Common Sense – Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, published in 1776, which made a strong case for American independence.

Declaration of Independence – the document, written in 1776, in which the colonies declared independence from Britain.

English – of or having to do with England, its people, or their language.

British – of Great Britain.

Boycott – a refusal to buy certain goods as a form of protest.

Loyalist – an American colonist who supported the British in the American Revolution.

Patriot – an American colonist who sided with the rebels in the American Revolution.

Continental Army – a colonial force authorized by the 2nd Continental Congress in 1775, with George Washington as its commanding general.

Grievance – a real or imagined wrong; cause for complaint, injustice, injury.

Revolution – a complete overthrow of an established government or political system

Ally – a country that agrees to help another country achieve a common goal

Pacifist – a person morally opposed to war and refuses to fight (Quakers)

No Taxation Without Representation – the colonial belief that they should not be taxed without representation in Parliament.

Unalienable Rights – rights that cannot be taken away without due process.

Civic virtue – putting the needs of the community above one’s personal needs or desires King George III (1738-1820) – king of England during the American Revolution.

Patrick Henry (1736-1799) – a leader of colonial protest from Virginia, most famous for his “Give me Liberty, or Give me Death” speech.

Sons of Liberty – a group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution.

Crispus Attucks (1723-1770) – a former slave, one of the five colonists killed by British soldiers in the Boston Massacre.

Samuel Adams (1722-1803) – leader of the Boston Sons of Liberty who urged colonists to resist British controls.

John Adams (1735-1826) – member of the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence and the 2nd president of the U.S.A. from 1797-1801.

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) – wife of John Adams who was an early advocate of women’s rights and one of the great letter writers in history.

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) – author of Common Sense, who supported the movement for American independence from Britain.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) – author of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd president of the U.S.A. from 1801- 1809, purchased Louisiana in 1803.

Haym Solomon (1740-1785) – Polish Jew who immigrated to New York, joined the Sons of Liberty, and helped raise money to fight the British.

George Washington (1732-1799) – commander in chief of the Continental army in the American Revolution and the 1st president of the United States from 1789-1797.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) – American statesman who negotiated an alliance with France during the American Revolution.

Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) – French general and statesman. He commanded the French army that helped the Americans during the American Revolution.

John Paul Jones (1747-1792) – naval hero of the American Revolution, winning many victories at sea against the British.

Lord Cornwallis (1738-1805) – leading British general during the American Revolution, surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown, ending the war.

James Armistead (1760-1830) – a slave who volunteered to serve in the Continental Army and spied on the British during the war.

Wentworth Cheswell (1746-1817) – an African-American teacher, Revolutionary War veteran, and the first African- American elected to public office. Bernardo de Galvez (1746-1786) – Spanish military leader who helped the 13 colonies by leading Spanish troops against the British during the American Revolution.

Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) – America’s first female playwright who wrote anti-British and anti-Loyalist propaganda.

Proclamation of 1763 – an order in which Britain prohibited its American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

1764 – Sugar Act –a law passed by Parliament that placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped to the colonies; also called for harsh punishment of smugglers.

1765 – Quartering Act – a law passed by Parliament that required the colonists to house and supply British soldiers.

1765 – Stamp Act – a law passed by Parliament that required all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing a tax was paid.

1766 – Declaratory Act – a law that said Parliament had supreme authority to govern the colonies.

1767 – Townshend Acts – a series of laws passed by Parliament that suspended New York’s assembly and established taxes on goods brought into the British colonies.

1770 – Boston Massacre – a clash between British soldiers and colonists, in which five of the colonists, including Crispus Attucks, were killed.

1773 – Tea Act – a law that gave the British East India Company control over the American tea trade.

1773 – Boston Tea Party – the dumping of 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor by colonists to protest the Tea Act.

1774 – Intolerable Acts – a series of laws enacted by Parliament to punish Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party.

1774 – First Continental Congress – a meeting of delegates from all the colonies except Georgia to uphold colonial rights.

1775-1783 American Revolution – war fought by the American colonies to gain their independence from England.

1775 – Lexington and Concord – sites in Massachusetts of the 1st battles of the American Revolution.

May 1775 – Second Continental Congress – a governing body whose delegates agreed to form the Continental Army and to approve the Declaration of Independence.

July 4th, 1776 – signing of the Declaration of Independence, celebrated as Independence Day.

1777 Battles of Saratoga – a series of conflicts between British soldiers and the Continental Army that proved to be a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Winter 1777-1778 Valley Forge – where the Continental Army, under the leadership of Washington endured grueling hardships. ¼ of them died from disease, malnutrition, and exposure to cold.

1781 Battle of Yorktown – the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, which resulted in the surrender of British forces.

1783 Treaty of Paris – the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War, confirming the independence of the United States and setting the boundaries of the new nation.