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French and Indian War
The war between the colonist/English and the French and Indian allies branched off of a larger imperial war between the French and English called the 7 years war. In which the two countries were at war with each other over some territory. -
The Sugar Act
The act passed by the English parliament, taxing sugar, not only affecting their sweets only, but also taxing the molasses and booze. -
The Stamp Act
The English then decided to tax the colonists on a printing, a important everyday necessity for news paper and many other things. -
The Quartering Act
Though it was a time of peace, the British sent English troops to patrol over the colonies, not only that; but they also forced the colonist to share their food and share their homes with the English soldiers. -
The Boston Massacre
Despite the title "Massacre" only about 5 people died during this shooting when colonist mobbed against a British soldier, nobody knew who yelled "Fire!" (Though I'm sure it's the same guy who shot the first fire during the rebels and English's staring contest-) but it TRIGGERED (Get it?) the English troops to fire. After this, a exaggerated illustration in a news paper that went around the colonies with the title "THE BOSTON MASSACRE" it riled up the colonist a lot. -
The Tea Act
The act behind the famous "Boston Tea Party" taxed the famous drink to help the British East India Company and reduce production. (Maybe that's why Americans love their coffee.) -
The Boston Tea Party
As a protest to the Tea Act, a group called the Sons of Liberty ransacked a British trading ship shipping tea to the colonies; they dressed up as Mohawk Indians and threw all of the tea into the water, crate by crate. -
The Boston Port Act
After the Sons of Liberty ransacked the English trading ship, the British decided to close down the Boston Harbor, with many people losing their jobs as Boston was a port town. -
"Patrick Henry's “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Speech"
Patrick Henry gives a speech at the Second Virginia Convention, it was described as “one of the most bold, vehement, and animated pieces of eloquence that had ever been delivered.” by Thomas Marshall, the father of John Marshall, with it ending with "Give me liberty or give me death!" -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first official battle of the Revolutionary War fought in the towns of Lexington and Concord. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
One of the earlier battles in the Revoloutionary War, while the British won this battle, the Americans did a large number on the English army. Which boosted their confidence. -
George Washington is named Commander in Chief
Because of his previous military service, George Washington was selected as Commander in Chief over other candidates such as John Hancock. -
Thomas Paine writes Common Sense
Thomase Paine, a political philosopher, wrote a pamphlet supporting independence called "Common Sense", which was popular to read in taverns and meeting places. -
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence
July 4th, which will soon be known as Independence day, was when the Declaration of Independence was signed and sent to the king with a list of complaints against him and his taxes. -
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Battles of Saratoga
Despite this happening after the failure of trying to get the Canadians to help them, these battles became the turning point if the war. While the English won at Freeman's Farm, they were terribly weakened, forcing them to surrender at Bemis Heights. This convinced France to lend America a hand in the war, which helped the Patriots significantly. -
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Battle of Yorktown
Leading a army of 17,000 French soldiers, George Washington battles the English at Yorktown, trapping them in peninsula in Yorktown; forcing them to surrender. This battle ended the fighting in the colonies, led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris, and freed America from the British.
