Revolution and the New Nation
1754-1789 (Chapters 4-5)
French and Indian War
George Washington
Albany Plan of Union
William Pitt
Edward Braddock
Proclamation of 1763
Parliament
Pontiac
Fort Necessity
George Grenville
Fort Duquesne
Independence
Sugar Act
Stamp Act
Declaratory Act
Quartering Act
Townshend Acts
Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party
Intolerable Acts (Coercive)
Quebec Act
Committees of Correspondence
Olive Branch Petition
First and Second Continental Congresses
Common Sense
Declaration of Independence
Sons of Liberty
Stamp Act Congress
Revolutionary War
Continentals
Trenton
Camden
Treaty of Paris
Loyalists
Princeton
Cowpens
Patriots
Lexington and Concord
Bunker Hill
New York
Philadelphia (Brandywine)
Valley Forge Saratoga
Charleston
Guilford Court House
Virginia Capes
Yorktown
Freedom
Articles of Confederation
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Shay’s Rebellion
Constitutional Convention
Virginia Plan
NJ Plan
Great Compromise
3/5 Compromise
Commerce Compromise
Electoral College
Constitution
Ratification
Federalist Papers
Anti-Federalists
Bill of Rights
People
George III
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
Samuel Adams John Adams
Patrick Henry
John Hancock
Charles Townshend
John Dickinson
Crispus Attucks
Thomas Paine
Baron Von Steuben Marquis de Lafayette Paul Revere
John Burgoyne Lord Cornwallis
George Rogers Clark
Thomas Gage Benedict Arnold
Horatio Gates
Admiral William Howe
Nathaniel Greene
Roger Sherman
James Madison
William Paterson
Comte de Grasse
Alexander Hamilton
John Jay
Richard Henry Lee
Concepts
virtual v. actual representation
inflation
profiteering
federation
writs of assistance
republic
unicameral
revivals
popular sovereignty
reserved powers
guerilla warfare
militia
“peculiar institution”
egalitarianism
martial law
bicameral
checks and balances
faction
mother country unalienable
Essay Questions
1. To what extent did each of the following contribute to a more democratic society in the American
colonies: the Great Awakening, immigration, the Zenger Case?
2. Compare and contrast the American and the British views regarding the results of the French and
Indian War.
3. Compare and contrast the Townshend Acts (1767) and the Intolerable Acts (1774) in terms of both the
British reasons for enacting the laws and the nature of the laws.
4. “The American Revolution should be called the ‘British Revolution’, because marked changes in
British colonial policy were more responsible for the final division than were American actions.” Assess
the validity of this statement for the period 1763-1776.
5. To what extent did economic issues provoke the American Revolution?
6. “The Declaration of Independence has been variously interpreted as a bid for French support, an
attempt to swing uncommitted Americans to the Revolutionary cause, a statement of universal principles,
and an affirmation of the traditional rights of Englishmen.” To what extent, if any, are these
interpretations in conflict?
7. “According to the view of some historians the conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen colonies
was economic in origin, in fact the American Revolution has its roots in politics and other areas of
American life.” Assess the validity of this statement.
8. “This history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation, all
having, in direct object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states.” Evaluate this
accusation made against King George III in the Declaration of Independence.
9. To what extent is it accurate to call the American Revolution a civil war?
10. The writings of Thomas Paine had a greater impact on the winning of American independence than
any other single event, including the Battle of Saratoga.” Explain why you either agree or disagree with
this statement.
11. What evidence is there for the assertion that the basic principles of the Constitution were firmly
grounded in the political and religious experience of America’s colonial and revolutionary periods?
12. The Bill of Rights did not come from a desire to protect the liberties won in the American
Revolution, but rather from a fear of the powers of the new federal government. Assess the validity of
this idea.
13. “The genius of the Constitution is found in the series of compromises which made it acceptable to so
many.” Assess the validity of this statement with respect to how the delegates at the Convention dealt
with representation, the presidency, and slavery.
Revolutionary Period SOL Topics
VUS.4
The student will demonstrate knowledge of events and issues of the Revolutionary Period by
a. analyzing how the political ideas of John Locke and those expressed in Common Sense helped shape
the Declaration of Independence.
b. describing the political differences among the colonists concerning separation from Britain.
c. analyzing reasons for colonial victory in the Revolutionary War.
VUS.5
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the
United States Constitution and how the principles of limited government, consent of the governed,
and social contract are embodied in it by:
a. explaining the origins of the Constitution including the Articles of Confederation
b. identifying the major compromises necessary to produce the Constitution, and the roles of James
Madison and George Washington.
c. describe the conflict over the ratification, including the Bill of Rights and the arguments of the
Federalists and Anti-federalists.
d. examining the significance of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute of Religious
Freedom in the framing of the Bill of Rights.
Essential Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
How can disagreement lead to revolution?
How do leaders inspire, lead and bring unity to a cause?
How do historians determine pivotal events?
How did the American victory affect political control of North America?