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The Albany Congress
The meeting took place in Albany, New York. The British Government had a meeting with colonial leaders. They hoped to form an alliance with the Iroquois against the French. The Iroquois refused to make an alliance. The Albany Congress approved Franklin's plan, the Albany Plan of Union, but the colonial assemblies rejected it. -
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French and Indian War
The war was between the French and Native Americans vs the British, Colonists, and Iroquois. Who ever won the war had control over the Ohio River Valley. The war took place in North America. In the end, the British won the war and France lost their entire empire in North America. -
Treaty of Paris
Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris in Paris. The Treaty ended the French and Indian War. France surrendered and gave up all of their territories due to the Treaty. The British gained French Canada, New Orleans, and Spanish Florida. -
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Pontiac's War
The Native Americans were desperately trying to keep their lands. Pontiac formed an alliance of western Native Americans. In May 1763, Pontiac and his allies attacked British forts and settlements throughout the area. The British and Native Americans went to war for land. The British finally defeated Pontiac's forces in early August at a battle near Fort Pitt. -
Proclamation of 1763
Britain wanted to avoid further wars with Native Americans on the frontier. Therefore, the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763. This angered many colonists. It banned colonial settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act
The British put new taxes on the 13 colonies. The tax was called for a harsh punishment for smugglers. This began in 1764. The Sugar Act put a import tax on several products. Colonial merchants, who sometimes traded smuggled goods, protested. -
Stamp Act
This act required all colonists to buy special tax stamps for all kinds of products and activities. The Stamp Act was passed by Parliament in early 1765. People of Virginia were taxed. Merchants in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia boycotted. The protests worked. In 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. -
The Quartering Act
The purpose of The Quartering Act was to save money. Parliament passed the Quartering Act in 1765. The act required colonists to house British troops and provide them with food and other supplies. The colonists protested angrily. They complained that Parliament was violating their rights. -
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, in Boston, soldiers fired into a crowd of angry workers, killing five and wounding six. Workers, Blacksmiths, and others blamed the British for them losing their jobs. They shouted at the soldiers and threw rocks at them. -
Tea Act
In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. The tea was sold to the colonies and Britain. The Tea Act was intended to help the British East India Company, one of Britain's most important companies. Frederick North, the prime minister of England, felt the colonists should not object to the Tea Act since the price of tea was lowered. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists called the Sons of Liberty soon organized in port cities to stop the East India Company tea from being unloaded. On December 16 1773, a large group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded the tea ship. During the next three hours, they threw 342 cases of tea into the harbor. No tea was unloaded in New York, Philadelphia, or other ports. -
Intolerable Acts
Parliament passed four laws that colonists called the Intolerable Acts. The first act closed the port of Boston. Two others increased the powers of the royal governor, abolished the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature, and cut the powers of town meetings. The fourth law strengthened the 1765 Quartering Act. The Boston Tea Party outraged the British government. In response to the incident, the four laws were made. -
First Continental Congress
This meeting took place in Philadelphia in September and October 1774. 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates. The delegates were John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Jay, George Washington, and Patrick Henry. The Congress demanded the repeal of the Intolerable Acts and declared that the colonies had a right to tax and govern themselves. It also called for the training of militias to stand up to British troops and for a new boycott of British goods. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
On April 18, 1775, General Thomas Gage sent 700 troops to seize the arms and capture important colonial leaders. Five miles from Concord in the town of Lexington, about 77 minutemen were waiting when the British arrived. Suddenly, a shot rang out. This turned out to be the first shot of the American Resolution, "the shot heard round the world." The British then opened fire, killing eight Americans. A larger battle took place in Concord. 400 minutemen fought the British, killing three of them. -
Battle for Fort Ticonderoga
A group of colonists made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775. The fort stood at the southern end of Lake Champlain and protected the water route to Canada. 83 men reached the fort by crossing the lake at night and surprising the British in the early morning. 42 British troops guarded the fort and they surrendered immediately. Fort Ticonderoga was very important because it held valuable weapons, such as cannons. -
The Second Continental Congress
After the battles of Lexington and Concord, most colonists still did not favor independence. As the crisis with Britain deepened, the Second Continental Congress came together in Philadelphia in May 1775. The delegates were Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Benjamin Franklin. A group of delegates from New England wanted independence and a group from the Middle Colonies favored less drastic action. They formed an army, chose Washington as commander, and printed paper money to pay for it's army. -
Battles of Bunker and Breeds Hill
By June 1775, the British had 6,500 troops in Boston. The Americans had about 10,000 surrounding the city. 1,600 of these troops occupied Breed's Hill overlooking the city. They had a perfect view on British ships in Boston Harbor. The Battles of Bunker and Breed's Hill were between the British and Americans. More than 1,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded and about 400 Americans were killed or wounded. The British won but at a terrible cost. -
Olive Branch Petition
The first resolution was the Olive Branch Petition and was sent to King George. Delegates at the Second Continental Congress hoped that there could be peace between Britain and it's American colonies. This petition stated that the colonists were loyal to the king. It asked George to stop the fighting so all disputes between the colonists and Britain could be solved peacefully. King George did not bother to answer the Olive Branch Petition. He declared the colonies were "in open...rebellion." -
Invasion of Quebec
While Washington was training one army outside Boston, two other American armies were moving north into Canada. One was led by Richard Montgomery and the other was led by Benedict Arnold. In late December 1775, the Americans attacked Quebec during a severe snowstorm. Montgomery was killed and Arnold was wounded. The Americans stayed outside Quebec until the British landed new forces in Canada. By disease and hunger, the Americans withdrew, leaving Canada to the British. -
The British Withdrawal from Boston
Washington placed cannons on high ground overlooking Boston. The British could no longer defend the city. On March 17, 1776, the British withdrew from Boston by sea and never returned.