Independence in the Americas — causes and leaders
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Flip to reveal answersWhat triggered Britain's new taxes on the colonies after 1763?
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All 12 Flashcards — Independence in the Americas — causes and leaders
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Question
What triggered Britain's new taxes on the colonies after 1763?
Answer
Britain's debt from the Seven Years' War (1756–1763); Parliament wanted colonists to help pay for their own defence.
Question
What does "no taxation without representation" mean?
Answer
Colonists argued Parliament had no right to tax them since they had no elected members representing them in it.
Question
Name three British tax laws that angered the colonies.
Answer
Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Acts (1767), Tea Act (1773).
Question
What happened at the Boston Massacre (1770)?
Answer
British soldiers fired into a crowd of protesters, killing five colonists; used as propaganda against British rule.
Question
What idea did John Locke contribute to the independence movement?
Answer
Natural rights and the social contract: government rules only with the people's consent and can be overthrown if it violates rights.
Question
What was the impact of Thomas Paine's *Common Sense* (1776)?
Answer
Sold over 100,000 copies; shifted public opinion from seeking reform to demanding full independence.
Question
Define Enlightenment.
Answer
An 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, and government by consent.
Question
What was Thomas Jefferson's key contribution to independence?
Answer
Intellectual contribution: drafted the Declaration of Independence (1776), building on Lockean natural rights.
Question
What was George Washington's key contribution to independence?
Answer
Military contribution: commanded the Continental Army, survived Valley Forge (1777–78), won the decisive Battle of Yorktown (1781).
Question
Compare Jefferson's and Washington's contributions.
Answer
Jefferson provided the intellectual/written justification for independence; Washington provided the military force that made independence achievable.
Question
How did Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine mobilize popular support?
Answer
Adams organised the Sons of Liberty and committees of correspondence; Paine's writing converted ordinary readers to the cause of independence.
Question
What is the debate over Enlightenment ideas vs. British actions as causes of independence?
Answer
Some argue ideas (Locke, Paine) were most important; others argue British political/economic overreach (taxes, Intolerable Acts) was the real trigger — strongest essays show the two reinforced each other.
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Full study notes for Independence in the Americas — causes and leaders
Topic 11.3 hub
Independence movements in the Americas (1763–1860)
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