The American Revolution
This famous four-word slogan summarized the colonists' anger about having no elected representatives in the British Parliament.
What is "No Taxation Without Representation"?
This social class made up 97% of the French population and paid nearly all the taxes.
What is the Third Estate?
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and his greatest achievement was keeping the army together through hardship.
Who is George Washington?
The first shots of the American Revolution were fired in these two Massachusetts towns in April 1775.
What are Lexington and Concord?
The British government began taxing the American colonies to pay off the debt from this global conflict.
What is the Seven Years' War (or French and Indian War)?
Passed in 1765, this act was the first major direct tax on colonists, requiring a mark on newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards.
What is the Stamp Act?
The storming of this medieval prison on July 14, 1789, is celebrated as the symbolic start of the French Revolution.
What is the Bastille?
This French King was put on trial for treason and executed by the guillotine in 1793.
Who is Louis XVI?
The American victory at this 1777 battle was the turning point that convinced France to officially join the war as an ally.
What is the Battle of Saratoga?
Needing cash for his wars in Europe, Napoleon sold this territory to the United States in 1803, doubling the size of the U.S.
What is the Louisiana Territory (or Louisiana Purchase)?
Written by Thomas Paine, this 1776 pamphlet used simple language to argue for complete independence from Britain.
What is Common Sense?
Modeled after the American Declaration of Independence, this document stated that "all men are born and remain free and equal in rights."
What is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?
This radical leader of the Jacobins headed the Committee of Public Safety before being executed by his own allies.
Who is Maximilien Robespierre?
In a brilliant strategic move, Washington trapped General Cornwallis here in 1781, forcing the surrender of the main British army.
What is Yorktown?
Napoleon’s invasion of Spain created a power vacuum that directly led to independence movements in this region.
What is Latin America?
This group, which included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, used intimidation and protests (like the Boston Tea Party) to resist British authority.
Who are the Sons of Liberty?
During this violent period (1793-1794), the Committee of Public Safety executed roughly 40,000 people to protect the revolution from "enemies."
What is the Reign of Terror?
This American Founding Father is the primary author of the Decleration of Independence.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
Although the British technically won this 1775 battle by taking the ground, they suffered over 1,000 casualties, proving the colonists could stand up to a professional army.
What is the Battle of Bunker Hill?
The "Concert of Europe" was designed to maintain this concept, ensuring no single nation could dominate the continent again.
What is the Balance of Power?
While the "Intolerable Acts" were designed to punish Massachusetts, they actually had this unintended effect on the other colonies, leading to the First Continental Congress.
What is uniting the colonies (or pushing them closer together)?
The revolution was sparked when the Third Estate broke away from the Estates-General because this specific voting system allowed the First and Second Estates to always outvote them 2-to-1.
What is voting by block (or estate) rather than by head?
Known as "The Liberator," he led independence movements in the northern part of South America against the Spanish.
Who is Simón Bolívar?
This surprise French victory in 1792 proved that a "citizen-army" could defeat the professional armies of Europe, saving the early revolution.
What is the Battle of Valmy?
What Year was Napoleon exiled for the second time?
What is 1815?