Unit 3 Vocabulary – Revolution in Georgia

 

 

1. French and Indian War (1754-1763) - a war between England, France, and their Native American allies for control of North America. The English won the war and gained large area of North American from the French. The war did not affect Georgia directly but the Georgia colony gained land after the conclusion of the conflict.

 

2. Proclamation of 1763 - royal proclamation that forbade English colonists from settling newly acquired land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

 

3. Stamp Act (1765) - an act established by the British government to help repay the cost of the French and Indian War. This act was one of the first direct taxes placed on the colonies by the British Government causing much protest amongst the colonists. The act, which placed a tax on all legal documents, newspapers, and other paper products, was repealed in 1766.

 

4. Intolerable Acts - a group of five acts issued by the British Parliament designed to punish the Massachusetts colony for the Boston Tea Party.

 

5. Boston Tea Party - an act of protest that occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773; a group of colonists dressed as Indians dumped 342 chests of tea in Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act. Due to this action, the British instituted the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonists for their actions.

 

6. Quartering Act – a law passed by Parliament in 1765 that required the colonists to house and supply British soldiers

 

7. First Continental Congress (1774) - the first convention of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies that gathered to discuss the colonists’ reaction to the Intolerable Acts.

 

8. Declaration of Independence - three part document that discusses natural rights, explains the wrongs committed by King George, and offers an official declaration of independence from England.

 

9. Preamble - the beginning of a document that explains why the document exists. In the case of the Declaration of Independence the preamble explains natural rights.

 

10. Loyalists - colonists who were loyal to Great Britain.

 

11. Patriot - a colonist who wanted to become independent from Great Britain.

 

12. Battle of Kettle Creek (February 14, 1779) - Small Revolutionary War battle in Georgia where patriot forces, led by Elijah Clarke, defeated 600 loyalist; one of the few patriot victories in the state.

 

13. Siege of Savannah (September 16, 1779-October 18, 1779) - a failed attempt by the French and Americans to recapture Savannah during the Revolution.

 

14. Georgia Constitution of 1777 - Georgia’s first state constitution; established three branches of government and basic liberties, though the executive and judicial branch had limited powers.

 

15. Articles of Confederation - the first written constitution of the United States.

 

16. Constitutional Convention - meeting that took place in Philadelphia from May to September 1787; original intent was to revise the Articles of Confederation, though the entire document was soon scrapped and a new constitution was written.