Name That Era
This era officially kicked off on July 4, 1776, when thirteen colonies formally declared their separation from Great Britain.
What is the American Revolution (or Revolutionary Era)?
Signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims, this document established a system of self-government based on a social contract before landing at Plymouth.
What is the Mayflower Compact?
The British imposed taxes like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts to pay off massive debts incurred during this 1754–1763 war.
What is the French and Indian War?
Adopted on July 4, 1776, and written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, this document formally severed ties with Great Britain.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
The Southern Colonies relied heavily on cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo grown on large estates that depended on this system of forced labor.
What is the transatlantic slave trade (or plantation system)?
Delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft and adopt the fundamental governing framework of the United States.
What is the Constitutional Era?
Established in Virginia in 1619, this was the first elected representative legislative assembly in the American colonies.
What is the House of Burgesses?
Colonists used this famous phrase to protest British taxes passed by a Parliament in which they had no elected voice.
What is "No taxation without representation"?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are examples of these rights, which the Declaration of Independence states cannot be taken away.
What are unalienable rights?
Cold climate, rocky soil, and short growing seasons forced this colonial region to rely on shipbuilding, fishing, timber, and trade instead of large-scale farming.
What are the New England Colonies?
Early European settlements like Jamestown in 1607 and Plymouth in 1620 defined this foundational period.
What is Colonization (or the Colonial Era)?
Written by Thomas Hooker, this 1639 document expanded voting rights beyond church members and is considered the first written constitution in America.
What are the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?
To prevent conflicts with Native Americans after 1763, King George III issued an order forbidding colonists from settling west of this physical boundary.
What are the Appalachian Mountains (Proclamation of 1763)?
Considered the turning point of the war, this American victory in 1777 convinced France to enter the conflict as an official ally.
What is the Battle of Saratoga?
Known as the "Breadbasket Colonies" due to their production of wheat and grain, this region featured moderate climates and diverse, tolerant populations like the Quakers in Pennsylvania.
What are the Middle Colonies?
Rising tension between Northern and Southern states over state rights and the expansion of slavery characterized this pre-Civil War era.
*Your learned this in 7th grade*
DAILY DOUBLE!!!
What is Sectionalism?
Great distance from Britain, the need for local law and order, and Britain's policy of salutary neglect directly led to the growth of this political tradition in the colonies.
What is representative (or self-) government?
Passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, these harsh laws closed Boston Harbor, suspended Massachusetts town meetings, and forced colonists to quarter soldiers.
What are the Intolerable Acts (or Coercive Acts)?
Washington's Continental Army endured severe cold, disease, and starvation during the winter of 1777–1778 at this Pennsylvania encampment.
What is Valley Forge?
This economic theory held that colonies existed solely to enrich the mother country by supplying raw materials and buying manufactured goods.
What is mercantilism?
Spanning the presidency of the nation's seventh chief executive, this era saw expanded voting rights for white men and the controversial Indian Removal Act.
What is the Age of Jackson (or Jacksonian Era)?
Founded as a refuge for Catholics escaping persecution in England, this colony passed the Maryland Toleration Act to protect religious freedom.
What is Maryland?
Written by Thomas Paine in 1776, this wildly popular pamphlet urged colonists to break away from British rule using clear, persuasive language.
What is Common Sense?
General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington in 1781 at this final major battle of the American Revolution.
What is the Battle of Yorktown?
This 18th-century religious movement swept through the colonies, encouraging personal belief, individual reliance, and democratic ideals that challenged traditional authority.
What is the First Great Awakening?