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Navigation Acts
This was an attempt to restrict ship's rights to carry goods to and from the colonies. No country was allowed to trade goods with the colonies unles their goods were in either colonial ships or British ones. All ships had to be operated by crews that were at least three quarters British or colonial.Almost all of the trade between the colonies and other European countries had to go through an English port first. -
Proclamation of 1763
This act made by Parliment did not let any colonists to settle past the Appalachian Mountains so that there would not be conflicts with the Native Americans that lived there. The British were not able to enforce this law as well as they wanted to, and as a result, colonists setteled there. -
Stamp Act
This was the law that required colonists to pay a seperate fee along with the cost of the stamp. Those who did not follow this law were convicted in the vice-admiralty courts. -
Sons Of Liberty
This was a group of mostly shop keepers and artisans that were opposed to the British government. They put together different protests and were against the stamp act. -
Declaratory Act
This was an attempt to try and regulate and control the American Colonies. The British government was very concerned that they were losing control of the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
When British troops fired into a crowd that had threatened them. These deaths increased the colonists' thoughts towards revolution. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was imposed by British Parliament whereby more taxes were paid for tea. The Act was unfair to tea merchants and was labeled taxation without representation. -
Boston Tea Party
A raid on three British ships in 1773 where Boston Patriots disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and threw chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. They were protesting against the Tea Act. -
Intolerable Acts
They were laws that were passed by the British in an attempt to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. This was done specifically to evaluate how the colonists would react. -
First Contenental Congress
At this convention, representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies met to discuss different options for attaining independence. They discussed ways of boycotting British services and products. They also sent letters to King George III in an attempt to try and look over the various laws that Parliament had made because they were so unfair to the colonists. -
Patriots
These were colonists that were also against British rule and wanted independence. They were responsible for the Boston Tea Party in response to Parliament's Tea Act. -
Declaration of Independence
Within this document, the Thirteen Colonies made it clear that they thought of themselves as seperate states and were no longer colonies of the British Empire. They made a new nation that would be called The United States of America. -
Crossing of The Deleware River
This was a successful effort by General George Washington to surprise Hessian mercenaries that were aiding British forces in Trenton, New Jersey. The attack happened on Christmas eve when most of the Hessians were asleep. -
The Constitution
This document is made of up seven articles. The first three articles talk about how powers are seperated so that one person or branch of the government will not get too much power. The fourth and sixth article talk about the seperation between state powers and government powers. The fifth article defines the steps for ammending The Constitution. The seventh article defines how to ratify it. -
Lewis And Clark Exploration
This expedition was made to explor and map the terrain and the wildlife in the west after the Louisiana Purchase. They employed Native American Guides and were under the protection of Army volunteers. An objective was to create an American presence before other European powers did. -
Monroe Doctrine
The last real step that ensured the freedom of the United States of America was called The Monroe Doctrine. This document was created to make sure that other European countries did not come to the continent to explore or make claims, It also stated that in the event that a European power tried to colonize an area in either North or South America, that it would be seen as an act of aggression.
