Causes
What law required colonists to pay a tax on printed materials like newspapers and playing cards?
The Stamp Act
The "shot heard around the world" was the nickname for which battle?
Lexington and Concord
Who commanded the Continental Army?
George Washington
What document announced the colonies’ separation from Britain?
The Declaration of Independence.
The first shots of the Revolution were fired in this colony.
Massachusetts
These laws forced colonists to let British soldiers stay in their homes.
Quartering Act
What event involved colonists dumping British tea into the harbor to protest taxes?
Boston Tea Party
Who wrote Common Sense, urging colonists to fight for independence?
Thomas Paine
What does “unalienable rights” mean in the Declaration?
Rights that cannot be taken away, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Which European country was the first to form an alliance with the United States?
France.
This act taxed imported goods such as glass, tea, and paint, leading to more protests.
The Townshend Acts
Why was the Battle of Saratoga a turning point in the war?
It convinced France to join the Americans as an ally.
Who helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris and was known for his inventions and diplomacy?
Benjamin Franklin.
What was the purpose of the Proclamation of 1763?
To stop colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
What hardships did soldiers face during the winter at Valley Forge?
Cold, hunger, disease, and lack of supplies.
Which African American spy gathered key information for the Patriots at Yorktown?
James Armistead (Lafayette)
Who inspired Thomas Jefferson’s ideas about natural rights and government by consent?
John Locke.
What were the Writs of Assistance, and why did colonists oppose them?
They were general search warrants that allowed British officials to search for smuggled goods without cause — colonists saw them as a violation of their rights.
What was the strategy that led to the American victory at Yorktown?
The French navy blocked British escape by sea while Washington’s troops surrounded them by land, forcing Cornwallis to surrender.
Who said, “I have not yet begun to fight!”, and became a naval hero during the Revolution?
John Paul Jones.
How did the Declaration of Independence justify rebellion against Britain?
It argued that when a government violates people’s rights, the people have the right to alter or abolish it and form a new one.
What were the western and northern boundaries of the new United States after the Treaty of Paris 1783?
West – the Mississippi River; North – the Great Lakes.