APUSH Ch 8 Vocab

Olive Branch Petition

(July 8, 1775) The colonies’ final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts and ended the taxation without representation policies). However, it was rejected by Parliament.

Loyalists (Tories)

Colonials who were loyal to the king during the American Revolution.

Patriots (Whigs)

Colonials who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won.

Second Continental Congress

(May 1775-March 1780) The Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775. The Congress took on governmental duties and united all the colonies for the war effort. On July 4, 1776, they adopted the Declaration of Independence.

George Washington

Initially the commander of Virginia’s frontier troops, he was a colonel military leader for the British in the French and Indian War (Fort Necessity). Later, he was Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. His greatest achievements were: (1) his surprise victory at Trenton, (2) holding the army together at Valley Forge, and (3) his major victory at Yorktown.

Hessians

German soldiers hired by King George III to smash colonial rebellion. They proved good in a mechanical sense, but they were more concerned about booty than duty, i.e. they cared more about personal gain than about who won the war.

William Howe

A British general who commanded the English forces at Bunker Hill. At a time when it seemed obvious that he should join the forces in New York, he joined the main British army for an attack on Philadelphia.

Nathanael Greene

A colonial general who used the fighting tactic of retreating and getting the English to pursue him for miles, biding his time and waiting for the chance to make a move. He eventually helped clear Georgia and South Carolina of British troops.

Richard Montgomery

A colonial general who most famously led the failed invasion of Canada (1775).

Benedict Arnold

A colonial general who assisted Montgomery in the failed conquest of Canada (1775) and prevented the British from reaching Ticonderoga, delaying the British assault on New York (1776). Later, he tried to help the British take West Point and the Hudson River but he was found out and declared a traitor (1778).

John Burgoyne

A British general who submitted a plan for invading New York State from Canada. He attempted to advance troops from Canada to the Albany area but was forced to surrender at Saratoga (1777).

Charles Cornwallis

A British general who surrendered to the colonists at Yorktown (1781).

Thomas Paine

A passionate and persuasive writer who published the bestseller Common Sense in 1776. Paine held the radical idea that the colonies should set up America as an independent, democratic, republic away from England.

Barry St. Leger

A British officer who led a British advance into New York’s Mohawk Valley. Hoping to join the British army of General John Burgoyne at Albany, St. Leger was halted by American militia at Fort Stanwix, and his forces were nearly destroyed at Oriskany (1777).

George Rogers Clark

A frontiersman who led the seizing of 3 British forts along the Ohio River (1778-1779). This later led to the British giving the region north of the Ohio River to the United States (possibly).

Richard Henry Lee

A member of Philadelphia’s Continental Congress during the late 1770s. On June 7, 1776 he declared, "These United colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." This resolution was the start of the Declaration of Independence and an end to British relations.

Horatio Gates

A colonial general who forced Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga (1777).

John Paul Jones

The commander of one of America’s ships. He was a daring, hard-fighting young Scotsman who helped destroy British merchant ships in 1777. He brought war into the water and surprisingly had success there against the British.

Thomas Jefferson

A member of the House of Burgesses who eloquently wrote the Declaration of Independence, was ambassador to France, and was the third president of the United States of America.

Marquis de Lafayette

A wealthy French nobleman known as the "French Gamecock," he was made Major General of the colonial army. He got commission on part of his family but nevertheless supplied America with invaluable help.

Admiral de Grasse

The operator of a powerful French fleet in the West Indies who advised America that he was free to join with them in an assault on Cornwallis at Yorktown. Rochambeau’s French army defended the British by land and Admiral de Grasse blockaded them by sea. This resulted in Cornwallis’s surrender on October 19, 1781.

Patrick Henry

A fiery lawyer during Revolutionary times. Supporting a break from Great Britain, he is famous for the words, "…give me liberty, or give me death!" which concluded a speech given to the Virginia Assembly in 1775.

Comte de Rochambeau

The commander of a powerful French army of 6,000 troops who landed in Newport, RI in the summer of 1780 and helped plan for a potential Franco-American attack on New York.

John Jay

A member of the Continental Congress who helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain, ending the American Revolution. He was alert to keep France from satisfying their personal interests as a part of the treaty.

Mercenaries

A person hired for service in the army of a foreign country (ex. the Hessians hired by Britain in the Revolutionary War).

Natural Rights theory

The theory that people are born with certain "natural rights," rights which cannot be taken away. Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, said these included the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Privateering

Privately owned, armed ships specifically authorized by Congress to prey on enemy shipping and smuggle in needed supplies. The privateers brought in urgently needed gold, harassed the enemy, and raised American morale.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written in 1776 that was one of the most potent publications ever. It called for the colonists to realize their mistreatment and push for independence from England. Paine introduced ideas such as the fact that nowhere in the universe did a smaller heavenly body control a larger, which was why there was no reason for England to have control over the vast lands of America. The pamphlet was high-class journalism as well as propaganda and sold 120,000+ copies within a few months.

Declaration of Independence

A document that was formally approved by Congress on July 4, 1776. This "shout heard round the world" has been a source of inspiration to countless revolutionary movements against arbitrary authority. The document sharply separated Loyalists from Patriots and helped to start the revolution by allowing England to hear of the colonists’ disagreements with British authority.

Treaty of Paris

(1783) By the treaty: The British recognized the independence of the United States and granted it generous boundaries, as well as a share of Newfoundland for fishing (which greatly upset the Canadians). The Americans had to ensure they would not persecute the Loyalists, restore their property and pay debts already owed to British creditors.

Battle of Bunker Hill

(June 17, 1775; First major battle of the Revolutionary War) After a bloody battle in which many British redcoats were killed, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. Significance: the Americans could hold their own, but the British were not easy to defeat. (Note: The battle actually occurred on Breed’s Hill, not Bunker Hill.)

Battle of Long Island

(August 27, 1776) British forces under William Howe badly beat American forces under George Washington. Sorely outnumbered and surrounded, the 9,500 troops that survived escaped under cover of night across the East River to Manhattan.

Battle of Valcour Island

(October 11, 1776) A hastily-built American naval force under Benedict Arnold successfully halted British forces in a naval battle on Lake Champlain. Significance: the British were forced to stop their attempt to march down the Hudson River valley and take control of the vital river which would split the American colonies in two; they had to wait until the following year to take the river, which bought time for the Americans.

Battle of Trenton

(December 26, 1776) American forces under George Washington surprised and captured a garrison of German Hessians sleeping off the effects of their Christmas party at Trenton. Significance: his army’s morale rose.

Battle of Princeton

(January 3, 1777) A week after the Battle at Trenton, Washington left a few men to tend some campfires and fool the enemy again. He quietly marched his army to Princeton, where they suprised and beat a British force. Significance: this battle continued to boost American morale.

Battle of Brandywine Creek

(September 11, 1777) British forces under William Howe defeated Americans under George Washington, thereby clearing the way for the British occupation of Philadelphia.

Battle of Germantown

(October 4, 1777) American forces under George Washington unsuccessfully attempted to drive the British and General Howe out of Pennsylvania

Battle of Oriskany

(August 6, 1777) American defenders halted British forces under Barry St. Leger in the Mohawk Valley. Significance: this contributed to the failure of Burgoyne’s campaign.

Battle of Saratoga

(October 17, 1777) American forces under Horatio Gates forced John Burgoyne to surrender his entire command. Significance: the battle which was the turning point of the Revolution; after the colonists won this major victory, the French decided to support the colonies with money, troops, ships, etc.

Battle of Monmouth

(June 28, 1778) American forces under George Washington waged a pitched battle against British forces under William Howe that ended with the withdrawal of British forces.

Siege of Charleston

(March 29-May 12, 1780) Part of the new strategy of the British to focus on retaining the more valuable southern colonies; the siege succeeded in causing Charleston to surrender after 3 months.

Battle of Cowpens

(January 17, 1781) American forces under Daniel Morgan overwhelmingly defeated British forces at Cowpens in the Southern campaign.

Battle of King’s Mountain

(October 7, 1780) A force of American frontiersmen stopped a British invasion of North Carolina. Thomas Jefferson referred to this as the "turning of the tide."

Battle of Yorktown

(October 19, 1781; Last major battle of the Revolutionary War) American troops under George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau trapped British troops under Charles Cornwallis and his troops in the Chesapeake Bay, with the help of Admiral de Grasse and the French fleet. Cornwallis was forced to surrender. Significance: although not the last of the fighting, this signified the end of the war.