-
Albany Congress
The British government called a meeting of colonial leaders. In Albany, New York. They wanted the colonies to agree to cooperate in defending themselves against the French. The colonial assemblies rejected it. -
Period: to
The French and Indian
The French and Native Americans fought the British, the Iroquois and the colonist. For control over the Ohio River Valley. The British won the war. With the win for the British, the French lost it's entire empire. -
The Treaty of Pairs
Britain and France signed the Treaty of Pairs in Pairs, France. France lost almost all of its land in North America. It then ceded, French Canada to great Britain. Great Britain also gain all the other French territory east of the Mississippi. Also received Spanish Florida. -
Period: to
Pontiac's War
The leader of the Ottawa nation, Pontiac, formed an alliance of western Native Americans. Pontiac and his allies attacked British forts and settlements throughout the area. The British finally defeated Pontiac's force in early August at a battle near Fort Pitt. Pontiac continued fight for another year but fell by the fall of 1764. -
The Proclamation of 1763
To avoid further wars with the Native Americans on the frontier, the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763. It banned colonial settlements west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers were told to move to a location east of that line. The Proclamation angered many colonist. It also was widely ignored and proved impossible for the British to enforce. -
The Quartering Act
Parliament passed the Quartering Act to save money. British kept about 10,000 soldiers in the colonies to enforce the Proclamation of 1763. The act required colonists to quarter, British troops and provide them with food and other supplies. The colonists complained that Parliament was violating their right and they protested angrily. -
Sugar Act
The British effort to impose new taxes on the colonies. Parlament passed the Sugar Act which puts import tax on several products including molasses. Colonial merchants protested. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act passes by Parliament required that all colonists buy special taxs stamps for all kinds of products and activities. The stamps had to be placed on newspaper, wills, licenses, insurance policies, land titles, contracts, and other documents. Protests against the act was widespread. -
Boston Massacre
In Boston a angry crowd of workers ans sailors surrounded a small group of soldiers. They were shouting, threw snowballs and rocks at them. The soldiers fired into the crowd, killing 5 and wounding 6. The first to fall for the cause of American independence was Crispus Attucks, an African sailor. -
Tea Act
It was intended to help the British East India Company. The tea Act lowered the price of tea by allowing the East India to ship tea directly to the colonies. Before it had to be shipped to Britain. The colonist reacted angrily to the part of the act that gave the East India Company a monopoly on selling British tea in the colonies. The monopoly hurt the colonial merchants. Because of this they boycott the tea which seriously hurt the company. -
Boston Tea Party
A large crowd of people gathered in the harbor during the night. Then a large group of men dressed as Native Americans boarded the tea ship. During the next 3 hours they throw 342 cases of tea into the harbor. As they did the crowd cheered and shouted. The raiders had destroyed 90,000 pounds of tea worth thousands of dollars. -
Intolerable Act
The British government was outraged because of The Boston Tea Party. King George IIII called for tough action to make examples of the people in Boston and Massachusetts. Parliament passed 4 laws. The first act closed the port of Boston. They abolished the upper house of Massachusetts legislature. They cut the power of town meetings. The fourth law strengthened the 1765 Quartering Act. They also passed the Quebec Act which claimed land between the Ohio and Missouri rivers apart of Canada. -
The First Continental Congress
12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia. Only Georgia didn't send representatives. The congress demanded the repeal of the Intolerable Act and declared that the colonies had the right to tax and govern themselves. Also called for the training of militias to stand up to the British troops if necessary, and a new boycott of British goods. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
General Thomas Gage, the new governor of Massachusetts, sent 700 troops to seize the arms and capture some important colonial leaders in Concord. As the troops set out, a signal sent by the Patriots appeared in the steeple of Boston's Old North Church. Paul Revere and William Dawes, rode though the night to warn the minuteman. In Lexington, about 77 minuteman were waiting for the British. They refused to leave. Then a shot rang out. In Concord 400 minuteman fought the British troops. -
The Second Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia. At first the congress was divided about what to do. The delegates from New England wanted to declare independence. The Middle Colonies favored less drastic actions. Nearly all of the delegates felt they need to prepare for war. The first step was to form an army. They chose George Washington as the commander of the newly formed Continental army. They also took steps to pay for the army by printing paper money. -
Battle for Fort Ticonderoga
The battle took place in northern New York. A daring band of colonists made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga. The fort stood at the southern end of Lake Champlain and protected the water route to Canada. Leading the force was Ethan Allen. Most of his followers were from Green Mountains of today's Vermont. They were known as the Green Mountain Boys. Allen's force of 83 men reached the fort by crossing the lake at night and surprising the British in early morning. The British surrendered. -
Battles of Bunker and Breeds Hill
British General William Howe decided to attack straight up Breed's Hill. Commander, Isreal Putnam had the Americans wait until the British troops were only 150 feet away. When the opened fire, hundreds of British soldiers fell dead and wounded. The 1st and 2nd attack failed. But the 3rd succeeded, only because the Americans rain out of ammunition and retreated. The Americans proved that they could fight and stand up to professional British soldiers. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George. The petition stated that the colonists were loyal to the king. It asked George to stop the fighting so all the disputes between the colonists and Britain could be stopped peacefully.The petition got its name from the olive branch, a symbol of peace since ancient times. -
Invasion of Quebec
2 American armies were moving north into Canada. Richard Montgomery left from Fort Ticonderoga. Benedict Arnold, moved north thought Maine. Arnold had a terrible journey though the Maine woods in winter, they were forced to boil candles, bark, and shoe leather for food. In late December, the Americans attack Quebec during a severe snowstorm. The attack back turned. Montgomery was killed, and Arnold was wounded. -
The British withdrawal from Boston
In July 1775, George Washington arrived and took charge of the army. He knew he need to build a regular army and needed powerful weapons to drive British from Boston. He had the British cannons, seized at Fort Ticonderoga, Dragged on sleds across mountain and forests to Boston That difficult 300-mile journey took 3 months. In March he placed the cannons on high ground overlooking Boston. The British could no longer defend the city. They withdrew from Boston and never returned.