AMSCO United States History 2020 Edition: Chapter 5 The American Revolution and Confederation, 1774-1787
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| 14778846416 | Intolerable Acts | In 1774, the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which intensified the conflict between the colonies and Great Britain. (p. 85) Significance: The increased deployment of British troops in the colonies caused the formation of small colonial militias that served to combat the British armies; it would eventually lead to the first shots being fired at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. | 0 | |
| 14778846421 | Patrick Henry | Radical delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress. Radical delegates were those demanding the greatest concessions from Great Britain. (p. 85) Significance: He was heavily influenced by the ideals of Enlightenment philosophers at the time like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and it is reflected in his famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech in which he attributed the notions of natural rights and social contracts. | 1 | |
| 14778846422 | Samuel Adams | Radical delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He started Committees of Correspondence. (p. 85) Significance: He took to the Intolerable Acts really seriously, and he demanded major changes in their relationship with Great Britain moving forward. Like many other colonial delegates, he was influenced by Enlightenment works and ways of thought. | 2 | |
| 14778846423 | John Adams | Radical delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He had acted as a lawyer for British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. (p. 85) Significance: He took to the Intolerable Acts really seriously, and he demanded major changes in their relationship with Great Britain moving forward. Like many other colonial delegates, he was influenced by Enlightenment works and ways of thought. | 3 | |
| 14778846424 | John Dickinson | Moderate delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. He wrote "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania". (p. 85) Significance: His reaction to the Intolerable Acts was that of a moderate degree, one that was lower than a radical view but more serious than a conservative view. | 4 | |
| 14778846425 | John Jay | Conservative delegate from New York to the Continental Congress, favored a mild statement of protest. (p. 85) Significance: His reaction to the Intolerable Acts was that of a moderate degree, one that was lower than a radical view but more serious than a conservative view. | 5 | |
| 14778846426 | First Continental Congress | In September 1774, all of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates to a convention in Philadelphia. The purpose was to determine how the colonies should react to the threat to their rights and liberties caused by Intolerable Acts. (p. 85) Significance: Breaking away from England and establishing an independent nation was a really radical idea at the time, and thus, most Americans had no desire for independence; rather, they wanted to improve their relationship with Great Britain. | 6 | |
| 14778846427 | Joseph Galloway | Conservative delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. He proposed a plan that would have reordered relations with Parliament, but the plan lost by one vote. (p. 86) Significance: His plan was similar to the Albany Plan of Union at the beginning of the French and Indian War (1754) that would have formed a union of the colonies within the British empire. | 7 | |
| 14778846428 | Suffolk Resolves | The First Continental Congress adopted this statement. It rejected the Intolerable Acts and called for their repeal. It also urged the colonies to make military preparations and organize boycotts against British goods. (p. 86) Significance: It was a publicized law that called for the colonies to come together to resist the Intolerable Acts. Again, there is this motif of the colonies uniting against British authority. | 8 | |
| 14778846429 | Declaration for Rights and Grievances | The First Continental Congress passed this resolutions urging the king to make right colonial grievances and restore colonial rights. (p. 86) Significance: With the delegates being the ones who wrote this publication, they were heavily influenced by Enlightenment thinkers, and thus, they believed to have their own independent liberties as American colonists; therefore, they believed that the British government had been encroaching on these rights. | 9 | |
| 14778846430 | economic sanctions | In September 1774, the First Continental Congress created the Continental Association, a network of committees to enforce the economic sanctions of the Suffolk Resolves. (p. 86) Significance: These committees were put in place to ensure that the policies of the Suffolk Resolves were being accomplished in the colonies. | 10 | |
| 14778846431 | Second Continental Congress | In May 1775, representatives met in Philadelphia. They adopted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms. In July 1775 they sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III. (p. 87) Significance: Congress appointed George Washington as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and they also authorized a force under Benedict Arnold to raid Quebec in order to draw Canada away from the British empire. | 11 | |
| 14778846432 | Olive Branch Petition | In July 1775, the Second Continental Congress tried a last effort for peace. Colonists pledged their loyalty and asked the king to go to Parliament to secure peace and protect their colonial rights. (p. 87) Significance: This attempt at making amends with Great Britain failed as King George III rejected Congress' plea and agreed instead to Parliament's Prohibitory Act, which declared the colonies in rebellion. The Act also cut off all trade between the American colonies and England, and it removed the colonies from the King's protection. | 12 | |
| 14778846433 | Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms | In May 1775, in Philadelphia, delegates to the Second Continental Congress met. This declaration called on all colonies to provide troops to the central government. (p. 87, 128) Significance: Upon Congress issuing this announcement, it had the effect of invalidating the Olive Branch Petition because it seemed contradictory to begin building militias while requesting a peaceful relationship with Great Britain at the same time. | 13 | |
| 14778846434 | Thomas Jefferson | In 1776, he was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. (p. 88) Significance: He advocated the notion of revolting against the British government. Like many other of the Founding Fathers, he too was heavily influenced by Enlightenment philosophers, and this was greatly reflected in his written works. | 14 | |
| 14778846435 | Declaration of Independence | This declaration, written by Thomas Jefferson, declared independence and expressed the basic principles of the American revolution. It was ratified on July 4, 1776. (p. 88) Significance: Within this document, Jefferson called for the revival of colonial "natural rights", and he also said that the British government had broken the "social contract" with its subjects in the American colonies. He then goes onto list the 27 colonial grievances that the King had done onto them. The signing of this declaration was also used as a cry for assistance and sympathy from the international community (France). | 15 | |
| 14778846436 | George Washington | Moderate delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress. In 1775, at the Second Continental Congress he was appointed commander-in chief of a new colonial army and sent to Boston to lead the Massachusetts militia and volunteer units from other colonies. He later became the first president of the United States. (p. 88-89) Significance: He led the Continental Army to many successes in the Revolutionary War, and at the same time, pushed his men through difficult times where they experienced constant adversity. Some examples of the former include the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Yorktown. An example of the latter includes Valley Forge. | 16 | |
| 14778846437 | Land Ordinance of 1785 | A policy that established surveying and selling of western lands. It was part of the Articles of Confederation. (p. 93) Significance: It was one of the accomplishments of the Articles, and it set aside one section of land in each township for public education. | 17 | |
| 14778846438 | Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | Created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for creating new states. Granted limited self-government and prohibited slavery in the region. (p. 93) Significance: It was one of the accomplishments of the Articles, and once the population of a particular region reached about 60,000, a petition could be made to the federal government requesting statehood. | 18 | |
| 14778846439 | Paul Revere | He warned the militia that the British were coming along with William Dawes at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. (p. 86) Significance: Because of his warning, it allowed colonial militias to set up and prepare to fire into the British army that had just destroyed the arsenal at Concord. The battle was fought at the Old North Bridge where the colonial militias attacked the British army. | 19 | |
| 14778846440 | William Dawes | Warned the militia that the British were coming along with Paul Revere at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. (p. 86) | 20 | |
| 14778846417 | Lexington | On April 18, 1775, British soldiers in Boston marched to this town to seize colonial military supplies. This is where the first shot of the Revolutionary War was fired. (p. 86) | 21 | |
| 14778846418 | Concord | After the British had marched to Lexington, they marched on to this town to destroy colonial military supplies. (p. 86) | 22 | |
| 14778846441 | Battle of Bunker Hill | On June 17, 1775 a colonial militia lost this battle to British on the outskirts of Boston. However, the British suffered heavy casualties in this first true battle of the Revolutionary War. (p. 87) Significance: Although the colonists lost the battle, it boosted morale and self confidence in their ability to hold their own ground and put up a strong fight against the British army. It was considered to be a Pyrrhic victory for the British as although they had won the battle, they experienced heavy casualties that made it seem like an overall loss. | 23 | |
| 14778846442 | Battle of Saratoga | In October 1777, General John Burgoyne's British forces were defeated by American Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold's army. This was a turning point of the war because it led to the French joining the war against Great Britain. (p. 90) Significance: Once news was spread to Europe of a colonial victory against the British, the French saw this as an opportunity to devastate their rival of Great Britain. As the war was going on, the French had been secretly sending military aid to the colonists, but after the colonial victory of Saratoga, they began openly sending assistance and support to the colonial war cause. | 24 | |
| 14778846443 | George Rogers Clark | In 1778-1789, he led the capture of series of British forts in the Illinois country. (p. 90) | 25 | |
| 14778846444 | Battle of Yorktown | In 1781, the last major battle of the Revolutionary War was fought on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. Supported by French naval and military forces, Washington's army forced the surrender of a large British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis. (p. 90) Significance: This was the battle that guaranteed colonial triumph over the British in the whole scheme of the war, and the Continental Army would not have been able to accomplish this without French aid and the resilient military and political leadership of George Washington and others. | 26 | |
| 14778846445 | Articles of Confederation | Adopted by Congress in 1777, it created a central government with limited powers. In 1788, it was was replaced by the Constitution. (p. 91) Significance: Although it was eventually replaced due to its inefficiency, it was the first government of the American colonies that united them under rule at the federal level. | 27 | |
| 14778846446 | unicameral Legislature | The Articles of Confederation established a central government that consisted of just one body, a Congress. In this unicameral (one-house) legislature, each state was given one vote, with at least 9 of 13 votes required to pass important laws. (p. 92) Significance: Because of the way the government was set up, it was extremely difficult to pass any laws due to the fact that a two-thirds majority of the states had to agree with said law. In order to amend an established law, there had to be a unanimous agreement among the colonies which was practically impossible. | 28 | |
| 14778846447 | absolute monarch | Although France had this kind of government, King Louis XVI decided to help the colonies succeed in their rebellion in order to weaken Great Britain. (p. 90) | 29 | |
| 14778846448 | Prohibitory Act | In August 1775, Britain's King George III agreed to this act passed by Parliament, and declared the colonies were in rebellion. (p. 87) Significance: This was a result of the Olive Branch Petition being sent out by the Continental Congress to British Parliament and its failure to refine their relationship with the British. This was another factor that led to the American Revolution as it further motivated Great Britain to send more troops to the colonies for greater control and greater influence. | 30 | |
| 14778846449 | Treaty of Paris | In 1783, this treaty between Britain and the United States brought an end to the Revolutionary War. It stated that: 1. Britain would recognize the existence of the United States of America. 2. The Mississippi River would be the western border of the U.S. 3. Americans would have fishing rights off the coast of Canada. 4. Americans would pay debts owed to British merchants and honor Loyalist claims for property confiscated during the war. (p. 91) Significance: The losers of the Revolutionary War included the Natives because with no more British authority in America, colonists could freely encroach on the Natives' lands. Women still did not receive the same rights as men did, even though they contributed to the war effort by taking up farms and businesses while the men were off fighting. African Americans were losers of the war as well, and they did not have the same rights as white men regarding voting across several states. Northern states would eventually allow African Americans to vote, but southern states were still restrictive on the black community and still saw them as unequal and as their own property (chattel slavery). | 31 | |
| 14778846419 | Thomas Paine; Common Sense | In January 1776, Thomas Paine wrote this pamphlet that argued in clear and forceful language that the colonies should break with Britain. (p. 88) Significance: Paine's written work evoked really radical messages at the time, and he was influenced by Enlightenment thought. | 32 | |
| 14778846450 | Patriots | Most of these soldiers came from New England or Virginia and wanted freedom for the colonies. (p. 88) Significance: Patriots were radical thinkers, and they desired to break off from mother England and form their independent nation. During the way, they usually resided in the countryside (western frontier) while the British occupied the urban areas. The Patriots, however, were familiar with the colonial land, and they fought with an ideological commitment. | 33 | |
| 14778846420 | Loyalists (Tories) | The pro-British Loyalists, the majority of this group tended to be wealthy and conservative and many were clergy and government officials. (p. 89) Significance: They were considered "traitors" in the American colonies, and they were known as "Tories" in England after the popular political party at the time. They had their property seized, and they were constantly harassed by Patriots. About 80,000 Loyalists emigrated from the United States after the war. | 34 | |
| 14778846451 | Minutemen | The colonial militia. (p. 86) Significance: They were given the moniker because they had to be ready to fight at a minute's notice. They were normal townsfolk who were conscripted into the colonial militia (Continental Army), and they consisted of mainly farmers and other middle-class citizens. | 35 | |
| 14778846452 | Continentals | Paper money issued by Congress which became almost worthless due to inflation. (p. 90) Significance: After King George III had received the Olive Branch Petition from the colonists, he disregarded it and allowed British Parliament to pass the Prohibitory Act of 1775 that declared the colonists to be in a state of rebellion. It also cut off all trade between Great Britain and the colonies. Because of this, there was major inflation for the colonial economy, and these valueless Continentals were a result of this. | 36 | |
| 14778846453 | Abigail Adams | She was the wife of John Adams. During the Revolutionary War, she wrote letters to her husband describing life on the homefront. She urged her husband to remember America's women in the new government he was helping to create. (p. 94) Significance: She called for the rights of women with her famous quote: "Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors." Women, however, were still seen as second-class citizens with limited rights, although they heavily practiced "republican motherhood" during the American Revolution. | 37 | |
| 14778846454 | Deborah Sampson | At the age of 21, she dressed up as a man in order to fight in the Revolutionary War. (p. 94) | 38 | |
| 14778846455 | Valley Forge | Washington's troops spent the harsh winter of 1777-1778 here after losing Philadelphia to the British. (p. 89) | 39 | |
| 14778846456 | Mary McCauley (Molly Pitcher) | Also know as Molly Pitcher, she carried water to soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth Court House and took over her husband's gun when he was overcome by heat. (p. 94) | 40 | |
| 14778846457 | Shays' Rebellion | Daniel Shays led other farmers in this uprising against high state taxes, imprisonment for debt, and lack of paper money. (p. 93) Significance: The federal government was took weak to put the rebellion down, and the Massachusetts militia eventually dissolved the rebellion. It increased the calls for a stronger central government as the colonial delegates (upper-class citizens) were fearful of what was to come for them if they continued under the Articles of Confederation. | 41 |
