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American Revolution
Timeline of the key events in the American Revolution -
The Pilgrim Fathers
In 1620, a group called the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from England heading for Virginia. Their ship, the Myaflower (pictured), was blown off course, and arrived further north in an area they called Massachusetts. Their first winter was very harsh with many of the settlers dying. Today, Americans celebrate the survival of the PIlgrim Fathers on Thanksgiving Day. -
Native Americans
The Native Americans suffered terribly at the hands of the colonists. Their land was taken from them and most were killed by disease or war. The British attempted to limit white settlement on Indian lands in order to protect the Indians. However, this policy was a cause of great anger among the American colonists -
Slavery
About half a million Americans had no hope of a better life. They were the slaves. They had been captured in Africa and sold as slaves to white Americans who needed labourers to grow cotton, sugar and tobacco in the hot southern colonies. Slaves belonged to their masters. They had to work without pay and could be bought and sold like property. They and their childrenhad a little hope of enjoying the freedom of the new world. -
Eded. science
Wow this dis awesome -
No Taxation without Representation
When King George II came to the throne he wished to tax the colonies because of the expense of defending them from French invasion. The British goverment introduced the Stamp Act in 1765 to tax all documents such as contracts and wills. This angered the American who united to form the Stamp Act Congress. This was supported by a group of men known as the Sons of Liberty. Their slogan was 'No Taxation without representation'. A campaign to refuse to pay this tax was successful by the Americans. -
No Taxation without Representation
However the British simply dropped this tax and replaced it with the Townshend Acts which placed taxes on imported goods such as tea. In protest to this the colonists organised a boycott of British goods -
Boston Massacre
On this date a dispute broke out between a group of soldiers and some citizens of Boston. The soldiers opened fire and killed five people while injuring seven. This event passed into American folklore as an example of British cruelty -
Boston Tea Party
This was a protest against Britains decision to cut the tax on imported British tea which would undercut the money made by Boston merchants. A group of protesters disguised as Indians climbed aboard three tea ships in Boston harborand emptied all the tea into the sea. -
Intolerable Acts
Following the Tea Party incident, the British parliment passed Acts to close the port and reduce the power of the Massachusettes assembly. Americans called these the Intolerable Acts -
Continetal Congress
Following these acts, twelve of the colonies set representatives to Philiadelphia for a meeting called the Continental Congres. This Congress decided to bouycott British goods until the Intolerable Acts were removed. -
The Minutemen
The minutemen were a Bosotn Citizens who had begun arming themselves in case of fighting. They called themselves this because they were ready to start fighting at a minutes notice -
Battle of Lexington- War's Start
Britian sent General Gage to restore order in Boston. He attempted to destroy a large store of Minutemen arms in Concord. However the rebels learned of their plans and clashed with the British in the first battle of the War of Independence, at Lexington. Eight Americans were killed and ten wounded -
George Washington
Colonists who supported the rebels were called Patriots, as opposed to Loyalists who supported Britain. One such Patriot was George Washington, a former general in the British army and a plantation owner in Virginia. He was elected the Commander-in-Chief of the American army -
Battle of Bunker Hill
In this battle, the American army which ws besieging Boston, held by British forces under General Gage, were defeated by the British but inflicted heavy lossed of over 1000. The American army lost over 400 killed or wounded in comparison. It was the bloodiest battle in the war. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson and proclaimed by the Congress in Philadelphia. The document was advanced for it's time claiming that 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their Creator with certian inalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' -
Valley Forge
The Americans suffered a couple of serious setbacks in the war, losing New York in 1776 and Philadelphia in 1977. Washington forced his men to set up camp at Valley Forge and spend the winter there. It was a harsh winter but Washington earned the mens respect by staying with them throughout the harsh conditions. However the army lost 2,500 men to disease. While they were in Valley Forge, another American army defeated the British at Saratoga. This victory encouraged the French to join the war. -
Battle of Yorktown
After France entered the war, the momentum swung with America. This culminated in the Battle of Yorktown where a small British army surrenderd under Lord Cornwallis. This victory for the American army marked the end of the war -
The American Constitution and the Houses of Congress
With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles marking the official end of the war, the 13 colonies of America drew up a new constitution for the newly created state. In this was written that the head of government would be called the president and that there would be two Houses of Congress, the House of Representatives for the people and the Senate for the state
