Acts & Laws
What was the Stamp Act?
A tax on printed materials like newspapers and legal papers.
Which event led Britain to tax the colonies to pay war debt?
The French and Indian War.
Who wrote Common Sense?
Thomas Paine.
Where did the first shots of the American Revolution occur?
Lexington & Concord.
What does “unalienable rights” mean?
Rights that cannot be taken away.
Why did colonists dislike the Sugar Act?
It raised taxes on imported sugar and molasses without colonial consent.
What did the Proclamation of 1763 forbid colonists from doing?
Moving west past the Appalachian Mountains.
Who wrote most of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson.
What happened at the Boston Tea Party?
Colonists dumped tea into the harbor to protest the Tea Act.
According to the Declaration of Independence, why do governments exist?
To protect people’s rights.
What did the Quartering Act force colonists to do?
Provide housing and supplies for British soldiers.
What caused Bacon’s Rebellion?
Frontier settlers wanted protection from Indigenous groups and felt their government ignored them.
Who rode to warn colonists the British were coming?
Paul Revere (also Dawes & Prescott).
Why was the Battle of Saratoga a turning point?
It convinced France to join the war and support the Americans.
What does “consent of the governed” mean?
Government gets its power from the people.
What made the Tea Act so upsetting to colonists?
It gave the British East India Company control over tea sales hurting colonial merchants.
What was the main argument between Patriots and Loyalists?
Patriots wanted independence; Loyalists wanted to remain under British rule.
Who led the Continental Army during the revolution?
George Washington.
What event led the British to pass the Intolerable Acts as punishment for colonial resistance?
The Boston Tea Party
Why did Common Sense push colonists toward independence?
It argued that monarchy was unfair and independence was the only logical choice.
What were the Intolerable Acts designed to punish, and why?
They punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party by closing the harbor and limiting self-government.
How did the Boston Massacre increase anger toward Britain?
Colonists saw it as proof that British troops were violent and abusing power.
Which enslaved or free Black Americans played major roles in the revolution? (Name one)
• Crispus Attucks
• James Armistead Lafayette
• Colonel Tye
• 1st Rhode Island Regiment soldiers
What ended the war?
Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown.
What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
To explain why the colonies were breaking away from Britain.