Vocabulary Review

Chapter 4: The Revolutionary

Era

Revolution
the overthrow of a political system
by the governed.

Samuel Adams
American Revolutionary who sparked
the Boston Tea Party. Signed the
Declaration of Independence.

Stamp Act
required a government tax stamp on
all legal documents such as contracts
and licenses.

Sugar Act
a tax on sugar and molasses
imported from the French and
Spanish West Indies

Writs of Assistance
a writ gave customs officers the right
to search colonial homes for
smuggled goods without a search
warrant

Boston Massacre
an incident in which British soldiers
fired into a crowd of colonists, killing
five people.

Committee of Correspondence
a political network to unify the
colonists

Intolerable Acts
Series of laws passed by Parliament
to punish the rebellious colonists

First Continental Congress

Sept. 1774, Philadelphia. Delegates
issued a Declaration of Rights
protesting Great Britains actions.

Minutemen
colonial militia/soldiers ready to fight
in a minutes notice

Battle of Lexington and Concord

Battle of the Revolutionary War
where the first shot of the war was
fired on April 19, 1775.

Second Continental Congress

Meeting of representatives that
began in May of 1775. The leaders
met to discuss what would happen
next.

Thomas Jefferson
One of the framers of the
constitution. He later became
President of the United States.

Continental Army
Name given to the military (army)
established by the rebelling colonies.
George Washington was placed in
charge.

John Adams
Colonial Lawyer and politician.
Defended the British soldiers
involved in the Boston Massacre.
Later became the second President
of the United States.

Battle of Bunker Hill

June 17, 1775- Continental and
British armies meet in the first major
battle of the American Revolution.
The Colonists lost after running out of
ammunition and other supplies.
They were forced to retreat.

Loyalist
Name given to a colonist who
remained loyal to England.

Patriot
Name given to those colonists who
rebelled against England.

Thomas Paine
a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine
that criticized monarchies any
convinced many American colonists
of the need to break away from
Britain

Common Sense
Pamphlet containing the ideas of
Thomas Paine.
Reasons why the Colonists should
revolt.

Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams.
Was herself a Patriot.

Redcoats
Nickname given to British soldiers
because of the color of their
uniforms.

Battle of Saratoga
October 1777- This American victory
over the British was considered the
turning point of the American
Revolution.

Valley Forge
Winter quarters for Washington and
the Continental Army. (1777-1778).
Very Harsh conditions.
Received important military training
from European officers.

Inflation
Money becomes worthless when it is
over printed without the funds to
back it up.

Marquis de Lafayette
French noble who became a hero of
the American Revolution.

Nathaniel Greene
One of the leaders of American
militia forces fighting in the South.

Charles Cornwallis
Supreme commander of British
forces in the American Revolution.

Count de Rochambeau
Leader of French troops who came to
support the Colonists.
He brought about 6,000 soldiers.

Battle of Yorktown
October 1781- Last major battle of
the American Revolution.
Cornwallis was forced to surrender to
Washington and the continental
army.

Treaty of Paris
September 3, 1783- England
officially recognized the U.S. as an
independent nation.