American Revolution Vocabulary
- Revolution – an overthrow and complete replacement of an established government or political system by the people being governed by that system
- Victuals – food
- Pining – yearning for, wanting
- Contrivance – mechanical device
- Amiss – something is wrong
- Libation – a drink used as an offering or sacrifice
- Repose – to rest
- Militia – a military force made up of ordinary citizens
- Converted – to change the religious beliefs of someone
- Iroquois Confederacy – the most powerful group of Native Americans in eastern North America before and during the French and Indian War
- Alliance – a partnership
- Neutral – to take no side of a conflict
- Prohibited – barred or kept someone from doing something
- Revenue – incoming money from taxes or other sources
- Writs of Assistance – Documents that allowed British officers to search anywhere for smuggled goods without a warrant
- Violated – to disregard or go against a norm or law
- Resolution – a formal expression of opinion
- Effigy – a mocking figure representing an unpopular individual
- Boycott – to refuse to buy goods for a reason
- Repeal – to cancel or rescind
- Commodities – goods people buy and sell on a regular basis
- Rebellion – open defiance of authority
- Occupy – to take control of an area
- Encounter – to meet or come face-to-face with a person or a group
- Propaganda – ideas or information (true or false) intentionally spread to harm or help a cause, information used to influence public opinion
- Committee of Correspondence – an organization that spread ideas and information through Britain’s American colonies
- Minutemen – militia men in the American colonies who said they could be ready to fight in a minute’s notice
- Approach – to get closer to something
- Loyalists – colonists who sided with Britain and saw no need for an armed rebellion
- Patriots – colonists who were against the British and wanted to fight an armed rebellion
- Moorings – ropes or chains holding a ship in place
- Encampment – place where a group of soldiers are camped
- Sentinel – a soldier on guard
- Musket-ball – a bullet from a gun
- Discipline – the ability to follow rules and procedures
- Debate – a discussion by opposing points of view
- Preamble – the introduction to a formal document that often tells why the document was written (similar to an introduction to an essay)
- Renounce – to give up or abandon something or someone
- Reconciliation – a settlement or understanding between two people
- Infallibly – without fail, cannot fail
- Animosity – hostility, ill will, hatred
