Road to War
What are Lexington and Concord?
The first armed conflict of the American Revolution took place on April 19, 1775, at these two Massachusetts locations.
What is the Sugar Act?
This 1764 act lowered the duty on foreign sugar but strictly enforced custom duties to curb smuggling.
Who are the Sons of Liberty?
Founded by Samuel Adams, this radical group led protests, enforced boycotts, and targeted royal tax collectors.
What is "No taxation without representation"?
This famous political phrase summarized colonial frustration over paying taxes without having voting members in Parliament.
Who is King George III?
This British monarch rejected colonial petitions and declared the American colonies to be in open rebellion by 1775.
What is the Battle of Bunker Hill?
June 1775, colonial forces inflicted heavy casualties on British troops before running out of ammunition in this early battle fought near Boston.
What is the Stamp Act?
This 1765 legislation was the first direct tax on internal colonial goods, requiring a physical mark on paper products.
What is the Boston Massacre?
The 1770 confrontation where British soldiers fired into an unruly crowd in Boston, killing five civilians, became known by this dramatic title.
What is Virtual Representation?
British officials argued colonists had political representation because every MP represented the entire empire, a concept known by this term.
What is the Proclamation of 1763?
Issued following the French and Indian War, this 1763 decree forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.
What is the Olive Branch Petition?
Adopted by the Continental Congress in July 1775, this petition represented a final attempt to avoid full-scale war by pledging loyalty to King George III.
What is the Townshend Act?
Passed in 1767, these acts taxed imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea to pay the salaries of colonial governors.
What are the Committees of Correspondence?
Colonists organized these shadow governments to share information and coordinate resistance efforts across colonial borders.
Who is John Dickinson?
In Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, this Founding Father argued that Parliament had no right to levy internal or external taxes on colonies to raise revenue.
What are the Quartering Acts?
These acts required colonial assemblies to provide food and housing for British military personnel stationed in America.
What is Common Sense?
This famous political pamphlet, published by Thomas Paine in January 1776, advocated complete independence from Great Britain in plain language.
What is the Declaratory Act?
Parliament passed this legislation in 1766 alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act, asserting complete authority to bind the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
Who are the Daughters of Liberty?
High-born and working-class women supported non-importation agreements by gathering to spin homespun cloth, taking this collective name.
Who is Patrick Henry?
This Virginia burgess famously declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" during a speech opposing British military escalation in 1775.
Who is General Thomas Gage?
This general was appointed military governor of Massachusetts in 1774 to enforce British rule following royal backlash against Boston.
What is Fort Ticonderoga?
In May 1775, colonial forces captured this British fort in upstate New York, securing heavy artillery that was later used to break the siege of Boston.
What are the Coercive (or Intolerable) Acts?
These four severe measures were passed in 1774 to punish Massachusetts specifically after the Boston Tea Party.
What is the Boston Tea Party?
In response to the Tea Act of 1773, political activists disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians to execute this act of civil disobedience.
What is the First Continental Congress?
This 1774 gathering of 12 colonies in Philadelphia issued a Declaration of Rights and established a total boycott of British goods.
What is the Quebec Act?
This 1774 act expanded the boundaries of a neighboring British province down to the Ohio River and recognized the Catholic Church, alarming Protestant colonists.