US History & Government

Name: ______Period: ______Date: ______

Unit 1 Study Guide: Colonial America American Revolution

Colonial America:

  1. Explain the difference between a physical and political map:
  1. How did the Triangle Trade work?
  1. What was the Middle Passage?Explain the TWO conditions that slaves had to endure.
  1. Which geographic features played a major role in the location of early settlements?
  1. How did geography and climate impact the economic systems of the New England and Middle colonies?
  1. Why did large plantations developed in the South during the colonial period?
  1. Explain the British policy of salutary neglect toward its American colonies:
  1. Why were New England town meetings, the Mayflower Compact and Virginia House of Burgesses important first steps in colonial America?
  1. What was the Albany Plan of Union (1754)?
  1. What precedent was established by the John Peter Zenger trial?

Road to the Revolution:

  1. What was the main cause of the French and Indian War (1754-1763)?
  1. What is mercantilism and why was it 1) supported by Great Britain and 2) opposed by the colonists in America?
  1. What was the Proclamation of 1763? Why did the British establish the line? Why did it anger many colonists?
  1. What was the impact of the Stamp Act? Why did it have such an impact on gradual demands for independence in the American colonies?
  1. Explain the phrase “no taxation without representation.” How did it exemplify the discontent of the colonists? What political ideal is expressed?
  1. Who were the Sons of Liberty? How did they show opposition to British taxation?
  1. Explain a British writs of assistance? Why did the colonist believe the writs violated their rights?
  1. What was the impact of the Boston Massacre (1770) on American colonists during the Revolutionary period? Why did it have such a big impact?
  1. How did Thomas Paine’s Common Sense contribute to the movement for independence in the American colonies?

Declaring Independence:

  1. What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
  1. Which ideas were shared by Enlightenment-thinker John Locke and Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence?
  1. According to the Declaration of Independence, what is the fundamental purpose of government?

The War:

  1. Which advantages/disadvantages did the British and Americans have heading into the Revolutionary War?
  1. Which battle is considered the turning point of the war? Why?Who sent aid after?
  1. How and why did the Americans win the war? What tactics did they utilize?
  1. Which territories did America gain as a result of the Treaty of Paris (1783)?