-
7 Year War
Britain wanted more land so they started a war with the French who sided with the natives, France ultimately ceded and the British got most of France's land. War ended in 1758 -
Pontiac's War
The leader of the Ottawa nation, Pontiac, was sick of British colonies taking their land, so he formed an alliance with other native American tribes and attacked settlers. They killed around 2,000 settlers, and the settlers responded by killing native Americans, even ones not involved in the fighting. The war was over by mid-1764. -
Proclamation of 1763
Britain wanted to avoid trouble with natives as much as possible so, the parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that Colonists could only settle on the east side of the Appalachian Mountains, even if they were already settled there. Most colonist were angered by this so the didn't listen. -
The stamp act
The Stamp Act was passed by the British parliament in 1765, it enforced that colonists had to buy special stamps for paper documents. Colonists did not like this and boycotted certain products. A petition was sent to the king demanding the end of the Stamp Act. -
Townshend Acts
Britain stated they wouldn't tax items inside the country, only items brought into it. Britain also set up a system of officials to enforce this rule. -
Writs of Assistance
It allowed officials to search homes or things without saying what or why they were searching. Colonists felt this was a violation of their rights. -
The Boston Massacre
Parliament repealed all of the acts except the Tea Act. Angry colonists surround soldiers and soldiers shoot. Only 2 soldiers were convicted. -
Committees of correspondence
Established by Samuel Adams. The group tried to keep all colonies informed on what the British were doing. -
Tea Act
The tea act Lowered the price of tea to give the British East India Company a monopoly over tea in the colonies. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty gathered at different ports to step ships from unloading tea. A bunch of men dressed as Indians boarded the tea ships and dumped the tea into the harbor. 90,000 lbs of tea worth thousands of dollars were thrown out. -
Lexington and Concord
British went to seize weapons at Concord but, found no weapons as they had been moved. Minutemen fought the British to the point of retreat. 300 British soldiers died or were wounded. -
Fort Ticonderoga
Patriots won against the loyalists. They controlled a water route for Canada and the Hudson River valley. Also gained very valuable weapons. -
The second Continental Congress
Chose Washington as the leader of the Continental Army. The army was paid by printing more money. Loyalists vs. Patriots. -
Declaration of Independence
Written by Thomas Jefferson, consists of a preamble, natural rights, a list of grievances, & dissolving the bonds. Approved by Congress on July 4th, 1776. -
Bunker Hill
British blockaded American ports. American troops surrounded Boston. Washington brought in cannons and Britain gave up the city. -
Common Sense
Written by Thomas Paine, stimulated support for independence. Showed people that they are better off governing themselves. -
Crossing the Delaware
Christmas 1776, Washington lead 2400 men across the river in tiny boats. Troops were poorly equipped and a lot of men had no shoes, frozen feet, and trudged through the snow. The next day Washington attacked Trenton from 2 sides and surprised the enemy. -
Saratoga
A large Turing point in the war. British did win but it was not even close to an easy victory. It gave patriots a lot more hope in America. Also convinced Europeans that Americans could actually win. -
French Alliance
France was eager to weaken Britain. France became the first nation to sign a treaty with the US. France secretly helped the US by sending supplies. -
Valley Forge
A camp to help US soldiers prepare for battle while British soldiers were partying. Conditions were quite bad, food scarce, many donation were made by many people. -
Yorktown
The french navy drove off British ships. US army traps Cornwallis in Yorktown and britain surrenders after 3 weeks. -
Treaty of Paris
Peace talks are lead in Paris. Britain realizes the Independence of the United States. Most territory would be the colonies.