| A | B |
| French and Indian War | a conflict in North America; lasting from 1754 to 1763; that was a part of a worldwide struggle between France and Britain and that ended with the defeat of France and the transfer of French Canada to Britain |
| 1763 Treaty of Paris | ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France; as well as their respective allies. In the terms of the treaty; France gave up all its territories in mainland North America; effectively ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there. |
| Proclamation of 1763 | Law passed by Parliament after the French and Indian War in an attempt to prevent further Indian attacks by prohibiting any more American colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains. |
| Stamp Act | 1765; law that taxed printed goods; including |
| Intolerable Acts | in response to Boston Tea Party; 4 acts passed in 1774; Port of Boston closed; reduced power of assemblies in colonies; permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere; provided for quartering of troop's in barns and empty houses |
| Sons of Liberty | Group organized by Samuel Adams in Boston to protest the Stamp Act. This group's tactics sometimes turned violent. |
| Committees of Correspondence | Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies |
| Common Sense | Published in 1776. Pamphlet that challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. Used plain language to appeal to the average colonist. First work to ask for independence outright. |
| Daughters of Liberty | This organization supported the boycott of British goods. They urged Americans to wear homemade fabrics and produce other goods that were previously available only from Britain. They believed that way; the American colonies would become economically independent. |
| Thomas Paine | Author of Common Sense |
| Tea Act | Law passed by parliament allowing the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies - undermining colonial tea merchants; led to the Boston Tea Party |
| Townshend Acts | Laws passed in 1767 that taxed colonists for goods such as glass; paper; paint; lead; and tea |
| Boston Tea Party | A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as American Indians dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor. |