Glossary

The Battle of Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War.  This gave the colonists freedom from England. 

The Continental Army was an army made up of patriots fighting for freedom from England in the Revolutionary War.  George Washington was in charge of this army.  

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and it states that authority to govern belongs to the people rather than to kings and that all people are created equal and have rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The French and Indian War was fought between 1754 and 1763.  The war was fought over land west of Virginia.  The war was fought between the colonists and English and the French and the Indian.  The colonist and the English won the war and the land. 

George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.  He gave military leadership to the country during the war.  He also became our first president and is known as the "Father of the country."

James Armistead Lafayette was a slave who fought for the Continental Army.  He was given his freedom after the war ended.  

Parliament is the government of Britian.  They pass laws and run the goverment. 

Patrick Henry was an advocate for freedom.  He spoke out against the taxes that Parliment were forcing the colonists to pay.  He made a famous speech and said "give me liberty, or give me death."

The Stamp Act was passed by Parliament to put a tax on all printed materials.  All materials had to have a stamp placed on them to prove that the tax was paid. 

Taxation without representation means that people are being taxed when they have no say in their government. 

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, founded the University of Virginia, and was the third president of the United States.  He was a political leader during the Revolutionary War.  

The Townshends Act was a tax placed on paint, glass, and tea.  Parliament placed this tax on the colonists.

The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom was written by Thomas Jefferson.  The document says that all people have the right to worship however they want. (You will learn more about this document later in the year)