| A | B |
|---|
| reaction | response |
| strategy | a plan for fighting a battle or war |
| First Continental Congress | a gathering of colonial leaders deeply troubled about the relationship between Britain and the colonies. |
| Patriots | colonists who chose to fight for independence from Britain |
| Minutemen | local militia; ready to fight at a minute's notice |
| Redcoats | British soldiers who wore bright red jackets |
| Second Continential Congress | The second group of colonists who met in Philadelphia to decide how to react to fighting at Lexington & Concord |
| Continental Army | Created by the Second Continential Congress to defend the American colonies |
| Battle of Bunker Hill | The Patriots lost but proved they could take on the Redcoats |
| Common Sense | 47 page phamplet written by Thomas Paine. |
| Declaration of Independence | Formally announced the colonies break from Great Britain |
| Loyalists | Colonists who sided with the British |
| mercenaries | foreign soldiers who fought for the British, not out of loyalty but for pay. |
| Battle of Trenton | A battle in New Jersey in which Patriot forces captured more than 900 Hessian troops |
| Battle of Saratoga | A battle in New York that resulted in a major defeat of British troops; marked one of the Patriots greatest victories. |
| Battle of Yorktown | Last major battle of the American Revolution |
| anonymously | without giving a name |
| tyranny | abuse of government power |
| unalienable | impossible to take away |
| brigade | military unit |
| devastation | severe or widespread damage |
| guerrilla warfare | hit-and-run attacks |
| negotiations | talks held to reach an agreement or compromise |
| pitted | set against |
