SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE 8 CHAPTER 6 VOCABULARY
Thomas Paine: Author who criticized the idea of being ruled by kings. He said Americans
would be better off if they ruled themselves.
Richard Henry Lee: Virginia delegate who introduced a resolution to the Continental Congress
that proclaimed that “these United States United Colonies are, and of right
ought to be, free and independent states.”
Resolution: Formal statement of opinion
Preamble: Introduction
Grievances: Formal complaints
Nathan Hale: Connecticut officer who spied on the British. He was caught and hanged.
Mercenary: Soldier who serves another country for money.
Alliance: A formal agreement between two powers to work together towards a common goal.
Marquis de Lafayette: French noble who became a high-ranking officer in Washington’s army.
Friedrich von Steuben: German baron who had served in the Prussian army and helped train
the Continental army.
Enlist: Sign up for duty
Civilians: People not in the military
Continental: Paper money
George Rogers Clark: Won major victories on the Ohio Valley front. He and his men captured
the British outposts at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes.
Bernardo de Galvez: Louisiana governor who secretly supplied the Americans with money and
supplies.
John Paul Jones: Commander of the ship that defeated the British in the most famous naval
battle of the Revolution.
Privateers: Armed civilian ships that had their governments’ permission to attack enemy ships
and keep their goods.
Charles Cornwallis: British commander who carried the war into North Carolina. He eventually
surrenders to American and French force at Yorktown to end the war.
Guerrillas: Fighters who work in small bands to make hit-and-run attacks.
Francis Marion: Guerrilla leader who had great success in attacking the British. Known as the
Swamp Fox.
Nathanael Greene: American general who took control of the Continental army in the South
in 1780 and split it in two. This strategy led to a major American victory at
the Battle of Cowpens.
Traitor: A person who turns against one side in a conflict to help the other side.