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Definition
•German American newspaper publisher and printer
•His acquittal of libel charges in New York City (1735) established a legal precedent for freedom of the press
•The Supreme Court under Chief Justice Warren reinvigorated free press rights; the case of New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) strengthened the protection of the press against libel cases brought by public figures |
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Term
| The First Great Awakening |
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Definition
•A series of emotional religious revivals occuring throughout the colonies and prevalent in New England
•Preachers proclaimed a message of personal repentance and faith to avoid hell
•Suggested an equality between an authority (God) and a fixed standard (the bible)
•Helped lay the foundation for a written “contract,” Which would be important to the establishment of the future United States Constitution |
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| Effects of the Great Awakening |
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Definition
•America’s religious community came to be divided between those who rejected the Great Awakening and those who accepted it
•More denominations of Christianity were formed
•While the Awakening created conflict among those who argued the points of religion, its ideas helped build connections between people living in different colonies
•A number of colleges were founded by those who accepted the Great Awakening, including Princeton, Brown, and Rutgers |
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•Preacher of the Great Awakening who emphasized personal religious experience, predestination, and dependence of man upon God and divine grace
•One of his well-read sermons was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
•While Edwards is known for being one of the most prominent Calvinists, the Great Awakening was partially responsible for spreading the idea that salvation was possible without predestined election, an important Calvinist belief |
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•Rivalry between France, Britain< and various Native American tribes over land in the Ohio region
•It was one of a series of wars fought between France and England throughout the world at the time
•Battles continued on European and American fronts until Britain gained control of Canada
•It was in these conflicts that George Washington first appeared as an able military leader |
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•Britain’s capable and energetic prime minister
•After several humiliating defeats, he led Britain to virtually destroy the French empire in North America by focusing on the French headquarters in Canada
•Th treaty of Paris o 1763 ended hostilities |
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•Ended Seven Years War
•From France, Britain took Canada and some of what would become the United States east of the Mississippi River
•France lost all of its North American holding
•Spain took the Louisiana Territory
•Treaty marked the end of salutary neglect, a relationship in which the British Parliament had somewhat ignored the colonies, allowing them to develop their character without interference |
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•British Prime Minister who set out to solve the large national debt incurred in recent English wars
•Created a series of acts that raised taxes on American goods, leading to the rebellious activities
•Grenville's acts included the proclamation of 1763, Sugar Act (1763), Stamp Act (1765), And Quartering Act(1765) |
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•Was a colonial writer, scientist, diplomat, printer, and a philosopher
•Published the Pennsylvania Gazette wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac
•Served in the Second Continental Congress and was a drafter and signer of the Declaration of independence |
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•Court orders that authorized custom officials to conduct non-specific searches to stop colonial smuggling
•Allowed for the searching of homes, warehouses, and shops
•James Otis served as a prosecutor in a failed Massaschusetts legal case; he argued these searches were contrary to natural law
•Later, the Fourth Amendment would protect citizens against “unreasonable searches and seizure” |
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•Was a result of Pontiac’s Rebellion, a Native American uprising against the British for their mistreatment
•Forbade white settlement west of the Appalachians to reduce friction between Native Americans and the settlers
•Stated that Native Americans owned the land on which they were residing
•Outraged colonists believed that the successful outcome of the French and Indian War should have allowed settlement in the Ohio Valley |
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•It taxed goods imported to America to raise revenue for England after it incurred debt during the French and Indian War
•Strictly enforced, unlike the Molasses Act of 1733
•Taxed goods included imports such as wine, cloth, coffee, and silk |
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•Act that required the colonies in which British troops were stationed to provide soldiers with bedding and other basic needs
•Colonists reacted negatively, fearing a standing army and disliking the additional costs
•After the emergence of the United States Constitution, the Third Amendment protected citizens against the stationing of troops in their homes |
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•Act giving Britain the power to tax and make laws for the Americans in all cases
•Followed repeal of the Stamp Act
•Colonists ignored the wording of the Declaratory Act |
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•Revolutionary resistance leader in Massachusetts
•Along with Paul Revere, he headed the Song of Liberty in Mass.
•Worked with the committees of correspondence, which provided communication about resistance among colonies
•Attended both the First and Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence |
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•Delegates of seven colonies met in New York to discuss plans for defense
•Adopted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which stated that freeborn Englishmen could not be taxed without their consent |
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•Created by British Prime Minister Charles Townshend (Greenville’s replacement)
•Formed a program of taxing items imported into the colonies, such as paper, lead, glass, and tea; it replaced the direct taxes of the Stamp Act
•Let to boycotts by Boston merchants, a key contributor to the Boston Massacre |
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Term
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Definition
•English principle stating that the members of parliament represented all of Britain and the British Empire, even though members were only elected by a small number of constituents
•This idea was meant to be a response to the colonial claim of “no taxation without representation,” meaning that parliament was itself a representation of those being taxed |
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•Occurred when the British attempted to enforce the Townshend Acts
•British soldiers killed five Bostonians, including CrispusAtticks, an American patriot and former slave
•John Adams provided the legal defense for the soldiers
•Though the British soldiers acted more or less in self-defense, anti-Royal leaders used the massacre to spur action in the colonies |
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| Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party |
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Definition
•Concession allowed the British East India Company to ship tea directly to America and sell it at a bargain; cheap tea undercut the local merchants
•Colonists opposed these shipments; they turned back ships, left shipments to rot, and held ships in port
•Led to Boston Tea Party in December of 1773, where citizens, dressed as Native Americans, destroyed tea on the British ships |
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| Intolerable Acts and Coercive Acts |
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Definition
•Name given by the Quebec Act (1774) and to a series of acts by the British in response to the Boston Tea Party
•Acts closed Port of Boston to all trade until citizens paid for the lost tea
•Acts increased the power of Massachusetts’ Royal governor at the expense of the legislature
•Allowed Royal officials accused of crimes in Massachusetts to be tried elsewhere |
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| Methods of Colonial Resistance |
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Definition
•Americans reacted first with restrained and respectful petitions, suggesting “taxation without representation is tyranny”
•Colonial merchants then boycotted British goods (non-importation)
•Colonists of the Revolution finally turned to violence
•Crowds took action against customs officials and against merchants who violated the boycotts
•Some colonists continued to follow British command and became English “Loyalists” |
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| First Continental Congress |
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Definition
•Meeting in Philadelphia of colonial representatives to denounce the Intolerable Acts and to petition in the British Parliament
•A few radical members discussed breaking from England
•Created Continental Association and forbade the importation and use of British goods
Agreed to convene an Second Continental |
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| Battles of Concord and Lexington |
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Definition
•Concord- Site suspected by British General Gage of housing a stockpile of colonial weaponry
•Paul Revere and William Dawes detected movement of British troops toward Concord and warned militia and gathered Minuteman at Lexington
•Lexington- Militia and Royal infantry fought the colonial troops withdrew |
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| The Second Continental Congress |
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•Colonial representative meeting in Philadelphia, presided over by John Hancock
•Group torn between declaring independence and remaining under British power
•Moderates forced the adoption of the Olive Branch Petition, a letter to King George III appealing one final time for a resolution to all disputes; the king refused to receive it |
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•Bunker Hill was an American post overlooking Boston; the stronghold allowed Americans to contain General Gage and his troops
•The colonists twice turned back a British frontal assault; they held off the British until the Bunker Hill force ran out of ammunition and was overrun
•America’s strong defense led to strengthened morale |
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•Pamphlet published by Thomas Paine that called for immediate independence from Britain
•Sold largely and carried favor in the colonies
•Weakened resistance in the Continental Congress toward independence |
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•Presented to Second Continental Congress by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia
•Urged to Congress to declare independence; accepted July 2, 1776
•Said, “These Untied Colonies are, and of right out to be, free and independent States” |
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| Declaration of Independence |
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Definition
•Document restating political ideas justifying the separation from Britain
•Thomas Jefferson and his committee had the duty of drafting for the Continental Congress
•John Locke’s influences served as a foundation for the document
•The final product lacked provisions condemning the British slave trade and a denunciation of the British people the earlier drafts had contained |
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