Unit 2 Vocabulary American Revolution

French and Indian War A war between France and England over land in North America (Ohio River Valley) Increases tensions between colonists and Great Britain over Proclamation of 1763 and taxes to pay war debt Proclamation of 1763 – British told colonists they could not move west of Appalachian mountains

Treaty of Paris Treaty ending the French and Indian War. France was forced to surrender all land east of the Mississippi River to England This means that England becomes the dominant imperial power in North America

Stamp Act 1765 law in which England forced a tax on paper goods on the American colonies. Colonists reacted by forming the Stamp Act Congress  first time colonies acted as a unified group

Intolerable Acts A series of laws enacted by Parliament in 1774 that were meant to punish Boston for the Tea Party. Shut down Boston Harbor, enacted the Quartering Act, and shut down Massachusetts legislature

Sons and Daughters of Liberty A group of radical colonists that would use violence to oppose British oppression and taxation. They would use methods like threats or violence against tax collectors to stop the taxes from getting paid.

Committees of Correspondence A communication network of letters between the colonies to share information about protests and resisting British actions This information was critical for leaders of the revolution and united colonies

Townshend Acts A series of laws enacted by England in 1767 that taxed all goods that were imported from England to America. There was no way for the colonists to avoid paying these taxes.

Boston Massacre A clash between British soldiers and a mob of angry colonists in Boston in –British soldiers fired on the crowd and 5 colonists were killed Leaders like Paul Revere used this event to unite the colonies against England.

Boston Tea Party In 1773, a group of angry colonists disguised themselves as Indians and dumped 18,000 pounds of tea off of a British ship into Boston Harbor. Led to the British punishing Boston with the Intolerable Acts

Lexington and Concord The British are sent to Concord to destroy a stockpile of weapons The minutemen (militia) meet them at Lexington where the first shots of the war are fired

Minutemen Unprofessional groups of local soldiers trained to be ready in minutes to oppose any English soldiers that showed up in their area. These soldiers were also known as “militia.”

1 st and 2 nd Continental Congress First Continental Congress: delegates from colonies meet (except GA) and decide to warn colonists to prepare for war Second Continental Congress: delegates meet and name the militia the Continental Army and appoint George Washington as commander

Common Sense Document written by Thomas Paine listing the reasons America should be independent from Great Britain Important because it was written for the common people and convinced more people to join the side of the revolutionaries

Declaration of Independence Document written by Thomas Jefferson to the King of England explaining why Americans wanted to be independent from Great Britain Influenced by John Locke’s idea of natural rights – life, liberty and property

French Alliance America needed foreign assistance to fight the war against England and France agreed to give America money and send troops and ships to help fight the war Benjamin Franklin went to France to convince them to help us fight the British Marquis de Lafayette was the French representative in America

Crossing of the Delaware Washington plans a surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries Victory is important because it boosts American morale and gives them a desire to keep fighting

Valley Forge This is where the American army camps for the winter 1777 The soldiers were freezing and starving The army receives foreign help and training from Baron von Steuben and after Valley Forge the Continental Army is more professional and better trained

Yorktown The Americans and the French trap the British at the Battle of Yorktown The geography of the land (peninsula) and the help from the French navy make this victory possible Lord Cornwallis (the British commander) surrenders and the Americans win

George Washington as a military leader Slowly formed the untrained continental soldiers into a professional army Was a strong enough leader to keep his army together in the face of defeats and extremely tough times like the winter at Valley Forge. Willing to take risks in order to achieve victory (as seen in the Crossing of the Delaware River).

Treaty of Paris 1783 Officially ends the American Revolution and formally establishes American independence from Great Britain Also, sets the boundaries for the new nation