almshouse public shelter for the poor

amnesty general pardon granted by a government






Baron Friedrich von Steuben Prussian military officer who served as Washington’s drillmaster at Valley Forge

Battle of Bunker Hill June 1775 British assault on American troops on Breed’s Hill near Boston; the British won the battle but suffered heavy losses

Battle of King’s Mountain 1780 battle fought on the border between the Carolinas in which revolutionary troops defeated loyalists

Battle of Monmouth June 1778 battle in which Charles Lee wasted a decisive American advantage

Battle of Trenton December 26, 1776 battle; Washington led his troops by night across the Delaware River and captured a Hessian garrison

Benedict Arnold Pharmacist-turned-military leader whose bravery and daring made him an American hero until he committed treason in 1780

Benjamin Franklin American writer, inventor, scientist, and diplomat instrumental in bringing about a French alliance with the US in 1778 and who later helped negotiate the treaty ending the war

black market illegal business of buying and selling goods that are banned or restricted






Charles Lee revolutionary general who tried to undermine Washington’s authority; he was eventually dismissed

cheap money paper money that is readily available but has declined in value






entail legal limitation that prevents property from being divided, sold, or given away






Francis Marion British general who was second in command to Henry Clinton; his 1781 surrender at Yorktown ended the Revolution






George Rogers Clark Virginian who led his troops to successes against the British and Indians in the Ohio Territory in 1778

George Washington commander in chief of the Continental Army; he led Americans to victory in the Revolution and later became the first president of the US

graft unscrupulous use of one’s position for profit or advantage






Hessians German soldiers who were hired by Britain to fight in the American Revolution

Horatio “Granny” Gates Elderly Virginia general who led the American troops to victory in the Battle of Saratoga






John Burgoyne British general forced to surrender his entire army at Saratoga, NY, in October 1777






Mary Ludwig one of many women known popularly as “Molly Pitchers” because they carried water to cool down the cannon their husbands fired in battle

militiamen soldiers who were not members of a regular army but ordinary citizens called out in case of emergency






Nathanael Greene American general who took command of the Carolinas campaign in 1780






primogeniture legal right of the eldest son to inherit the entire estate of his father






republic nation in which supreme power resides in the citizens, who elect representatives to govern them

Richard Howe British admiral who commanded British naval forces in America






Sir Henry Clinton general who replaced William Howe as commander of the British forces in America in 1778 after the British surrendered at Saratoga

suffrage right to vote






Thayendanegea Mohawk chief known to Americans as Joseph Brant; his combined forces of loyalists and Indians defeated John Sullivan’s 1779 expedition to upstate New York

Thomas Gage British general who was military governor of Massachusetts and commander of the army occupying Boston in 1775

Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War in 1783 and secured American independence






Valley Forge winter encampment of Washington’s army in 1777-78; the term has become synonymous with “dire conditions” because the soldiers suffered greatly from cold and hunger






West Point site of forte overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City

William Howe British general in command at the Battle of Bunker Hill and later the commander of British forces in America






Yorktown last major battle of the revolution; American and French troops trapped Cornwallis’s army here and forced him to surrender