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American colonial militia members ready to fight at a minute’s notice
Minutemen
Patriot leader who commanded the Continental Army and became the first president of the United States
George Washington
colonists, sometimes called Tories, who remained loyal to Britain
Loyalists
a 47-page pamphlet that argued against British rule over America
Common Sense
a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to respond to the closing of Boston Harbor, increased taxes, and other actions by the British government
First Continental Congress
a meeting of delegates from 12 colonies in Philadelphia in May 1775
Second Continental Congress
the document that argued why the colonies should come together formally and that announced their break from Great Britain
Declaration of Independence
an incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five people
Boston Massacre
protest against the Tea Act in which a group of colonists boarded British tea ships and dumped more than 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
Boston Tea Party
the main author of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson
Boston leader who believed Parliament could not tax the colonists without their permission
Sam Adams
an act that forced colonists to purchase tea from a British company and hurt the tea merchants living in the colonies
Tea Act
a battle won by the Patriots against Hessian mercenaries
Battle of Trenton
a law passed by Parliament that required colonists to pay for an official stamp when buying paper items
Stamp Act
the peace agreement in which Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States
Treaty of Paris 1783
the last major battle of the American Revolution
Battle of Yorktown