Vocabulary 2 Quiz

The governing body by which the American colonial governments coordinated their resistance to British rule during the first two years of the American Revolution.

• Separation of Powers

• Declaration of Independence

• Continental Congress

• Democracy

An insurrection carried out by 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies that began in 1775 and ended with a peace treaty in 1783. The colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America.

• War of 1813

• American Revolution

• Continental Congress

• American Civil War

Best known as a proponent of limited government. He uses a theory of natural rights to argue that governments have obligations to their citizens, have only limited powers over their citizens, and can ultimately be overthrown by citizens under certain circumstances.

• Thomas Paine

• Montesquieu

• Rousseau

• John Locke

A writer and revolutionary who published a pamphlet in January 1776 called Common Sense that is considered to have paved the way for the Declaration of Independence.

• Thomas Paine

• Montesquieu

• Rousseau

• John Locke

A constitutional law doctrine that divides the government into three branches, each with specific powers and responsibilities that the other branches cannot infringe upon

• Continental Congress

• Separation of Powers

• Common Sense

• Natural Rights

An official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule. Written by Thomas Jefferson.

• Declaration of Independence

• Natural Rights

• Continental Congress

• Common Sense

An influential writer during the Enlightenment. He is famous for popularizing the idea of the separation of powers, or branched government.

• Thomas Paine

• Montesquieu

• Rousseau

• John Locke

A French philosopher who expanded on the social contract theory, emphasizing the importance of the common good. He argued that people are naturally free and equal and the role of the government is to serve the common good and protect the will of the people / their natural rights.

• Thomas Paine

• Montesquieu

• Rousseau

• John Locke

A theory that holds that individuals have certain rights–such as the rights to life, liberty, and property–in virtue of their human nature rather than on account of prevailing laws or conventions.

• Continental Congress

• Natural Rights

• Separation of Powers

• Common Sense

A country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.

• Colony

• Common Sense

• Separation of Powers

• Natural Rights