Chapter 6

Study Guide

King George III- ruler of England who ordered troops to the colonies to crush the revolt.

Olive Branch Petition-document drafted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress that asked the king to repeal the Intolerable Acts in exchange for an assurance of colonial loyalty to Britain.

Green Mountain Boys- Vermont men that followed Ethan Allen.

Continental Army- the American army.

George Washington- chosen by the Congress to command the army

Patriots – colonists that supported war with Britain.

Loyalists- colonists loyal to Britain.

Battle of Bunker Hill- the first major battle of the Revolution.

blockade- a shutting of a port to keep people or supplies from moving in or out

mercenary- troops for hire.

Thomas Paine- author of Common Sense

Common Sense- pamphlet that explained why colonists

Richard Henry Lee- the Virginia representative who introduced the resolution for independence to the Continental Congress.

Thomas Jefferson- author of the Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence- document that explains why the colonies decided to break from England.

traitor- a person who betrays his or her own country.

preamble- introduction

natural rights- rights that belong to all people from birth.

Battle of Long Island- a 1776 battle in New York which more than 1,400 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured.

Nathan Hale- American spy hanged by the British who stated, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Battle of Trenton- a 1776 battle in New Jersey in which George Washington’s troops captured a Hessian encampment in a surprise attack.

General John Burgoyne-British general that created a plan that called for a three pronged attack on Albany, New York which he felt would end the war.

Battle of Saratoga- in 1777, the first major American victory in the Revolution, which ended the British threat to New England.

Marquis de Lafayette- young French nobleman who fought under Washington

Friedrich von Steuben-Prussian who trained the men of the Continental Army.

Thaddeus Kosciusko- Polish engineer who helped build forts and defenses for the Continental Army.

Valley Forge- The Continental Army’s 1777-1778 winter headquarters; site of the low point of Washington’s Army.

ally- nation that works with another nation for a common purpose.

cavalry- troops on horseback

Mary Ludwig Hays- followed American troops, nursing them and giving them water; took her husband’s place behind the cannon in one battle.

George Rogers Clark- led Virginia frontier fighters in the Ohio Valley against the British; his forces captured Fort Vincennes.

John Paul Jones-American navy captain who attacked and captured the Serapis, a more powerful British warship in the North Sea.

Henry Clinton-ordered Cornwallis to return to New York.

Charles Cornwallis- led the retreat to Yorktown.

Nathanael Greene- Rhode Islander appointed commander of the Continental Army  in the South.

Daniel Morgan- won the Battle of Cowpens.

Battle of Cowpens- a 1781 in South Carolina, where Americans won an important victory over the British.

Francis Marion- known as the “Swamp Fox”

Benedict Arnold-American general and hero of Saratoga turned traitor against the American cause.

Comte de Rochambeau- French commander at Yorktown.

Battle of Yorktown- site of the British surrender.

Treaty of Paris- document that settled terms of surrender; recognized the United States as a free and independent nation.

guerrilla- hit-and-run tactics.

siege- when an army surrounds and blockades and enemy position in an attempt to capture it.

ratify-approve.