110 Chapter 3 America in the British Empire
Key Terms
Albany Plan A proposal, drafted in Albany, New
York, in 1754 by Benjamin Franklin of
Pennsylvania, for a “plan of union” for the collec-
tive defense of the British colonies. Because it held
the potential for unifying the colonies against its
rule, the British government never adopted the
plan, 87
Boston Massacre A violent confrontation between
British troops and a Boston mob on March 5,
1770; the soldiers opened fire and killed five, an
incident that inflamed sentiment against the
British, 105
Coercive Acts A series of laws passed by Parliament
in 1774 to punish Boston and Massachusetts for
the destruction of tea during the “Boston Tea
Party.” Many colonists, who regarded these and
similar laws as “intolerable,” moved closer toward
war, 108
Enlightenment An intellectual movement of the
eighteenth century that celebrated human reason
and scientific advances and expressed doubts
about the truth claims of sacred texts, 88
First Continental Congress An assembly com-
prised of delegates from twelve colonies that met
in Philadelphia in 1774. It denied Parliament’s
authority to legislate for the colonies, adopted the
Declaration of Rights and Grievances, created a
Continental Association to enforce a boycott of
British imports, and endorsed a call to take up
arms against Britain, 108
French and Indian War Fourth in the series of
great wars between Britain and France, this con-
flict (1754–1763) had its focal point in North
America and pitted the French and their Indian
allies against the British and their Indian allies.
Known in Europe as the Seven Years’ War, this
struggle drove the French government from much
of North America, 92
Great Awakening A widespread evangelical revival
movement of the 1740s and 1750s, sparked by
the tour of the English evangelical minister
George Whitefield. The Awakening spread reli-
gious fervor but weakened the authority of estab-
lished churches, 85
mercantilism A loose system of economic organi-
zation designed, through a favorable balance of
trade, to guarantee the prosperity of the British
empire. Mercantilists advocated possession of
colonies as places where the mother country could
acquire raw materials not available at home, 83
Navigation Acts Seventeenth-century
Parliamentary statutes to control trade within the
British empire so as to benefit Britain and pro-
mote its administration of the colonies, 84
Seven Years’ War The global conflict, sometimes
known as the French and Indian War, that lasted
from 1756 to 1763 and pitted France and its allies
against Britain and its allies. Britain ultimately pre-
vailed, forcing France to surrender its claims to
Canada and all territory east of the Mississippi
River, 93
Stamp Act Congress A meeting in New York City
of delegates of most of the colonial assemblies in
America to protest the Stamp Act, a revenue mea-
sure passed by Parliament in 1765; it was a precur-
sor to the Continental Congress, 102Review Questions
1.Nowadays American manufacturers seek
protection—high import taxes—on imported
manufactured goods. Why did American colonists
oppose such taxes in the eighteenth century?
2.The 1700s witnessed an explosion of interest in
evangelical religion, and also the broader diffusion
of Enlightenment ideas. What did these phenom-
ena have in common?
3.Why did the British finally prevail in the French
and Indian War in 1763 and what were the reper-
cussions of their victory?
4.The colonists believed that the British government
was depriving them of the customary liberties
accorded all Englishmen; and yet many of the
same colonists owned slaves. Can such opinions
be reconciled, or were the slaveowning Patriots
hypocrites?
5.From 1763 to 1775, the British government
made many mistakes: Would different policies
have long kept the American colonies within the
British empire?