-
Period: to
French and Indian war
A conflict in North America, lasting from 1754-1763, that was part of a worldwide struggle between France and Britain and that ended with the defeat of France and the transfer of French Canada to Britain. -
Proclamation of 1763
An order in which Britain prohibited its American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act
A trade law enacted by Parliament in 1764 in an attempt to reduce smuggling in the British colonies in North America. -
Stamp Act
A 1765 law in which Parliament established the first direct taxation of goods and services within the British colonies in North America. -
Sons of Liberty is formed
The colonists united to defy the law. Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers oraganized a secret resistance group called the Sons of Liberty to protest the law. -
Townshend Acts
The acts taxed goods that were imported into the colony from Britain, such as lead, glass, paint, and paper. -
Boston Massacre
A mob gathered in front of the Boston Customs House and taunted the British soldiers standing guard there. Shots were fired and five colonists, including Crispus Attucks, were killed or mortally wounded. -
Tea Act
Lord North devised the Tea Act in order to save the nearly bankrupt British East India Company. The act granted the company the right to sell tea to the colonies free of the taxes that colonial tea sellers had to pay. -
Boston Tea Party
A large group of Boston rebels disguised themselves as Native Americans and proceeded to take action against three British tea ships anchored in the harbor. the Indians dumped 18,000 pounds of the tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
Parliament passed a series of measures that colonists called the Intolerable Acts. One law shut down Boston Harbor. Another, the Quartering Act, authorized British commanders to house soldiers in vacant private homes and other buildings. -
First Continental Congress meets
The committees of correspondence assembled the First Continental Congress. 56 delegates met in Philidelphia and drew up a decleration of colonial rights. They defended the colonies' right to run their own affairs and stated that, if the British used force against the colonies, the colonies should fight back. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
The loyalties that divided colonists sparked endless debates at the Second Continental Congress. Some delegates called for independance, while others argued for reconcillation with Britain. Despite such differences, the congress agreed to recognize the colonial militia as the Continental Army and appointed George Washing as its commander. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
general Gage sent 2,400 British soldiers up Bunker Hill. The colonists held their fire until the last minute and then began to mow down the advancing redcoats before finally reteating. By the time the smoke cleared, the colonists had lost 450 men, while the British had suffered over 1,000 casualties. The misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill would prove to be the deadliest battle of the war. -
Olive Branch Petition
On July 8th, Congress sent the king the so-called Olive Branch Petition, urging a return to "the former harmony" between Britain and the colonies. King Geoarge flatly rejected the petition. Furthermore, he issues a proclamation stating that the colonies were in rebellion and urged Parliament to order a naval blackade to isolate a line of ships meant for the American coast. -
Publication of Common Sense
In a widely read 50 page pamphlet titled Common Sense. Thomas Paine attacked King George and the monarchy. Paine, a recent immigrant, argued that responsibility for British tyranny lay with "the royal brute of Britain." Pain explained that his own revolt against the king had begun with Lexington and Concord. -
Decleration of Independance
the wavering continental congress finally decided to urge each colony to form its own government. Congress appointed a commitee to prepare a formal Decleration of Independance. Virginia Lawyer Thomas Jefferson was chosen to prepare the final draft. -
Early British Victories
As a part of a plan to stop the rebellion by isolating New England, the British quicly attempted to seize New York City. The British sailed into New York harbor in the summer of 1776 with a force of about 32,000 soldiers. Although the Continental Army attempted to defend New York in late August, the untrained and poorly equipped colonial troops soon retreated. By late fall, the British had pushed Washington"s army across the delaware river into Pennsylvania. In 1177the British captured the Amer- -
Early Continental Army Victories
Desperate for an early victory, Washington risked everything pn one bold stroke set for Christmas night. In the face of a fierce storm, he led 2,400 men in small rowboats across the ice-choked Delaware River. They then marched to Trenton, New Jersey and defeated a garrison of Hessians in a surprise attack. -
Saratoga
General Burgoyne planned to lead an army down a route of lakes from Canada to Alban, where he would meet British troops as they arrived from New York City. The two regiments would then join forces to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. As Burgoyne traveled through forested wilderness, militiamen and soldiers from the Continental Army gathered from all over New York and New England. Burgoyne didnt realize his fellow troops were preoccupied with holding off Philidelphiia and werent -
Valley Forge
Wahington and his Continental Army fought to stay alive-desperately low on food and supplies-fought to stay alive at winter camp in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. More than 2,000 soldiers died. -
Friedrich von Stueben and Marquis de Lafayette
Freidrich von Stueben, a Prussian captain and talented drillmaster, helped to train the continental army. Marquis de Lafayette arrived to offer help. He lobbied for French reinforcements in 1779, and led a command in Virginia in the last years of the war. -
British Victories in the South
At the end of 1778, a British expedition easily took Savannah, Georgia. In their greatest victory of the war, the British captured Charles town, South Carolina, in May 1780. -
British surrender at Yorktown.
The armies of Lafayette and Wahington moved south toward Yorktown. Meanwhile, a French naval force defeated a british fleet and then blocked the enterance to the Chesapeake Bay, thereby obstructing British sea routes to the bay. By late September, about 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British on the Yorktown peninsula amd began bombarding them day and night. Less than a month later, on October 19, 1781, Cornwallis finally surrendered. -
The Treaty of Paris
Peace talks began in Paris in 1782. In September 1783, the delegates signed the Treaty of Paris which confirmed US independence and set the boundaries for the new nation.
