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French and Indian War
When France decided to expand into the Ohio River Valley, conflict began to rise with British colonies, resulting in a series of battles which led the British colonies to decide to declare war. This war, also called the seven years war, started in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The end of the war provided Great Britain with huge territorial gains in North America, yet it only created disagreements over paying war debts, ultimately leading to the American Revolution. -
The Stamp Act
The stamp act was a direct tax imposed on colonists that put taxes on paper materials like playing cards and mortgage deeds. The Stamp act was a major cause of the American Revolution because it brought about issues regarding taxation without representation. Colonial reaction to this act included boycotts of British goods and riots and attacks. This resulted in negative tension on relations between Britain and the colonies, eventually leading to the American Revolution 10 years in the future. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were revenue acts of 1767, which placed an indirect tax on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea imported by the colonies. These acts pushed towards the American Revolution, continuing to show that taxation without representation was not acceptable to colonists and would continue to create a strain on their relationship with Britain. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre began as a small scrabble between a British soldier and the American colonists, but eventually escalated to a deadly riot that ended in blood and death. British Soldiers fired on Boston citizens who had been taunting, jeering, and throwing snowballs at the. This resulted in 5 people dying and 6 people becoming wounded. This event was just one more incident that paved the way for the American Revolution. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an event where colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in an act of protest towards the Tea Act that was passed by Parliament. The Tea Act allowed the British East India a monopoly on tea sold to the colonists. Tea was actually cheaper than it had ever been, but the colonists wanted to protest Britain for imposing taxation without representation. This event was one of the most significant in leading up to the American Revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Early in the American Revolution, the British defeated the Americans during the Battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill in Massachusetts. Although the colonists lost, they inflicted serious damage upon the British, which provided them with a significant confidence boost. This was the first major battle of the American Revolution that proved Americans are capable of battling the British. -
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a victory of North Carolina over Southern Loyalists that resulted in greater political support towards the revolution and helped recruit new soldiers to the revolutionary forces. This occurred when a loyalists charged towards the revolutionary forces with only a sword, and when hit with gunfire. The causalities of this event were low, with only one dead loyalist leader and another leader taken into custody. -
The Adoption of The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a document that holds the colonists ideas on how Britain is unfair towards them, their ideas on government, and freedom. The adoption of The Declaration of Independence completely severed colonists ties with Great Britain regarding independence and political factors. When they became an independent nation, the colonists formed an alliance with France to gain assistance from them during the war. -
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was another battle victory that boosted colonial confidence and provided great morale for Americans. In this battle, George Washington avoided conflict with General Charles Cornwallis, and snuck around the British camps instead of the route Cornwallis thought he would take, resulting in him coming upon the rear of the British guard and outnumbering them 5 to 1. Casualties included 275 dead British soldiers and 40 dead colonists. -
Battle of Thomas Creek
The Battle of Thomas Creek, also known as The Thomas Creek Massacre, occurred when a Georgia militia was ambushed by a scattered group of people including British forces, Indians, and loyalist militia. The British had been raiding into Georgia from Florida, and in order to stop these occurrences, Patriots marched into Florida, which was under British control. A group of British Loyalists attacked the Patriots at dawn, ultimately resulting in a British victory. -
Battle of Wyoming
The Battle of Wyoming is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution, with an estimated 340 patriots killed and only 3 British deaths. This battle occurred when British, loyalists, and Seneca tribal members marched into Wyoming Valley to demand the patriots surrender forts that were being manned by militia, and if so, in exchange they would let them live unless they picked up arms against the British again. Patriots striking, started a battle that only lasted 45 minutes. -
The Battle of Rhode Island
The Battle of Rhode Island occurred when militia forces and the continental army were withdrawing and relocating to the northern part of Aquidneck Island, following the abandonment of their siege of Newport due to the British forces attacking and being backed up by Royal Navy ships. They attacked the retreating Americans, resulting in a British victory. This Battle was an early attempt of cooperation between American forces and France after their newfound alliance when France entered the war. -
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Chesapeake Raid
The Chesapeake Raid was a war campaign by British forces during the American Revolution. Economic and military targets were raided all over Chesapeake Bay from May 10th-24th. Due to the fast actions of the British, they caught the majority of the community by surprise and destroyed supplies of coal and tobacco, destroyed port faculties, naval ships, and houses filled with military supplies. -
The Battle of Connecticut Farms
The Battle of Connecticut and Concur was noted as one of the end battles between Britain and America in the American Revolutionary War. British forces made an attempt to reach the continental army encampment in Morristown, but their advance was met by New Jersey Militia, and after great resistance the militia was forced to withdraw, but overall the battle delayed the planned advance. When realization hit that trying to advance more would result in more resistance, British forces withdrew. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by British and United States of America representatives, officially ending the American Revolution. The treaty came to an agreement that France would give up all of its territories in mainland North America to efficiently put a stop to foreign military threat towards the British colonies located there. -
George Washington Resigned as Commander
George Washington resigned from his commander in chief duties to the Continental Army shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Washignton then returned to normal life at his home located in Mount Vernon, Virginia. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion occurred when an armed uprising took place in Massachusetts in response to a debt crisis going on and in rebel of the state governments efforts to collect taxes on both individuals and their trades. Daniel Shays led the protest against civil rights and economic injustices. Overall, the idea was that the Articles of Confederation needed to be revised, and this rebellion was a major influence for the constitutional convention and creation of new government. -
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The Constitution was Written
The constitution was created during the Constitutional Convention, which was first known as the Philadelphia Convention. This convention took place from May 25th to September 17th in 1787. The constitution held ideals on slavery, representation, and state's rights. There were many disputes over this, but all were solved in compromises to make the constitution work as efficiently as possible for all parties. -
Ratification of the Constitution
Even though the Constitution was deemed acceptable by those at the convention, it needed to be ratified by the people of the United States of America. A system was created that selected delegates from certain states to ratify the constitution. Only 2/3rds of the states needed to ratify the Constitution to put it into effect as the new government. Eventually, after great controversy, the Constitution was ratified on June 5th, 1788. -
First Presidential Election
America's first presidential election was held in 1789, but voting was extremely different from how it is today, only allowing white male land owners to vote. The 2nd runner up in votes would serve as the Vice President, which is also different from today. George Washington was the winner of the First Presidential Election, making him our first president.
