Famous People
1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)
George Washington
reflected the colonists' belief that they should not be taxed because they had no direct representatives in Parliament
"No Taxation without Representation"
A group's refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization in protest against its policies
Boycott
first battles of the Revolutionary War
Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775)
an English policy of relaxing the enforcement of regulations in its colonies in return for the colonies' continued economic loyalty
Salutary Neglect
Wrote the Declaration of Independence; also the third president of the United States
Thomas Jefferson
laws that punished the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. Called the Coercive Acts in England. The Americans called them Intolerable.
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.
Boston Tea Party
First major battle of the Revolutions. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. However, the British suffered more deaths.
Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)
Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met to discuss problems with Britain and to promote independence
First Continental Congress
Author of Common Sense
Thomas Paine
1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.
Stamp Act
An incident in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were teasing and taunting them; five colonists were killed.
Boston Massacre (1770)
Nine-year war between the British and the French in North America. It resulted in the expulsion of the French from the North American mainland and helped spark the Seven Years' War in Europe. (1754-1763)
French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)
a military force that is raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.
Militia
Second President of the United States; served as a lawyer in the trials of the Boston Massacre
John Adams
prohibited English settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains to appease the Native Americans
Proclamation Act
A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. They incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies. The Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
Sons of Liberty
Ended French and Indian War, France lost Canada, land east of the Mississippi, to British, New Orleans and west of Mississippi to Spain
Treaty of Paris (1763)
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation
Common Sense
American Revolutionary leader and patriot, Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence.
Samuel Adams
law passed by the British Parliament setting taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies
Sugar Act
initiated by Samuel Adams in 1772; spread the idea that British officials were deliberately conspiring against colonial liberties
Committees of Correspondence
A 1763 conflict between Native Americans and the British over settlement of Indian lands in the Great Lakes area
Pontiac's War
plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown
Albany Plan of Union