Acts of Tyranny
The British law requiring colonists to provide food and housing to British soldiers.
The Quartering Act
What was the main purpose of the Proclamation of 1763? (Focus on why the King issued the order.)
To prevent conflicts between colonists and Native American tribes by forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
What pamphlet, written by Thomas Paine, inspired thousands of Americans to support independence?
Common Sense
The term for the treatment of human beings as property deprived of human rights is...
slavery/enslavement
Who was the King of Great Britain during the period leading up to the American Revolution?
King George III
The Intolerable Acts were passed as a direct response to which specific colonial action?
The Boston Tea Party
What event is known as "the shot heard 'round the world," marking the official start of the armed conflict?
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
According to Enlightenment philosopher John Locke, what are the three fundamental "natural rights" that all people are born with?
Life, Liberty, and Property (or the pursuit of happiness).
What is the definition of mercantilism?
an economic policy in which nations try to gain wealth by controlling trade and establishing colonies
What was the Olive Branch Petition, and what was King George III's response to it in 1775?
It was a formal request from the colonists for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
KGIII rejected it, declaring the colonies were in "open and avowed rebellion."
Which two major punishments were imposed on the Massachusetts colonists by the Intolerable Acts?
Closed Boston Harbor and sent more British troops to Boston
If you were creating a timeline, what event would you place immediately before the Battle of Lexington and Concord?
The Intolerable Acts and/or the First Continental Congress
Which Enlightenment philosopher's ideas were applied directly to the Declaration of Independence's statement that governments get their "just powers from the consent of the governed?"
John Locke
Explain the core purpose of the British policy of Mercantilism in relation to the American colonies.
increase the wealth and power of Great Britain by ensuring the colonies provided cheap raw materials and served as a guaranteed market for finished British goods
A group of colonists refuse to buy any cloth made in Great Britain. Which form of protest from the period are they applying?
Boycott
Why did the colonists consider the Tea Act of 1773 an act of tyranny?
It gave the British (the East India Company) a monopoly and affirmed Parliament's right to tax the colonies without their consent
What is the significance of the decisions made at the First Continental Congress? What did those decisions signal about the colonies' intentions?
The colonies were moving toward unified resistance and were actively preparing for the possibility of war, defining themselves as "American."
If a colonist was arrested and then denied a trial by a jury of their equals in the colonies, which historical English document's principle would they claim was violated?
The Magna Carta or English Bill of Rights
How did the distance from England influence the development of colonial government before the French and Indian War?
it allowed the colonies to develop their own systems of self-government (like colonial assemblies)
What is the difference between a Patriot and a Loyalist? Give at least one reason for each side's belief.
Patriot: Supported independence because they believed the King was a tyrant & their rights were violated.
Loyalist: Supported remaining loyal to Britain because they believed rebellion was treason and needed British protection/trade.
When George Washington privately referred to the Proclamation of 1763 as a "temporary fix" and asked his advisor to buy land beyond the line anyway, what does this reveal about his respect for the King's rules?
It reveals that he did not respect the King's authority or new rules when they conflicted with his desire for land and economic opportunity.
Analyze the relationship between the French and Indian War and the passage of new taxes like the Stamp Act.
The war caused Britain to accumulate massive debt. Britain then passed these costs to the colonies through new tax acts to help pay off the debt.
John Locke wrote that if a government fails to protect the rights of its people, then the people have the power to...
replace their leaders.
How did the colonial goal of religious freedom (pull factor) contrast with the reality for the millions of people brought to the colonies through forced migration?
While some of the first Europeans to settle in the colonies sought a new beginning and religious freedom, millions of enslaved Africans were forced to migrate, stripped of their rights and treated as property, demonstrating a fundamental contradiction of liberty.
The Declaration of Independence states, "all men are created equal." How did the signing of the document both expanded the definition of who was an "American" and, at the same time, contracted (limited) it in 1776.
Expanded: It defined "American" politically as people supporting liberty/self-governance
Contracted: It excluded Loyalists from the new political community and excluded enslaved people and women from full citizenship rights