Colonisation
What did Britain do in the late 16th century?
Britain colonised America and gave its place names to cities like New York and New Jersey.
What is "No taxation without representation"?
The colonial slogan used to protest British taxation without colonial seats in Parliament.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
The night of December 16, 1773, approximately 116 men dumped this many chests of tea into Boston Harbour.
Who is Crispus Attucks?
The man of African and Native American descent who was among the five killed in the Boston Massacre, often cited as the first to die for American independence.
What was the Seven Years War?
The war between Britain and France, partly fought in America, that left Britain deeply in debt and led directly to colonial taxation.
What is the First Charter of Virginia, and when was it published?
The 1606 document that justified colonisation by claiming it would spread Christianity to the "savages" of America.
What is the Stamp Act?
The 1765 act that required all printed materials — including playing cards and legal documents — to carry an official revenue stamp.
What is the date and location of the Boston Massacre.
March 5, 1770, outside the Custom House on King Street, Boston?
Who is Paul Revere?
This Patriot produced a famous engraving of the Boston Massacre depicting the soldiers firing in a deliberate, organised line — one of colonial America's most powerful pieces of propaganda.
Why did the Tea Act receive protests for lowering the price of Tea?
The Tea Act of 1773 actually lowered the price of tea, yet colonists still protested — because the tea tax itself remained and a British company was given a monopoly.
What is the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee)?
This alliance of 5 (later 6) Native American nations governed by the Great Law of Peace is believed to have influenced the U.S. Constitution.
What are the Townshend Acts?
Named after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, this 1767 series of acts imposed duties on glass, paper, paint, and tea.
What are the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)?
Britain's response to the Boston Tea Party, these 1774 acts closed Boston Harbour, stripped Massachusetts of self-governance, and forced colonists to house British troops.
Who is Voltaire?
This French philosopher praised William Penn's treaty with the Lenni-Lenape as "the only treaty never sworn to and never broken," making Pennsylvania the most peaceable colony in the Americas.
What happened to unite moderate colonists with the Patriot cause (pushing them toward independence)?
The Intolerable Acts backfired on Britain by achieving this unintended consequence among the colonies.
Who are the Lenni-Lenape? Who formed a treaty with them?
William Penn formed a Treaty of Friendship with this Indigenous group, but his own sons later cheated them out of 1,200 square miles of land in 1737.
What is the Declaratory Act?
Britain repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but simultaneously passed this act asserting the right to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
What is the quote "swept them clean" in reference to?
The Boston Tea Party protestors were disciplined in their actions — they broke only one padlock, which they replaced, and did this to the ships' decks before leaving.
What is the Stamp Act Congress?
This 1765 gathering brought together delegates from nine colonies to petition Parliament — one of the first coordinated inter-colonial political actions in American history.
What is the model for the Continental Congress?
The Stamp Act Congress, and colonial boycotts all contributed to this long-term consequence that gave the colonies the organisational infrastructure for independence.
Compare the Iroquois Confederacy and Colonial Societies.
The Iroquois Confederacy was matrilineal and fairly egalitarian, while colonial society had no political rights for women and gave all power to wealthy landowners.
Who is John Dickinson (Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer)?
This colonial writer argued in his 1767 pamphlet that any tax imposed for revenue — not trade regulation — was unconstitutional, regardless of whether it was called an internal or external tax.
What is the rule of law, and where do we see it?
John Adams defended the British soldiers at trial after the Boston Massacre. This is historically significant not just for the outcome, but because it demonstrated this broader principle.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
The Declaration of Independence was primarily drafted by this man, whose writing was heavily influenced by John Locke's theory that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed and that people have the right to overthrow a government that fails them.
How does the quote "all men are created equal," demonstrate contradiction within American society?
There is a visible continuation of slavery, and the exclusion of women, Indigenous peoples, and non-landowners from political rights demonstrating contradictions from the Declaration of Independence