-
Great Awakening
The Great awakening was when a huge widespread movement of Evangical Christian sermons and church meetings. The Great Awakening happened because the Priests felt that their followers were losing faith and falling away. It changed both spiritual and political life because it brought all the people together and they gained faith. As they gathered together they began to realize that the government was unfair and they began to question the governments authority. -
The French and Indian War
The French gain alliance with the Indians, and a fight at Fort Necessity begins The French and Indian War. The first few years the British suffer, but then the French lose their allies. The turning point of the war was an attack on Quebec by James Wolfe. The Treaty of Paris ended the war and the frontier shifted westward. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War started because both Britain and France wanted the Ohio valley. The French wanted to protect the fur trade and the Britains wanted to expand the fur trade and expand the colonies. The French start to build forts and Robert Dinwiddle orders them to leave. George Washington receives message that they will not leave and realizes war is likely. Both sides have advantages, the French have a strong central government and the British have a much larger population. -
Proclamation of 1763
A rebellion in the colonies called Pontiacs rebellion gave the government great concern because they feared thet more fighting would occur. To avoid more loss of life, the proclamation of 1763 was issued. it banned all settlement West of the Appalachians. The government tryed to control this but the colonists established settlements there any way. The Colonists and the British had different ideas about what was best for the colonies so the colonists just ignored them. -
The Proclamation of 1763
This made the colonies even more independent. -
Sugar Act
Britain was in dept and needed money fast, so they started to make more taxes. First they had to pay for their defense, then all the goods, and terrifs were created to make the colonists pay more money. The Sugar Act was invented, it put a tax on mollasses, coffee, sugar, wine and much more. This made the colonists angry and Samuel Adams spoke up that it is wrong. -
Stamp Act
What led to the stamp act was the complaints about the sugar act. Minister Grenville asked if anyone had any better ideas, so he passed the stamp act. This affected most colonists because it caused them to pay for official stamps, seals and whenever they bought paper they had to turn the proceeds in to the British. This was the first time the Parliament tryed to collect taxes. The colonists started to protest, Samuel Adams made the Sons of Liberty. -
Stamp Act
The government finally repealed it and they needed another way to earn money. -
Townshend Act
The repealing of the stamp act and the passing of the law that said that the government could tax the colonists led to the Townshend Act. It placed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea. The revenue was used to pay for the military. Agents of the governments could search for smuggled goods, colonists thought that it took to much power from colonial courts. Colonists believed that the government didn't care about the colonies. A boycott of british women played a key role. -
Boston Massacre
Because of all the commotion, many soldiers were sent to the colonies. Samuel Adams sent a letter saying that the townshend act violated the legal rights of the colonists -
Tea Act
After all the boycotts most of the taxes were taken away, but the Tea Act was left because the government knew that the colonists always bought tea. Most of the merchants and smugglers opposed the Tea Act. The colonists united in opposition. -
Boston Tea Party
Three British ships full of tea arrive, and the Sons of Liberty ordered them to leave. But the Governor told them to unload their tea. The captains of the ships didn't want to make either mad so they set their ships at anchor with out doing anything. On December 16 a group of colonists dusguised as indians climbed onto the ships and threw 90000 pounds of tea into the harbor. When the governor heard about and was furious. Then as a punishment he passed the Intolerable Acts. -
Intolerable Acts
The first of the acts shut down the Boston Harbor untill the tea was payed for, canceled the Massachucetts charter, moved trials of colonial officials to Britain, allowed the new Qaurtering Act and the Quebec Act which gave Canada control of the Ohio region. The Qaurtering Act forced the colonists to house the soldiers. The Act was reppeled in 1778. The colonists called for a large scale boycott, they published propaganda and convened the first continental congress. -
Battle of Lexington/Concord
The Tensions were high around Boston where the center of protests were. the militia men or usually called the minute men because they can be ready to fight at a moments notice in only a minute. Paul Revere and William Dawes were supposed to warn the minutemen when the British were coming. One lantern meant they were going by land and two meant they were coming by sea. they received info that the British were crossing the river so they set out to warn every one and alert the minute men. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
after the battle at Concord, the British withdrew to Boston and the Minute men surrounded the city. June 1775 British prepared to secure Charlestown. The Colonial forces dug defense trenches atop the near by Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill. When the British woke up and saw this they were extremely surprised. Even though they were suprised they still mounted a frontal assault at the colonists. The colonists were told to wait till you see the whites of their eyes to fire. This gave them a moral boost. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet that stated that the colonies should break away from Britain. This spread throughout the colonies and in three months 120,000 copies were bought. Paine wrote in a common language and as a common man so everyone could understand it. It said that the Monarchy in Europe was wrong. This changed many colonists ideas about Britain. This reached the congress and they decided it was time to make breaking away from Britain a reality. -
Declaration of Independance
Congress made it a reality by creating the Declaration of Independence. The basic structure of the Declaration is 1,400 words, 400 in the beginning and end that state the beliefs and principles. The other 1,000 words in the middle declare the 25 bases. The Declaration says that the government is supposed to protect the peoples rights, and
when the governmemnt does not do this the people have a right to overthrow it. -
Declaration of Independence
It also states the self evident truthes that are that all men are born with certain unalienable rights that are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The colonies are also totally free and independent states, as their own sovereign nations. -
Battle of Saratoga
Howes British army nearly destroyed the patriots army, but he let them retreat. This gave them enough time to organize. During this Burgoynea didn't know that Howe was bogged down in Pennsylvania or that the force in Canada had been delayed. As they traveled through NewYork they clashed with the Patriots in th Battle of Saratoga. Burgoynea suffered a huge defeat to the patriot generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. On October 17 burgoynea surrendered to Gates. This was the best victory yet. -
Battle of Yorktown
The war was going badly for the Patriots and they were low on money, and their former ally had not helped end the war quickly. Morals dropped further when Benedict Arnold switched to the British because he was angry at the continental congress. The British controlled most of the South. General Cornwallis moved his forces to Yorktown, Virginia because he was preparing to attack a small southern Patriot force led by Marguis De Lafayette. Washington was then in New York. -
Battle of Yorktown
He was planning a strategy with a French general. the French general had recently arrived in New York with a large force. Washington requested that the French fleet sail to Chesapeke bay to stop the British. This helped the colonists, Washington and the French general joined with the Patriots in September, and they surrounded the British who surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris
With this surrender the Patriots had captured the largest British force on the continent. John Lay, John Adams, Henry Laurens and Benjamin Franklin played a crucial role in winning the French support. It took two years but they finally worked out a treaty, The Treaty of Paris. It stated all the new borders. The British finally formally accepted the Americans rights to settle and trade West of the 13 colonies. As a result movement to the frontier rose dramatically after the Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris
With the war over every one could return to their families. The citizens of America are now acknowledged to posses absolute freedom and independency.
