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The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock
During September 1620, the Mayflower ship departed from England. After 66 days, 102 passengers arrived at Plymouth which today is Massachusetts. Their first plan was to settle in the Netherlands, but they ended up in Plymouth instead. The Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower compact, which is an agreement to establish self-government society in the New World. The Pilgrims wanted to worship their own religions without having persecutions -
Pennsylvania Becomes a Colony
William Penn was a great military commander but he never received any rewards until he died. King Charles II gave the reward to his son William Penn, in the form of a colony. So William Penn was granted Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania became the colony of religious freedom. -
The French and Indian War
The war started because the British didn't want the French to gain control over territories and trade, which the British thought it was theirs. The war began in 1754 in America, with the tribes as allies. Britain and Iroquois, French and Huron fought, with the result that the French were brutal. However, William Pitt in the Britain side made a turnover and made Britain win. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was the first tax on the Americans. After the French and Indian war, the British believed that the colonists should help pay for the damages. The Sugar Act purpose is to make the colonists pay taxes for sugar products, such as wine, indigo, and especially molasses. Molasses were really important to the American colonists. -
The Currency Act
Before, there was no official currency in 13 colonies, there were just bills of credit with no standard unit. On sep 1, 1764, the British prevented the colonists from using their own currency and they had to use the British currency. The British were able to control the currency of the colonists. This made the colonists unhappy and they protested. -
The Stamp Act
England wanted to pay their troops in the colonies, so they passed the Stamp Act. It put a tax on papers, documents, and other stuff. If the colonists didn’t pay, they were punished unfairly without a jury. The colonists hated this act. For them, it was an example of “taxation without representation -
The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act required the American colonists to provide shelters, food, and financial support for the British soldiers. Bringing the soldiers back to Britain would cost a lot, so they decided to make the Americans take care and pay for their expenses instead. However the colonists were against it and they did not want to pay. -
The Townshend Revenue Act
After the French and Indian war, the British had lost a lot of money. The British decided to let the colonists pay for them, and so they taxed them. They taxed tea, paper, lead, paint and glass. The British estimated this act would approximately raise 40,000 pounds with most of it coming from tea -
The Boston Massacre
The American colonists were furious about the taxes, and the British militaries violating their rights. Once, a military soldier got into a verbal fight with an American colonist, and words started to spread. After that happened, the American colonists protested and the militaries were shooting and they killed several people. The Americans threw rocks, woods, snowballs to attack them. This event is another step closer to the revolutionary war. -
The Boston Tea Party
The British lowered to tea price but it burns a lot of fuel in America. A group of patriot revolutionaries, calling themselves the Son of Liberty, started to find ways of protesting. When 3 British ships came, American colonists protested. During nightfall, the Son of Liberty dumped 342 barrels of tea. The British government decided to close all the trading borders of Boston until they paid all the price of the damage. -
The First Continental Congress
The American colonists had lost a lot after many tax acts. Delegates, from all colonies except Georgia, discussed what to do about this problem. 56 delegates met up and they made a Declaration of Rights to life liberty and property. A few months later, the British started shooting and attacking in America. -
Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty or give me Death” speech
Patrick Henry was the first governor of Virginia, and one of the founding members of the US. He gave a speech to the Virginia convention. His purpose of the speech was to fight for the truth and God's purpose. He wanted freedom for the Americans, and the only way to do that is to fight with the British. -
The Ride of Paul Revere
During April 1775, the rumor about the British going to make a move on the Son of Liberty spread. They sent out two riders, Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington about this. Paul Revere went across the Charles river to Charlestown then Lexington, and William Dawes chose the longer route. In case none of them made it home, he would put 1 lantern if the British come by the land, and 2 lanterns if they come by the ocean. He put it in Old North Church. -
The Second Continental Congress
The British denied the Declaration of Rights. They appointed George Washington to lead the army. Before the war, the delegates sent King George III Declaration of Causes and Olive Branch Petition, to ask for peace, protect their rights and repeal taxes. However, King George III once again denied it, and he gave them the Proclamation of Rebellion. Their battle continued. -
George Washington named Commander in Chief
When the first battle of the Revolutionary war broke out in Lexington and Concord during 1775, George Washington was nominated by James Adams to lead the army. During the experience of the army in the French and Indian war, George Washington was known as a Virginian and was disinterested in power. During this war, he was elected to be a commander in chief of the American forces.