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Describe the purpose and intended effects of the Albany Plan of Union of 1754.
The Albany Plan was an attempt to unify the colonies, except for Georgia and Nova Scotia, under one general government to defend against the French and their Indian allies. The idea proposed a president general and a legislature which would be elected by the colonial assemblies. Despite the plan ultimately failing, it paved the way for the later iterations of a unified colonial government leading to the American Revolution.
How did the British maintain their military personnel as the war dragged on, and what was the name for this practice?
British commanders began to forcibly enlist colonists into the British army through a practice known as "impressment".
T/F: The Sugar Act of 1764, the Currency Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765 were all laws passed by Britain to increase revenue and profit from the American colonies, but ultimately raised tensions between Britain and America.
True
What was the name of the group that executed the Boston Tea Party?
Sons of Liberty
What were the people who revolted in the Boston Tea Party dressed as?
Native Americans
Describe the nature of geopolitical competition between the French and English in the 18th century.
Often termed the "second hundred-years war", France and England engaged in a series of military, economic, and diplomatic struggles spanning from the War of the Spanish Succession beginning in 1701 until the end of the Napoleonic Wars at Waterloo in 1815. These conflicts notably included the War of the Austrian Succession, the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War, the American Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars.
Describe the events and significant of Fort Necessity.
In July 1754, George Washington (only 22 at the time) led a militia from Virginia to the Ohio Valley and built Fort Necessity to challenge the French. They attempted to attack a nearby French fort but instead got trapped in Fort Necessity by French troops. Washington then surrendered and many British soldiers died. This skirmish marked the beginning of the conflict that would expand into the French and Indian War, and the Seven Years' War.
What was the Proclamation of 1763?
A policy aimed to stabilize relations with Native Americans, limit frontier conflicts, and centralize the control of British power over further westward expansion into new territories gained by the 1763 Treat of Paris.
The proclamation prohibited colonial expansion west of the Appalachians, and established new colonies for Quebec, East Florida, and West Florida, in addition to the original thirteen colonies.
What key event is generally considered the first violent flashpoint of the American Revolution?
The Boston Massacre in 1770, in which British troops fired into a crowd of colonists resulting in several American deaths, great propaganda exploitation, and increasing anger towards British rule.
What were the policies of the Tea Act?
Allowed the British East India Company to ship tea directly to the Americas instead of going through London or any other middleman, thus removing Navigation Act taxes from tea. This effectively established the Company's monopoly over the tea trade, and pushed American tea merchants out of the market.
What were the international effects of the Seven Years' War?
Describe the (first version of the) Treaty of Paris. When was it signed, what were its terms, and who was involved?
It was signed in 1763 after William Pitt (who wanted the French Indian War to continue) resigned and George III took over the British throne. The terms included that the French give Great Britain some of their West Indian islands and most of their colonies in India. Great Britain also received all of the French territory east of the Mississippi River with the exception of New Orleans. The French also gave New Orleans and the land they had claimed west of the Mississippi river to Spain. The signing of the Peace of Paris formally ended the French Indian War, leaving the French with no more land in North America and the British empire in debt.
Describe the core disagreement between "commercial" and "territorial" imperialists, in their view of the purpose of the American colonies.
The old commercial imperialism opposed acquisition of territory for its own sake and viewed their colonial empire primarily in terms of trade (ie through a mercantilist framework). The new territorialists believed that the colonies were inherently valuable because of the population they could support, the taxes they could produce, and the imperial prestige derived from expanding territory.
What was the Mutiny Act of 1765, and why did the British government create it? What specific rules and regulations did it establish in the American colonies, and how did the colonists respond?
The Mutiny Act (Quartering Act) of 1765 was a law passed by the British Parliament that required colonists to provide housing, food, and supplies for British troops stationed in the colonies. It was part of Britain's effort to maintain control in North America after the French and Indian war. Under the act these such things were required for the soldiers: barracks, bedding, candles, firewood, and sometimes alcohol. If there was not enough housing soldiers would sleep at inns which still places a financial burden on the colonies. The Act angered many colonists because they had to support an army they didn't want. Resentment from colonists caused tension between Britain and colonies ultimately contributing to the American Revolution.
What was the First Continental Congress?
A meeting of 56 delegates from 12 of the 13 American colonies (excluding Georgia) held at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia in September 1774. It was called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) by the British Parliament to coordinate a unified resistance to British policies.
***You will need to know more detail of what was discussed there! (p. 123)
What was the specific problem with the English government that caused them to lose control over colonial affairs?
***This needs to be expanded***
How did William Pitt prevent conflict between the British and Americans from escalating during the French and Indian War?
As the final, third phase of the war, Pitt listened to the wishes of the colonists and relaxed many of the British policies that were building resentment within colonial communities. He announced that the British government would reimburse colonists for all the war supplies they had provided, allowed colonial governments to control military recruitments, and dispatched very large troop deployments to America to protect colonists. All these actions led to more enlistments in the military and better spirits within America, and shortly after, the war turned in their favor.
Who were the Paxton Boys and why are they significant to our understanding of this period?
They were colonists living in Pennsylvania’s backcountry in 1763 who felt, like in Bacon’s rebellion, underrepresented in colonial government and resentful at living closer to the threats of Native American tribes than the "coastal elites". They demanded that Philadelphia’s government give them relief from colonial taxes and money to help defend them against Native attack. They were granted these things before anyone was harmed, unlike in other situations in the colonies.
What was The Tea Act? Who did this benefit? What was the result of it?
The Tea Act happened in 1773 to save Britain's East India Company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy and had large amounts of tea they couldn't sell to England.
This act allowed the company to export the tea to North America without having to pay the same taxes as the colonial merchants did previously, who were the middlemen most of the time for similar transactions. This allowed for the company to undersell American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade
This resulted in many colonists being fearful of being replaced with monopolies and anger about being taxed without representation. This eventually led to the Boston Tea Party.
Who was General Thomas Gage?
Thomas Gage was a British general and governor of Massachusetts during the early years of the American Revolution. He commanded British troops and initially underestimated the colonists’ military, but he did not simply wait for backup—he actively tried to enforce British control, including sending troops to seize weapons, which led to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Describe the Iroquois Confederacy, its constituent groups, and its role in the French and Indian War.
The Iroquois Confederacy was a powerful alliance of six Native American groups, the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. Prior to the French and Indian War, the confederacy tried to maintain autonomy while leveraging relations with Britain and France against the other. During the war, they mostly supported the British, representing one of Britain's few Native allies, while controlling land near the Great Lakes which was near the Ohio River Valley. They had mixed relations with colonists, trading and forming alliances but also facing conflict as settlers took their land.
What led the French to begin building new forts within the Ohio River Valley in 1749 and how did the English interpret this effort?
The tension between the French, British, and Iroquois was very strong and grew stronger when the native Iroquois finally decided to ally with the British. This scared the French and led them to strengthen their hold on land within the Ohio Valley with fortresses. The British saw this as a threat as well and thought they were going to lose their western settlements, so they also prepped their armies and increased their number of forts.
Describe King George III's challenges in effective governance.
George III had intellectual and psychological problems, one making him have bouts of insanity, which made him make irrational and immature political decisions despite originally vowing to be a responsible and active monarch. These shortcomings added to the instability of the British government in the mid-1700s which also contributed to discontent and tension in the colonies.
What was the stamp act? What was the response of the colonists? What was the legal justification for this law?
. Parliament Passed the stamp act, which required colonists to pay an extra tax on printed materials.
. The colonists believed that Parliament had no right to impose this tax on them, largely because the Americans believed they had little representation in the British government, going into the “no taxation without representation” idea
. Parliament argued that although the Americans didn't have representation, they had the right to tax all subjects. This is one of the many laws put into place in the 1760s-70s that put large taxes on the American colonies and sparked colonial revolution.
What were the five Intolerable Acts?
–Boston Port Act: Closed Boston Harbor, shutting down all trade until the destroyed tea was paid for.
–Massachusetts Government Act: Took away the colony's right to self-govern by putting it under direct British control and banning town meetings.
–Administration of Justice Act: Allowed British officials charged with crimes to be tried in England instead of the colonies, making it hard to hold them accountable.
–Quartering Act: Forced colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers in unoccupied buildings.
–Quebec Act: Expanded Quebec’s borders into land claimed by the colonists and promoted Catholicism, which the Protestant colonists saw as an attack on their religious and land rights.