Mercantilism – colonies exist for the economic benefit of their mother country, a country's power depends on its wealth, GOLD=POWER
Representative Government – a system in which voters elect representatives to make laws for them
House of Burgesses – first representative assembly in the New World
Primary source – an original record of an event
Secondary source – interpretations of historians and writers
Joint-stock company – a company owned by a group of wealthy investors
Charter – a document that gives the holder the right to organize settlements in an area
The 13 English Colonies were located along the Atlantic Coastal Plains
Triangular trade/ Trans-Atlantic trade- a trade route that exchanged goods between the West Indies, the American colonies, and West Africa
GREAT AWAKENING – Religious revival during the early 1700’s that led to an increase in Protestant church membership and emphasized the equality of people in the eyes of God
EUROPEAN INFLUENCES
Spain
Religion, wealth, and fame
France
Established good relationships with American Indians, fur trade
Puritans (wanted to purify the Church of England), John Winthrop
Plymouth, Massachusetts
(1620)
Pilgrims/Separatists (wanted to separate from the Church of England), Mayflower Compact (self-government), William Bradford
Connecticut
First written constitution in the New World – Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Pennsylvania
Quakers – Pacifists, William Penn
Jamestown, Virginia (1607)
First permanent English settlement, Virginia House of Burgesses (first representative assembly), John Smith, Pocahontas, Cash Crop – Tobacco (John Rolfe)
Georgia
Haven for debtors, protection from Spanish Florida
CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION VOCABULARY
Militia - a group of civilians trained to fight in emergencies
Boycott - a refuse to buy items from a particular country
Repeal - to cancel an act or law
Propaganda - ideas or information designed and spread to influence opinion
Loyalists – American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence
Patriots - American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won.
Minutemen – companies of civilian soldiers who boasted that they were ready to fight in a minute’s notice
Proclamation – something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement
Liberty – freedom from external or foreign rule; independence
Committee of Correspondence – an organization that used meetings, letters, and pamphlets to spread political ideas through the colonies
Writs of Assistance – legal document that enabled officers to search homes and warehouses for goods that might be smuggled
COLONIAL REGIONS
New England
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Cold winters, thin and rocky soil, fishing, whaling, shipping/trade, established primarily for religious reasons
A blank search warrant, used by British officers to search for smuggled goods
Townshend Act
Tax on glass, paper, lead, gold, paint, and tea
Boston Massacre
Fight between colonists and British soldiers, 5 colonists were killed, Crispus Attucks (African American) was the first to die for America
Tea Act
A law that prohibited colonists from buying tea from any company other than the British East India Company
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty dressed up as Mohawk Indians and dumped a shipment of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act
Intolerable Acts
British Response to the Boston Tea Party
Shut down the port of Boston until colonists paid for tea they destroyed
Forced citizens to house (quarter) troops
Canceled town meetings
British officers accused of a crime would be tried in England
First Continental Congress
Meeting of delegates from all colonies except Georgia, declared Intolerable Acts violated their rights as English citizens, pledged to boycott British trade, began forming militias
Lexington and Concord
First battle of the Revolution, “Shot heard ‘round the world”, British marched to Concord to collect weapons, colonists met them at Lexington where the first shots of the Revolution were fired
Battle of Bunker Hill
Colonists turned back the British soldiers three times before running out of ammunition and giving up the hill, “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.”, Boosted morale because it showed the Americans they could fight
Olive Branch Petition
Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1775 in an attempt to avoid a war between the colonies and Britain
“Common Sense”
Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to urge colonists to unite in the fight against Britain, written for the common man
KEY PEOPLE OF THE REVOLUTION
Abigail Adams
Wrote to her husband (John Adams) at the Second Continental Congress urging him to “Remember the Ladies”, first advocate of women’s rights
John Adams
Defended the Redcoats during the Boston Massacre trial, 2nd U.S. President
Samuel Adams
Leader of the Sons of Liberty
James Armistead
African American slave who acted as a spy to help the Continental Army
Bernardo de Galvez
Spanish soldier who fought on the side of the Americans, primarily in the South
Crispus Attucks
African American killed during the Boston Massacre
Mercy Otis Warren
Female playwright whose literary works supported independence
Marquis de Lafayette
French soldier who provided training to Washington’s troops at Valley Forge
Benjamin Franklin
Author of the “Join or Die” cartoon, convinced the French to join the American war effort after the Battle of Saratoga
King George III
King of England during the Revolution
Wentworth Cheswell
Patriot, teacher, historian, first African American elected to public office
Patrick Henry
Radical patriot most noted for saying “Give me liberty, or give me death”
Thomas Jefferson
Primary author of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd U.S. President
John Paul Jones
Father of the American Navy, “I have not yet begun to fight.”
Thomas Paine
Author of Common Sense and The Crisis, “These are the times that try men’s souls…”
Paul Revere
Used propaganda to encourage Americans to join the Patriot cause, warned of the British attack at Lexington and Concord
Hyam Solomon
Jewish immigrant who helped to finance the Continental Army
George Washington
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, 1st U.S. President
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Primary author – Thomas Jefferson
Written at the meeting of the Second Continental Congress, Pennsylvania State House (Philadelphia) - 1776
Included list of grievances against King George III to justify breaking ties with England
“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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
REVOLUTION VOCABULARY
Ally – to unite for a specific purpose
Blockade – cutting off trade using troops or ships
Grievance – something that is wrong or unfair, a complaint
Guerilla Warfare – using your surroundings to your advantage
Ordinance – a law or regulation
Petition – a formal request
Traitor – a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country
Treaty – a formal agreement
Tyrant – a cruel or unjust ruler
Unalienable rights – rights that cannot be taken away
EVENTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Lexington/
Concord
First battles of the Revolution
Started the American Revolution
Bunker Hill
Boosted morale for the colonies
Saratoga
Turning point of the war, French decided to help the Americans
Valley Forge
Washington’s winter camp, harsh conditions, soldiers trained by Lafayette and Von Steuben
Shays’ Rebellion demonstrated the need for a stronger central government
RESULT?
Delegates created a new Constitution with 7 basic principles: popular sovereignty, separation of powers (established 3 branches of government), limited government, individual rights, checks and balances, federalism, and republicanism
INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
John Locke
Introduced the idea that people are born with inalienable rights – life, liberty, and property
William Blackstone
Discussed the right to pursue happiness in his writings
Charles de Montesquieu
Introduced the idea of separation of powers (executive, judicial, and legislative) in his writings
Thomas Hooker
His democratic principles were instrumental in the creation of America’s first written constitution, The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
William Penn
Established Pennsylvania as a safe haven for Quakers
Virginia Plan (Large States)
Bicameral (2 houses) System
Representation based on population
New Jersey Plan (Small States)
Unicameral (1 house)System
Equal Representation
Great Compromise
Bicameral (2 Houses)
Senate – Equal Representation
House of Representatives – Representation based on population
The 13 English Colonies were located along the Atlantic Coastal Plains
