Early Colonial Foundations
This 1607 settlement was the first permanent English colony in North America
Jamestown
This 1620 agreement signed aboard a ship formed a "civil body politic" among Pilgrims.
Mayflower Compact
Colonists protested this 1765 British tax on paper goods.
Stamp Act
Colonists used this phrase to summarize their objection to being taxed by Parliament without a say in government.
“No taxation without representation”
He was the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
George Washington
Name the 1620 settlement where Pilgrims created an early self-government agreement.
Plymouth
This 1776 document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, announced independence from Britain.
Declaration of Independence
This 1770 event, where British soldiers fired into a crowd, increased tensions between colonists and Britain.
Boston Massacre
After the French and Indian War, Britain limited colonial expansion west of the Appalachians with this proclamation year.
Proclamation of 1763
This difficult winter (1777–1778) tested the Continental Army but helped them become more disciplined.
Valley Forge
This Connecticut document is considered by many historians to be the first written colonial constitution
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Name the first national government document that was later replaced by the U.S. Constitution.
Articles of Confederation
Name the December 1773 protest in which colonists threw shipped goods into Boston Harbor.
Boston Tea Party
These punitive laws passed in response to unrest in Massachusetts were known by this collective name.
Intolerable Acts (or Coercive Acts)
This 1777 American victory convinced France to enter the war as an American ally.
Battle of Saratoga
This colonial body in Virginia was an early example of representative government and influenced later colonial governance.
Virginia House of Burgesses
The Constitution’s Preamble lists several purposes for creating the government. Name two of them.
“Establish justice” and “provide for the common defense” (also: “form a more perfect union,” “insure domestic tranquility,” “promote the general welfare,” “secure the blessings of liberty”)
Colonial delegates met in this body to coordinate resistance to Britain after the Intolerable Acts.
First Continental Congress
Give one economic reason and one political reason why colonists opposed British policies after the French and Indian War.
Economic: Taxes like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts burdened colonists; Political: Colonists had no representation in Parliament.
The surrender at this 1781 event effectively ended major fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Yorktown
Explain one way early colonial experiences with self-government helped prepare colonists for later demands for checks on authority.
Early colonial assemblies taught colonists the value of representative government, voting, and local decision-making, which later encouraged demands for limits on British authority.
Describe one major weakness of the Articles of Confederation that led to the Constitutional Convention.
The national government could not tax or regulate trade, leaving it weak and unable to pay debts or enforce laws.
Where and in which month and year did the first shots that sparked armed conflict occur?
Lexington, April 1775
Explain how ideas from religion or recent religious movements (like the First Great Awakening) helped encourage revolutionary thinking among some colonists.
Religious ideas emphasized equality, individual conscience, and challenging authority, which inspired colonists to question British control and fight for liberty.
Describe one way foreign help (for example from France or individuals like Lafayette) changed American chances in the war.
France provided troops, ships, money, and supplies, while individuals like Lafayette trained soldiers and provided leadership, boosting the American army’s strength and morale.