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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. -
"Hands-off approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves. -
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. -
The Stamp Act was a law passed by Britain in 1765 that taxed printed items like newspapers and legal papers in the American colonies. Colonists were upset because they were being taxed without representation in the British government. Protests spread across the colonies, and Britain repealed the law in 1766. -
The Townshend Acts were laws passed by Britain in 1767 that placed taxes on goods like paper, glass, tea, and paint imported into the American colonies. The money was used to pay British officials, which made colonists angry because they still had no say in government. Many colonists protested by boycotting British goods, and the tensions between Britain and the colonies continued to grow. -
The Boston Massacre happened in 1770 when a fight broke out between British soldiers and colonists in Boston. The soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. The event made many colonists angry and was used as propaganda to turn people against British rule. -
The Boston Tea Party happened in 1773 when colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest high taxes and unfair laws. This event showed how angry the colonists were with British rule and led to even more tension between Britain and the colonies. -
The Quartering Act was a law passed by Britain that required American colonists to provide housing and supplies to British soldiers. Many colonists felt this law was unfair and an invasion of their privacy, which increased anger toward British rule. -
The Intolerable Acts were laws passed by Britain in 1774 to punish the colonists after the Boston Tea Party. These laws closed Boston Harbor and took away many colonial rights. The Intolerable Acts made colonists very angry and helped unite them against British rule. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord took place in 1775 and were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. British soldiers tried to take weapons from the colonists, but colonial militias fought back. These battles showed that the colonists were ready to fight for independence. -
The Olive Branch Petition was a letter sent by the American colonists to King George III in 1775, asking for peace and trying to avoid war. The colonists promised loyalty to Britain but wanted their rights respected. The king refused to read it and prepared for war instead. -
"Common Sense" was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 that encouraged the American colonists to break away from British rule. It explained why independence was necessary in simple language, inspiring many people to support the fight for freedom. -
The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, announced that the American colonies were breaking away from Britain. It explained that all people have rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it listed the ways the British king had treated the colonies unfairly. -
The Second Continental Congress met in 1775 after fighting had started between the colonies and Britain. The leaders organized the Continental Army, chose George Washington as its commander, and eventually wrote the Declaration of Independence to formally break away from Britain. -
The Annapolis Convention was a meeting in 1786 where leaders from several states gathered to discuss problems with the Articles of Confederation. They realized the government was too weak to solve big issues, which led to calling the Constitutional Convention the next year. -
Shays’ Rebellion happened in 1786–1787 when farmers in Massachusetts, led by Daniel Shays, protested high taxes and debt by attacking courthouses. The rebellion showed that the government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to keep order, which helped push for a stronger national government. -
The Constitutional Convention took place in 1787 in Philadelphia. Leaders from the states met to fix problems with the Articles of Confederation but ended up creating a new Constitution. They set up a stronger national government with three branches and a system of checks and balances. -
The Articles of Confederation, written in 1781, were the first plan for the United States government. They gave most power to the states and a very weak central government, which made it hard to solve problems like taxes or trade. This led to the need for a stronger Constitution later.