Revolutionary War Notes

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Revolutionary War Notes
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Proclamation of 1763

• This law forbade the colonists from settling west
  of the Appalachian Mountainsit was considered
  too expensive to defend colonists against Indian
  attacksit angered colonists because they felt
  they had a right to settle anywhere

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King George III

• Ruler of Great Britain and the colonies during
  the time of the revolutionhe either wanted to
  ignore the colonies or punish them for acts of
  rebellionhe allowed the acts to be passedhe
  suffered from Gunthers disease which caused
  people to go mad

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December 16, 1773

• In an act of rebellion against the British Tea
  Act, the Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea
  Party. Men and boys disguised as Indians boarded
  three British ships and dumped the entire cargo
  of tea into Boston Harbor. It angered the
  British government terribly.

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Revolutionary War Terms-Groups 12

• Boycottrefusal to buy certain goodsused widely
  during this time period as an act of rebellion
  against different British taxes on goods
• Committees of Correspondencea network of letter
  writers secretly spread news of interests
  concerning the Colonies and British control. It
  assisted in furthering boycotts and rebellion in
  the colonies.

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Taxation Without Representation

• One of the colonies chief complaints was that the
  colonies were being taxed by Parliament without
  representation. The colonies asked several times
  for representation and were refused.

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Quartering Act and Stamp Act

• Quartering Act was passed by Parliament in an
  effort to save money spent on British troopsit
  tried to force colonists to house, feed, and
  provide supplies for British troops. It was
  refused by the colonists.
• Stamp Act was created to force colonists to pay
  for a tax stamp on any official printed document
  including newspapers, licenses, etc. Colonist
  also refused to pay this tax.

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Samuel Adams

• He was the leader of Bostons Sons of Liberty who
  urged colonists to refuse the many taxes being
  forced upon the citizens. He organized the Tea
  Party and was very influential in many aspects of
  the rebellion.

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April 19, 1775

• The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the
  first battles of the Revolution. The British won
  both battles but the militia made a strong
  impression of the force on the road between
  Lexington and Concord forcing the British to
  retreat to Boston. The shots fired at Lexington
  were The shots heard around the world.

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Olive Branch Petition

• This document was drafted in 1775 by the
  Continental Congress, it made a last ditch effort
  to ask King George III and parliament to restore
  harmony between England and the colonies. King
  George and Parliament refused and insisted on
  punishing the colonies for any acts of rebellion
  and war.

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Townshend Acts

• These new taxes were proposed to Parliament
  member Charles Townshend as a way to raise money
  in the colonies. It was passed in 1767 and
  forced the colonies to suspend their assemblies
  of government until they obeyed the quartering
  act. It also placed taxes on goods such as glass,
  paper, paint, lead, and tea. These angered
  colonists.

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George Washington

• He was selected by Congress to be the General of
  the Continental Army once war was finally
  declared. After the war had been won, he was
  asked to be the President of the 2nd Continental
  Congress which created the Constitution. He was
  later asked to be the First President.

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June 17, 1775

• On this date, militiamen seized Bunker Hill and
  Breeds Hill behind Charlestown. The militia had
  built fortifications and the British panicked and
  attacked them. It was here that the famous line
  Dont fire until you see the whites of their
  eyes was spoken by Colonel William Prescott.
  The militia waited and then fired. The British
  retreated, but came back. The British won, but
  lost more men than the militia did. This event
  is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill.

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Revolutionary War Terms Groups 34

• Minutemen-rebel or Patriot soldiers ready to
  fight at a moments notice-often leaving farms or
  jobs to go fight
• Redcoat-nickname given to British soldiers
  because of their bright red uniformsanother
  nickname was lobsterbacks

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Mercenaries or Soldiers of Fortune(professional
soldiers)

• Great Britain was able to hire German soldiers to
  fight for Great Britain because they had the
  money to do sothey were called Hessians(Group 3)
• The colonies didnt have enough money to hire
  their own professional soldiers, but Ben Franklin
  helped secure Frances help and soldiers were
  sent from France to help the colonists(Group 5)

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Boston Massacre

• Angered by Redcoats being in Boston and taking
  jobs belonging to colonists some young people and
  dockworkers insulted a group of soldiers. A
  fight broke out and the soldiers fired their
  weapons into the crowd killing 5 unarmed citizens
  including Crispus Attucks who was a free slave.
  It was named the massacre to fuel the rebellion.

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Thomas Paine

• During the early part of the Revolution, he was a
  recent immigrant from England. He did not agree
  with King Georges treatment of the colonies and
  urged citizens to make a complete break from
  England. He wrote the pamphlet Common Sense
  which called for colonial independence.

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July 4, 1776

• The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the
  Continental Congress. It was written primarily
  by Thomas Jefferson. It took months for everyone
  to sign it. John Hancock signed it in large
  letters in hopes that King George could read it
  clearly. It officially declared our independence
  from Britain and officially began the war.

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Boston Tea Party

• The Boston Tea Party was an organized protest of
  the Tea Act. It was organized by the Sons of
  Liberty. On Dec. 16, 1773 men and boys disguised
  as Indians boarded three British ships and dumped
  342 boxes of tea into Boston Harbor. It was a
  peaceful protest in which there was no violence
  and they didnt harm any other cargo other than
  the tea. This rebellious act angered the British
  government which punished the Massachusetts
  colony heavily including closing the port to any
  trade at all.

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Thomas Jefferson

• He was a highly respected political leader from
  Virginia. He was chosen to write the Declaration
  of Independence at age 33 because he was a
  brilliant thinker and writer. He later became
  our president.

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Oct. 6-19, 1781

• These are the dates for the Battle of Yorktown
  although it didnt all happen in Yorktown.
  American and French troops bombarded Yorktown
  with cannon fire turning its buildings to rubble
  and cornering British General Cornwallis. On
  Oct. 19, 1781 he surrendered with his force of
  8000 men. This was the final battle of the war.

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Revolutionary War Terms Groups 56

• Common Sense was a political pamphlet written by
  Thomas Paine urging colonists to make a complete
  break with Britain. It was very successful and
  sold more than 100,000 copies in three months in
  1776.
• Flintlock musketweapon used by many soldiers
  during the war. It had a small piece of flint
  used as the ignition to fire the gun.

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Intolerable Acts

• Parliament passed this series of acts meant to
  punish the Massachusetts colony for the tea party
  and serve as a warning for other colonies. The
  most important part of these acts closed the port
  of Boston which meant no goods could be bought or
  sold. It also banned the committees of
  correspondence, allowed troops to stay wherever
  was necessary, and many other harsh controls. It
  was given the name intolerable by the colonists.

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Ben Franklin

• A great inventor, Congressman, and writer, he
  urged Congress to separate from Britain. He also
  encouraged Jefferson to write the Declaration of
  Independence. He was chosen to go to France to
  persuade them to help during the war. He was
  only successful after the Battle of Saratoga.
  The French then helped us win the war.

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September 3, 1783

• On this date, the Treaty of Paris is signed
  officially ending the Revolutionary War. The
  treaty contained six specific conditions granting
  the United States independence and established
  its boundaries on the west, north, and south.