Battles of Saratoga
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The two battles fought near Saratoga, New York during September-October of 1777 are generally seen as the turning point of the Revolutionary War. After the American capture of the British general, John Burgoyne, France and Spain officially joined the war on the American side.
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French and Indian War
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The French and Indian War, the American portion of the Seven Years War (a 7 year old global conflict between Britain, Prussia and France, Spain, Russia and Austria), was a large conflict between the British American Colonies and the French American Colonies from 1754 to 1763. The war ended with a British victory, kicking the French out of Canada. This made the Americans feel less threatened by France and more threatened by their London government, who was now forcing them to garrison his soldiers and pay much higher taxes to cover the cost of the war effort.
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Great Awakening
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The Great Awakening refers to a period of increased church attendance, religious importance in everyday life and an over increase in religious influence in society.
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Halfway Covenant
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The Puritan allowing of partial-converts to their religion due to the lower religious zeal of the generations following the initial religious-inspired immigration to New England. The halfway-covenant allowed people to join without having a religious experience, thus allowing many more people to join more easily, increasing the church's withering prominence in the colonies.
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Mayflower Compact
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The Mayflower Compact was a written-governing document of the Plymouth Colony. Since they landed north of the Virginia colony they decided that they would take the liberty of governing themselves. It is important because it is one of the first of the kind and had an influence on the Constitution.
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Mercantilism
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Mercantilism is economic system that stresses a positive balance of trade (export more than import) and the importance of the mother country collecting the money, usually gold (one nation's colonies can't trade with other nation's colonies, taxes on colonies).
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Pontiac's Rebellion
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After the French and Indian War the Native Americans could no longer play off the competing European powers and were now much less likely to survive. A number of tribes (mostly from the Great Lakes to Ohio Region) banded together to fight the British and push them out of the Ohio area. The British stopped the rebellion with ease but failed to crush the tribes in their homeland. Because of this they saw many more conflicts in the future, causing them to enact the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which gave everything west of the Appalachian mountains to Quebec. The colonists didn't like that very much.
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Puritans
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Puritans were an important religious group in Britain during the colonial and revolutionary periods. Due to confusing and constantly changing laws and religious intolerance towards them in Britain they migrated to New England in large groups, where they were able to practice their religion more freely. They made up the majority of population in New England, influencing other religious groups and laws of the time.
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Salem Witch Trials
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In Massachusetts (a Puritan New England colony) between February 1692 and May 1693 a number of witch trials were held, resulting in executions of innocent people claimed to be "witches". It is considered to be an episode of mass hysteria and has since been used as a figure of speech to go on a "Witch Hunt".
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Stono Rebellion
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The Stono Rebellion in South Carolina was the largest slave uprising in the 13 Colonies. Led by a literate slave, as many as 45 whites and 44 blacks were killed by the time the rebellion was ended (by the local militia). In response, fearing further violent uprisings, South Carolina passed the Negro Act of 1740, making it more difficult for slaves to become educated and to assemble together. It also penaliz
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Primary Sources
Link to Document: http://www.ushistory.org/documents/mayflower.htm
Summary: The new settles of the American colonies devise a pact to set up a moral code of ethics for the new world they have entered. It talks about how their migration away from the king doesn't mean that they can act like savages or turn their backs against god. It also goes on to describe the laws/ codes of conduct all who sign must follow while there.
Significance: The Mayflower Compact was the first set of written "laws" ,or codes of conduct, to be set on the colonial grounds. This compact lead to later laws, legislations, and policies. It is also the first sign of the physical/psychological split between the colonies and Britain that will eventually lead to American nationalism and the revolutionary war.
Fatima O.
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Link to Document: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/patrick.asp
Summary: After years of rising tension between the American Colonies and the British Crown, Patrick Henry’s speech tells of the urgency to start the resistance, if there is going to be one. He first politely explains that he will speak his mind, which will undoubtedly offend some. Pat makes the case that British soldiers could be stationed in the colonies for no other purpose than to enslave the colonists, before suggesting that their forces will only grow, making a possible revolution even more difficult. The original speech was given less than a month before the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Significance: Patrick Henry’s speech is now considered to have been a major factor in convincing the House of Burgesses to send Virginian troops to support what became the Revolutionary War. The final line, “but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”, became an iconic symbol of the Revolutionary War and freedom around the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~λ~~~~~~~~~~~A~N~T~H~O~N~Y~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to Document: http://www.americanrevolution.org/revere.html
Summary: Paul Revere was sent by Joseph Warren to Lexington from Boston to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British soldiers would be heading to either Lexington or Concord to attack. On his way, he saw two British soldiers who were going to stop him, but he outran them on his horse. He arrived to Lexington, warned Hancock and Adams, and they all set off for Concord, waking other men on the way to accompany them. He and another man were then stopped by four British soldiers. The British soldiers questioned him, and he told them the truth. The soldiers intended to take Revere with them, but they ended up leaving him when one of the soldier’s horses was tired and they needed to use Revere’s. After resting, he went to a tavern to retrieve a trunk of papers that belonged to John Hancock. As he was leaving, he heard the battle begin.
Significance: This was significant because if Paul Revere hadn’t warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were coming, they probably would have been arrested, and that would have significantly changed the revolution. Both men played important roles in America’s acquisition of independence, and it’s safe to say that things would be very different now if they had been arrested.
Sydney W.
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"Boston Tea Party" by Cassandra Jansen
Summary: In this article, "Boston Tea Party" it explains the actions of colonists in Boston which were consquences to the Tea Act of 1773 passed by Briatin's East Indian Company government. When the company was going to go bankrupt from not being able to sell their tea to England, they dropped their taxes from exportation. This bacially undermined colonial merchants because now their was no use for the middle men and was excluding the colonies in trade, which is one of the reasons they were upset at this act. Although this meant no tax on tea, colonists came together to protest and boycott anyways. Other colonies just prevented cargoes from coming, but in Boston the ships came, and this is when patriots hopped on the ships poored all the tea into the water. This is the "Boston tea party". Then as a result from this retaliation and rusing to pay for this tea, they placed the Coercive Act on the colonist which stirred them up even more.
Significance: This is significant because this reveals the controversy between the colonists and England and the whole time period of passing acts and taxation and the back and forth. Also, this is a stepping stone of protests and boycotts, which the Tea Act uproared, and which led to the Coercive Act; which again led to more chaos.
Andrea M.
Summary: The new settles of the American colonies devise a pact to set up a moral code of ethics for the new world they have entered. It talks about how their migration away from the king doesn't mean that they can act like savages or turn their backs against god. It also goes on to describe the laws/ codes of conduct all who sign must follow while there.
Significance: The Mayflower Compact was the first set of written "laws" ,or codes of conduct, to be set on the colonial grounds. This compact lead to later laws, legislations, and policies. It is also the first sign of the physical/psychological split between the colonies and Britain that will eventually lead to American nationalism and the revolutionary war.
Fatima O.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to Document: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/patrick.asp
Summary: After years of rising tension between the American Colonies and the British Crown, Patrick Henry’s speech tells of the urgency to start the resistance, if there is going to be one. He first politely explains that he will speak his mind, which will undoubtedly offend some. Pat makes the case that British soldiers could be stationed in the colonies for no other purpose than to enslave the colonists, before suggesting that their forces will only grow, making a possible revolution even more difficult. The original speech was given less than a month before the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Significance: Patrick Henry’s speech is now considered to have been a major factor in convincing the House of Burgesses to send Virginian troops to support what became the Revolutionary War. The final line, “but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”, became an iconic symbol of the Revolutionary War and freedom around the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~λ~~~~~~~~~~~A~N~T~H~O~N~Y~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to Document: http://www.americanrevolution.org/revere.html
Summary: Paul Revere was sent by Joseph Warren to Lexington from Boston to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British soldiers would be heading to either Lexington or Concord to attack. On his way, he saw two British soldiers who were going to stop him, but he outran them on his horse. He arrived to Lexington, warned Hancock and Adams, and they all set off for Concord, waking other men on the way to accompany them. He and another man were then stopped by four British soldiers. The British soldiers questioned him, and he told them the truth. The soldiers intended to take Revere with them, but they ended up leaving him when one of the soldier’s horses was tired and they needed to use Revere’s. After resting, he went to a tavern to retrieve a trunk of papers that belonged to John Hancock. As he was leaving, he heard the battle begin.
Significance: This was significant because if Paul Revere hadn’t warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were coming, they probably would have been arrested, and that would have significantly changed the revolution. Both men played important roles in America’s acquisition of independence, and it’s safe to say that things would be very different now if they had been arrested.
Sydney W.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Boston Tea Party" by Cassandra Jansen
Summary: In this article, "Boston Tea Party" it explains the actions of colonists in Boston which were consquences to the Tea Act of 1773 passed by Briatin's East Indian Company government. When the company was going to go bankrupt from not being able to sell their tea to England, they dropped their taxes from exportation. This bacially undermined colonial merchants because now their was no use for the middle men and was excluding the colonies in trade, which is one of the reasons they were upset at this act. Although this meant no tax on tea, colonists came together to protest and boycott anyways. Other colonies just prevented cargoes from coming, but in Boston the ships came, and this is when patriots hopped on the ships poored all the tea into the water. This is the "Boston tea party". Then as a result from this retaliation and rusing to pay for this tea, they placed the Coercive Act on the colonist which stirred them up even more.
Significance: This is significant because this reveals the controversy between the colonists and England and the whole time period of passing acts and taxation and the back and forth. Also, this is a stepping stone of protests and boycotts, which the Tea Act uproared, and which led to the Coercive Act; which again led to more chaos.
Andrea M.
Four Worlds
Political
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Economic
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Social
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Cultural
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