consent ... we are therefore slaves..."

8. All taxes eventually repealed except for tea.

Front 9

Committees of Correspondence

Back 9

1. Linked American colonies for the first time in continuous communication, exchanged information, radical messages, etc.

2. Effectively radicalized the American colonists.

3. Originally created by Samuel Adams and spread throughout the colonies.

4. Half of Massachusetts' 260 towns had active COC's

5. Every colony had an active Committee except Pennsylvania.

Front 10

Tea Act (1773)

Back 10

1. Created by Lord North to save the failing East India Company due to the tea boycott and smuggling.

2. Permitted East India Company to sell tea directly to consumers which lowered the price of tea below the price of smuggled tea.

3. Cheaper meant to seduce Americans into paying tax on tea.

4. Legitimized Parliament's absolute power to tax American colonists.

5. Raised revenue to pay salaries of British officials in the colonies.

6. Drives EIC competitors out of business which would lead the British to later raise the price of tea.

7.

Front 11

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Back 11

1. December 16, 1773, 100-150 Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded 3 British ships loaded with tea.

2. Smashed open and dumped 46 tons of tea into Boston Harbor

3. Destroyed £10,000 worth of tea. (over 2 million $ in today's dollars.)

4. Showed the British that the colonists will not be taxed without consent without reaction.

5. Event which led to the passing of the Intolerable Acts.

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Intolerable Acts (1774)

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1. Five laws meant to punish Massachusetts for destroying tea. These laws ultimately united the colonists.

2. Boston Port Bill closed the Boston port until all of the destroyed tea was paid for.

3. Massachusetts Government Act revoked the colony's charter and royal governor is appointed. (along with every other position)
- Town meetings restricted to 1 per year.

4. Administration of Justice Act - any royal officials or soldiers tried with a capital crime were tried in British courts. (received minimal punishment at most)

5. Quartering act allowed British troops to lodge in colonist homes. (less privacy etc.)

6. Quebec act granted religious toleration for Catholics in Canada.

Front 13

First Continental Congress (1774)

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1. Began in Philadelphia and met from September to October of 1774.

2. Delegates from all colonies attended with the exception of Georgia.

3. The congress was led by radical delegates.

4. Endorsed the Suffolk resolutions which urged colonists to resist, boycott, store weapons, form local militia, etc.

5. Last time the colonies would meet together

in congress before the Revolutionary war.

6. Authorized local committees of safety.

Front 14

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation (1775)

Back 14

1. Created by Virginia's Royal Governor Lord Dunmore.

2. Proclamation stated that any slaves and indentured servants of colonists that are willing to escape were promised freedom if they serve the British Empire in the war.

3. This proclamation sealed the South's support for American independence.

4. 80,000 to 100,000 slaves escaped over the course of the revolution.

5. Ultimately failed: Slaves eventually fell victim to disease and colonial attacks.

6. Early sign of the fading popularity of slavery in among the British.

Front 15

Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" (1776)

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1. Political pamphlet written by Thomas Paine

in 1775-76 that challenged the authority of the British Monarchy and Monarchy in general.

2. The goal of "Common Sense" was to convince all colonists that independence was both "necessary and obtainable."

3. Paine used simple, easy to understand language in order to convince ALL colonists, not just the wealthy and intellectual.

4. Through this, Paine pioneered a new style of political writing.

5. Royalties that came from "Common Sense" went to funding the Continental Army.

6. Sold over 350,000 copies in 3 months.

7. Ultimately responsible for convincing the colonists to declare independence.

Front 16

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Back 16

1. America's formal declaration of independence from Great Britain.

2. Drafted by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, mostly written by Thomas Jefferson.

3. The declaration was adopted on July 2nd by all but one colony: New York, which abstained.

4. Jefferson's preamble articulated:

- Equality: "All men are created equal"

- Natural Rights: "Life, liberty, happiness."

- Consent of governed

- Right of Revolution.

5. 27 grievances against King George III .

6. Delegates signed August 2nd, 1776.

Front 17

Battle of Trenton & Princeton (1776-1777)

Back 17

1. The Battle of Trenton took place December 26th, After George Washington and his army crossed the icy Delaware river Christmas day.

2. Three direction attack. Three sets of US forces surrounded the Hessians in Trenton.

3. Hessian commander Johann Rall dies early in the battle which caused the Hessian forces to go in disarray. This lead to a quick Hessian surrender.

4. Washington's army heads to Princeton and the battle begins.

5. British forces in Princeton fall to Washington's army January 3rd. Patriots lose 40 casualties.

6. These victories were important morale boosts for the Continental forces.

Front 18

Battle of Saratoga (October 1777)

Back 18

1. Fort Ticonderoga occupied by British General John Burgoyne and his 8,000 men.

2. American General Horatio Gates takes his army of 17,000 to Fort Ticonderoga for battle.

3. John Burgoyne surrenders realizing that he is outnumbered 2 to 1.

4. Gates takes Fort Ticonderoga without a fight.

Front 19

Yorktown (1783)

Back 19

1. Battle takes place in Yorktown, Virginia, October 1781.

2. The American & French forces under the command of Washington and Rochambeau fought the British forces under the Command of General Cornwallis.

3. Continental Army surrounded British forces in Yorktown, outnumbering them bolstered with French forces.

4. General Cornwallis surrenders to the Continental Army which effectively ends the American Revolutionary War. Considered the final battle.

Front 20

Treaty of Paris (1783)

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1. A set of treaties that ended the Revolutionary war.

2. Peace commissioners were sent to France

- John Adams

- Ben Franklin

- John Jay

3. Peace talks run from April 1782 to September 1783.

4. British recognize American independence & Americans agree not to persecute real British citizens (Toris).

5. Peace commissioners violate instructions and do not follow French advice.

Front 21

The Newburgh Conspiracy (1783)

Back 21

1. Plan created by Continental army officers to stage a coup on the Congress.

2. Plan created due to frustration from lack of payment for their service during wartime.

3. Congress had no power to tax, which meant no revenue to pay soldiers.

4. The conspiracy was defused by George Washington after he gave a ' tearful' speech to his men.

5. Washington's speech considered to be an act to persuade his men.

Front 22

The Northwest Ordinance (1784-1787)

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1. Overall plan to ultimately expand west.

2. Established stages of self-gov't for the west.

3. Defined the first organized territory of the US.

4. Included future states Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

5. Regulated land sales in the west.

Front 23

Shays' Rebellion (1786-87)

Back 23

1. Massachusetts farmers angered. Captain Daniel Shays led rebel farmers in the Fall of 1786

2. Massachusetts passes law to raise taxes in order to pay debt, the only state to do so.

3. Farmers angered. 6 county courthouses shut down to stop farm seizures.

4. Governor of Mass. James Bowdoin raised a private army of 3000 men to put down Shays' Rebellion. Bloodshed.

5. This event was an example of the government's inability to resolve civil disorder.

Front 24

U.S. Constitution (1787)

Back 24

1.