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George Washington Attacks A Small French Force
George Washington and his troops attack a small French force in Ohio Country to evict them from the area due to the anger from the Duquesne Fort built by the French. This fort was meant to discourage British colonists from moving into the area. The shocking defeat of George Washington flared a world war that became known as the “French and Indian War.” -
The Proclamation of 1763 Was Enforced
The Proclamation of 1763 was enforced, which prohibited colonists from settling to the west of the Appalachian Mountains in Indian Country, which was also given royal protection. Colonists went against this rule and continued to push west, and despite Britain’s attempts to restrain them, the colonists preceded. This was one of the early signs that the colonies were becoming strong enough to go against the British government. -
The First Act Was Placed on the Colonies
The first act of a series of acts, the Sugar Act, was placed on the colonies to repay the debts from war. This caused tensions to grow between the colonies and Britain, as they did not agree that they should be paying taxes to repay a debt that was not theirs. An outburst of protests resulted from this. -
The Stamp Act Congress Enforces Nonimportation Agreements
The Stamp Act Congress was held in New York City, where local committees enforced the nonimportation agreements. This was a colonial consumer boycott against British exports in response to the taxes that Britain had placed on the colonies, which would threaten British merchants and manufacturers with economic ruin. -
The Boston Massacre
After John Hancock’s boat was seized for smuggling, a series of riots against customs officers broke out so Britain sent 4,000 troops to Boston to suppress the riots. One night, some colonists began to throw snowballs and rocks at the soldiers guarding the Customs House. In response, the soldiers fired into the crowd killing five people in an event called the Boston Massacre. -
The Boston Tea Party
Due to an uproar from taxes on tea and thoughts that Britain was scamming the colonies by giving them cheaper tea from east India, a group of Boston Patriots boarded three ships full of tea and dumped it into the harbor in an event called the Boston Tea Party. -
The Battle of Lexington & Concord
These battles marked the beginning of the war as Britain and American fought at of Lexington and Concord. This dispute started when General Thomas Gage, a British military commander who was named governor of Massachusetts, sent his troops to arrest Hancock and Adams in Lexington and to seize Patriot weapons in Concord. To drive the British soldiers back to Boston, Paul Revere rallied 70 Patriots, one of which shot at the British soldiers, starting the battle. The Patriots defeated Britain. -
The Second Continental Congress
Delegates assembled in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress to brainstorm ways the rest of the colonies could help New England fight the British. They decided that armed volunteers from the Middle and Southern colonies could march north to help them fight. They also gave George Washington command to the new Continental Army because he was a colonial officer in the French and Indian War and came from Virginia, which was the most powerful and largest colony. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
Two months after Britain had been defeated at Concord, another battle between the British and Americans broke out. In an attempt to drive the British from the Boston seaport, both nations fought on Bunker Hill, a famous battle where the British, once again, underestimated the power of the colonists. Although Britain had technically won, the Patriots had won a psychological victory because they suffered half the amount of casualties as Britain. -
Congress Voted America Was Free
After Common Sense by Thomas Paine swung most Americans in favor of independence, Congress selected a committee to draft a document that would declare America independence and that would explain the reasons. Congress voted America’s freedom on July 2, and on July 4, the Declaration of Independence was approved.
