AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
3.5: The American Revolution
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 3.5 - The American Revolution
Learning Objectives
- Explain how various factors contributed to the American victory in the Revolution.
I. The First Continental Congress
1. What was the purpose of the First Continental Congress and what did most delegates hope to achieve?
A. The Delegates
1. What were the main differences between radical, moderate, and conservative delegates at the First Continental Congress?
2. Who were the Loyalists and why were they unrepresented at the congress?
B. Actions of the Congress
1. What was Joseph Galloway's plan and why did it fail to pass?
2. What were the main measures adopted by the First Continental Congress and what did each one accomplish?
II. Fighting Begins
A. Lexington and Concord
1. What was the purpose of the British military expedition to Concord on April 19, 1775?
2. How did the encounters at Lexington and Concord differ in their outcomes and significance?
B. Bunker Hill
1. What was the outcome of the Battle of Bunker Hill and what did it demonstrate about colonial military capability?
III. The Second Continental Congress
1. What were the main divisions among delegates at the Second Continental Congress regarding the future of the colonies?
A. Military Preparations and Leadership
1. What military actions did the Second Continental Congress authorize and who was appointed to lead the colonial forces?
IV. Peace Efforts
1. Why did the Second Continental Congress pursue both military action and peace negotiations in 1775?
2. What was the Olive Branch Petition and how did King George III respond to it?
V. The Declaration of Independence
1. What was Richard Henry Lee's resolution and what committee was formed to support it?
2. What were the basic principles of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
3. When did Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence and what was its significance?
VI. The Revolutionary War
A. The Competing Sides
1. What percentage of colonists actively supported the Patriot cause and what percentage sided with the British?
1. British Strength
1. What military and economic advantages did Britain possess at the start of the Revolutionary War?
2. Patriots
1. Why did most Patriot soldiers serve in local militia units for short periods rather than as regular troops?
2. What challenges did General Washington face in maintaining and supplying his army?
3. African Americans
1. Why did George Washington initially reject African American service and what changed his position?
2. How many African Americans fought for the Patriot cause and what roles did they play?
4. Tories
1. What was the role of Loyalists (Tories) in the Revolutionary War and how did they support the British?
2. Where were Loyalists strongest in the colonies and what happened to them after the war?
3. What social and economic characteristics distinguished Loyalists from Patriots?
5. American Indians
1. Why did American Indians eventually support the British during the Revolutionary War?
B. Initial American Losses and Hardships
1. What military setbacks did Washington's army experience during the first three years of the war?
2. How did British occupation of American ports affect the colonial economy and the value of continental currency?
C. Alliance with France
1. What was the significance of the American victory at Saratoga in 1777?
2. Why did France decide to openly ally with the Americans after the Battle of Saratoga?
3. How did French entry into the war affect British military strategy and American prospects for victory?
D. Victory
1. Yorktown
1. What was the outcome of the Battle of Yorktown and why was it the last major battle of the war?
2. Treaty of Paris
1. What were the main provisions of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War?
2. Why did the British government decide to end the war in 1783?
Key Terms
Intolerable Acts
First Continental Congress
Patrick Henry
Samuel Adams
John Adams
George Washington
John Dickinson
John Jay
Joseph Galloway
Suffolk Resolves
economic sanctions
Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms
Olive Branch Petition
Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence
Prohibitory Act (1775)
absolute monarch
Concord
Paul Revere
William Dawes
Lexington
Bunker Hill
Second Continental Congress (1775)
Battle of Saratoga
George Rogers Clark
Yorktown
Treaty of Paris (1783)
Loyalists (Tories)
Patriots
Minutemen
continentals
Valley Forge