Term

Definition

American Revolutionary War

war between the Thirteen American Colonies and the British Empire between 1763 and 1783 after which, the colonies formed an independent nation, the United States of America

Boston Massacre

an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five colonists and injured six others

Boston Tea Party

a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, on December 16, 1773, where the colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor

boycott

a political protest of refusal to buy goods from a certain company or country

charter colony

an example of self-government, a colony started by a charter, which was a document that gave a colony the right to exist

colonial assemblies

an example of self-government, a group of people elected from an area to make decisions

Continental Army

a revolutionary war army led by General George Washington

Continental Congress

a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution

French and Indian War

North American conflict (1754–63) that was part of a larger imperial conflict between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years' War

Hessians

German soldiers who fought for the British during the American Revolutionary War

House of Burgesses

an example of self-government, colonial Virginia legislature

Loyalists

a person who remained loyal to the rulers of Great Britain

Mayflower Compact

an example of self-government, the first governing document of Plymouth Colony

Monarch

the ruling king or queen

No taxation without representation!

slogan that summarized a anger toward the British in the Thirteen Colonies

Parliament

the group of elected officials who make laws in Great Britain

Patriots

a person who wanted the colonies to be free from British rule

Prime Minister

leader of the Parliament

self-government

government ruled by its own people

Seven Years’ War

A war (1756–63) that set Britain, Prussia, and Hanover against Austria, France, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and Spain

smuggle

illegally moving goods into or out of a country

Sons of Liberty

organization of American patriots who protested British policies