#separator:tab #html:false #tags column:4 Stamp Act (1765) A British tax on printed paper that colonists protested loudly us-american-revolution No taxation without representation Colonial slogan: colonists had no voice in the Parliament that taxed them us-american-revolution Sons of Liberty Colonial protest group that opposed British taxes us-american-revolution Townshend Acts (1767) British taxes on goods like glass, paper, paint and tea us-american-revolution Boston Massacre (1770) British soldiers fired into a Boston crowd and killed five colonists us-american-revolution Crispus Attucks A man of African and Native descent, the first person killed in the Boston Massacre us-american-revolution Tea Act (1773) British law that helped the East India Company sell tea in the colonies us-american-revolution Boston Tea Party (1773) Colonists dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor us-american-revolution Intolerable Acts (1774) Punishing British laws after the Tea Party; the colonists' name for them us-american-revolution First Continental Congress (1774) Delegates from twelve colonies met in Philadelphia to answer British actions us-american-revolution Minutemen Colonial militia ready to fight at a minute's notice us-american-revolution Paul Revere Rider who warned of British troops marching in April 1775 us-american-revolution Lexington and Concord (1775) The first battles of the Revolutionary War, in Massachusetts us-american-revolution Shot heard 'round the world Famous poem phrase about the first shot at Concord us-american-revolution Second Continental Congress Met in 1775; ran the war and later voted for independence us-american-revolution Battle of Bunker Hill (1775) A costly British win near Boston that showed colonists could fight well us-american-revolution George Washington Chosen in 1775 to lead the Continental Army us-american-revolution Continental Army The army formed by the Second Continental Congress us-american-revolution Common Sense (1776) Thomas Paine's pamphlet arguing for independence in plain language us-american-revolution Thomas Paine Writer of Common Sense and The American Crisis us-american-revolution Declaration of Independence Adopted July 4, 1776; explained why the colonies were free from Britain us-american-revolution Thomas Jefferson Main writer of the Declaration of Independence us-american-revolution Committee of Five Group chosen to draft the Declaration: Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Sherman, Livingston us-american-revolution Loyalists Colonists who stayed loyal to the British king us-american-revolution Patriots Colonists who wanted independence us-american-revolution Redcoats Nickname for British soldiers because of their uniforms us-american-revolution Hessians German soldiers hired by Britain to fight in America us-american-revolution Washington crossing the Delaware A surprise Christmas night 1776 crossing before the Battle of Trenton us-american-revolution Battle of Trenton (1776) Washington's surprise win over Hessian troops in New Jersey us-american-revolution Battle of Saratoga (1777) American victory in New York that was the turning point of the war us-american-revolution Valley Forge Winter camp 1777-1778 in Pennsylvania where the army endured hardship and training us-american-revolution Baron von Steuben Prussian officer who trained the Continental Army at Valley Forge us-american-revolution Marquis de Lafayette French nobleman who joined Washington as a general us-american-revolution Alliance with France (1778) France joined the war on the American side after Saratoga us-american-revolution Battle of Yorktown (1781) Last major battle; British General Cornwallis surrendered us-american-revolution Lord Cornwallis British general who surrendered at Yorktown us-american-revolution Treaty of Paris (1783) Ended the war; Britain recognized American independence us-american-revolution Articles of Confederation First US plan of government, with a weak national government us-american-revolution Abigail Adams Wrote to John Adams asking him to 'remember the ladies' in new laws us-american-revolution John Adams Massachusetts leader who supported independence and later became the second president us-american-revolution Benjamin Franklin Diplomat who won French support in Paris us-american-revolution Samuel Adams Boston leader and organizer of protests against British taxes us-american-revolution Patrick Henry Virginian famous for 'Give me liberty, or give me death' us-american-revolution John Hancock Congress president whose signature on the Declaration was large and bold us-american-revolution Nathan Hale Patriot spy who said he regretted having only one life to give for his country us-american-revolution Molly Pitcher Name for women who carried water to soldiers and sometimes helped load cannons us-american-revolution Deborah Sampson A woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Continental Army us-american-revolution Haym Salomon Jewish financier who helped raise money for the war us-american-revolution Phillis Wheatley Enslaved poet in Boston whose poems were published in 1773 us-american-revolution Sybil Ludington Teen who rode at night to call militia in 1777, as the story goes us-american-revolution Francis Marion South Carolina leader nicknamed the Swamp Fox us-american-revolution Benedict Arnold American general who turned traitor and joined the British us-american-revolution John Paul Jones Naval commander famous for 'I have not yet begun to fight' us-american-revolution Bernardo de Galvez Spanish governor who helped the Americans by fighting the British in the Gulf region us-american-revolution Joseph Brant Mohawk leader who sided with the British us-american-revolution Boycott Refusing to buy goods as a protest; colonists used it against British goods us-american-revolution Taxation Charging money to support a government us-american-revolution Parliament Britain's lawmaking body us-american-revolution Repeal To cancel a law; Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 us-american-revolution Quartering Act British law requiring colonies to house soldiers us-american-revolution King George III British king during the Revolution us-american-revolution Independence Freedom from rule by another country us-american-revolution Committees of Correspondence Groups that shared news and plans among the colonies us-american-revolution Olive Branch Petition (1775) Congress's last request to King George to avoid war us-american-revolution Battle of Long Island (1776) Major British win in New York at the start of the campaign for the city us-american-revolution Battle of Cowpens (1781) American victory in South Carolina us-american-revolution Siege Surrounding a place to force it to give up us-american-revolution Treaty A written agreement between nations us-american-revolution Declaration signers Fifty-six delegates signed the Declaration us-american-revolution July 4 Date the Declaration was adopted, now Independence Day us-american-revolution Liberty Bell Famous bell in Philadelphia, a symbol of American freedom us-american-revolution Betsy Ross Philadelphia seamstress tradition says sewed an early American flag us-american-revolution Continental dollar Paper money printed by Congress that lost value quickly us-american-revolution Militia Citizen soldiers who served part time us-american-revolution Guerrilla warfare Fighting with small surprise attacks, used by some Patriot forces us-american-revolution