| A | B |
|---|
| Popular Sovereignty | The idea that all the powers and privileges of a government is given to it by its people. |
| Loyalist | A resident of the American Colonies who was still in favor and support of Great Britain. |
| Federal Republic | A goverment in which the power is divided between a national government and multiple state governments. |
| Navigation Acts | Passed by Parliament in the 1600's these acts were implemented to regulate colonial trade and manufacturing although these acts were not strictly enforced. |
| Continental Congress | The first group of political officials to help govern the new United States of America they were the ones who wrote and enforced our national constitution. |
| George Washington | The supreme general of the Continental army who would later be elected as the first president of the United States. |
| Battle of Saratoga | The first major battle won by the colonist against the British and convinced the French to join the colonies in their war against Great Britiain. |
| Treaty of Paris | A treaty signed by American French and British diplomats that declared the end of the war and stated that Britain recognized the United States as a free and independant nation. |
| Declaration of Independence | This document stands as one of the most important documents in all of history. It still serves as an inspiration for people around the world. It begans "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal..." |
| Common Sense | Published by Thomas Paine. This pamphlet called upon the colonists to declare their independence from Britain. |
| Thomas Jefferson | He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. |
| U.S. Constitution | In 1789 this became the supreme law of the land in the United States. It set up a representative government with an elected legislature to reflect the wishes of the governed. |
