Leila Mohammadizadeh Graiser

U.S History Study Guide Revolution and the Constitution

1. Navigation Acts
IDENTIFY: a series of laws restricting colonial trade
IMPORTANCE: The system created by the Navigation Acts benefited England and proved to be good for most
colonists as well. Passing all foreign goods through England yielded jobs for English dockworkers and import taxes
for the English treasury.
2. French-Indian War
IDENTIFY: a conflict in North America, lasting from 1754 to 1763, that was a part of a worldwide struggle between
France and Britain and that ended with the defeat of France and the transfer of French Canada to Britain.
IMPORTANCE: Great Britain claimed all of North America east of Mississippi, Spain gained French lands west of
Mississippi, and France kept small islands of Newfoundland and the West Indies. After this war, Britain was in
major debt. As a result, the British began taxing the colonists, which ended Salutary Neglect.
3. Albany Plan of 1754
IDENTIFY: A proposal made by Benjamin Franklin which called for the permanent formation of the colonies.
IMPORTANCE: This plan marked the first official attempt to develop intercolonial cooperation among the American
colonies.
4. Join or Die
IDENTIFY: 1759, Benjamin Franklin drew an image of a snake in multiple pieces and had 8 colonies labeled in
relation to their location. It was meant to encourage the British colonies to unite and aid the British.
IMPORTANCE: it marked the beginning of a sense of national identity in the colonists. It was initially created as an
attempt to persuade the colonies to support the British troops in the war.
5. 1763 Treaty of Paris
IDENTIFY: Treaty that marked the official end to the French-Indian War, won by the British.
IMPORTANCE: France surrendered all territory in Mainland North America, thus ending military threat to British
colonies.
6. Salutary Neglect
IDENTIFY: an English policy of relaxing the enforcement of regulations in its colonies in return for the colonies
continued economic loyalty.
IMPORTANCE: England relaxed its enforcement of most regulations in return for the continued economic loyalty of
the colonies. As long as raw materials continued flowing into the homeland and the colonists continued to buy
English-produced goods, Parliament did not supervise the colonies closely.
7. Proclamation of 1763:
IDENTIFY: Great Britain said colonies could not settle West of Appalachian Mountains and colonists could not trade
with Native Americans.
IMPORTANCE: This occurred after the French and Indian War and ended Salutary Neglect. This ban established a
Proclamation line, which the colonists could not cross, but the ban could not be enforced.
8. Stamp Act
IDENTIFY: Tax placed on all paper good by British, including newspaper, legal documents, dice, playing cards, etc.
IMPORTANCE: When news of the Stamp Act became known to the colonists, they united in defiance.
9. Stamp Act Congress
IDENTIFY: Created by 9 colonists who met in New York to discuss issues and end Stamp Act.
IMPORTANCE: Wrote a petition to end Stamp Act (Declaration of Rights and Grievances) and demanded no
taxation without representation. This meant that Great Britain couldnt tax the colonies without having
representation in their own local, colonial legislatures. Colonists couldnt have legislatures because they were
under British rule, but didnt want G.B Parliament.
10. Sons and Daughters of Liberty
IDENTIFY: A secret resistance group of Boston composed of mainly shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers.
IMPORTANCE: They began harassing customs workers, stamp agents, and occasionally royal governors. Eventually
they forced stamp agents all over the colony to resign.
11. Committees of Correspondence
IDENTIFY: The assembling of Massachusetts and Virginia to communicate and discuss threats to American liberties
amongst other colonies.
IMPORTANCE: by 1774, these committees formed active communication networks that eventually connected
leaders from all colonies with one another.
12. Townshend Acts
IDENTIFY: Indirect taxes or duties levied on imported goods from Britain such as glass, lead, paint, and paper. The
acts also imposed a three-penny tax on tea, the most popular drink in the colonies.
IMPORTANCE: Colonists were outraged and behaved in a way to show their anger towards Britain. They had well-
organized resistances and demanded representation if they were to be taxed (no taxation without representation).
Boston's Samuel Adams called for another boycott of British goods, and American women of every rank in society
became involved in the protest.
(extra info) The Seizure of Liberty
IDENTIFY: British agents in Boston seized the Liberty, a ship belonging to local merchant John Hancock. The
customs inspector claimed that Hancock had smuggled in a shipment of wine from Madeira and had failed to pay
the customs taxes.
IMPORTANCE: The seizure triggered riots against customs agents. In response, the British stationed 2,000
"redcoats," or British soldiers in Boston.
13. Boston Tea Party
IDENTIFY: The British East India Company, which held an official monopoly on tea imports, was nearing bankruptcy
due to colonial boycotts on tea. As a result, North devised the Tea Act, which granted the company the right to sell
tea to the colonies free of the taxes that colonial tea sellers had to pay. This action would cut colonial merchants
out of the tea trade, because the East India Company could sell its tea directly to consumers for less. Colonists
protested violently. Boston rebels gathered together, dressed as Native Americans, at the Boston Harbor and
dumped nearly 18,000 of tea into the harbor
IMPORTANCE: King George III was angered by these acts and destruction of British property and persuaded
Parliament to put the Intolerable Acts into place.
(extra) Boston Massacre
IDENTIFY: a clash between British soldiers and Boston colonists in 1770, in which five of the colonists were killed.
IMPORTANCE: Samuel Adams and other colonial agitators labeled this confrontation the Boston Massacre, thus
presenting it as a British attack on defenseless citizens.
14. Intolerable Acts
IDENTIFY: In 1774, Parliament, urged by King George III after Boston Tea Party, passed a series of laws upon the
colonists. These laws included restricting the colonists from using the Boston sea ports, putting the Quartering Act
into place, not allowing the colonial legislatures to meet, and placing placed Boston under martial law, or rule
imposed by military forces
IMPORTANCE: The Acts stripped most self-governance from the Massachusetts colony. It was meant to make an
example of to the rest of the 13 colonies. Instead, the Acts were seen as Parliaments lack of concern for issues
important to the American colonies. The Acts are a direct cause of the American Revolution, as the Acts inspired
the convening of the first Continental Congress, which later began the American Revolution.
(extra) To Concord, by the Lexington Road
IDENTIFY: A source informed Warren that Gage intended to march on Concord by way of Lexington, seize Adams
and Hancock, and destroy all hidden munitions. Warren immediately sent for Paul Revere, a member of the Sons
of Liberty, and told him to warn Adams and Hancock as well as the townspeople along the way. Revere began to
organize a network of riders who would spread the alarm.
IMPORTANCE: The British marched on to Concord, where they found an empty arsenal. After a brief skirmish with
minutemen, the British soldiers lined up to march back to Boston, but the march quickly became a slaughter.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 minutemen had assembled by now, and they fired on the marching troops from behind
stone walls and trees. British soldiers fell by the dozen. Bloodied and humiliated, the remaining British soldiers
made their way back to Boston.
15. Samuel Adams
IDENTIFY: A man with a Harvard education who helped to create the Sons and Daughter of Liberty by being a
powerful and influential political activist.
IMPORTANCE: He called for the colonial boycott of British goods.
16. Common Sense
IDENTIFY: A 50 page pamphlet written by Thomas Payne attacking King George III.
IMPORTANCE: Prior to Common Sense the colonists shared no collective thought of independence from Great
Britain. Paine declared that the time had come for colonists to proclaim an independent republic. Paine stated
independence would give Americans the chance to create a better society that was free from tyranny, with equal
social and economic opportunities for all.


17. John Locke and Montesquieu
IDENTIFY: Both men were influential people during the time of European enlightenment. Locke believed people
are born with 3 natural rights of life, liberty, and property. Montesquieu declared that the governments power
comes from the people.
IMPORTANCE: The ideas of these men helped to structure the American Constitution and the government in
America. Montesquieu suggested the policy of separation of power and checks and balances amongst the
branches of American government.
(extra) Second Continental Congress
IDENTIFY: This was the Continental Congress that convened in May 1775, approved the Declaration of
Independence, and served as the only agency of national government during the Revolutionary War.
IMPORTANCE: John Adams of Massachusetts suggested that each colony set up its own government and that the
Congress declare the colonies independent.
(extra) Battle of Bunker Hill
IDENTIFY: British General Thomas Gage decided to strike at militiamen who had dug in on Breed's Hill, north of the
city and near Bunker Hill. Gage sent out nearly 2,400 British troops. The colonists held their fire until the last
minute, then began to shoot down the advancing redcoats. The surviving British troops made a second attack, and
then a third. The third assault succeeded, but only because the militiamen ran low on ammunition.
IMPORTANCE: The colonists had lost 450 men, while the British had suffered over 1,000 casualties. The Battle of
Bunker Hill became the deadliest battle of the war.
(extra) Olive Branch Petition
IDENTIFY: A document sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III, proposing a reconciliation
between the colonies and Britain.
IMPORTANCE: King George rejected the petition and issued a proclamation stating that the colonies were in
rebellion and urged Parliament to order a naval blockade of the American coast.
18. Declaration of Independence
IDENTIFY: the document, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, in which the delegates of the Continental Congress
declared the colonies independence from Britain. Jefferson drew on ideas of Locke, giving citizens the rights of
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Jefferson then declared that governments derive "their just powers
from the consent of the governed (from the people). This right of consent gave the people the right "to alter or to
abolish" any government that threatened their unalienable rights and to install a government that would uphold
these principles. This says that the American colonies declared their independence from Britain, listing in the
Declaration the numerous ways in which the British king had violated the "unalienable rights" of the Americans
IMPORTANCE: The delegates voted unanimously that the American colonies were free, and on July 4, 1776, they
adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Patriots- supporters of American independence
Loyalists- supporters remaining loyal to the British crown.
19. Valley Forge
IDENTIFY: Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over
the winter of 17771778 during the American Revolutionary War. It was led by George Washington.
IMPORTANCE: The ordeal at Valley Forge marked a low point for General Washington's troops, but even as it
occurred, the Americans' hopes of winning began to improve.
20. Marquis de Lafayette
IDENTIFY: French aristocrat and military leader who aided American during the Revolution.
IMPORTANCE: Lafayette joined Washingtons staff and experienced the life of Valley Forge. He lobbied for French
reinforcement in France in 1779 and led a command in Virginia in the last years of the war. He suggested that the
American and French armies join forces with the two French fleets and attack the British forces at Yorktown and by
following his plan the colonists defeated the British at Yorktown.
21. Yorktown
IDENTIFY: The last battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in 1781 near the seacoast of Virginia. The colonists laid
siege upon Lord Cornwallis and his troops endlessly for 3 weeks. The Colonists were lucky in that this battle was
fought on a peninsula, leaving the British surrounded by water.
IMPORTANCE: Here, Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army to General George Washington.
22. Lord Cornwallis
IDENTIFY: Ambitious British general. Left to command the British forces in the South and to conquer South and
North Carolina.
IMPORTANCE: Cornwallis led his troops to many victories in the year of 1780. Angered by the defeat at Cowpens,
Cornwallis attacked Greene two months later at Guilford Court House, North Carolina. Cornwallis won the battle,
but the victory cost him nearly a fourth of his troops. 93 troops were killed, over 400 were wounded, and 26 were
missing. He later surrendered after 3 days of being fired at by Americana and French soldiers.
23. Treaty of Paris 1783
IDENTIFY: the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War, confirming the independence of the United States and
setting the boundaries of the new nation.
IMPORTANCE: The United States now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada
to the Florida border.
24. Articles of Confederation
IDENTIFY: a document, adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 and finally approved by the states in
1781, that outlined the form of government of the new United States. . It served as a legal representation of their
confederacy, or loose union of states. It gave the central government no forcible control over the states or citizens.
As stated in the Articles of Confederation, there was no chief executive or judiciary branch and the legislature had
no power to collect or enforce taxes.
IMPORTANCE: The Articles of Confederation gave the new national government power to declare war, make
peace, and sign treaties. It could borrow money, set standards for coins and for weights and measures, establish a
postal service, and deal with Native American peoples. The Articles, however, created no separate executive
department to carry out and enforce the acts of Congress and no national court system to interpret the meaning of
laws.
25. Shays Rebellion
IDENTIFY: an uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers protesting increased state taxes in 1787.
IMPORTANCE: Shays's Rebellion not only resulted in the death of four rebels but also unsettled some of the
nation's leaders. Armies couldnt be formed to stop the farmers led by Daniel Shay due to the weaknesses of the
A.o.C. This rebellion was essentially the tipping point to calling the Constitutional Convention.
26. Federalist Papers
IDENTIFY: a series of 85 essays defending the Constitution, appeared in New York newspapers between 1787 and
1788. They were published under the pseudonym Publius, but were written by Federalist leaders Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
IMPORTANCE: The Federalist provided an analysis and an explanation of Constitutional provisions, such as the
separation of powers and the limits on the power of majorities, which remain important today.
27. Federalists
IDENTIFY: Those who are for the ratification of the Constitution
IMPORTANCE: They favored the new Constitution's balance of power between the states and the national
government. They were confident that the systems of checks and balance and seperatiion of power would protect
Americans from the tyranny of a centralized government.
28. Anti-Federalists
IDENTIFY: Those who are against the ratification of the Constitution
IMPORTANCE: They opposed having such a strong central government. They raised doubts that a single
government could manage the affairs of the country.
29. Alexander Hamilton
IDENTIFY: Leading federalist and framer of Constitution
IMPORTANCE: He and other federalists, including James Madison, used their experience and powers of persuasion
to win support for the document they had drafted. They received heavy support from urban centers, where
merchants, skilled workers, and laborers saw the benefit of a national government that could regulate trade. Small
states and those with weak economies also favored a strong central government that could protect their interests.
30. James Madison
IDENTIFY: Leader of Virgina who called a meeting of state delegates to discuss issues of interstate trade.
IMPORTANCE: Madison's Virginia Plan resulted from extensive research on political systems that he had done
before the convention. Because of his plan and his leadership, Madison is known as the "Father of the
Constitution."
31. Great Compromise
IDENTIFY: the Constitutional Conventions agreement to establish a two-house national legislature, with all states
having equal representation in one house and each state having representation based on its population in the
other house.
IMPORTANCE: Each state would have equal representation in the Senate. The size of the population of each state
would determine its representation in the House of Representatives. Voters of each state would choose members
of the House. The state legislatures would choose members of the Senate. This pleased those who favored
government by the people as it allowed voters to choose representatives. It also pleased those who defended
states' rights as it preserved the power of state legislatures.
32. 3/5 Compromise
IDENTIFY: the Constitutional Conventions agreement to count three-fifths of a states slaves as population for
purposes of representation and taxation.
IMPORTANCE: Southern delegates wanted slaves included in the population count that determined the number of
representatives in the House. Northern delegates disagreed. Not counting Southern slaves would give the
Northern states more representatives than the Southern states in the House of Representatives. This compromise
kept the North from having more representatives than the South.
33. Separation of Powers
IDENTIFY: The division of state and federal government into three independent branches.
IMPORTANCE: Under the separation of powers, each branch is independent, has a separate function, and may not
take the functions of another branch. However, they cooperate with one another and also prevent one another
from attempting to assume too much power. The legislative branchthe Congressmakes the laws. The
executive branchthe presidentimplements the laws. The judiciarythe court systeminterprets the laws and
decides legal controversies.
(extra) Checks and Balances
IDENTIFY: the provisions in the U.S. Constitution that prevent any branch of the U.S. government from dominating
the other two branches.
IMPORTANCE: prevents abuse of power amongst branches
34. Limited Government
IDENTIFY: Laws stating that a governing or controlling body power exists only within pre-defined limits that are
established by a constitution or other source of authority. These laws create boundaries beyond which the
government is not allowed to go and powers delegated to it are the only powers it has.
IMPORTANCE: Provides limited power to prevent a tyranny in which the government strips the people of their
rights.
35. Federalism
IDENTIFY: The division of power between the national and state government.
IMPORTANCE: Powers granted to the national government by the constitution are known as
delegated/enumerated powers. Powers kept by the states are known as regulated powers.
(extra) Constitution
IDENTIFY: The United States Constitution was ratified by all 13 states, replacing the Articles of Confederation. The
Constitution introduced power given to both the federal and state governments. It specifies that the US will be a
republic, with an elected president, a system of courts led by the Supreme Court, and a bicameral congress, which
is composed of the House of Representatives and Senate.
IMPORTANCE: The Constitution put into place a system of checks and balances and separation of power to ensure
that the three separate branches of governmentjudicial, executive, and legislativeall had an equal amount of
power and had the ability to check on one another to ensure no branch began abusing their power. In the 1-10th
Amendments of the Constitution included is, dissimilar to the Articles of Confederation, the Bill of Rights.
36. Bill of Rights
IDENTIFY: an official statement in the Constitution of the essential rights of the citizens of the United States
IMPORTANCE: The Bill of Rights is a guarantee that the United States Government would not infringe on rights that
are personal to every human being in US.
Battle Facts about the Battle Impact of Battle
Bunker Hill -British Victory
-America wasnt declared independent yet
-During Intolerable Acts
-In Boston
-British suffered 40% casualties
-Olive Branch Petition sent to King George III
which he declined
-he then declared all 13 colonies in a state of
rebellion
-Thomas Payne writes Common Sensethis
introduces the first collective thought of
independence from colonists.
Trenton -American victory on Christmas
-Americans had lost several small islands
-surprise attack on British troops by
crossing through the Delaware River to get
to Trenton, NY
-Demonstrated military strength of American
Army
-Increased morale of troops
-increased notoriety of George Washington
Saratoga -Turning point of war
-American victory
-beat British man, Burgoyne
-Battle that led to formal alliance with France
Yorktown -Cornwallis surrenders
-for 3 weeks, American and French troops
bombard Cornwallis from small coast of
Virginia (KEY WORD: Peninsula)
-American victory
-British surrender
-end of war
- leads to Treaty of Paris 1783
-officially ends American Revolution

FACTS ABOUT REVOLUTION BATTLES
-Britain won in Fort Cities
-America won everywhere else
-1/3 colonists in favor of war for indpenedence
-other 1/3 loyalists, final 1/3 neutral
-state/colony loyalties (colonies didnt want to become a state very badly, not very nationalistic)
-congress couldnt tax to raise $$ for Continental Army under Articles of Confederation
-troops were poorly trained (until arrival of Baron von Steuben)
-imports and exports had drastic decline during war
- the economy went down. This decline is the result of their biggest trading partner, Great Britain, being
lost after the war
Military Strategies
The Americans
-Attrition (decrease in force or supplies) because the Brits had a long supply line
-Guerilla tactics (fight an insurgent warbattle doesnt have to be won, Brits just have to be worn down)
-Make an alliance with France, Britains enemy
The British
-Break colonies is half between North and South
-Blockade ports
-Divide and conquer use loyalists
Britains Southern Strategies
-Britain thought there were more loyalists in the South
-Southern resources were more valuable
-British win number of small victories but cant pacify country side
-Good US General- Nathaniel Greene
-Marquis de Lafayette- French general who aided American army

STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS (UNFAIR GAME)
1. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FRENCH GENERAL WHO AIDED GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION?
a. Marquis de Lafayette
2. NAME THE PERSON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WRITING COMMON SENSE
a. Thomas Payne
3. NAME TWO OF THE THREE RESPONSIBLE FOR WRTING THE FEDERALIST
a. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison (3
rd
John Jay)
4. WHAT WAS THE DIRECT EFFECT OF BOSTON TEA PARTY?
a. The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) [Martial Law, Closed Harbor, no colonial legislature,
quartering act]
5. DEFINE FEUDALISM
a. The division of power between national and state governments
6. EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR
a. Marquis de Lafayette and Benjamin Franklin helped with the French alliance. Franklin was a
French diplomat sent to France and he negotiated the French alliance with America.
7. WHICH PERSON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SEPARATION OF POWERS AND CHECKS AND BALANCES?
a. Montesquieu
8. IN WHICH BATTLE DID GEORGE WASHINGTON GAIN NOTORIETY?
a. Battle of Trenton
9. WHICH SPECIFIC EVENT LED TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
a. Shays Rebellion
10. IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROCLOMATION OF 1763
a. Great Britain said colonies could not settle West of Appalachian Mountains and colonists could
not trade with Native Americans. This ended Salutary Neglect.
11. EXPLAIN TH ROLE OF GEOGRPAHY IN THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN
a. It was a peninsula
12. NAME OF THE TRAINING CAMP WHERE WASHINGTON TRAINED AMERICAN TROOPS
a. Valley Forge