| A | B |
|---|
| Declaration of Indepedence | 1776 document written by Thomas Jefferson outlining reasons for the colonies to break the ties with England |
| Thomas Jefferson | He was a delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States. |
| Committee of Five | Chosen to create a document that gave reasons for separation from England (Declaration of Independence); Ben Franklin; Thomas Jefferson; John Adams; Roger Sherman; Robert Livingston |
| French Alliance | The French entered the war in 1778; and assisted in the victory of the Americans seeking independence from Britain |
| Diplomacy | The practice of conducting negotiations between countries |
| Benjamin Franklin | American enlightenment figure who was a scientist and inventor. Known for his contributions to helping write the Declaration of Independence and his diplomatic role in negotiating the French Alliance and the Treaty of Paris 1783 with John Adams. |
| John Adams | American Founding Father. Was part of the Committee of Five that created the Declaration of Independence. As a diplomat in Europe during the Revolution; he helped negotiate the French Alliance and the Treaty of Paris 1783. Later became the 1st Vice President and 2nd President of the United States. |
| George Washington | 1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799) |
| Baron von Steuben | Prussian soldier who helped train American forces at Valley Forge in the American Revolutionary War. |
| Marquis de LaFayette | French nobleman who aided the Americans during the Revolution. Camped with Washington and his men during the winter at Valley Forge |
| Valley Forge | Pennsylvania site of Washington's Continental Army encampment during the winter of 1777-1778 |
| Crossing the Delaware & Battle of Trenton | Secret attack by George Washington and 2;400 men on Christmas night 1776. By catching the Hessian mercenaries off-guard; the victory gave confidence to American soldiers who had seen very little success in the early years of the war. |
| Battle of Saratoga | A battle that took place in New York where the Continental Army defeated the British. It proved to be the turning point of the war. This battle ultimately led France to openly support the colonies with military forces in addition to the supplies and money already being sent. |
| Battle of Yorktown | the last major battle of the Revolutionary War; site of British general Charles Cornwallis's surrender to the Patriots in Virginia. |
| Treaty of Paris 1783 | This treaty ended the Revolutionary War; recognized the independence of the American colonies; and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida; and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. |
| John Locke | 17th century English philosopher who asserted that people have a natural right to life; liberty; and property. Ideas heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence. |
| Natural Rights | An idea expressed in the Declaration of Independence that individuals are born with certain rights and that these rights were not given by the government. |
| Social Contract Theory | The idea that government's power comes from an agreement with the people in which both the people and the government have certain rights and responsibilities. |
| Continental Army | Army formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington |
| Horatio Gates | American General whose troops defeated the British forces at Saratoga. |
| Crispus Attucks | A free black man who was the first person killed in the Revolution at the Boston Massacre. |
| John Burgoyne | British general in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga but lost the battle of Saratoga in 1777. |
| Charles Cornwallis | Commanding general of the British forces that were defeated at Yorktown in 1781; ending the American Revolution. |
