Events Leading to the American Revolutionary War

French and Indian War

Period: 1754 to 1763

• The French and Indians fought against the British because they wanted to expand west into their territory.
• During the war, the Albany Plan of Union was created and was the first attempt at uniting the colonies. The British ambush the french. The British conquered many cities like Quebec and Montreal.
  
• The British won the French and Indian war. One effect of the war was the Treaty of Paris and the significance of the war was that it helped the British gain more territory.

Proclamation of 1763

Oct 7, 1763

• The Proclamation reserved land west of the Appalachian Mountains for the Indians.
  
• The colonies began being taxed by England to help pay for the debt they were in from the war.

Sugar Act

Apr 5, 1764

• The person responsible was George Grenville.
• It taxed sugar and molasses. The British used the Sugar Act to lower the prices of taxes and help Britain fill its empty treasury.
• The Sugar Act was significant because it was a change in policy.
• The colonists were angered and sent many letters to Parliament to express their anger. The Stamp Act was soon repealed.
  

Stamp Act

Mar 22, 1765

• George Grenville is responsible for the Stamp Act.
• This Act made all documents or paper have to have a stamp or steal.
• The sons of Liberty harassed Stamp Act officials. Patrick Henry proposed seven resolutions at a meeting for the Virginia House of Burgesses. These are known as Stamp act Resolves.

-http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrvar.cfm

Quartering Act

May 3, 1765

• The Quartering Act made colonists provide food, water, and shelter to any British soldier.
  

Stamp Act Congress

Period: Oct 7, 1765 to Oct 25, 1765

• Representatives from nine colonies were involved.
• The Stamp Act Congress met in New York City.
• They wanted to devise the Stamp Act.
• As a result of the Stamp Act Congress the Stamp Act was repealed.

Declaratory Act

Mar 18, 1766

With the Declaratory Act Britain said they had the right to rule and tax the colonists .

Townshend acts

Jul 2, 1767

• Charles Townshend is personally responsible for the Townshend Act.
• The Townshend Acts imposed taxes on products like glass, paper, and tea. The writs of assistance allowed a general of the British to search a persons house without a warrant to search for smuggled goods.
• The taxes the colonists were paying were used to pay troops and generals of the British army.
• The colonists were not in favor of the Townshend acts and it made them feel angered.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

• Colonists were rioting in the streets to protesting the Townshend acts.
• Some yelled "fire" to the soldiers.
• The British shot into the crowd of colonists and killed five people.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

• Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty were responsible. -The Tea Act led to the Boston Tea Party.
• Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty led a group of colonists dressed like Indians onto a British ship in the Boston Harbor.
• Once on the ship, they threw 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest to the Tea Act.
• In response to the Boston Tea Party, England enforced the Intolerable Acts.

Intolerable Acts

Mar 24, 1774

• Massachusetts was mainly effected by this act.
• The Intolerable Act was enforced to punish colonists for the Boston Tea Party and for King George III to regain control over the colonists.
• The Intolerable acts made colonists more in favor of the war.
  

Quebec Act

Jun 22, 1774

• This act gave French Canadians the religious freedom.
• This act helped colonists support the war because they didn't like it.
  

First Continental Congress

Period: Sep 5, 1774 to Oct 26, 1774

• Al thirteen colonies except Georgia sent delegates to the First Continental Congress. Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams and John Jay were present.
• They met in Philadelphia.
• The purpose was to defend the colonists right to run their own government. The Congress was set up in response to the Intolerable Acts.
• The result was organized colonial resistance.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/congress.html

Battle of Lexington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

• The British were after after a stockpile of guns and ammunition. They were also after the colonists.
• The colonists who fought were minutemen.
• 49 minutemen were killed and 39 were wounded. 73 British men were killed and 174 were wounded.
• Lexington and Concord were the first Battles fought in the Revolutionary War.

Second Continental Congress

Period: May 5, 1775 to 1775

• Delegates from all thirteen colonies represented at the Second Continental Congress. John Hancock, Ben Franklin, James Wilson and Thomas Jefferson were there.
• They met in Philadelphia.
• Met soon after the start of the war and created a continental army. -The congress wrote "Declaration of the causes and necessity of taking up arms" and the "Olive Branch Petition".

Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 17, 1775

• The Battle of Bunker Hill was in Boston.
• During the battle, the redcoats stormed the hill three times before defeating the colonists.
• The colonists lost.
• The colonies gain confidence because they thought they had a fighting chance against the British.

Common Sense

Feb 14, 1776

• Common Sense was wrote by Thomas Paine.
• Thomas Paine supported colonial independence from the British. -His pamphlet helped persuade undecided colonists to support the independence.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

• The Declaration of Independence was wrote by Thomas Jefferson. -It was signed July 4th, 1776.
• This document separated the colonies from Britain and made them their own country. -The main ideas were life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, unfair taxes and laws, and England had violated the social contract.
• The colonists wee relieved and happy.