What was the Boston Tea Party?
Colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest British taxes.
Who wrote the main draft of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson.
Who was the commander of the Continental Army?
George Washington.
What was a Patriot?
A colonist who supported independence from Britain.
What is a militia?
A group of ordinary citizens trained to fight.
What does "No taxation without representation" mean?
Colonists did not think Britain should tax them when they had no representatives in Parliament.
What are the three natural rights named in the Declaration?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What was one major weakness of the Continental Army?
The soldiers were inexperienced and poorly equipped
What was a Loyalist?
A colonist who stayed loyal to Britain.
Who were the minutemen?
Militia members who were ready to fight quickly.
What were the Intolerable Acts?
Harsh laws Britain passed to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party.
What did Thomas Paine's Common Sense encourage colonists to do?
Break away from Britain and become independent.
Why was Washington's attack at Trenton a surprise?
He attacked around Christmas when the enemy was not expecting it.
Who wrote Common Sense and encouraged colonists to support independence?
Thomas Paine.
What does boycott mean?
To refuse to buy something as a protest.
What were Committees of Correspondence?
Groups that shared news and information between the colonies.
What happened on July 2, 1776?
Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence.
What was the greatest American defeat of the Revolutionary War?
The Siege of Charles Town (Charleston).
Who was the president of the Continental Congress and had a famous large signature on the Declaration of Independence?
John Hancock.
What does representation mean?
Having someone speak and make decisions for you in government.
What happened at Lexington and Concord?
American militia and British soldiers fought. These were the first battles of the American Revolution.
What was the clause that Thomas Jefferson wrote and was taken out of the Declaration of Independence by Benjamin Franklin? Why?
The anti-slavery clause was removed because some Southern states and Northern shipping states did not agree with it, and Congress wanted the colonies to stay united.
What treaty officially ended the Revolutionary War?
The Treaty of Paris of 1783.
Who was known as the "Swamp Fox"?
Francis Marion.
What is guerrilla warfare?
Fighting with quick surprise attacks instead of fighting in large battles.