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Beginning in 1763 economic policy England followed when it came to the 13 colonies. England saw the colonies as a market for English goods wanted to get money (taxes) natural resources from the colonies. -
"hands off approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves. -
aka 7 Years War between France and England. In the colonies, it was called the French Indian War because the colonists fought with British soldiers against France the Indians who were on side of France. Because of the war, England had a massive war debt began to tax the people in the 13 colonies. -
The Stamp Act was tax passed by the British Parliament, it required all colonists to pay for an official stamp on nearly all paper goods. Things like licenses, newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, and playing cards. This funded Great Britain and in response to this act, the colonies protested, boycotted and eventually formed the Stamp Act Congress. -
This was an act passed by the British Parliament that said that the American colonists must provide the British troops shelter, food and other supplies. It had also helped the British to manage the high cost of maintaining the army in the colonies. -
The Townshend Acts were British laws passed to raise revenue from the American colonies by taxing imported things like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. This was also to strengthen enforcement of custom laws, it increased colonial resentment and protests. -
The Boston Massacre was a tragic incident where seven British soldiers fired into a hostile mob of Colonists on King Street, Province of Massachusetts Bay. (Boston) They ended up killing five colonists and wounded six others. This angered the colonists even further and spread even more propaganda of anti-British settlement. -
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest where American colonists were disguised as Native Americans. They boarded British tea ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water to protest the Tea Act as they saw it as unfair taxation without representation. -
The Intolerable Acts were a collection of laws passed by the British Parliament and the purpose of these laws was to punish the 13 American colonies, Massachusetts in particular, because of the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston Harbor, restricted town meetings, and forced housing for troops. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first official battles between the British and the American Colonists. Britain's goal was to seize colonial weapons but Paul Revere and other colonists warned the local militia and ended up confronting the British in Lexington, where the first shots were fired. The British then fled their way to Concord where they were ambushed by the militia, retreating to Boston. This resulted in American Victory and a turning point towards the independence. -
Shortly after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, delegates from the thirteen colonies united in support of the Revolutionary War. It was the de facto governing body and acted as a national government to secure independence from Britain, manage diplomatic relations, and organize military efforts. -
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by Congress, it was the final attempt to prevent war against Great Britain. This petition had highlighted their loyalty to the British and how they would remain loyal to the British crown. However the petition was rejected and King George refused to read it, he declared the rebellion in the colonies. -
Common Sense is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine wanting independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. He had made moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for an equal and representative government. The publishing of this pamphlet had pressurized the colonial leaders even further to declare independence. -
This was the formal statement that announced the 13 colonies breaking from Great Britain. It established the United States as a sovereign nation, justified the revolution with natural rights and self-governance, and it inspired movements for freedom and democracy. The Declaration summed up all of the motivations the colonists had for seeking independence. -
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress and the document served as the United States' first constitution. It was made to create a unified government for the 13 states during the Revolution while ensuring that they remained sovereign and independent. However there were many weaknesses that led to the Articles reform. So they drafted a completely new document, the U.S. Constitution, which was later ratified and replaced the Articles in 1789. -
A held meeting that led to the Constitutional Convention where the U.S. Constitution was drafted. Only twelve delegates from five states were present, so they realized they could not address the issues of trade. Instead, they called for a broader convention for all of the states to meet the following May in Philadelphia to address the weaknesses of the national government. This gathering abandoned the Articles of Confederation in favor of a new federal government structure. -
Daniel Shays' Rebellion was a violent insurrection in the western countryside of Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays. He was also a Revolutionary War veteran. The rebellion was mainly caused by economic distress among farmers, many of them were veterans who had not been paid for their military service and faced heavy taxes, debt, and the seizure of their farms. -
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia, it brought the delegates from 12 states to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The delegates decided to write an entirely new framework for a federal government. They created a new U.S. Constitution, and established a stronger federal government with the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as a system of checks and balances.