Declaration of Independence
Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
In what year did the Boston Massacre take place?
1770
This phrase became the rallying cry of the colonists who refused to pay taxes imposed by a government they had no voice in.
“No taxation without representation”
What is the system gave 50 acres of land to settlers who paid for their own voyage to Virginia — and even more land for each person they brought with them.
The Headright System
What religious group founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The Puritans
What date was the Declaration of Independence officially adopted?
July 4, 1776
How many colonists were killed during the Boston Massacre?
5
During this 1773 protest, colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.
The Boston Tea Party
The name of workers signed contracts to labor for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to America, food, and shelter.
Indentured Servants
This 1620 agreement created a "civil body politic" where colonists agreed to make and follow laws for the good of the colony.
The Mayflower Compact
According to the Declaration, what are the three “unalienable rights”?
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Who defended the British soldiers in court after the Boston Massacre?
John Adams
This term describes the act of peacefully breaking an unfair law to protest injustice.
Civil Disobedience
While the Headright System created opportunities for wealthy landowners, what is the major problem that it created for Native Americans?
There was a loss of land due to westward expansion.
In his sermon Divine Right to Occupy the Land, John Cotton claimed that God allowed the Puritans to settle in America because of this reason.
God made room for His people by removing or displacing others from the land
Who was the Declaration written to, and what was its main purpose?
It was written to King George III and the world to declare independence from Britain.
Why was the Boston Massacre used as propaganda by colonial leaders?
To make Britain look violent and unjust, turning more colonists against them.
The Boston Gazette described the Tea Party as a “happy event,” showing that colonists saw it as this kind of action.
A proud and patriotic protest against unfair treatment
The Headright System helped expand this major cash crop economy that depended on a large labor force in Virginia.
The Tobacco economy.
According to John Winthrop, the Puritans must be “knit together in this work as one man” — showing their belief in this type of society.
A close, unified, and cooperative religious community
What parts of Jefferson’s draft were removed from the final Declaration, and why?
The passages criticizing slavery and the slave trade were removed because Southern colonies opposed them.
What were British soldiers doing in Boston that caused tension with colonists before the massacre?
They were enforcing unpopular laws and taxes.
British soldier Jonathan Cook described the colonists as “oppositional” and said he couldn’t understand their anger. This shows his view of the event as what?
A confusing and unnecessary act of rebellion
What is the amount of time that individuals were normally kept in Indentured Servitude
7-14 years.
The Puritans believed their laws and leaders should follow this central source of authority, which guided their daily lives and government.