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26 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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French and Indian War
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A series of armed conflicts between the French and the British, both aided by their Indian allies, from 1756 to 1763. The French possessed the Ohio River Valley, and the war was over control of this region. The British won the war and gained territory with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The significance of the war included the vast territory gained by the British: they got all territory east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans, and Spain gave up Florida for Louisiana. The colonists wanted these areas for new, increased settlements, which led to serious debates with the Crown and eventually contributed to the Revolution.
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Albany Plan of Union
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In June 1754, delegates from most of the colonies and representatives from the Six Iroquois nations met in Albany, New York, to discuss plans of action for colonial security, as war with France was on the horizon. Benjamin Franklin developed a plan of union for the colonies, which included delegates from each colonial legislature to be elected into a colonial assembly to deal with many issues such as finance, military and Indian conflicts. Although this assembly was never established, it created a precedent for colonial unity and organization in the 1760s.
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Treaty of Paris, 1763
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End the French and Indian War. The French lost all their territory in North America (east of the Mississippi River, and in Canada). Spain gave up Florida to the British, but gained the Louisiana Territory.
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Pontiac's Rebellion
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An Indian uprising led by Chief Pontiac against the British after the French defeat in the French and Indian War, 1763. The Indians felt that British expansionism would hinder their survival. This rebellion was significant because it caused the British to create a Proclamation forbidding colonial settlers to go into the Indian territory west of the Appalachian Mountains, fostering discord between the colonists and the Crown.
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Proclamation of 1763
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A British royal decree that established the Indian land west of the Appalachian Mountains gained in the French and Indian War off limits to colonial settlers. Persons who had already settled there were ordered to leave; most colonists objected and ignored the proclamation. Significant because it became a spark that would unite colonists in their dispute with Parliamentary decisions.
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Internal Tax
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Taxes, used to support the government, on items such as spirits, carriages, sugar, auctioned property, legal documents and slaves. These taxes were significant because when Parliament passed the first one in 1765, entitled the Stamp Act, it caused a revolt and led to events like the Boston Tea Party and eventually the American Revolution. It was viewed as a violation of colonial rights as English citizens--"no taxation without representation."
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External Tax
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Taxes on imports used to regulate trade for the benefit of the whole empire. Although the duty was not heavy, the colonists still denounced it on the basis of "no taxation without representation." The tax was met with resentment from the colonists and led to disputes such as the Boston Massacre and the Gaspee Incident, and also furthered the colonists desire to be free from Britain.
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Suffolk Resolves
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In September 1774, representatives from Suffolk County met to discuss the Coercive Acts. They claimed them unconstitutional and void, and decided to take action against the King. These resolves were significant because they showed strong resistance against Britain ad its oppressive policies, and began the steps toward revolt and freedom.
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Olive Branch Petition
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A petition, drafted by the Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, after the clashes at Lexington and Concord, that outlined their issues with British rule. King George III refused it on the belief that he could militarily end any rebellion quickly. The petition was significant because it was the last attempt at a peaceful resolution to the American Revolution by the colonists. When it failed, revolution was inevitable.
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Declaratory Act
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A declaration from Parliament that came after the repeal of the Stamp Act. It stated that Parliament had the right to tax as it pleased. Significant because it was a forceful assertion of Britain's power to regulate its colonies, and added to the colonial unrest and eventually the American Revolution.
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Virtual Representation
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Representation by affiliates or close relations to a party, preferably someone with the same interests as the party. The British Parliament used this ideology as their justification for the appropriateness of colonial taxation. Colonists continued to press for reasons why they lacked direct elected representatives in Parliament.
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Virginia Resolves
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Adopted by the Virginia House of Burgesses, 30 May 1765, in response to the Stamp Act. Said that Virginia was an independent area and was only susceptible to taxation by its own colonial assembly. Significant because they wet off widespread resentment of the Stamp Act, including boycotts and protests, which eventually forced its repeal.
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Stamp Act Congress
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An inter-colonial meeting to plan resistance to the Stamp Act, 7 October 1765. Nine colonies were in attendance and a Declaration of Rights and Grievances was approved, expressing the idea that the colonies should be taxed by their own assemblies. Significant because it led to the eventual repeal of the Stamp Act, and was a step toward greater colonial unity.
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Committees of Correspondence
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Formed by colonial assemblies to dispatch their views, via letters, on current events to other colonies, 1773 to 1774. Significant because they led to the planning of the First Continental Congress, and eventually would be used to spread propaganda in the hopes of gaining popular support for the war.
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Treaty of Paris, 1783
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Signed in Paris on 3 September 1783, ratified by Congress on 12 May 1784, proclaimed the cessation of the American Revolution. American independence was formally recognized and the United States' border was extended to the Mississippi River.
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Boston Massacre
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An attack of British soldiers on colonists, 5 March 1770. After the French and Indian War, Britain sought greater control over its North American colonies and sent troops to Boston. When pelted with rocks and ice shards, redcoats fired into a crowd of townspeople, killing several. After the "Boston Massacre," there was a surge of anti-British sentiment across the colonies.
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Gaspee Incident
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An attack on a British revenue boat, the Gaspee, by Rhode Island colonists, 9 June 1772. The crew was brought ashore and the boat set afire. The royal commission created to investigate the incident was unable to find sufficient evidence to try the culprits, so no trial took place. Actions by both sides involved in the incident fed increasing tensions between the colonists and the King.
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Articles of Confederation
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Ratified by all states on 1 March 1781, the United States' first constitution; stayed in effect until 4 March 1788. the first formal government which attempted to define the relation of the whole and the parts of the federal system. the central government, a unicameral legislature, was weak under the Articles, and states held all the power. Unsuccessful because the federal government was too weak; the greatest achievements under the Articles were the Northwest Ordinance and the Land Ordinance.
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Navigation Acts
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English laws in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that required the use of English or colonial ships to transport English goods. They were intended to encourage English shipbuilding and limit competition from the French. The acts restricted trade by the American colonies and, as a result, the colonists began to dislike taxes on goods such as sugar, tobacco and molasses.
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Common Sense
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A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in January 1776. Emphasized the ideals of America's independence, criticizing the British monarchy. Encouraged politicians and ordinary citizens to embrace independence by highlighting the violations of colonial rights by the British government.
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Non-Importation Agreements
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Boycotts of British goods, used as a form of resistance against British taxes, 1778. The mercantilist system suffered, as Britain was not trading with its colonies, and the economy suffered.
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Boston Tea Party
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After a tax meant to rescue the British East India Company was levied, colonists led a rebellion against Britain, angry at the taxes Britain was imposing on them. Colonists threw thousands of pounds of tea into Boston Harbor, losing the East India Company a lot of profits. Led to the Boston Port Act.
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Sons of Liberty
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A group of colonists, led by Samuel Adams, organized to fight "taxation without representation." Successful in getting the Stamp Act repealed, and were involved in the Boston Tea Party. Instrumental in creating and carrying out colonial resistance to British policies.
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Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
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The British response to the Boston Tea Party, 1774. Enacted to prevent disorder in Massachusetts; included the Boston Port Act, the Quartering Act and the Quebec Act. Colonial reaction to these measures led to the formation of the First Continental Congress.
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First Continental Congress
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Held in Philadelphia in 1774, a group called by the colonies to protest certain measures of Parliament, like the Intolerable Acts. Colonists agreed to stop all trade with Britain until the Intolerable Acts were repealed. Represented a uniting of the colonies under a common cause.
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Second Continental Congress
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Called after Lexington and Concord, 1775. Congress established the Continental Army, headed by George Washington. They produced the Olive Branch Petition and the Declaration of Independence. Acted as a government during the early years of the war, prior to the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781.
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