Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Proclamation Line of 1763: Imaginary Line drawn along the
Appalachian Mountains prohibiting settlers from crossing Indian
territory.
• Pontiac’s War: An uprising of Native American tribes led by Ottawa
Chief Pontiac in opposition to British policies and the settlement of
colonists into Indian territories.
• Mercantilism: Belief by the British king that the colonies exist for
the benefit of the mother country.
• Navigation Acts: Enforced Mercantilism. Forced British colonies to
trade only with England.
• Sugar Act: Tax placed on molasses/sugar products sold to colonists.
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Stamp Act: Required colonists to pay a tax on all printed
materials including newspapers, legal documents, playing
cards & dice.
• Parliament: British government consisting of elected and
appointed representatives. King has primary importance in all
matters.
• Tyranny: Absolute rule by an individual or group which
denies rights to the general population.
• Sons of Liberty: Group of colonial patriots created to oppose
British policies of tyranny. Led boycotts of British taxation.
• Townshend Acts: Tax on lead, paint, paper, glass and tea.
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Boston Massacre: An incident in which British soldiers fired into a
crowd of unarmed colonists, killing 5 people.
• Boston Tea Party: Colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians sneaked
onto three tea filled ships and dumped hundreds of tea chests into
Boston Harbor.
• Tea Act: Rule by King George III which allowed British East India
Company to sell tea directly to colonists thus eliminating the
Colonial tea merchants.
• Intolerable Acts (Colonists)/Coercive Acts (British): Laws passed by
Parliament created to punish the Colonists for the Boston Tea Party
and to tighten control of the colonies.
•
•
1. Close Boston Harbor
3. Trials held in England
2. No Town Meetings
4. Quartering Act
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Quartering Act: Part of Intolerable Acts requiring colonists to
house and feed British soldiers.
• Grenville’s Plan: Prime Minister George Grenville devised plan to
permanently fund a British army in the colonies. Grenville’s plan
included colonial taxes such as the Stamp Act.
• Committees of Correspondence: Colonial members met and
shared ideas about new British laws and ways to challenge them.
• Patriot: American colonist who fought for independence from
Great Britain.
• Loyalist: American colonist who sided with Britain during the fight
for independence.
• Propaganda: The spread of ideas designed to influence or promote
people’s opinion of a situation or event.
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Common Sense: Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine which
made the case for independence against tyranny and the
abuse of English power.
• Declaration of Independence: Document written by T.
Jefferson, B. Franklin & A. Hamilton. Formally announced the
separation of the colonies from England.
• Militia: Army consisting of civilian soldiers.
• Minutemen: Local militia: prepared to fight at a moments
notice.
• Continental Army: Paid colonial soldiers from each of the 13
colonies. Commander in Chief- G. Washington
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• 1st Continental Congress: Met to determine plan of action with
regard to implementation of Intolerable Acts.
• 2nd Continental Congress: Authorized the creation of Continental
Army to carry out the fight against Great Britain. Sent Olive Branch
Petition.
• Olive Branch Petition: 2nd Continental Congress sent B. Franklin to
meet with King George III in order to pursue peace between the
colonies and Great Britain. This effort was designed to avoid war.
• Patrick Henry: Virginian Patriot leader/member of Continental
Congress who encouraged colonists to join the Patriot cause with
his famous words: “Give me liberty or give me death”.
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Paul Revere: Boston silversmith and patriot who traveled along
with Dawes and Prescott on horseback from Boston to Concord to
warn/alert the minutemen.
• Writs of Assistance: Search warrants created to enforce
Townshend Acts. Allowed tax collectors to search for smuggled
goods.
• Regulars: British soldiers. Referred by the colonists as Lobster
backs due to their red dress uniforms.
• Tory: Another term for Loyalist. Colonists who chose to side with
the British.
• Lexington & Concord: First battle of the Revolutionary War.
Patriots were defeated in Lexington however were successful in
Concord. Best know as “The shot heard round the world”.
Revolutionary War Vocabulary
• Battle of Bunker Hill: (occurred on nearby Breeds Hill)
Patriots pushed Redcoats back 2x until running out of
ammunition and retreating. Although patriots lost, battle was
viewed as a moral victory because the battle proved the
patriots could take on the mighty British army. Best known
for Col. Prescott’s command: “Don’t fire until you see the
whites of their eyes.”
• George Washington: Commander in Chief of the Continental
Army.
• Mercenaries: Foreign soldiers paid by Britain to fight against
Continental army. Most notable were the highly trained
Hessians from Germany.