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Navigation Acts
- increased colonial revenue by taxing the goods
- direct economic cause of the American Revolution
- impacted the American colonies by forcing all trade to go through British hands
- intended to promote the self sufficiency of the British Empire
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French and Indian War ends
- French and Native Americans fought together against British
- British wanted to gain more land
- British spent a lot of money on the war and we’re in debt
- taxed the Colonists to make up for their debt
- Colonists became angry over the unfair taxes
- ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763
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Boston Masscre
- Boston did not like the presence of British troops
- soldiers knew they were not welcomed
- had an argument with a colonists and struck him
- soldiers fired into the crowd
- killed five men
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Tea Act
- allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonists
- would lower the price of tea
- encourage colonists to stop smuggling the tea
- less smuggling would result in more tax money -colonists disguised as Indians and sneaked onto three tea filled ships in the harbor
- dumped over 340 chests into Boston Harbor
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Boston Tea Party
- political protest
- colonists protested the fact that Britain controlled all tea sales
- colonists dressed as Native Americans and dumped tea into Boston Harbor as a protest
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Intolerable Acts
- punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party by closing the Boston Harbor, banning of correspondence
- British officials to stand trail in Britain
- allowing British soldiers to be housed anywhere
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First Continental Congress
- patriots met in Philadelphia
- decided to form an army
- boycott trade with Britain
- reaction to the Coercive Acts
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Lexington and Concord
- first military conflict of the American Revolution
- their were 13 colonies
- marched from Boston to Concord
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Second Continental Congress
- patriots met again
- George Washington named army leader
- asked Britain for peace
- establishing a postal service
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Stamp Act
- British government needed to create money to support the Army so they created the Stamp Act
- act required colonists to pay for an official stamp or seal when they bought paper items
- colonists protested against the Stamp Act immediately
- colonists formed a secret society the Sons of Liberty
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Declaration of Independence adopted
- forth of government under social contract -unify the colonies so they fought altogether and trying to make separate peace agreements with Britain
- served to justify the extension of American political and social democracy
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Battle of Saratoga
- turning point of the American Revolution
- convinced the French to give the U.S. military support
- lifted American spirits
- ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River
- showed the French that the Americans had potential to beat their enemy, Great Britain
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Winter at Valley Forge
- continental Army survives harsh winter
- they continued to train
- British took a break from training
- hundreds died from a disease
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Battle of Yorktown
- start of new nation independence
- signing of the Treaty of Paris brought the war to an end -led to negotiations for peace with the British
- British troops surrendered to the Continental Army
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U.S. Constitution written
- signed on September 17, 1787
- the failure of the previous system of government
- split the legislature
- states had equal power