Term
#98) What was happening in England to distract the British from American Affairs during the "Period of Salutary Neglect," or the "Period of Benign Neglect"?
-- When was this period? |
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Definition
The time period from 1650 - 1750 was full of revolutionary fervor in Britain.
1) Oliver Cromwell executed King Charles I and strengthened the power of the people over the monarchy, by strengthening Parliament;
2) Cromwell died and Britain reverted back to monarchy -- Charles II was reinstated as King.
3) William and Mary were later deposed. |
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Term
| #99) What was the "Period of Salutary Neglect" and why was it beneficial to the development of the American colonies? |
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Definition
| From 1650 - 1750 the British government largely ignored the colonies. The British government saw the colonies as important for economic income. As a result, the British passed laws regulating colonial trade so the British always profited, but basically allowed the colonies to govern themselves and to begin to create an identity separate from Great Britain. |
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Term
| #100) What colonies were more important to the British than the American colonies and why? |
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Definition
| The West Indies (islands in the Caribbean Sea) provided more important resources to Britain than the colonies under the mercantilist system, so they were more "valuable." They produced sugar and rum. |
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Term
| #101) What is "mercantilism"? |
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Definition
| It is a world view that says that powerful countries have the right to establish colonies so that these colonies could provide the "mother nation" with inexpensive natural resources and a market for finished goods created from those natural resources. |
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Term
#102) What was "Bacon's Rebellion"?
-- When did it happen?
-- Why was it important? |
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Definition
| In the 1670's the Indians were resentful at being pushed further west off their ancestral lands. Settlers in the western parts of the colonies felt they were being used as a buffer for the wealthy Eastern landowners. Bacon led a colonial army he raised over this issue to attack two Indian tribes and later to attack the colonial British governor and burn down Jamestown. "Bacon's Rebellion" is important because it is the first armed struggle against British rule. |
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Term
#103) Who was Metacom?
-- What did he want?
-- What is the war fought against him called and why? |
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Definition
| The charismatic leader of "King Philip's War," Metacom (insultingly called "King Philip by the colonists) was the chief of several American Indian tribes in the 1670s. He believed the only way to stop colonial expansion was with armed resistance and unification of tribes. In 1675 - 76, Metacom's united tribes (Wampanoag, Narragansett and Nipmuk) wiped out 20% of the settler's towns in New England, and killed 5% of the adult colonial population. However, Metacom lost the war and 25% of the Indians were killed and the remaining Indians were captured and sold into slavery. |
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Term
#104) What was "The First Great Awakening"?
-- When did it happen?
-- Who are the two most important people associated with this event?
-- What did they accomplish? |
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Definition
| Between 1730 - 1760, many colonists returned to the church and organized religion after the Enlightenment's emphasis on science and reason. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were the two most important preachers, calling people out to revivalist meetings where they preached hellfire and damnation. This movement is still influential today in many Southern church groups. |
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Term
#105) What were the "Navigation Acts"?
-- When were they created? |
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Definition
They were a British attempt in the 1690s to strengthen their economic control over the colonies.
1) They required the colonists to buy goods only from England;
2) to sell goods only to England;
3) prohibited colonists from producing goods that were available for sale from England;
4) tried violations of these "Navigation Acts" in vice-admiralty courts, where the colonists did not have access to a jury of their peers. |
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Term
| #106) Why didn't the colonists protest against the "Navigation Acts"? |
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Definition
| The colonists still felt a great deal of autonomy (that the British oversight was very far away and they had freedom to govern themselves). Also, the colonies were entirely dependent on Britain for trade and for military protection from Native Americans. |
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Term
#107) What is a bicameral legislature?
-- What are it's strengths?
-- Weaknesses? |
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Definition
| It is a legislative organization divided into two bodies. The lower house (our House of Representatives)is usually elected by popular vote and is responsible for making laws. The upper house (our Senate) is usually appointed (in the US, they are also popularly elected)by the governor and serve mostly to advise the government. The weakness is that the upper house often has more power than the lower, causing class conflict. A strength is that all members of society are represented in the government. |
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Term
| #108) What colony had a unicameral legislature? |
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Definition
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Term
| #109) What was the difference between the upper and lower houses of colonial legislatures? |
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Definition
| The upper house was appointed by the British governor and the lower house was elected by popular vote. |
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Term
| #110) How was Benjamin Franklin, one of America's Founding Fathers, profoundly affected by the European philosophical movement called, "The Enlightenment," that emphasized science and reason? |
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Definition
| Benjamin Franklin was a successful printer, inventor, scientist, writer, and politician. He is known for his experiements with electricity and that he invented bi-focals, lightning rods and a popular stove. He founded the first public library, the first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania. He also wrote his autobiography and Poor Richard's Almanac. |
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Term
| #111) How was Thomas Jefferson, one of America's Founding Fathers, profoundly affected by the European philosophical movement called, "The Enlightenment," that emphasized science and reason? |
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Definition
| Thomas Jefferson was a political philosopher, an architect, a musician, a book collector, a scientist, a diplomat, an inventor, and the third President of the United States. He believed strongly in the rights of man and in a government arising from the consent of the people. He believed in freedom of religion and in separation of church and state. He also worked to guarantee free education for all. As it says on his tombstone, he was the "Author of the Declaration of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia. |
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Term
| #112) What are several of Benjamin Franklin's maxims? |
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Definition
1. "A penny saved is a penny earned."
2. "God helps those who help themselves."
3. "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. |
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Term
#113) What was the approximate population of the colonies by 1700?
-- by 1750?
-- What percentage lived in the countryside on farms? |
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Definition
By 1700, there were 250,000 colonists. By 1750, there were 1,250,000.
90+% lived in the countryside on farms. |
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Term
| #114) What percentage of the population of the Southern colonies was made up of African slaves? |
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Definition
| Almost 50% of the population of the lower Southern colonies were African slaves. |
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Term
| #115) What were the three main industrial cities in the colonies(before the Revolutionary War)? |
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Definition
| Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia were the main industrial cities. |
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Term
#116) What was the "Albany Plan of Union"?
-- When was it written? |
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Definition
| Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea (in the 1750s) that Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New England would join together to make laws. This plan was rejected by the British King George II. |
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Term
#117) What were the "French and Indian Wars"?
-- When were they fought?
-- Who won?
-- What impact did they have on the colonists? |
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Definition
| The Indians joined up with the French to fight against the British and the colonists. These wars were fought over 7 years, from 1756 - 1763, when the French finally surrendered. It was largely caused because the colonists were expanding westward into lands claimed by the French and inhabited by the Indians. Upon surrender, the French awarded Canada to the British and all western lands up to the Mississippi River. These wars led to the American Revolutionary War because the British taxed the colonists to get paid back for their participation in the French and Indian Wars. |
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Term
| #118) What were the end results of the French and Indian Wars? |
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Definition
| The British won over the French and the Indians. Great Britain took over possession of Canada. Britain got Florida from the Spanish, because they had been supporting the French. England also got all the lands of North America east of the Mississippi River. The Indians were pushed over the Mississippi River to the Great Plains. These wars led to the American Revolutionary War because the British incurred great debt which they raised taxes on the colonists to repay. |
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Term
#119) What was "Pontiac's Uprising"?
-- When did it happen? |
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Definition
| After the French and Indian Wars, the Indians were abandoned by the French. To protect themselves from the British, several tribes in the Ohio Valley joined Pontiac, the chief of the Ottawa tribes, to attack settlers in the Western frontier. These battles lasted from 1763 - 1766. It resulted in the "Proclamation of 1763," awarding all the land west of the Appalachian Mountains to the Indians. |
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Term
| #120) What was "The Proclamation of 1763" and why was it moot before it was made? |
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Definition
| It forbade the colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, but they had already begun to do so before the proclamation was passed. The object of the proclamation was to set aside lands for Indians and to stop conflicts between colonists and Indians. It was very unpopular because it was the first instance of the British imposing a rule on the colonists from afar. |
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Term
| #121) Why did the British begin to tax the colonists in the 1760s? |
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Definition
| After the French and Indian Wars, Britain had compiled a huge debt and King George II decided that since the colonists had greatly benefited from the war, they should help to pay for it. However, the colonists felt abused by being taxed from overseas with no representation. |
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Term
#122) What was the "Sugar Act"?
-- When was it made? |
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Definition
| Written in 1764, the "Sugar Act" created taxes on many staple foods, so it raised the price of survival in the colonies. It taxed molasses and other foods in order to raise money to pay off the debt Britain had incurred during the French and Indian Wars. |
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Term
#123) What was the "Currency Act"?
-- When was it made? |
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Definition
| Also created in 1764, the "Currency Act" forbade the colonists from issuing paper money, thus requiring the colonists to use only British currency. Coming after one hundred of years of "Salutary Neglect," these taxes were perceived by the colonists as British attempts to exercise unwanted authority over them. |
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Term
#124) What was the "Stamp Act"
-- When was it made? |
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Definition
| Passed in 1765, the "Stamp Act" was hated by the colonists. They immediately began to organize against it. It created another new tax on all legal documents. Colonists had to purchase a British stamp to place on the document in order for any document to be made legal and valid. It also established more vice-admiralty courts to oversee trials of colonists who violated these acts, so they had no access to a jury of their peers, which was a right guaranteed to all British citizens. |
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Term
#125) Who was James Otis?
-- What did he do?
-- When did he do it? |
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Definition
| In his best-selling pamphlet entitled, "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved," (1763), he came up with the phrase, "no taxation without representation." This became an important slogan that led toward the American Revolution. |
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Term
| #126) What was the British argument of "virtual representation"? |
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Definition
| The British did not understand why the colonists felt they were not represented because they believed the colonists received "virtual representation" because members of Parliament made decisions for the good of everyone, not just of those who voted for them. |
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Term
#127) What was the "Virginia Stamp Tax Resolution"?
-- Who wrote it?
-- When was it written? |
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Definition
| In the 1760s, Patrick Henry wrote this resolution protesting the taxes and laying out a clear argument asserting that the colonists had the right to tax themselves. It was passed by the VA legislature. |
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Term
#128) Who were the "Sons of Liberty"?
-- What did they do and when did they do it? |
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Definition
| In Boston, the colonists united to protest the taxes, forming a rebel group called the "Sons of Liberty." The colonists tore down the British customs house in Boston and almost destroyed the British governor's mansion. These groups were so powerful that none of the British tax collectors were willing to enforce the new taxes. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. |
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Term
#129) What was the "Declatory Act"?
-- When was it made? |
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Definition
| The "Declatory Act" asserted the British government's right to levy taxes on the colonies and to pass laws affecting the colonies as Britain saw fit. The "Declatory Act" showed the colonists that they had not yet made any progress toward autonomy from Great Britain. |
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Term
#130) What were the "Townshend Acts"?
-- When were they passed? |
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Definition
| Charles Townshend was in control of Parliament in the mid- to late 1760s. He created the "Townshend Acts," new taxes on goods imported from Britain. This trapped the colonists who had to pay taxes on goods imported from other countries as well. The "Townshend Acts" also suspended the New York legislature because it refused to comply with a new British law mandating that the colonists send young men to serve in the British armed forces. |
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Term
| #131) Why did the British government begin to dissolve the colonial legislatures, one by one? |
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Definition
| The Massachusetts legislature sent a letter to all the other colonial legislative bodies suggesting they work together to protest the new taxes and laws. The British government ordered all the legislatures not to discuss the letter. When the colonial legislatures discussed it, they were dissolved by order of the King of Britain. The colonists became angrier and angrier. They unified, organizing boycotts of British goods. Two years later, Parliament repealed all the taxes except the one on tea. |
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Term
#132) Who was Crispus Attucks?
-- What happened to him?
-- When did it happen? |
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Definition
| Because of the "Townshend Acts," British troops were stationed in Boston (4,000 soldiers with a Boston population of 16,000). This created a great deal of tension and conflicts. The most famous conflict occurred in 1770 when a group of soldiers fired into a crowd of civilians, killing five. The civilians had been pelting them with rocks and snowballs. Crispus Attucks was a former slave and was one of the five killed. This conflict became known as "The Boston Massacre" and was very influential in convincing colonists of the need for armed conflict with Britain. |
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Term
#133) What were the "Committees of Correspondence"?
-- What did they do?
-- When did they do it? |
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Definition
| These "Committees of Correspondence" were made up of concerned citizens who traded ideas and who reported on the political mood in their local areas. They recruited colonists to the idea that the British were treating them unfairly and that the only way to get justice was with an armed rebellion. |
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Term
#134) What was the "Boston Tea Party"?
-- What did it accomplish?
-- When did it accomplish it? |
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Definition
| Parliament gave a monopoly on tea trade to the East India Tea Company. Colonists refused to allow the tea ships in Boston Harbor to unload their tea. On Dec. 16, 1773, a group of the "Sons of Liberty" (disguised as Mohawk Indians) raided a ship and threw £10,000 of tea into Boston Harbor. This act became an important symbol of colonial protest. |
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Term
#135) What are the "Intolerable Acts," or the "Coercive Acts"?
-- When were they made? |
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Definition
| Because of the Boston Tea Party, Britain decided to punish the colonists, so Parliament passed the "Intolerable Acts" (also called the "Coercive Acts)in 1773. These Acts required the colonists to provide housing for British troops. It also increased the numbers of British soldiers, especially in Boston. The British closed Boston Harbor to all but essential goods (food and firewood). Many colonists began to realize that Britain was not going to freely give them autonomy. They began to plan for independence from Britain. |
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Term
#136) What was the "First Continental Congress"?
-- What did it accopmlish?
-- When did it accomplish it? |
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Definition
| In late 1774, representatives from 12 colonies met in the "First Continental Congress" in order to clarify colonial complaints, to come up with a plan to address those complaints, and to formulate a statement explaining what they considered to be a fair relationship between the colonies and Britain. Patrick Henry called for complete independence from Britain. Most of the other representatives were not yet ready to consider this idea. They organized a boycott of all British goods. They established "Committees of Observation" to enforce the boycott. These became de facto governments. Still, they requested the support of the king, not independence. |
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Term
#137) What were the "Minutemen"?
-- Why were they called this? |
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Definition
| "Minutemen" were members of the colonial militia, so-called because they could supposedly be ready to fight on a moment's notice. |
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Term
| #138) Why were the British soldiers heading to Concord, Massachusetts in April 1775? |
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Definition
| They wanted to disrupt the "Committees of Observation" by arresting the leaders and confiscating their weapons. |
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Term
| #139) Who were the "Redcoats" and why were they called that? |
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Definition
| The "Redcoats" were the British troops, called this because of the color of their uniforms. |
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Term
| #140) Why is the Battle of Concord in April 1775 often called "the shot heard 'round the world"? |
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Definition
| The entire world was inspired by the remarkable idea that a small group of farmers could defeat the army of the world's largest empire -- Great Britain. Many other groups of people worldwide began to imagine fighting for their independence. |
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Term
#141) What did the "Second Continental Congress" accomplish?
-- When did they accomplish it? |
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Definition
| In the summer of 1775, the "Second Continental Congress" met. George Washington was chosen to lead the Continental Army. They authorized the printing of money to support a war against Great Britain and they created a government to implement their policies. |
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Term
| #142) Which groups did NOT favor a violent revolution against the British? |
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Definition
| The loyalists (Tories) wanted to remain loyal to Britain. These consisted of: 1) those who worked for the British colonial government; 2) merchants who depended upon trade with Great Britain; 3) members of the Anglican church, which was headed by King George; 4) other religious groups which were afraid of religious persecution at the hands of a revolutionary government; and 5) slaves who also felt that their chances for freedom would be better under the British. |
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Term
| #143) What did Thomas Paine's pamphlet, "Common Sense," advocate? |
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Definition
| In 1776, Thomas Paine's pamphlet, "Common Sense," argued in favor of colonial independence and laid out a strong case for a republican form of government as opposed to a monarchy. It sold more than 100,000 copies in the first three months and was read aloud in public forums nightly. |
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Term
#144) In June, 1776, what did the "Second Continental Congress" ask Thomas Jefferson to do?
-- Why was this important? |
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Definition
| They asked him to write the "Declaration of Independence." It eloquently states the colonists' grievances against Britain, but more importantly, asserts a sweeping vision of liberty and the government's obligation to be responsive to the needs and wishes of the people. On July 4, 1776, when the "Declaration of Independence" was officially signed, the American Revolution began. |
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Term
#145) What was the Battle of Bunker Hill?
-- When was it fought?
-- Who won?
-- Why was it important in the quest for American independence? |
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Definition
| Taking place in June 1775, and won by the British, the Americans held the hill for a long time, with far fewer men. The British lost many more soldiers than the Patriots. This battle showed the Revolutionaries they had a chance to defeat the British in battle. |
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Term
#146) What were three important battles of the Revolutionary War?
-- When were they fought?
-- Who won?
-- Why were they important? |
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Definition
1777: The Battle of Trenton: Washington's troops crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, surprising the Hessian mercenary soldiers as they partied. The US won. This victory was very inspirational to the Revolutionaries.
1777 - 1778: Washington's troops endured a terrible winter of hardships of cold and hunger as they trained in Valley Forge. This was not really a battle, but because of the training and because they survived the winter ready to continue fighting, they gave inspiration to the Revolutionaries that we might win the war.
1779: The Battle of Vincennes: General Clarke established colonial control between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, so the British were no longer surrounding the colonists from the sea and from the mountains. This battle was a turning point in the war because it was clear to the colonists that they could win the war. |
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Term
#147) What was the Battle of Yorktown?
-- When was it fought?
-- Who won?
-- Why was it important? |
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Definition
| 1781: British General Cornwallis surrendered when he realized that the French navy had blocked his reinforcements from getting down the Chesapeake Bay. This was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War, which would not have been victorious but for the help of the French General Lafayette, a friend of Thomas Jefferson. |
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Term
#148) What was "The Treaty of Paris"?
-- When was it made?
-- Why was it important? |
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Definition
| After the British surrender in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay spent two years negotiating American Independence from Britain in the "Treaty of Paris." |
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Term
#149) What offer did the Continental Army give slaves to get their help to defeat the British?
-- How many slaves took the deal? |
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Definition
| The British offered the slaves freedom if they would join the fight against the colonists. 5,000 slaves took them up on their offer. |
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Term
#150) What is meant by: "One if by land, and two if by sea?"
-- Who said it?
-- When was it said? |
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Definition
| The British were aware that the colonists were stockpiling arms and munitions in Concord, Massachusetts. General Gage, commander of the British forces, was determined to seize the colonists' weapons. Paul Revere was among a small group of Patriots whose job was to keep track of British movements. On the evening of the 18th of April, 1775, he gave the word to light two lanterns at the North Church to show the British forces were coming by sea. |
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Term
#151) What is meant by "Paul Revere's Ride"?
-- When did it happen?
-- Why was it important to the development of the United States? |
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Definition
| After lighting two lanterns in the North Church to indicate that the British forces were arriving by sea, Paul Revere rode to Lexington, warning the homes along the way. During his ride, he was temporarily detained by British soldiers, but then escaped. This is important because he gave the colonists' the information they needed to fight and to learn that they had the strength to defeat the British. |
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Term
#152) How was Boston freed from British occupation?
-- When did it happen?
-- Why was this important in the formation of the United States? |
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Definition
| In June, 1775, George Washington was appointed the Commander of the Continental Army. He arrived in Boston in July to turn the militia into an army. He kept the British forces from getting goods by land and from leaving Boston overland. When the harbor froze up in the winter of 1776, American troops were able to take Dorchester Heights, a high hilly area above Boston Harbor and place artillery there, thus forcing the British navy to withdraw from the harbor, taking the British troops in Boston with them. |
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Term
#153) Who is John Paul Jones?
-- What did he accomplish?
-- When did he accomplish it? |
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Definition
| John Paul Jones was born in Scotland and apprenticed to a merchant in the America trade. He became friends with Ben Franklin and became a Patriot in the American Revolution. He helped create the early American navy and won an inspiring victory against the British, going up against a British flagship with 50 guns (the Serapis), with a much inferior ship (the Bonhomme Richard). Jones managed to defeat the British ship, and is famous for saying, when the British asked if he surrendered, "Surrender be damned! I have not yet begun to fight!" |
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Term
#154) Who was Benedict Arnold?
-- What did he do?
-- When did he do it? |
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Definition
| Benedict Arnold was a heroic commander in the Continental Army. He became angry at the Patriots when he was accused and convicted of some petty crimes and he decided to act as a spy for the British forces in order to defeat the Americans. He was promised wealth and position in England if he could turn West Point over to the British. He was appointed commander of West Point and was on the verge of handing it over to the British, when his plan was betrayed. He had to flee to the British side and lived a lowly middle class life, considered a traitor by all. |
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Term
#155) What was the "Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty(Freedom)?
-- Who wrote it?
-- When?
-- How did it influence the development of the US? |
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Definition
| Thomas Jefferson wrote the "Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom" in 1786. He was extremely proud that it passed into law and that its ideas regarding the separation of church and state made their way into the US Constitution. The Act stated that it would be "sinful and tyrannical" to compel someone to give money (in the form of taxes) to something he didn't believe in. No one should suffer at the hands of the government due to his beliefs. The state should not make any form of religion mandatory. |
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Term
#156) Who was Deborah Samson?
-- What did she do?
-- When did she do it? |
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Definition
| In 1778, in order to participate in the Revolutionary War, Deborah Samson disguised herself as a man and volunteered to join the Army. She served as a soldier for three years and her sexual identity went undetected until she was wounded in battle. Legend has it that George Washington himself ordered her discharge and paid her way home from the service. |
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Term
#157) What was the role of African-Americans in teh Revolutionary War?
-- How did they help in the creation of a strong abolitionist movement? |
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Definition
| After Crispus Attucks, an African-American, became the first martyr of the Revolutionary War, many African-Americans became active in the struggle against the British. George Washington, however, banned all African-Americans from army service. Although excited by the ideals professed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, African-American hopes for freedom were dashed. However, a strong abolitionist movement began, and starting with the state of Vermont in 1777, one Northern state after another banned slavery. Thomas Jefferson, however, never gave up his slaves. |
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