-
French and Indian War
From 1754 to 1763 there was a conflict between France and England. The conflict begin due to land and territory for example the Ohio River Valley. The English sent ordinary citizens (colonials) to evict the French from that area. In the end, the British were in favor of the Treaty of Paris, which was an agreement between France and England. The conflict resulted in the colonials resented Britain for making them fight their battle. -
France's Support
Many French citizens supported the colonies even before the French-American alliance. They sought ways to take advantage of Britain difficulties. -
Writ of Assistance
Because of numerous instances where goods were being smuggled, there were court orders that authorized officers to conduct general searches of premises for contraband. The exact nature of the materials being sought did not have to be detailed, however this new protocol enraged the colonists. -
Proclamation of 1763
Due to conflicts between the British and the Native Americans, the British government set specific jurisdiction when in came to colonists settles of Native American territory. The proclamation established a line where the colonists couldn't cross to avoid conflicts. -
Treaty of Paris
On February 10, 1763 the Treaty of Paris was documented and finalized. The treaty was the end result of the French and Indian War of 1754. Although the British were in favor of the agreement, the Native Americans found it more difficult to bargain with the British then the French, which then lead to tension between Britain and the colonies because of the hastiness of the Native Americans when it came to land and territory. -
Sugar Act and Colonists response
Parliament passed the Sugar Act on April 5, 1764, and was proposed by Prime Minister George Grenville, the end goal was to eliminate debt that was caused by the War. The focus of the Sugar Act was the discouragement of the colonial merchants and manufacturers. -
Stamp act and colonists response
On March 22, 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act. The act required that stamps be purchased and placed on all legal documents and printed materials in the American colonies. Profit collected from the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay off somewhat of the debt due to the borrowing of money during the war. The first tax was towards colonial Americans, however later on outraged colonists responded enraged with legislative protests and violence within the streets. -
Declaratory Act
As the Stamp Act was repealed, Parliament passed a new act called the Declaratory Act. This act enabled and finalized Parliament's control to bind any colonists and or people of America in whatever situation in present. With all these acts being implemented the colonists were enraged more than ever. -
Sons of Liberty and Samuel Adams
As a result of resentment towards the Acts, Samuel Adams one of the founders the Sons of Liberty, proposed a boycott against British goods which led to events such as the Boston Tea Party. -
Townshend Acts - Why they were repealed.
In 1767, Parliament passed a the Townshend, which put a tax on goods that were imported into the colonies from Britain. One of the great grievances was the tax on tea, which was the most well known drink in the colonies. Soon after the colonists began contesting against British goods protesting, "taxation without representation". -
John Locke's Social Contract
English philosopher, John Locke believed that all societies should be based on a social contract. A social contract is a way for people to give up power to the government, but get back protection. If the government chooses to violate the natural right of the people, they have the ability to overthrow the government. -
Boston Massacre
Tensions built between the colonists and Britain, to a point that changed history. The Boston Massacre was a crucial event that sparked the great American Revelation. On Mach 5, 1770, a group of colonists began taunting British soldiers, which lead to many dead and badly injured. Tensions grew immensely as soon as Paul Revere's famous representation spread throughout America. -
Tea Act
After many instances of rebellion, the Tea Act enacted on of the most egregious rebellions in history. In 1773, Lord North proposed the Tea Act to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy. The act allowed the company to sell to the colonies free from taxes, however it cut colonial merchants out of the tea trade. -
Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, a large group of Boston rebels masked themselves as Native american and carried out a planed rebellion against the British Tea Ships. Seen as one of the most memorable rebellions in history, the Boston Tea Party resulted in over 1 million dollars worth of tea dumped into the famous Boston harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
In 1774, Parliament devised a series of measures that were soon known as the Intolerable Acts. One law closed off the Boston Harbor. Another authorized British commanders to house solders in any home or building in any circumstances. Lastly with General Thomas being appointed as the new governor of Massachusetts, he initiated a martial law, or rule imposed by military forces. -
The First Continental Congress
Because of Britan's actions, the committees of correspondence assembled the First Continental Congress in September 1774. A group of 56 delegates congregated in Philadelphia and put together a declaration of colonial rights. The rights they stated also implied that if British forces go against the colonies, the colonies have the ability to fight back. -
Olive Branch Petition
In 1775, the congress hoped for peace between the colonies and Britain. They proceeded by proposing the Olive ranch Petition to King George, which implied that the British and the colonies will return to its former harmony. While Congress hoped for the best, King George clearly denied the negotiation and proceeded with declaring that the colonies were in rebellion, furthermore devising Parliament to isolate the line of ships meant for the American coast. -
Minute Men
Minutemen were civilian soldiers that pledged to fight and be ready at any minute when the time came. This term was officiated during military preparations. However, word spread to General Thomas Gage of these secret affairs and he sent troops to seize all illegal weapons. -
Continental Army
During the second continental congress, discussions were made and the meeting concluded with the assembly of the Continental Army also know as the colonial militia, lead by George Washington himself. -
Second Continental Congress
In preparations for war, the colonial leaders congregated in May of 1775, dated as the Second Continental Congress. Tensions started to rise within the colonial leaders over disagreements of how the colonies were to be dealt with, however, in the end, they came to a conclusion to recognize the colonial militia as the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as it's commander. -
Battle of Lexington
On the dark night of April 18,1775,Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott rode through the night spreading word that the "redcoats" were coming. The British commander ordered the 70 minute men lined up, to lay down their fire arms and retreat. As they started to obey his order, British troops heard a gun shot and started shooting into an unarmed departing militia. This was the beginning of the Revolutionary War, even if it was in a fifteen minute time frame. -
Battle of Concord
Following the battle of Lexington, British governor Thomas Gage sent troops to Concord, however, they arrived to find an empty arsenal, soon after they made preparations to go back to Boston. Moments after they were met with a sum of around 3,000 to 4,000 minutemen which lead to the numerous deaths of British troops. The scarce amount of soldiers left retreated back to Boston. Colonists had gotten a leg up in the war and could now hold Boston and the encampment of British troops under siege. -
The "Shot heard round the world"
The first shot in the American Revolution was on April 19, 1775, and is also referred to as the "shot heard round the world" this was one of the most important moments in American history. That moment was also referred to the Battle of Lexington and Concord. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
One of the deadliest battles of the American Revolution started with British General Thomas Gage ordering a strike on the colonial minutemen on Breed's hill nearby Bunker hill. Overall the battle resulted in 450 colonists dead and over 1,000 British casualties. -
Loyalists and Patriots
As conflicts rose, Americans began segregating into two groups with different views of the result of the war. Many believed they should just stay obedient to the British because they saw no hope in their victory, this group of people was referred to the Loyalists. As well as many others believed that their freedom was more important and could result in many more advantages, in the end, these people wre referred to as the Patriots. -
Proclimation of Common Sence
In 50 page pamphlet, Thomas Paine expressed his resentment towards King George and the Monarchy. Paine stated that freedom and independence would let America trade more efficiently as well as set a great environment for a better society to flourish in a grown economy. As a result of his powerful words, Paine's beliefs impacted many opinions as it spread throughout the world. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is one of the very most important legal documents in the history of the United States of America. It shows the first step to stop Great Britain from controlling the 13 colonies. It was written by Thomas Jefferson during the Second Continental Congress. The Declaration of Independence described the principles for wanting independence. The document stated that all men are created equal and they are all entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” -
Redcoats push Washington's army across the Delaware river
On December 25, 1776, George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey in a surprise attack on the British. They faced many struggling along the way such as the ice-filled river. They earned a victory that helped turn the war back to the American's favor, they defeated a garrison of Hessians in a surprise attack. Despite the victory the British soon regrouped and captured the American capital at Philadelphia -
Saratoga
British General John Burgoyne planned to lead an army down a route of lakes from Canada to Albany, where he would meet British troops from New York City. However, soldiers of the Continental army congregated from all over New York and New England, Burgoyne soon surrendered in Saratoga where he was surrounded. The battle was the turning point of the Revolution because after the colonists won this major victory, the French decided to support the patriots with crucial supplies/resources. -
French-American alliance
Convinced the colonies would be the end victors of this timeless war, France signed an alliance that required them to supply the patriots with necessary resources to favor them in the war. -
Valley Forge
While this alliance was a turning point, Washington and his troops were suffering the cold winter at the camp in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Causaltisof more than 2,000 soldiers never went unnoticed as thye were documented Washington's letters to the Congress and his friends. -
Friedrich von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette
Friedrich von Steuben trained the American troops to be a real army with common techniques during the frozen winter at Valley Forge. Marquis de Lafayette served the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, providing tactical leadership while securing vital resources from France. Without the assistance of the European leaders, the Continental army would have never gotten to the fighting force it became. -
British victories in the South
Britsh began an expedition south and found many things to be in their favor such as acquiring Savannah, Georgia near the end of 1778. One of the greatest achievements of Britain was the capturing of Charles Town, South Carolina in May 1780 under the order of Generals Henery Clinton and Charles Cornwallis. -
British surrender at Yorktown
Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. General Cornwallis and his troops were trapped in the Chesapeake Bay by the French fleet. He was sandwiched between the French navy and the American army. Cornwallis surrendered October 19, 1781. -
Deborah Sampson - Shurtlieff Sampson
In 1782, a woman, Deborah Sampson called herself Shurtlieff Sampson after her brother. She dressed like a man and enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army. Before being found out by a doctor, she served for 4 years. -
Treaty of Paris
The American negotiating team consisted of John Adams, John Jay, a Benjamin Franklin. This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.
