Colonial Government
Patriotism
British “Acts”
Key Events
The Seven Years War
100
What were Colonial Assemblies and who could vote for them?
Assembly: a group of representatives who make laws. The Colonial Assemblies were local government who made laws in the colonies because of the British Empire’s concept of “self-government.” (Parliament in England made laws for trade within the British Empire but did not make local laws around the empire.) Colonists who were white males who owned land or other property could vote for representatives in colonial assemblies. (Females, Blacks (free or slave) and Native Americans could not vote)
100
Who were the Sons & Daughters of Liberty?
A group of patriots (created by Samuel Adams) who organized boycotts of British goods and other events to promote independence.
100
What was the Stamp Act?
Law that placed a tax on almost every kind of printed paper, from newspapers to legal documents.
100
What was the Stamp Act Congress?
This meeting was organized by the Sons & Daughters of Liberty to ask Parliament to repeal a law that taxed all paper products.
100
What caused the Seven Years War?
The Seven Years War began because the British and the French wanted territory and wanted to be the biggest power in the world. They were fighting over land.
200
What was Parliament and what was the most important difference between colonists and Englishmen in terms of representation in Parliament?
Parliament made laws to regulate trade within the British Empire. It allowed colonies to govern themselves on a local level (self-government). Englishmen had representatives in Parliament; the colonists did not.
200
Who was Patrick Henry?
Patrick Henry gave an impassioned speech “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” to protest the British taxation at the First Continental Congress. He was a representative from Virginia.
200
What was the Proclamation of 1763?
This law prevented the colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. It angered the colonists because they felt they won that territory while fighting the French and Indian War.
200
What was the Boston Massacre? Why was it important?
A colonial mob threw stones/snowballs at British soldiers who fired on the crowd. Five people were killed. Colonists became more angry at the British because people were killed!
200
What did William Pitt want to get control of in order to beat the French?
The rivers! (St. Lawrence and Niagara Rivers) Without the rivers, the French wouldn’t be able to get supplies to their troops.
300
What was Self-Government?
This concept in the British Empire meant that local assemblies created laws and government in the colonies. (The British Parliament in England made laws for trade within the British Empire but did not make local laws around the empire.)
300
What were the Committees of Correspondence?
These groups promoted the exchange of news and ideas (especially independence) between Patriots and ensured that the different colonies kept in touch with one another. Samuel Adams created these committees.
300
What were the Intolerable Acts, and what caused them?
These laws were passed to punish the colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and included closing the Port of Boston, taking away the right of self-governance, and appointing a British army general as the governor.
300
Explain the Boston Tea Party.
This event was an organized protest against the Tea Act. Colonists dressed as Indians, went aboard British ships and dumped the tea into the harbor.
300
Once the British won control over Quebec and the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers, what were the French forced to do?
The French knew they were defeated so they made a peace treaty. They surrendered their land to the British.
400
What was “Taxation without Representation?”
“Taxation without Representation” was important in colonial America. Colonists felt that they should only be taxed by their own elected representatives or assemblies. Because they did not have representation in Parliament (remember that Parliament was made up only of Englishmen who lived in England and was 3,000+ miles away from the colonies), the colonists felt that Parliament could not pass laws in the colonies, especially concerning taxation.
400
How did Paul Revere promote independence from Britain after the Boston Massacre?
Paul Revere was a Patriot and silversmith who made an engraving about the “Bloody (Boston) Massacre” to turn colonists against the British. This picture could be mass produced and shared through the Committees of Correspondence.
400
What were the Townshend Acts?
Law passed in 1767 that taxed all imports to the colonies: paint, glass, lead etc. Named for the British Treasurer (who was trying to raise money to pay for all of the soliders in the colonies!). When the colonists boycotted these items, British merchants grew upset and also wanted Parliament to repeal this act (because they were loosing so much money!)
400
What was the First Continental Congress?
After the Intolerable Acts, colonies began to unify and sent aid and support to the Massachusetts Colony. Eventually, representatives from the colonies met together to discuss independence. Ben Franklin encouraged each colony to send representatives in his famous “Join or Die” snake cartoon.
400
Who was the main colonial power in North America after the Seven Years War?
England! The British territory grew considerably after the Seven Years War even though the French held more land going into the war
500
What were the most important rights of British citizens in the 1700s and why were they important?
• The right to vote: Citizens (white, male, land/property owners) had the opportunity to select the people in government. • The right to a trial by jury: Colonists could not be jailed or punished without a jury of fellow citizens. A Jury is a group of people who hear facts and decide who is guilty/innocent. There are no secrets, and no secret evidence. Everything is out in the open allowing the accused person to defend themselves verse being powerless against the government. • The right to private property: Government could not take away personal property (house, etc.) If the government needed the land a farm was on (to build a road etc.), it would have to pay the owner. • The right to petition their government: Ability to ask government to change a law or to do something differently. • The right to assemble peaceably to talk about a problem: Citizens could meet and talk about issues without fear of government interference. These rights were important to the colonists and originally gave them pride to be part of the English Empire.
500
Why was Samuel Adams such an important Patriot?
Samuel Adams was an important Patriot because he organized the Sons & Daughter of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence. He spread information about independence!
500
What is the Tea Act? Why was it important?
In 1773, Parliament passed this law that lowered the price of tea so that the tea, including the tax, was cheaper than the smuggled tea. They thought that colonists would buy British tea because it was more affordable. But the colonists were super upset about the tax and continued to boycott tea. They ultimately threw British tea into the Boston Harbor to protest this during the Boston Tea Party.
500
What was the Seven Years War and how did it end?
In the Seven Years War, Britain was fighting against France for land and power. The colonists, as subjects of Britain, were fighting for Britain. Eventually, William Pitt, the British Minister of Foreign Affairs, made a plan to take control of the St. Lawrence and Niagara Rivers. By cutting off the army’s supply route, the French Army became useless. France surrendered, and gave up their land in North America.
500
Why were the colonists so upset by the Proclamation of 1763?
After fighting for the British against the French, the colonists felt that they had won and earned that land. Britain didn’t want to further upset the Native Americans (after just fighting many tribes who were allies with the French), and they also didn’t want the expense of guarding the land, so they said the colonists couldn’t live on the new territory.
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