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36 Cards in this Set
- Front
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Deism |
-the religion of the enlightenment (1700s) -followers believed that god existed and had created the world, but afterwards left it to run natually denied that god communicated or influenced man |
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Poor Richard's Almanac, published 1732 |
-written by Benjamin Franklin -it was filled witty, insightful, and funny bits of observation and common sense advice -was the most popular almanac in the colonies |
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Magna Carta |
-an english document drawn by the nobles under king john which limited power of the king -has influenced later constitutional documents in britain and america |
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Virtual Representation |
a representative is not elected by his constituents, but he resembles them in his political belifs and goals |
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Direct Representation |
a representative is elected by his constituents |
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Town Meetings |
-a purely democratic form of government common in the colonies and the most prevalent form of local government in new england -the town's voting population would meet once a year make decisions |
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John Locke (1632-1704) |
-an English political philosopher whose ideas inspired the American revolution -wrote that all human beings have the right to life, liberty, and property, and that the government exists to protect those rights -believed that government was based upon a "social contract" that exists between a government and its people -if the government failed to uphold its end of the contract, the people had a right to rebel and institute a new government |
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John Locke's Second Treatise of Government |
-he wrote that all human beings have a right to life, liberty, and property and that governments exist to protect those rights -he rejected the theory of the Divine Right of the monarchy, and believed that government was based upon a "social contract" that existed between a government and its people -if the government failed to uphold its end of the contract by protecting those rights, the people could rebel and institute a new government |
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Democracy or Republic? |
-the Founding Fathers were not sure that democracy was the right form of government for America -they feared anarchy and the rise of factions whose policies would not represent the true will of the people -the government which they designed contains many aspects of a republic; an indirect democracy in which the people do not vote directly on the laws, but instead elect representatives who vote for them |
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Sugar Act (1764) |
-part of Prime Minister Grenville's revenue program -the act replaced the Molasses Act of 1733, and actually lowered the tax on sugar and molasses (which the New England colonies imported to make rum as part of the triangular trade) from 6 cents to 3 cents a barrel -for the first time adopted provisions that would insure that the tax was strictly enforced; created the vice-admiralty courts; and made it illegal for the colonies to buy goods from non-British Caribbean colonies |
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Stamp Act (1765) |
-British legislation passed as part of Prime Minister Grenville's revenue measures -required that all legal or official documents used in the colonies, such as wills, deeds and contracts, had to be written on special, stamped British paper -it was so unpopular in the colonies that it caused riots, and most of the stamped paper sent to the colonies from Britain was burned by angry mobs -because of this opposition, and the decline in British imports caused by the non- importation movement, London merchants convinced Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act in 1766 |
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Sons of Liberty |
-a radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act -they incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept -after the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies -the Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. |
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Declaratory Act (1766) |
-passed at the same time that the Stamp Act was repealed -the act declared that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies both internally and externally -had absolute power over the colonial legislatures |
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Quartering Act (1765) |
required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies |
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Townshend Acts (1767) |
-another series of revenue measures -passed by Townshend as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1767 -they taxed quasi-luxury items imported into the colonies, including paper, lead, tea, and paint -the colonial reaction was outrage and they instutited another movement to stop importing British goods |
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John Dickinson |
-drafted a declaration of colonial rights and grievances -wrote the series of "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania" in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts -drafted a declaration of colonial rights and grievances-wrote the series of "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania" in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts-an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies-opposed the Revolution-as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, he refused to sign the Declaration of Independence -an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies -opposed the Revolution -as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, he refused to sign the Declaration of Independence |
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Sam Adams (1722-1803) |
-a Massachusetts politician who was a radical fighter for colonial independence -helped organize the Sons of Liberty and the Non-Importation Commission, which protested the Townshend Acts, and is believed to have lead the Boston Tea Party -he served in the Continental Congress throughout the Revolution, and served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1794-1797 |
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Boston Massacre (1770) |
-the colonials hated the British soldiers in the colonies because they worked for very low wages and took jobs away from colonists -on March 4, 1770, a group of colonials started throwing rocks and snowballs at some British soldiers -the soldiers panicked and fired their muskets, killing a few colonials -this outraged the colonies and increased anti-British sentiment |
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Gaspée Incident |
-in June, 1772, the British customs ship Gaspée ran around off the colonial coast -when the British went ashore for help, colonials boarded the ship and burned it -they were sent to Britain for trial colonial outrage led to the widespread formation of Committees of Correspondence |
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Committees of Correspondence |
-these started as groups of private citizens in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York who, in 1763, began circulating information about opposition to British trade measures -the first government-organized committee appeared in Massachusetts in 1764 -other colonies created their own committtees in order to exchange information and organize protests to British trade regulations -the Committees became particularly active following the Gaspee Incident |
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Tea Act (1773) |
-gave the East India Company a monopoly on the trade in tea -made it illegal for the colonies to buy non-British tea -forced the colonies to pay the tea tax of 3 cents/pound |
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Boston Tea Party (1773) |
-British ships carrying tea sailed into Boston Harbor and refused to leave until the colonials took their tea -Boston was boycotting the tea in protest of the Tea Act and would not let the ships bring the tea ashore -on the night of December 16, 1773, colonials disguised as Indians boarded the ships and threw the tea overboard -they did so because they were afraid that Governor Hutchinson would secretly unload the tea because he owned a share in the cargo |
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Coercive Acts/ Intolerable Acts/ Repressive Acts |
-all of these names refer to the same acts, passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party included:- -Boston Port Act, which shut down Boston Harbor -Massachusetts Government Act, which disbanded the Boston Assembly (but it soon reinstated itself) -all of these names refer to the same acts, passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Partyincluded:-Boston Port Act, which shut down Boston Harbor-Massachusetts Government Act, which disbanded the Boston Assembly (but it soon reinstated itself)-Quartering Act, which required the colony to provide provisions for British soldiers-Administration of Justice Act, which removed the power of colonial courts to arrest royal officers. -Quartering Act, which required the colony to provide provisions for British soldiers -Administration of Justice Act, which removed the power of colonial courts to arrest royal officers. |
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Stamp Act Congress (1765) |
-27 delegates from 9 colonies met from Oct 7-24, 1765 -drew up a list of declarations and petitions against the new taxes imposed on the colonists |
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Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) |
Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1774General Gage, stationed in Boston, was ordered by King George III to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The British marched on Lexington, where they believed the colonials had a cache of weapons. The colonial militias, warned beforehand by Paul Revere and William Dawes, attempeted to block the progress of the troops and were fired on by the British at Lexington. The British continued to Concord, where they believed Adams and Hancock were hiding, and they were again attacked by the colonial militia. As the British retreated to Boston, the colonials continued to shoot at them from behind cover on the sides of the road. This was the start of the Revolutionary War. |
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Battle of Bunker Hill aka Breed's Hill (June 17th, 1775) |
Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill)At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the British troops were based in Boston. The British army had begun to fortify the Dorchester Heights near Boston, and so the Continental Army fortified Breed’s Hill, north of Boston, to counter the British plan. British general Gage led two unsuccessful attempts to take this hill, before he finally seized it with the third assault. The British suffered heavy losses and lost any hope for a quick victory against the colonies. Although the battle centered around Breed’s Hill, it was mistakenly named for nearby Bunker Hill. |
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Olive Branch Petition |
Olive Branch PetitionOn July 8, 1775, the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies. |
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Thomas Paine: Common Sense |
Thomas Paine: Common SenseA British citizen, he wrote Common Sense, published on January 1, 1776, to encourage the colonies to seek independence. It spoke out against the unfair treatment of the colonies by the British government and was instrumental in turning public opinion in favor of the Revolution. |
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King George lll |
Became King of England in 1760, and reigned during the American Revolution. |
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Thomas Jefferson |
He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States. |
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Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston |
These men, along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, made up the committee which drafted the Declaration of Independence. |
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The Declaration of Independence |
The Declaration of Independence was signed by the Second Continental Congress on July 4. It dissolved the colonies’ ties with Britain, listed grievances against King George III, and declared the colonies to be an independent nation. |
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Abigail Adams |
Wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America’s women in the new government he was helping to create. |
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Marquis de Lafayette |
Marquis de Lafayette was a French major general who aided the colonies during the Revolutionary War. He and Baron von Steuben (a Prussian general) were the two major foreign military experts who helped train the colonial armies. |
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Benedict Arnold |
He had been a Colonel in the Connecticut militia at the outbreak of the Revolution and soon became a General in the Continental Army. He won key victories for the colonies in the battles in upstate New York in 1777, and was instrumental in General Gates victory over the British at Saratoga. After becoming Commander of Philadelphia in 1778, he went heavily into debt, and in 1780, he was caught plotting to surrender the key Hudson River fortress of West Point to the British in exchange for a commission in the royal army. He is the most famous traitor in American history. |
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The Battle of Saratoga (1777) |
British General John Burgoyne attacked southward from Canada along the Hudson Valley in New York, hoping to link up with General Howe in New York City, thereby cutting the colonies in half. Burgoyne was defeated by American General Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777, at the Battle of Saratoga, surrendering the entire British Army of the North. |
