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The French and Indian War was a major conflict between British and France over land in North America. Some Native American tribes sided with the French, while others sided with the British. The war was very long and many families suffered. Britain won but they spent so much money they taxed the colonists which upset many people.
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The Sons of Liberty were a group of ordinary colonists who opposed unfair British taxation. They organized in 1765 after the Stamp Act angered many people. Sometimes they protested very loudly or even destroyed tax papers. Their courageous actions played an important part of the spark of the fight for American independence.
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The Stamp Act of 1765 was a law that forced colonists to pay tax on all of their paper goods, including newspapers and playing cards. The money was paid to people in Britain to support the debt from the war that they fought. The colonists were upset because they had no way of voting on this law. The protest was widespread and ultimately the law was repealed. -
On December 16, 1773, colonist threw away £9,659 worth of tea into the harbor. There was about 92,000 pound of tea dumped into the Boston harbor. The colonist were mad because the British East India company had taxes on tea. -
The laws known as the Intolerable Acts were harsh laws created by the British in 1774 as punishment for the American colonists, particularly in Boston. The laws closed Boston's harbor, made colonial self-governance difficult, and forced colonists to provide provisions and housing to British troops. The Intolerable Acts angered enough colonists, they decided to come together and fight for their independence. This lead to the American Revolution.
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The First Continental Congress was a big meeting in 1774 where leaders from most American colonies talked about how to deal with Great Britain. They were really unhappy about the Intolerable Acts, which were harsh laws from Britain punishing Massachusetts. The colonists decided to stop trading with Britain to protest and agreed to meet again if things didn't get better.
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Bunker Hill was a very important battle during the American Revolution. Although it's called Bunker Hill, the majority of the fighting took place on a hill nearby called Breeds Hill. The colonists were trying to defend their fortifications from the British soldiers who wanted to take them. The British clearly won the battle, but they lost way more soldiers than the colonists, which helped the colonists believe that they could win the war. -
The Battle of Trenton took place on Christmas night during the American Independence War. General George Washington led his weary troops across the icy Delaware River to surprise the Hessians fighting for the British. The Americans had an easy victory, which was a big boost to everyone’s spirits and faith that they could still win the war. -
The Great Compromise was instrumental in forming our country's government and ensuring both large and small states had a voice in the making of the law. They made the two houses of Congress - the House of Representatives, which gives large states more people because they have more people, and the Senate which gives every state 2 people, no matter how large or small their population is. This agreement was satisfactory enough for all to agree on a plan. -
The Battle of Camden was a significant defeat for the American army during the Revolutionary War. American General Horatio Gates made some mistakes in the battle, and many of his soldiers were inexperienced and simply ran away. The British army was victorious easily, and the battle was a detailed and tough loss for the Americans. -
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution. American and French soldiers trapped a large British army, under General Cornwallis, in a town named Yorktown, Virginia. After being bombarded for several weeks, and surrounded, the British eventually surrendered and that nearly meant America achieved its independence. -
The Treaty of Paris was a significant document signed in 1783 that officially ended the American Revolution. It stated that Great Britain finally recognized the United States as a separate country from England. The treaty also gave America a huge amount of new land from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Mississippi River. -
The Constitutional Convention was a meeting where smart leaders from the states decided to create a new government for America. They saw that the old rules weren't strong enough, so instead they wrote the United States Constitution. The new plan to create a greater government for our country still exists today.
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The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement about how to count enslaved people for representation in government and for taxes. Southern states wanted them counted to get more power in Congress, but Northern states disagreed because they were not considered citizens. They decided that for every five enslaved people, three would be counted. This gave the Southern states more power in the government at the time. -
It spells out Americans' rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual like freedom of speech press and religion.