Important people Flashcards
(43 cards)
1
Q
John Adams
A
-american politician
-boston lawyer
-MA representative at the continental congress
- 2nd president of the USA
2
Q
Benedict Arnold
A
- American General
- commander at Saratoga and Canada
- fled to british army after surrendering west point to Clinton
3
Q
John Burgoyne
A
-british general
-served in America from 1775
-arrived in besieged boston
- best known as commander of the army when they surrendered at Saratoga in october 1777
4
Q
Edmund Burke
A
- irish born british politician
-member of Rockinghams party
-opposed war agaisnt the americans
-proposed a plan of reconciliation before the fighting that could have prevented the war but was ignored by parliament
5
Q
Archibald campbell
A
- british commander
-captured savannah , georgia at the end of 1778
6
Q
Guy Carleton
A
- british soldier and colonial governor
-successfully defended quebec in decembr 1775 and was knighted in 1776
-succeeded clinton as commander in chief of british forces in 1782
-oversaw 1783 evacuation of NY
7
Q
Henry Clinton
A
- british general
-vet of 7 years war - served in america from 1775
-became commander in chief after Howe in 1778
8
Q
Charles Cornwallis
A
-british general
-served in america from 1776 till the end of the war
- surrendered at Yorktown in october 1781
9
Q
William Dartmouth
A
- secretary of state for the colonies when the war began
-replaced in november 1775 by Germain
10
Q
John Dickinson
A
- American politician
-philadelphia lawyer
-wrote Letters from a farmer in Pennsylvania in 1767 - articulated american resistance to taxation
-moderate in continental congress, not keen on independence
-held public office in the new USA
11
Q
John Dunmore
A
-colonial governor
-last royal governor of Virginia
-in november 1775 he tried to covince the enslaved people in the colony to join british forces
12
Q
Comte dā Estaing
A
- french admiral
- brought the toulon fleet across the atlantic in 1778
- arrived off NY in July
- threatened the british in Newport RI and then in Savannah GA
13
Q
Charles Fox
A
-british politician
-prominent opponent of the war against the americans
-foreign secretary under rockingham in 1782
14
Q
Benjamin Franklin
A
- american polymath, politician and diplomat
-represented the US in paris from 1776 and was one of the american negotiatiors in the peace talks of 1782-3
15
Q
Thomas Gage
A
- british general
- commander in chief of the british army in NA 1763-75
- governor of MA when the war broke out
- some thought he was too reluctant to use force
-replaced by William Howe
16
Q
Conde de Galvez
A
- spanish military commander and colonial administrator
-1779- took charge of the spanish attack on british west florida
-by May 1781 his forces had captured all of the british posts
17
Q
Horatio Gates
A
- American general
-former british officer - victorious at Saratoga
- for a while seen by some as better than washington
- then heavily defeated at Camden SC in 1780 by cornwallis
18
Q
George III
A
-King of Britain from 1760
- supported Lord Norths government and its prosecution of the war
- accepted the Rockingham ministry and American independence with great reluctance
-wartime role was minimal
19
Q
George Germain
A
- british politician
-succeeded dartmouth as secretary of state for the colonies in November 1775 - continued in that office until february 1782
- british minister chiefly responsible for running the war
20
Q
Comte de Grasse
A
-french admiral
- beat the british fleet led by admiral graves at the battle of the Chesapeake in spetember 1781
-helped cornwallis at Yorktown
21
Q
Thomas Graves
A
- british admiral
- commander of the fleet in north american waters in 1781
-defeated by Grasse at the battle of the Chesapeake that september
22
Q
Nathanael Greene
A
- American general from RI
- rose from a militia private when the war began to quarter master general of the continental army
- from 1780 he was commander in the south
23
Q
George Grenville
A
- british politician
- first minister in 1763-5
- responsible for the first attempts to tax the colonies after the 7 years war
- particularly comitted to his stamp duties scheme which he believed would be simple to administer and would be accepted by the americans
24
Q
Richard Howe
A
-British Admiral
- commander in chief of the navy in american waters 1776-1778
-him and his brother william were commisioners empowered to accept american surrender
-instead he chose to try to negotiate with the rebels, often going beyond his brief
25
William Howe
- british general
-commander in chief in North America 1775-8
- knighted in 1776 for his services in america
-resigned after burgoynes surrender at saratoga
26
John Jay
- American statesman and diplomat
-Served as president of the continental congress and was ambassador to spain
- involved in peace negotiations in paris in 1782
27
Marquis de Lafayette
- french officer who servd in the continental army from 1777
- commanded american troops in virginia in 1781 before the arrival of washington
28
Charles Lee
- American general
-Like gates and montgomery, he was a former british officer
- in charge of the american forces that repulsed a british attack on charleston SC in 1776
- captures by british cavalry in NJ in late 1776
- resumed service in 1778 but his reputation was damaged by his conduct at the battle of monmouth
29
Benjamin Lincoln
-American general
-surrendered charleston to Clinton in 1780
- received the british surrender at Yorktown in october 1781
30
Louis XVI
-supported french intervention to sustain americans
-first with arms , munitions and money and then with military and naval forces
31
Richard Montgomery
-American General
-former british army officer
-remained personally comitted to the british crown
-killed leading american troops at quebec on the last day of 1775
32
Daniel Morgan
- american general
-got famous for defeating the british and loyalist forces under Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens,SC in january 1781
33
Lord North
-british politician
- PM when the war began
-continued in office until March 1782
-no great war leader but he organised the funding of britains war effort
34
William Pitt (earl of Chatham)
- british politician
- leading british minister for much of the 7 years war
-popular in the colonies, even more so when he spoke in favour of repealing the stamp act
-however, his ministry of 1766-8 tried to tax americans
-in 1775 he proposed a plan to settle the disputes between the british governement and the colonies
35
Comte de Rochambeau
- french general
-commanded the french expeditionary forces sent to the US in 1780
- brought the french troops down to Yorktown for the siege that ended the war
36
Rockingham
-british politician
-formed a brief government in 1765-6 which repealed the stamp act
-came back into power in 1782 in another brief ministry which began to negotiate an end to the war
37
Philip Schuyler
- American general
-great NY landowner who receievd high command in the continental army in 1775
-nominally in charge of the invasion of canada
-suspected of defeatism he was replaced by Gates in 1777
38
Earl of Shelburne
- british politician
-colonial secretary in the rockingham gov of 1782
- became first minister after rockinghams death
-his government negotiated the peace with the americans and bourbons
39
Baron von Steuben
- american general
-served in prussian army during the seven years war
- became inspector general of the continental army , training it in european-style drill
-later became chief of staff to washington
40
Banastre Tarleton
- british soldier
-commanded the loyalist provincial corps "the british legion" in the southern campaigns of the war in america
-experienced early success
-suffered defeat at the hands of daniel morgan at the battle of cowpens in jenuary 1781
-gained a reputation for ruthlessness
41
comte de vergennes
- french politician
-louis xvi's foreign minister
- successfully argued that the french gov should take advantage of britains american troubles
- most powerful french minister of the american war period
-oversaw french negotiations at paris in 1782-3
42
Sir robert walpole
- british politician
-in power long before war
-loose-reined approach to american affairs allowed british colonies to develop an substantial degree of self governance in the 1720s-30s making them more resistant to control from the british
43
George Washington
-Commander in chief of the continental army
-virginia gentleman
-made commander by congress
-military experience in 7 years war
-southerner
-first president of the USA
