Building Our Country: Chapter 5: The American Revolution, Lessons 1–2

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. congress
    a national legislative assembly
    Proposed by Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, the plan called for a congress, or a lawmaking body.
  2. debt
    money or goods or services owed by one person to another
    Great Britain had an enormous debt, which meant that it owed money.
  3. acknowledge
    accept as legally binding and valid
    The Stamp Act Resolves, the result of the Stamp Act Congress, acknowledged that the king still had the right to make laws in the colonies.
  4. boycott
    refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization
    They wrote literature encouraging boycotts, or refusals to buy British products.
  5. retain
    allow to remain in a place or maintain a property or feature
    The Declaratory Act sent the message that the king retained the authority to make laws for the colonies.
  6. tariff
    a government tax on imports or exports
    Tariffs are usually used to control trade, but in this case they were used to raise money for Great Britain.
  7. customs
    money collected under a tariff
    As part of the Townshend Acts, a strict system for customs, or tax collections, was established.
  8. massacre
    the savage and excessive killing of many people
    A massacre is the killing of many people.
  9. symbolic
    serving as a visible sign for something abstract
    The disguises were also symbolic of the fact that the colonists now considered themselves Americans and not British subjects.
  10. quarter
    provide housing for military personnel
    In addition to paying for the destroyed tea, the Intolerable Acts stated that colonists had to quarter, or shelter, British soldiers.
  11. martial
    of or relating to the armed forces
    Massachusetts was also placed under martial law, which meant that it would be controlled by the British military.
  12. martial law
    military rule over civilian affairs
    Massachusetts was also placed under martial law, which meant that it would be controlled by the British military.
  13. patriot
    one who loves and defends his or her country
    Patriots were colonists opposed to Britain's actions and policies.
  14. loyalist
    a person who is faithful to a country, party, or cause
    About one third of colonists were Loyalists, or people loyal to Great Britain.
  15. neutral
    not supporting or favoring either side in a dispute
    Some people remained neutral and did not take a side.
  16. significant
    important in effect or meaning
    The most significant result of the acts was the meeting of the First Continental Congress.
  17. militia
    civilians trained as soldiers, not part of the regular army
    In the spring of 1775, colonial militias, or volunteer armies of colonies, in Massachusetts began storing ammunition in a city named Concord.
Created on Wed Jul 14 14:05:44 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Jul 15 13:15:07 EDT 2021)

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