(1) Atlantic Revolutions: unit 5 & 6 Flashcards

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French and Indian War

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A North American theater of the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) in which Britain and its Native American allies fought France and its Native American allies. British victory expelled the French from much of North America but left Britain deeply in debt. The war increased British efforts to tax and control the American colonies to pay for imperial expenses.

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British Debt

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The large financial liabilities Britain incurred after the Seven Years’ War that motivated new taxation and control measures in the colonies. British leaders expected the colonies to help pay for imperial defense and administration. This pressure contributed to colonial resentment and political conflict.

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Proclamation of 1763

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A royal decree by King George III that prohibited colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to reduce conflicts with Native nations. Many colonists ignored the proclamation and saw it as an overreach of royal power. The policy heightened tensions by restricting colonial expansion and property claims.

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Salutary Neglect

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An unofficial British policy of allowing the American colonies considerable autonomy in economic and political affairs for much of the early 18th century. Colonists developed self-government and trade habits that differed from strict imperial control. When Britain later tried to reassert authority, the shift provoked strong colonial resistance.

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Taxation without Representation

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The colonial grievance that Parliament had no right to tax colonists because they lacked direct representatives in that legislature. Colonists argued that such taxes violated their rights as British subjects and deprived them of property without consent. This principle became a central rallying cry against imperial policies.

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Sugar Act

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A 1764 British law that lowered the duty on molasses but strengthened enforcement and expanded taxes on other colonial imports. It aimed to raise revenue and curb smuggling to help pay imperial debts. Colonists protested the act as an example of unjust taxation and interference in colonial commerce.

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Stamp Act

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A 1765 British tax requiring many printed materials in the colonies to carry a paid stamp, directly taxing legal documents, newspapers, and other papers. It provoked widespread colonial protests, boycotts, and the formation of intercolonial opposition groups. The Stamp Act crisis helped unite colonies and led to its repeal in 1766.

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Townshend Acts

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A series of 1767 British measures that imposed duties on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea and funded colonial officials through those revenues. They renewed colonial anger over external taxation and increased colonial resistance, including nonimportation agreements. The acts contributed to escalating confrontations between colonists and British authorities.

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Tea Act

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A 1773 British law that granted the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales to the colonies and allowed it to sell tea more cheaply even with a tax. Colonists viewed the act as a ploy to get them to accept Parliament’s right to tax them. The law triggered direct protest actions, most famously the Boston Tea Party.

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Sons of Liberty

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A colonial activist group that organized protests, demonstrations, and sometimes violent resistance against British policies. They led actions such as intimidation of tax officials and staged public protests to defend colonial rights. Their activities helped mobilize public opinion and resistance across the colonies.

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Boston Massacre

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A 1770 confrontation in which British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists in Boston, killing five people. Contemporary propagandists like Paul Revere depicted it as an unprovoked slaughter, inflaming anti-British sentiment. The incident became a symbol of alleged British tyranny and injustice.

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Boston Tea Party

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A 1773 protest in which colonists disguised as Native Americans boarded ships and dumped large quantities of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. The action protested the Tea Act and British taxation policies and demonstrated radical colonial resistance. It provoked harsh British reprisals known as the Intolerable Acts.

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Intolerable Acts

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A set of punitive British laws passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party, including the closure of Boston Harbor and the quartering of soldiers in private homes. The acts placed Massachusetts under tighter British control and aimed to punish colonial defiance. Instead, they united many colonies in opposition and helped spark the First Continental Congress.

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Enlightenment ideals

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Philosophical principles from the European Enlightenment emphasizing reason, individual rights, and popular government. These ideas inspired colonial arguments for rights as British subjects, limits on monarchical power, and the possibility of republican self-government. Enlightenment thought provided intellectual foundations for revolutionary claims.

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Republic

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A form of government in which power rests with the people who elect representatives to govern on their behalf. The republican ideal prioritizes civic virtue, consent, and limits on concentrated authority. Revolutionary leaders invoked republicanism as an alternative to monarchical rule.

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Common Sense

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A 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine arguing that the American colonies should break away from British rule and form an independent republic. It made persuasive, plain-language appeals to popular sentiment and helped shift public opinion toward independence. The pamphlet was influential in galvanizing support for the Revolutionary cause.

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Metropole

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The imperial mother country—in this case, Britain—that expected its colonies to supply goods, resources, and revenue. Imperial policy often prioritized the metropole’s economic interests, restricting colonial trade and manufacturing. Conflicts over metropole-colony economic relationships were central to revolutionary tensions.

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Bill of Rights

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The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and due process. Ratified shortly after the Constitution, the Bill of Rights limited the power of the central government and addressed fears about potential government overreach. It became a foundational safeguard of American rights.

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Effects on Women

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Women’s lives and social roles changed little immediately after the American Revolution, as political power remained largely with white men. Some women gained greater recognition for contributions during the war and arguments for republican motherhood emerged, emphasizing women’s role in raising virtuous citizens. However, formal political rights for women remained largely absent.

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Effects on Enslaved People

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The American Revolution did not end slavery and brought limited change for most enslaved people, though it inspired some manumissions and northern gradual emancipation. Enslaved people sought freedom through service, escape, or legal challenges, but slavery remained entrenched in many states. The new political order largely preserved existing racial and social hierarchies.