First Continental Congress- gathering of colonial leaders who were deeply troubled about the relationship between Great Britain and its colonies in America
Patriots- Colonists who chose to fight for independence from Great Britain
Minutemen- local militia who got their name because they were always ready to fight
Second Continental Congress- second group of delegates from colonies
Continental Army- included soldiers from all colonies, carried out the fight against Britain
George Washington- 1733-1799 Revolutionary war patriot, represenative of Continental Congresses, elected two terms as president
Battle of Bunker Hill- famous conflict launched from Breed’s Hill
Common Sense- 47-page pamphlet that was distributed in Philadelphia in January 1776
Thomas Paine- author of Common Sense
Thomas Jefferson- 1743-1826 member of two Continental Congresses, chairman of committee to draft Declaration of Independence, Declaration’s main author, third president
Declaration of Independence- formally announced the colonies’ break from Great Britain.
Loyalists- colonists who choose to side with Britain
Mercenaries- foreign soldiers who fought not out of loyalty, but for pay
Battle of Trenton- was an important Patriot victory
Battle of Saratoga- in New York, turning point of Revolutionary War
Marquis de Lafayette- officer thought American Revolution was important, helped finance the revolution, served as a major general
Baron Friedrich von Steuben- 1730-1794 Prussian soldier who helped train American forces at Valley Forge
Bernardo de Galvez- 1746-1786 Governor of Spanish Louisiana, captured cities from Britain, aided the American Patriot movement
John Paul Jones- 1747-1792 American naval officer, famed for his bravery
George Rogers Clark- 1752-1818 American Revolutionary soldier and frontier leader, captured Kaskaskia from British
Francis Marion- 1732-1795