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Albany Plan of Union
A plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 as a response to French attacks on the frontier. The plan proposed to unite the colonies, but it was rejected by the colonies. It was rejected because it gave too much power to an assembly made up of representatives from all thirteen colonies. -
George III becomes King of Great Britain
George III became king in 1760 of Great Britain. He had different ideas of how to handle the colonies. He was determined to deal firmly with the colonies. He levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products on the colonists. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War started as a conflict between the French and British over lands in western PA and OH. Great Britain won the war in 1763 and gained complete control of the eastern third of the continent. The defeat of France meant American colonists no longer needed the British to protect them from the French. The real impact of the war was the cost to the British. Left with a huge war debt, Britain's leaders wanted Americans to pay up, and that's when the trouble started. -
Stamp Act of 1765
Imposed the first direct tax on colonists. Required them to pay a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and even dice and playing cards. Parliament also passed laws regulating colonial trade in ways that benefited Great Britain but not the colonies. As Britain's revenue increased, so did the colonist's resentment. This led to a colonist boycott of British goods which eventually made the British repeal the Act. -
Stamp Act Congress
In 1765 nine colonies sent delegates to a meeting in New York called the Stamp Act Congress. This was the first meeting organized by the colonies to protest King George's actions. Delegates to the Congress sent a petition to the king, arguing that only colonial legislatures could impose direct taxes such as the Stamp Tax. -
Committees of Correspondence
Organization urging for resistance to the British. These committees consisted of colonists who wanted to keep in touch with one another as events unfolded. First one was established in Boston and the idea spread quickly. Soon there was over 80 such committees in Massachusetts alone. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of British tea into the Boston Harbor in 1773. This led to Parliament passing strict Acts on the colonies. -
Coercive Acts
A.K.A. the Intolerable Acts to the colonists, it closed the Boston Harbor and withdrew the right of the Massachusetts colony to govern itself. -
First Continental Congress
The Intolerable Acts made VA and MA call a general meeting of the colonies. Delegates from all the colonies except GA met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774, for the First Continental Congress. They debated what to do about their relationship with Britain. They finally imposed an embargo on Britain and agreed not to use British goods. They also agreed to meet again next year if Britain did not change their policies. -
Lexington and Concord
The British Army and colonial minute men clashed at Lexington and Concord in MA. This was the first battle of the Revolutionary war. -
Second Continental Congress
Delegates from all 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress. They immediately assumed the powers of a central government. It chose John Hancock of MA as president because he could help raise funds for an army. They appointed George Washington as commander of the Continental Army and also organized an army and navy, issued money. The congress served as acting government and purchased supplies, negotiated treaties, and rallied support for the colonists' cause. -
Resolution of Independence
More than a year after the fighting had begun, Richard Henry Lee of VA declared independence. Lee introduced a resolution in the Continental Congress that the United Colonies are and ought to be free and independent states. -
Declaration of Independence
After Lee's resolution, Congress quickly appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee asked Thomas Jefferson to write the draft. The committee gave the edited draft to Congress on June 28. On July 2, 1776, the congress approved Lee's resolution. Then Jefferson's draft was brought to the table. After considerable debate and a few changes, congress approved the final draft on July 4th. The document was signed by 56 delegates and declared the colonies independence.
