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French and Indian War
The cause of the French and Indian War was because of colonists. They wanted French claimed land and decided to take it forcefully which made conflict. This was the beginning of a big war, over land. The French and Indians versus the Colonies and Britain.
Eventually after the British captured Modern Canadian capitals, the French surrendered. Then they both signed the Treaty of Paris ( 1763 ). England also signed off on the Proclamation on 1763, which limited colonist expansion. -
Proclamation of 1763
After Britain acquired French territory following the "French and Indian War", King George III divided up the land in North America. He stated that this line which follows the Appalachian Mountains could not be settled past by colonists. The land west of the mountains belonged to the Indians. This created problems in the colonies and they weren't happy. In the end they didn't follow through with it. -
Sugar Act
After the "French and Indian War", Britain was low on funding. They needed pay for fighting the war. So British Prime Minister George Grenville decided with parliament that they would enact the Sugar Act. This act lowered the price on sugar and molasses eventually. This was done to reduce smuggling by the colonies. Usually money earned was to supply local British officials, but this time all the money was intended to refill Parliament's empty treasury. The colonies weren't happy with this tax. -
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Stamp Act
A period of time where Parliament/George Grenville passed an act requiring all printed paper items sold with a tax. This was no joke, and upset many people. The colonies response was shocking for the British. A group called the Sons of Liberty were responsible for harassing British officials enforcing the act. They threatened to even tar and feather them! Even Virginia's House of Burgess's made a plan against them, which were resolves/resolutions. Eventually after a time, the act was repealed. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was a plan by Parliament designed to require that local colonial governments provide provisions and housing to British soldiers stationed in the 13 Colonies. ( Mainly New York ) -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress, which was the first congress of the American Colonies, was a meeting in NYC consisting of representatives from the colonies that wanted to take action in protesting British taxation, specifically during the Stamp Act. The end result was a document to Britain stating that without representation in Parliament, they could not be taxed. -
Declaratory Act
Act accompanying the repeal of the Stamp Act, the Declaratory stated Britain's right to rule and tax the colonies. Used essentially to make clear their authority! -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of taxes and laws passed by Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. One part of his acts included the Writs of Assistance, which allowed unwarranted searches and seizures on colonists. This was his way of reducing smuggling.
The Revenue portion required a tax be paid on glass, lead, paper, oil, tea, etc. The money gathered was believed as an attempt to recoup money lost in the French and Indian War. The Colonies hated these acts and got them repealed. -
The Boston Massacre
- A British sentry was on guard duty, and began to become harassed by the crowd of colonists throwing snowballs.
- The British reinforcements came to help control the situation, but it became more hectic and violent!
- In the panic and confusion, one British soldier fired and then more followed. Five died instantly, with the first being a freed slave named Crispus Attucks ( credited as first death of the Revolution ).
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Boston Tea Party
In response to the Tea Act, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians and dumped tea into the Boston Harbor.- The Tea Act rekindled the hate colonists had for the constitutionality of the duty on tea ( specifically British tea ).
- So Samuel Adams and his Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded the East India Company ship and dumped their loads of tea.
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Intolerable/Coercive Acts
Acts made as a response to the Boston Tea Party and continued colonial resistance. This was a ploy by the British to punish the colonies directly and bring them back into its service. They were pretty much:
- 1st- March 31, 1774: Boston Port Act
2nd- May 20, 1774: Massachusetts Government Act
3rd- May 20, 1774: Administration Justice Act
4th- June 2, 1774: Quartering Act of 1774
5th- June 22, 1774: Quebec Act 1774 The colonies hated these acts and wanted to take action against the British... -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act was one of the five Intolerable Acts, enforced by the British Parliament as punishment for colonial resistance and The Boston Tea Party.
The colonies didn't approve of any acts made under the Coercive Acts, nonetheless the Quebec Act. so the colonies organized the First Continental Congress, where they could discuss how to counter these acts. -
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First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting between: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, excluding Georgia.
They met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take action against the Intolerable Acts. People there included John Adams, Ben Franklin, James
Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and more. Soon after the discussion, they agreed to meet again someday. -
Battles of Lexington & Concord
Before these battles occurred, Paul Revere learned the British were coming to confiscate colonial weapons, and went on a ride to warn everyone nearby. On his journey he was captured and Samuel Prescott finished the ride! By surprise the British discover an angry militia, and that the supplies were moved. The battles brought many casualties: For the colonists, 49 killed, 39 wounded, and 5 missing. For the British, 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 26 missing. The surprise victory rallied the troops. -
Second Continental Congress
The colonies: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island all met in Philadelphia to discuss the colonial war effort. Delegates like Ben Franklin, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, and George Washington all met as well to discuss independence. After discussion, two important documents were created:- Declaration of Independence!
- Articles of Confederation!
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Battle of Bunker Hill
This was a battle in Boston, Massachusetts for the Charlestown peninsula in the early points of the American Revolution. Pretty much, the colonists had the high ground on Bunker Hill and beat back the British twice. On the third push they lost it and had to retreat.
This wasn't a morale loss for the colonies though, because it showed the colonists that they could beat the British! This rallied the colonies to keep fighting, and to use independence as their motivation. -
"Common Sense"
Common Sense was a document published anonymously, written by Thomas Paine. In this document he attacks the Kingdom's Monarchy and puts forth evidence on why the colonies should pursue independence because they would be better off without England. He pretty much is stating that through all that England's done to the colonists, why not pursue separation from the King's Monarchy. This pamphlet is significant because it is one of the reasons people continued to fight and stay hopeful! -
Declaration of Independence!
Thomas Jefferson was the writer of the Declaration of Independence, with inspiration from Thomas Locke and the other Founding Fathers. It was signed on July, 4th 1776 by the Founding Fathers. It signified America's push for freedom from Britain. The main ideas of the Declaration of Independence were people were entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The colonists were happy to be so close to independence!
