Chapter 2 Section 2 Questions

In tracing the events you should briefly describe the importance of the following:

1) The Iroquois Confederation (who did it influence the Americans?)

The iroquois foundation was a very organized group of native americans from five different clans who banded together and created a constitution to follow. This unity influenced the concept of early American democracy.

2) The distance between Britain and the Colonies (the colonies being left to themselves)

Because Britain was so far away from the Colonies, the settlers felt they were entitled to self-government. This distance helped with the democratic actions in America, eventually pushing the colonists to break away from Britain.

3) The French and Indian War and emergence of King George III

King George III believed that the colonists needed to help pay off The French and Indian War because it was fought for the colonists’ protection, so he began imposing taxes on simple things in the colonies. This caused much outrage and rebellion, including the dumping of hundreds of cases of tea into Boston Harbor.

4) The Stamp Act, Boston Tea Party, and Coercive Acts

The Stamp act was a tax that made colonists pay tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and  playing cards. As British revenue grew, the colonists became more and more fed up with the unwanted taxes. In rebellion, they dumped 352 cases of British tea into Boston Harbor. The British imposed the Coercive Acts, commonly known as the Intolerable Acts, were imposed as punishment eventually getting the area closed.

5) Colonial Unity - the Stamp Act Congress, the committees of correspondence, The First and

Second Continental Congress

Britain’s tightening of the leash on America caused more unity within the 13 states, and soon they were working together to govern themselves better. The Stamp Act Congress gathered in New York to protest King George’s actions. They petitioned the king, saying only colonial legislatures should impose such taxes. In 1773 the committees of correspondence encouraged rebellion again the british. The First Continental Congress prohibited trade with Britain. The Second Continental Congress became the central government during the revolutionary war. It organized an army, a navy, and issued money for the war. It also covered the important act of negotiating treaties with other countries.

6) Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine was once a British corset maker, and he created a wildly popular pamphlet titled “Common Sense.” In this pamphlet, he stated that monarchy was a corrupt form of government, and that people had the right to self-govern.