American Pageant 16th edition Vocabulary Words and Definitions
*You are responsible for all terms in your readings and assignments as well as the terms below.*
Chapter 6: “The Duel for North America”
1. Samuel de Champlain -- French explorer who sailed to the West Indies, Mexico, and Panama. He wrote
many books telling of his trips to Mexico City and Niagara Falls. His greatest accomplishment was his
exploration of the St. Lawrence River and his latter settlement of Quebec.
2. William Pitt -- British leader between 1757-1758. He was a leader in the London government earning
himself the name, "Organizer of Victory" for his leadership in changing the direction and organization of the
French & Indian War. Pittsburg was named after him.
3. Robert de La Salle -- French explorer who named Louisiana. He was the first European to float down the
Mississippi River to the tip from Canada and upon seeing the beautiful river valley, named Louisiana after his
king, Louis XIV, in 1682.
4. James Wolfe -- British general whose success in the Battle of Quebec won Canada for the British Empire.
Even though the battle was only fifteen minutes, Wolfe was killed in the line of duty. This was a decisive
battle in the French and Indian War. Edward Braddock -- British commander during the French and Indian
War. He attempted to capture Fort Duquesne in 1755. He was defeated by the French and the Indians who
fought “Indian Style of Warfare” (guerilla warfare hiding behind trees and rocks) At this battle, Braddock was
mortally wounded.
5. Pontiac -- Indian Chief who led a post-war flare-up in the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes Region in
1763. His actions led to the Proclamation of 1763 which forbade American settlements across the
Appalachians and infuriated Americans who felt they’d just fought a war to win that land.
6. Huguenots -- French Protestants that lived from about 1560 to 1629. Protestantism was introduced into
France between 1520 and 1523, and the principles were accepted by many members of the nobility, the
intellectual classes, and the middle class. At first the new religious group was royally protected, but toward
the end of the reign of King Francis I they were persecuted. Nevertheless, they continued to grow, were
persecuted, then fled to the New World.
7. French and Indian War – A war that generally saw the French and Indians team up against English and
Americans. I took place on American soil over control of the Ohio River Valley. The English defeated the
French in 1763. Historical significance lay in the facts that (1) it established England as the number one
world power, (2) France was totally kicked out of North America, (3) England/America gained the land all
the way to the Mississippi River, and (4) subsequent events began to gradually change the attitudes of the
colonists toward England for the worse.
8. Albany Congress -- A conference in the United States colonies from June 19 through July 11, 1754 in
Albany New York. It advocated a union of the British colonies for their security and defense against French.
Ben Franklin was the famous proponent of the idea with his “Join or Die” disjointed snake cartoon.
Eventually, unity was NOT achieved though, as the colonies didn’t want to give up their independence and
sovereignty to a national group.
9. Proclamation of 1763 -- An English law enacted after gaining territory from the French at the end of the
French and Indian War. It forbade the colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The
colonists felt betrayed by the act thinking they’d just fought the war for the land then were not allowed to
settle there. The Proclamation of 1763 caused the first major revolt against the British.
10. Edict of Nantes (1598)—Decree issued by the French crown granting limited toleration to French Protestants;
ended religious wars in France and inaugurated a period of French preeminence in Europe and across the
Atlantic; it’s repeal in 1685 prompted a fresh migration of Protestant Huguenots to North America
11. coureurs de bois—Translated as “runners of the woods,” they were French fur-trappers, also known as
“voyageurs” (travelers), who established trading posts throughout North America; fur-trade wreaked havoc on the
health and folkways o their Native American trading partners
12. King Wiliiam’s War (1689—1697)—War fought largely between the French trappers, British settlers, and their
respective Indian allies; the colonial theater of the larger Wars of the League of Augsburg in Europe
13. Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)—Second in a series of conflicts between the European powers for control of
North Americal fought between the English and the French colonists in the North and the English and Spanish in
Florida; under the peace traty, the French ceded Acadia (Nova Scotia), New Foundland, and Hudson Bay to Britain
14. War of Jenkins’s Ear (began in 1739)—Small-scale clash between Britain and Spain in the Caribbean and in the
buffer colony, Georgia; it merged with the much larger War of Austrian Succession in 1742
15. King George’s War (1744-1748)—North American theater of Europe’s War of Austrian Succession that once
again putted British colonists against their French counterparts in the North the peace settlement did not involve
any territorial realignment, leading to conflict between New England settlers and the British government
16. Acadians—French residents of Nova Scotia, many of whom were uprooted by the British in 1755 and scattered as
far south as Louisiana, where their descendants became known as “Cajuns”
17. Regulars—Trained professional soldiers, as distinct from militia or conscripts during the French and Indian War,
British generals, used to commanding experienced regulars, often showed contempt for ill-trained colonial
militiamen
18. Battle of Quebec (1759)—Historic British victory over French forces on the outskirts of Quebec; the surrender of
Quebec marked the beginning of the end of French rule in North America
19. Louis VIX (1638-1715)—Long-reigning French monarch who took a keen interest in colonization, sending French
explorers throughout North America, establishing outposts in present-day Canada and Louisiana, and launching
France to global preeminence; oversaw the construction of the magnificent palace at Versailles, from where he
ruled until his death
20. Edward Braddock (1695-1755)—Hardheaded and imperious British general, whose detachment of British and
colonial soldiers was routed by French and Indian forces at Fort Duquesne