Name: _____________________
Mr. Ferrara
U.S. History I- Period ___
3-January-2013
Chapter 6 Study Guide
Key Terms
1. King George III: British monarch who reigned during the American Revolution.
2. Sugar Act: law placing a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped to the colonies.
3. Boston Tea Party: incident in 1773, when colonists protested British policies by boarding British
ships and throwing their cargoes of tea overboard.
4. Stamp Act: law requiring all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing
that a tax had been paid.
5. Townshend Act: acts passed by Parliament in 1767 to tax imports in the colonies.
6. Boston Massacre: incident in 1770 in which British troops fired on and killed American colonists.
7. First Continental Congress: meeting of delegates from most of the colonies called in reaction to
the Intolerable Acts.
8. Second Continental Congress: America’s government during the Revolutionary War.
9. Minutemen: group of armed civilians, trained to be ready at a minutes warning.
10. Intolerable Acts: series of laws, known in Britain as the Coercive Acts, meant to punish
Massachusetts and clamp down on resistance in other colonies.
11. Thomas Jefferson: delegate from Virginia and author of DOI.
12. Declaration of Independence: document that declared independence from Great Britain.
13. Olive Branch Petition: document sent by colonists to King George in an effort to restore peace
between the quarreling sides.
14. Boycott: Refusal to buy.
15. Repeal: Reject
16. Propaganda: Information, of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a
particular political cause or point of view. (Boston Massacre)
17. Quartering Act: act requiring the colonists to quarter, or house, British soldiers and provide
them with supplies.
18. Thomas Paine: political radical and author of Common Sense.
19. Ethan Allen: leader of a Patriot group of fighters known as the Green Mountain Boys,
responsible for the attack on Ft. Ticonderoga.
20. Paul Revere: Boston silversmith who was responsible for Boston Massacre image. In addition,
rode to the countryside to spread news of the British movement prior to Lexington.
Battles/Events
-
Lexington and Concord
o Why did the battle occur?
-First battles of the Revolutionary War. The British had previously taken over the city of Boston, they
had heard that the Colonists were storing ammunition in a nearby town (Concord). The British led by
General Gage, advanced to Concord to seize the Colonists weapons they ran into the Continental Army
in Lexington. The colonists had already known about the British plan to seize their weapons in Concord
through spies (Dawes, Revere, and Dr. Prescott) . Nobody knows who fired the first shot in Lexington,
but it became known as the “shot heard round the world”. The British easily defeat the Colonists and
advance to Concord to obtain the Colonists’ ammunition. The colonists were better prepared in
Concord and were able to defeat the British by hiding behind trees, houses (home-field advantage).
o Who won each battle?
British won in Lexington
Colonists won in Concord
- Bunker Hill
o Why did the battle occur?
- British still had control of Boston. Colonists built up fortifications in Breed’s Hill which rose
above the town of Boston. British marched up the hill and attacked the Colonists. Instead of
surrounding the Colonists, the British marched straight towards them. They took over the hill
but they lost over 1,000 soldiers.
o Who was victorious?
- British, but at a tremendous cost. More than 1,000 British casualties.
- *Ft. Ticonderoga
o Why did the Colonists attack this fort?
- To obtain cannons and ammunition from the British.
o Who led the attack?
- Ethan Allen- Green Mountain Boys
o What was the outcome? Why was it significant?
- Colonists attack and capture fort in 1775. As a result they were able to obtain a large supply of
artillery from the British.
Acts/Policies
1. Sugar Act (1764):
- What did the act/policy make the colonists do?
Tax on sugar
- How did the colonists react to the policy?
Colonists continue to smuggle.
2. Stamp Act (1765)
-
What did the act/policy make the colonists do?
Forced to pay taxes on all paper goods and legal documents (sales tax)
How did the colonists react to the policy?
Sons of Liberty- Violent protest
Boycott- Nonviolent protest
3. Townshend Acts (1767)
-
What did the act/policy make the colonists do?
Tax placed on glass, lead, paper, tea.
How did the colonists react to the policy?
Colonists boycott- later repealed
4. Tea Act (1773)
-
What did the act/policy make the colonists do?
The only tea colonists could buy was from Britain. (Monopoly)
How did the colonists react to the policy?
Boston Tea Party
5. “Intolerable” Acts (1774)
-
What did the act/policy make the colonists do?
Closed Boston Harbor, Royal Governor increased power, Banned town meetings, Replaced
elected council with an appointed council from Britain.
-
How did the colonists react to the policy?
Organized First Continental Congress, led to Lexington and Concord.