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Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a conflict between France and Great Britain that began as a dispute over North American land claims in the region around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The British eventually won the war and gained a large territory west of the Appalachian mountains. -
Proclamation Line
King George III wanted to avoid further disputes with the natives over land, as it costed a lot of money and lives. He signed an act called the Proclamation Line, which forbid the colonists from settling east of the Appalachian mountains. This angered the colonists as they had just fought a war to gain that very same land. This led them to ignore the line, setting east despite the dangers. -
Sugar Act
The sugar acts were impended upon colonists to pay for the high costs of the war, taxing molasses and other sugar products. The true reason behind the act was to enforce the earlier signed Molasses Act, which the colonists have had ways of avoiding. This showed the colonists of the true nature of the British, further loosening ties. -
Quartering Act
This act impeded the colonists' rights by forcing them to house British soldiers. The colonists clearly despised this, and tensions grew even further. The colonists resorted to ignoring the act as a sort of protest. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was another act imposed by the British Parliament to pay for the high cost of the seven year's war. This act required many printed materials and documents, like legal pages and messages, to be printed and stamped in London with the embossed revenue stamp. These stamps also had to be paid for with British currency, not the colony's paper money. This was another notorious act that eventually led to dissent, like many others =. -
Townshend Act
Townshend seeked to tax out all imports into the colonies, forcing a large payment to even survive. This led to colonists illegally smuggling and defying the king's orders. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was established to re-enforce the East India Company, who was struggling financially. It sought to free the company of duty/taxes and allowed them to ship tea to America much cheaper then the tea already being sold or smuggled there. This was the final incentive for the colonists, and this act led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
Many colonial merchants and patriots dressed as Native Americans, and raided the boats of british ships in the Boston port. They threw crates of tea into the ocean in protest of the Tea Act, as well as the other acts. This was very expensive and defying act to King George III, and he later passed the Intolerable acts in response. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts saw the colonists in dismay. The British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act, closing and blockading the Boston port, only reopening it once the tea they destroyed was payed for. Furthermore, the issues the Massachusetts Government Act, which took away the rights to govern, and gave the charter of Massachusetts to the British. Many more tyrannical and unfair acts were passed or enforces, leading to the eventual meeting and discussion of the first continental Congress. -
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First Continental Congress
The First Continental congress called for many delegates and representatives from the other colony states to meet and discuss important matters. This meeting primarily marked the formation of the Continental Association, which called to end trade with Britain. It also called for the repeal of the intolerable acts, declaring a boycott if the acts were not repealed by december the same year. -
Lexington and Concord
Considered the first battle of the Revolutionary war, the British charges into Lexington and Concord trying to confiscate weapons, and were ambushed by the American militia. The British lost. leading to the first American victory. -
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Revolutionary War
The events and battles that led to America's independence. These were long and painful years with many deaths, diseases, victory, and morality. This war was one of the most extensive and important wars in history, as it founded one of the most powerful nations, and later humiliated the British army. -
Bunker Hill
American forces were defeated by the British in Charleston, Massachusetts. However, they dealt heavy casualties to the British force. -
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Siege of Boston
American forces led small battles and raids to try to take back the central city of Boston. Tactics of guerilla warfare were widely used by the Americans, giving them a home field advantage, which wore out the British forces overtime. The supply of new soldiers and supplies eventually led the British to cede back Boston and evacuate. -
Fort Ticonderoga
Considered the first offensive victory by the Patriots, the crucial fort was captured despite harsh odds. This led to cannons, guns, and other supplies to be shipped from the port into other colonies for the war effort. This gave the Americans a proper fighting chance, while also giving them control of the Canadian trade route stationed there. -
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Second Continental Congress
This Congress focused much more on the war and battle brewing in the colonies. The addressed the militia and battles happening, eventually forming the Continental army. This army was shared by all the states, being governed by General George Washington. It also saw the draft and approval of the declaration of independence, putting the revolutionary war into full swing. -
Evacuation Day
After the battle of Bunker Hill, the British forces retreated into the nearby ports of Boston. However, the militia had prepared. This timespan was known as the Siege of Boston. After a long while of fighting, the Americans eventually won, forcing the evacuation of the British soldiers (hence the name "Evacuation Day". -
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Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was considered a crucial turning point in the war. British forces were entrenched in the town as a means of escape, but were soon surrounded by a much smaller force of troops, but strategically forced the British to surrender. This brought morale high, and got the attention of France, which shortly joined the war effort against their enemy. -
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Valley Forge
Washington's army set up a crude camp in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. This was an extremely tough time for the Continental army, as they had low amounts of food, water, and clothing. This led to disease, peril , and meany deaths. Seeing this, many Patriots sent supplies and support to the army, eventually getting them out of the situation and rising back up for war, better trained and experienced than before. -
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French Alliance
After the success in the Battle of Saratoga, the French
wanted to join the war effort to destroy their enemies, and hopefully gain a new long time ally. They provided supplies, arms and ammunition, uniforms, and, most importantly, troops and naval support to the trodden Continental Army. The French navy transported reinforcements, fought off a British fleet, and protected Washington's forces in Virginia, eventually leading to the ending of the war. -
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Battle of Yorktown
Arguably the most important and final battle of the war, the Battle of Yorktown found the inferior Continental army face off against the British officer Cornwallis' army. Cornwallis surrendered, dissolving one of the only major redcoat forces left in the colonies. This effectively marked the end of the battles, with the war ending along the Treaty of Paris. -
Treaty of Paris
The end of the war was marked by this very treaty. It recognized the independence of America, and gave them large areas of land further west of the Appalachians. More North American land was given to the French and Spanish further west, near the coasts.