American Revolution (1754-1789) Flashcards by bob beard

1764 British act forbidding the colonies to issue paper money as legal tender

Repealed in 1773 by the British as an effort to ease tensions with the colonies

Currency Act

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

1773 act by Parliament that would provide the colonies with cheap tea, but at the same time force the colonies to admit that Parliament had a right to tax them

Effort to resolve financial problems of the East India Company

Rebates and tax exemptions allowed East India Company to dumb low cost tea in colonial market

Sons of Liberty resisted, most notably at the Boston Tea Party

Britain responded with the Coercive Acts

Tea Act of 1773

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

In response to the Tea Act and additional British taxes on tea, Boston radicals disguised as Native Americans threw nearly 350 chests of tea into Boston harbor on December 16, 1773

East India Company lost about $4 million

Parliment closed Boston harbor and passed the Coercive Acts

Boston Tea Party

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Signed on September 3, 1783, formally ending the Revolutionary War

Britain recognized American independence

United States received a western boundary at the Mississippi River

Spain received Florida, and France received territory in Africa and the West Indies

Treaty of Paris, 1783

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

December 26, 1776 surprise attack launched by George Washington’s army against Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey

30 Hessians were killed and 950 captured, while only 3 Americans were wounded

Victory gave a great psychological boost to the American war effort

Battle of Trenton

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

An effort to pay for the British army located in North America, this 1764 measure taxed sugar and other imports

Tried to raise money from the American trade with the French West Indies

Harsh penalties were imposed on smugglers who did not pay the duty

Sugar Act

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Established states of self-government for the WEst

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson

Divided regions into districts governed by Congress and then admitted to the Union

Ordinance of 1784

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Crowds of debt-ridden farmers attempted to close courts in western Massachusett

Aim was to prevent the seizure of land for failure to pay debts and state taxes

Governor Bowdoin dispatched the army to disperse; 1,000 arrested in January 1787

Started debate over national authority versus state liberty

(Daniel) Shay’s Rebellion

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Started with 1754 effort by British to dislodge French from forts in western Pennsylvannia

George Washington lost 1/3 of men at Fort Necessity from attack by French and Indians

British Prime Minister turned around war by pouring money and people

Seven Years’ War

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

British Prime Minister who took office in 1757

Poured money and people into Seven Years’ War

William Pitt

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Agreement that concluded the Seven Years’ War

France ceded Canada to Britain, getting Guadeloupe, Martinique

Spain ceded Florida to Britain in return for Cuba and acquired Louisiana colony

Ended France’s 200 year old empire

Left Indians dependent on British

Peace of Paris, 1763

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Indians launched revolt in Ohio Valley and Great Lakes

Influenced by teachings of Neolin, a Delaware religious leader

Ottawas, Huron and other indians attacked Detroit in 1763

Pontiac’s Rebellion

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains

Goal was to stabilize relations between British and Indians

Proclamation of 1763

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Conflict between British soldiers and Boston civilians on March 5, 1770

Civilians threw rocks and snowballs at the soldiers, the soldiers opened fire, killing 5 and wounding 6

Boston Massacre

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Parliment passed in 1765 to help pay for the British Army in North America.

Imposed tax on all legal documents and newspapers

Resistance was severe and it was eventually repealed; first major split between the colonists and Britain

Stamp Act

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Men who organized opposition to British policies during the late 1760s and 1770s

Founded in Boston in response to the Stamp Act

Organized the Boston Tea Party

Samuel Adams was one of their leaders

Sons of Liberty

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

1765 British edict stating that to help defend the empire, colonial governments had to provide housing and food for British troops

Many colonists perceived this to be the ultimate insult

Quartering Act

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

On October 17,1777, British army General John Burgoyne wsa forced to surrender

American victory pesuaded the French government to sign a treaty of alliance with the United States and enter the war against Great Britain

Battle of Saratoga

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

German troops who fought for Great Britain during the Revolutionary War

Mercenaries sold into British service by German princes who raised money by hiring out their regiments

Hessians

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Place were George Washington camped his army during the winter of 1777-1778

Soldiers suffered from hunger, cold, and disease, leading 1,300 to desert

Morale was raised by the drilling and discipline instilled by Baron Von Steuben, a former Prussian officer

Valley Forge

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Richard Henry Lee of Virginia moved that the Second Continental Congress declare this on June 7, 1776

Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft

Formally approved on July 2 and formally announced on July 4

Declaration of Independence

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses

Introduced resolutions protesting the Stamp Act

Proclaimed that the act showed the tyranny of King George III, and reminded the king of the fates of Caesar and Charles I

Many considered his speech treasonous

Patrick Henry

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Mssachusetts town were the first skirmish between British troops and colonial militiamen took place

During April 19, 1775 fight, 8 colonists were killed and another 9 were wounded

Lexington

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Occured on April 19, 1775 between British regulars and Massachusetts militiamen

More than 70 British soldiers died and another 174 were wounded

Enabled a wider conflict between colonies and British to become much more probable

Ralph Waldo Emerson referred to it as the “shot heard round the world”

Battle of Concord

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Meeting of delegates from the American colonies that began in May 1775 Some delegates hoped that the differences between the colonies and Britain could be reconciled Congress authorized the creation of a Continental Army led by George Washington

Second Continental Congress

Colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution Many came from upper strata of society Large numbers moved to Canada, the West Indies, or Great Britan

Loyalists

Massachusetts Assembly response to the Townshend Acts, asking other colonies to work together and jointly issue a petition of protest Strong-willed response of the British authorities led to the colonial assemblies to work more closely together

Circular Letter

June 1775 British attack on colonial forces outside of Boston Despite frightful losses, British emerged victorious in the battle Americans were heartened by the damage they did to the British

Bunker Hill

Popular 1776 publication written by Thomas Paine Repudiated the concept of government by monarchy Encouraged the sentiment for independance in the colonies

*Common Sense*

Leading opponent of British policy in 1760s and 1770s Helped organize the Sons of Liberty Leader in the agitation surrounding the Boston Massacre Because of the Boston Tea Party, was marked for arrest by the British

Samuel Adams

American and French forces commanded by George Washington trapped the army of General Cornwallis French fleet in Chesapeake Bay prevented the escape or rescue of the British British surrender on October 19, 1781 ended British hopes of victory in the war

Battle of Yorktown

1767 parliamentery acts that forced colonists to pay duties on goods coming from England, including tea and paper New board of customs commissioners collected duties and suppressed smuggling Used revenues to pay salaries of governors and judges Colonial resistance was fierce; Boston was occupied by British troops Repealed in 1770

Townshend Acts of 1767

1767 pamphlet by Pennsylvania attorney and landowner John Dickinson, in which he eloquently stated the "taxation without representation" argument Argued that Parliament could only meaningfully represent the colonies if colonists served in it

*Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania*

Head of the British governmental department that issued and collected taxes Many acts issued caused great resentment in the American colonies

Chancellor of the Exchequer

1766 British law starting that Parliament had an absolute right to tax the colonies and to make laws that would be enacted in the colonies Issued at the same time as the repeal of the Stamp Act

Declaratory Act

Representatives of 9 colonies met in New York in October 1765 Document maintained the loyalty of the colonies to the Crown but condemned the Stamp Act

Stamp Act Congress

Document sent to the First Continental Congress in September 1774 Called for all citizens of all the colonies to prepare to take up arms against the British First Continental Congress adopted them

Suffolk Resolves

1774 measure adopted by the First Continental Congress Stated that Parliament had some rights to regulate colonial trade with Britain but that Parliament did not have the right to tax the colonies without their consent

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

Term used in the colonies for the bills passed by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party Included closing Boston harbor, prohibiting local meetings, and mandatory quartering of troops in private homes Also known as the Coercive Acts

Intolerable Acts

War fought to expand their empires in the Americas from 1754 to 1763 Spread to Europe and the rest of the world in 1756 and was called the Seven Years War British were victorious

French and Indian War

1754 meeting of representatives from 7 colonies that coordinated their efforts against French and Native America threats in the western frontier regions Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan of union that was rejected by both the colonies and the British government

Albany Congress

Seasoned British general sent to America to stop the French construction of a fort at what is now Pittsburgh Braddock's force of regulars and Americans was crushed in an ambush that cost Braddock and most of his men their lives

Edward Braddock

Responsible for overseeing colonial affairs Colonial laws had to conform to royal instructions from this body Encouraged assemlies to grant permanent salaries to governors Seven Years' War suspended this body

Board of Trade

Placed wool and hids on enumerated list

Revenue Act

Word that became widely used during Revolution Trees and Halls and Poles used it

"Liberty"

First martyr of the Revolutionary War Was killed by British at the Boston Massacre

Crispus Attucks

Parliament extended southern boundary of the Canadian province to Ohio River Granted legal toleration to the Roman Catholic Church in Canada

Quebec Act

Convened in Philadelphia with leaders from 12 colonies John Adams, Samuel Adams, George Washington, Patrick Henry Lee, Patrick Henry Endorsed the Suffolk Resolves Agreed to meet again in May 1775

(First) Continental Congress

Ralph Waldo Emerson's reference to the Battle of Concord

"shot heard round the world"

Document sent to George III in July 1775 reaffirming loyalty

Olive Branch Petition

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights..."

Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

Idea that America had a special mission as refuge from tyranny

American Exceptionalism

Agreement with Frace to help supply American troops Negotiated by Benjamin Franklin

Treaty of Amity and Commerce

Defector to British side; almost turned over West Point

Benedict Arnold

Negotiated American independence from Britain Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay Control of region between Canada and Florida east of the Mississippi Right to fish in Atlantic waters off Canada

Treaty of Paris of 1783

State constitution that established: one house legislature abolished office of the governor eliminated property ownership qualifications for officeholding guaranteed "freedom of speech, and of writing"

Pennsylvania Constitution

Restrictions on property ownership removed for this right Vermont Constitution of 1777 completly severed financial requirements Pennsylvania eliminated property holding but still required payment of taxes

Right to Vote

Deists wanted to erect a "wall of seperation" Evangelicals wanted to protect from the corruption of government States took away public funding and special privilges Maryland's Constitution of 1778 restored rights to Catholics Virginia Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1786

Seperation of Church and State

"Equality is the very soul of republic" "A general and tolerably equal distribution of landed property is the whole basis of national freedom"

Noah Webster

Result of Congress issuing hundreds of millions of dollars of paper money to finance the war Result of hoarding of some goods by Americans hoping to profit from shortages

Inflation of 1779

"Invisible Hand" of free markets directed the economy better than governments

Adam Smith's *The Wealth of Nations*

First tract arguing against slavery

Samual Sewall's *The Selling of Joseph*

Offered freedom to slaves who joined the British cause 800 blacks escaped and joined Britain's Ethiopian Regiment as a result George Washington reacted by accepting black recruits 5,000 blacks enlisted in state militias and the Continental Army

Lord Dunmore's 1775 Proclamation

Voluntary release of slaves in 1780s by many owners in Virginia and Maryland Most states discouraged the importation of more slaves Vermont Constitution of 1777 banned slaves

First Emancipation

Disguised herself as a man and fought in the Continental Army Extracted a bullet from her own leg

Deborah Sampson

Organized by Esther Reed and Sarah Franklin Bache Raised funds Helped propel women into new areas of public activisim

Ladies' Association

Wife of early president and shrewd analyst of public affairs

Abigail Adams

Husband had legal authority over the person, property and choices For women, marriage contract superseded the social contract

Principle of "Coverture"

Term for role that women played in training the future citizens Encouraged the expansion of eduational opportunities

Republican Motherhood

First written constitution of the United States Drafted by congress in 1777 and ratifed by the states in 1781 and allowed much power to retain with the states More of a treat for mutual defense One house Congress with each state having single vote Major decisions required approval of nine states No power to levy taxes or regulate commerce No executive or president to enforce laws No judiciary to enforce laws Amendments required unanimous consent

Articles of Confederation

Treaties that secured large tracts of land for the United States from the Indians Fort Stanwix, New York in 1784 Fort McIntosh near Pittsburgh in 1785

Peace Conferences

Established stages of self-government for the West Drafted by Thomas Jefferson Divided region into districts governed by Congress and then admitted to the Union

Ordinance of 1784

Regulated land sales north of the Ohio River Became known as the "Old Northwest" Sections of one square mile, 640 acres sold for $1 per acre. One section set aside for public education

Ordinance of 1785

Established three to five states north of the Ohio River Jefferson's principle of "empire of liberty" -- admit states as political equals Prohibited slavery in the Old Northwest

Ordinance of 1787

"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing"

Thomas Jefferson

"Liberty [is] endangered by the abuses of liberty as wellas the abuses of power"

James Madison

Believed future greatness depended on national authority Included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton plus army officers and members of Congress who were used to working with others Gathered in September 1786 to considered interstate commerce and in May 1787; decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation and draft a new Constitution

Nationalists of the 1780s

Gathering of 55 men including George Washington, George Mason, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton

Constitutional Convention

Economic theory derived from 18th century economist Adam Smith, who argued the economy would run smoothly if the government took a hands-off role Opposed high tariffs and economic protectionism

Laissez-faire Economics

Soldiers who joined the national army commanded by Washington Joined up for multi-year terms of service, unlike fellow citizens in the militias

Continentals

Belief that representation in the legislature should be based on population, with more populous states having more representatives

Proportional Representation

Proposal at the Constitutional Convention underwhich Congress would consist of one house with one representative from each state Congress would have considerable power to regulate trade

New Jersey Plan

Plan drafted by Roger Sherman of Connecticut in which one house of Congress would be based on population while in the other all states would be represented equally The plan speeded ratification of the Constitution

Great Compromise

Procedure outlined in the Constitution for the election of the president Votes from a body from each state and not the popular vote determined who is elected president A person who does not win the popular vote can still be elected president

Electoral College

Compromise that each slave would count as three-fifths of a free person South wanted slaves to count in full and the North did not

Three-Fifths Compromise

Held in all states for the purpose of approving the new Constitution of the United States Most states narrowly approved the Constitution; it was defeated in Rhode Island Constitution was passed in July 1788

Ratifying Conventions

Legislative structure consisting of two houses Membership of the House of Representatives is determined by population In the Senate, all states have equal representation

Bicameral Legislature

Governmental structure with one -house legislature United States had this structure under the Articles of Confederation

Unicameral Legislature

Exercised executive authority under the Articles of Confederation when Congress was in recess One representative served from each state

Committee of Thirteen (also known as Committee of the States)

Bills passed in 1784, 1785, and 1787 that authorized the sale of lands in the Northwest Territory to raise money for the national government Carefully laid out the procedures for eventual statehood

Northwest Ordinances

Term for supporters of the Constitution during the ratification process Later the name for the party of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams Commercial interest favored this group Influence ended after 1816

Federalists

Group that opposed ratification of the Constitution in 1787 and 1788 Feared that strong central government would take power "from the people" and behave as the British government had before the Revolution Led by Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Patrick Henry

Anti-Federalists

Addition to the Constitution proposed by James Madison that added basic protections like freedom of speech Added in 1791

Bill of Rights

Plan for a stronger central government drafted by James Madison and adopted by the Constitutional Convention Proposed that powers of government be divided between the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government

Virginia Plan

authority diffused and balanced among three branches Congress enacts laws but president can veto Federal judges nominated by president but approved by Congress President can be impeached by the House and removed by the Senate

System of Checks and Balances

Allowed slave trade to continue until 1808 South Carolina and Georgia imported 100,000 slaves until then

Slave Trade Clause

Eighty-five essays under the pen name Publius Composed by Hamilton, Madison and Jay Argued that the Constitution protected liberty and was not a threat

*The Federalist Papers*

Developed new vision that government must be based on the will of the people Size of the government was a source of stability -- the United States should "extend the sphere" Multiplicity of religious denominations offered the best security for religious liberty

Federalist 10 and Federalist 51

Freedom of religion, speech, press, right of assembly

First Amendment

Established right to "keep and bear arms" with "well-regulated militia"

Second Amendment

Established that rights not mentioned in Constitution would be retained by the people

Ninth Amendment

Established that rights not delegated to the national government rised with the states

Tenth Amendment

"We the people..." People were Indians, other persons (slaves), and people who were entitled to American freedom

Opening of American Constitution

Group led by Little Turtle that inflicted defeat on American forces in 1791

Miami Confederacy

Anthony Wayne defeated Little Turtle (Indian leader of Miami Confederacy) in 1794

Battle of Fallen Timbers

Twelve Indian tribes ceded most of Ohio and Indiana to the federal government

Treaty of Greenville of 1795

First legislative definition of American nationality Congress restricted citizenship to "free white persons"

Naturalization Act of 1790

American Revolution (1754-1789) Flashcards

(108 cards)