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| apprentice | a young person who is trained in a craft in exchange for labor. |
| artisan | a person who makes a living from a craft (eg. silversmith, printer, candlemaker). |
| Boston Massacre | the name given to an incident that took place on March 5, 1770, in which five civilians were killed by British soldiers; it is one of the events that helped spark the American Revolution. |
| Boston Tea Party | the name given to an act of political protest by American colonists, directed against the economic policies of Great Britain, in which colonists destroyed many crates of tea on ships in Boston Harbor; it is another one of the events that helped spark the American Revolution. |
| boycott | an organized refusal to buy goods, usually for the purpose of changing a political or business policy (term named for an English landowner, Charles Boycott, whose high rents and eviction of Irish tenants set off a protest, organized by the Irish Land League in which servants, mail delivery, farmhands refused to work for Boycott). |
| broadside | printed poster or public announcement, designed to catch a readerÕs attention and declare the latest news, government proclamations, public service announcements, opinions or advertisements. |
| Coercive Acts | referred to by the colonists as the ÒIntolerable ActsÓ; passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party; only king or governor could appoint officials in the colonial government; limited town meetings; closed the Port of Boston until the East India Company was paid back for the destroyed tea; made it possible for troops to be housed in empty buildings. |
| Committees of Correspondence | bodies organized by colonial governments to facilitate written communications between colonies; planned the meeting of colonial representatives in Philadelphia in September-October 1774. |
| Daughters of Liberty | colonial women who actively supported the patriot cause by boycotting British goods either by abstaining or manufacturing local substitutes, such as homespun cloth. |
| Declaratory Acts | passed by the British Parliament in 1766 in response to the repeal of the Stamp Act; reasserted ParliamentÕs right to pass laws in the colonies. |
| East India Company | a private English trading company, supported by the British government, whose monopolistic practices in the American colonies led to the Boston Tea Party. |
| empire | a political state which extends its economic and/or military power over a large geographical area, often encompassing people and cultures distinct from those of the central power. |
| First Continental Congress | a body of representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies which met in Philadelphia in 1774, largely in response to the so-called ÒIntolerable ActsÓ imposed by Great Britain. |
| French & Indian War | the name given to the war fought on North American soil between Great Britain and France between 1754 and 1763. Related to the Seven YearsÕ War between Britain and France, the war involved various Native Americans groups who fought on both sides, and culminated with the conquest by Britain of FranceÕs territories in Canada. |
| homespun | a type of cloth manufactured in the home using a loom and spinning wheel; created and worn in the colonies in as part of the boycott of British goods, including silk and other fabrics. |
| import | goods or merchandise brought into a country or region from another country. |
| export | goods or merchandise produced in one country that are then shipped to and sold in another country. |
| journeyman | a person who has served an apprenticeship in a trade and is qualified to work and earn wages in that trade. |
| King George III | the King of Great Britain from 1760 to 1820. Imposed many different taxes on American colonies in an effort to pay for military efforts in North America and elsewhere. Viewed as the classic symbol of British sovereignty and tyranny Ð ÒThe Crown.Ó Blamed by many for prolonging the conflict with the colonies and the American Revolution unnecessarily, and ultimately losing the colonies. |
| Liberty Tree | the Sons of Liberty first met under this large elm tree near Boston Commons to protest the Stamp Act in 1765; Liberty Trees sprang up in other colonies as meeting place for Patriots. |
| Loyalist | a colonist who remained loyal to the British crown. |
| martyr | One who suffers or sacrifices something of great value Ð often oneÕs own life Ð for
refusing to renounce a belief or standing up for oneÕs principles. |
| master | the title by which an indentured servant or apprentice would refer to his overseer and/or guardian, usually a skilled artisan or craftsmen. |
| merchant | one involved in the buying and selling of goods. |
| Navigation Acts | a series of laws which restricted the use of foreign shipping in the trade of Great Britain; required all imports to the colonies to be brought from Britain, no matter how cheaply they may be obtained elsewhere. One of the causes of colonial resentment which led to the American Revolution. |
| pamphlet | printed leaflet or booklet, often containing political, philosophical or religious arguments, essays, and commentaries on current events. Pamphlets were usually printed and distributed quickly and cheaply. |
| Parliament | the supreme legislative body in the British political system; consists of two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. |
| Patriot | one who loves his country; in the colonial context, one who supported defending American interests from British policies that were perceived as unfair, and/or was in favor of the political separation of the colonies from Great Britain. |
| pennywhistle | small, inexpensive woodwind instrument, also known as a tin whistle. |
| Proclamation of 1763 | a decree issued by King George III at the end of the French and Indian War to establish boundaries of the new territories acquired from the French. The Proclamation forbade colonists to buy land or settle west of the ÒProclamation lineÓ that roughly followed the Appalachian Mountains. |
| protest | to object to something; also to demonstrate oneÕs objection by any number of means, i.e., marching or boycotts. |
| quartering | giving shelter to someone, often under duress; the Quartering Act passed by Parliament in 1774, one of the so-called ÒIntolerable Acts,Ó required colonists to house British soldiers in unoccupied buildings. |
| Redcoat | nickname given to British soldiers due to the color of their uniforms. |
| representation | refers to the right to have the political interests of a community or area spoken for by an elected official in a government body; the rallying cry of the Sons of Liberty and other patriots was ÒNo taxation without representation!Ó |
| search and seizure | provision that allowed British soldiers and officials to inspect and confiscate colonial property without a search warrant or probable cause |
| Sons of Liberty | a secret organization of American patriots who engaged in acts of protest and resistance before and during the Revolutionary War. |
| spinning bee | a gathering of people, usually women, to encourage the production of yarn as opposed to importation. Spinning bees were a popular forum for expressing opposition to heavily taxed British goods. |
| Stamp Act of 1765 | a law passed by Parliament that imposed a direct tax on the colonies; required all documents, permits, contracts, newspapers, and other written materials to be marked with a tax stamp. |
| tarring & feathering | a form of public humiliation and punishment, usually carried out by a mob, in which the victim is covered first in tar, then feathers. In colonial Boston, British officials and their colonial supporters, or loyalists, were sometimes tarred and feathered by angry townspeople. |
| tax collector | a government official whose job it is to collect tax revenues. |
| taxes | financial contributions required by governments of individuals, businesses, or
organizations. |
| Tea Act of 1773 | an Act of Parliament which allowed the East India Company to export its tea directly to the colonies, paying only a small import duty; angered the colonists and led to the Boston Tea Party. |
| Tory | a name originally describing a political party in Great Britain; used before and during the American Revolution to describe anyone who remained loyal to the British Crown. |
| Townshend (Revenue) Acts or Duties | Acts passed by Parliament which placed a tax on common products imported into the colonies, such as paper, lead, glass, and tea. |
