-
French and Indian War
This war started because the French Empire expanded into British territory. The French had a good relationship with the Native Americans, so they had a military alliance when they fought the British together over territory issues and expansion. After losing a few battles, the British plan a surprise attack and win the war. Afterwards, the Treaty of Paris is signed, which granted Britain certain territories. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
Great Britain claims Canada and most of North America east of the Mississippi River, takes Florida from Spain, an ally of France. Spain got to keep lands west of the Mississippi River and New Orleans. France only got to keep a few islands and small colonies. -
Proclamation of1763
Established a Proclamation Line along the Appalachians, which the colonists were not allowed to pass. The line was ignored by the colonists as they needed to expand westward. -
Writ of Assistance
A general search warrant that allowed British customs officials to search any colonial ship or building they believed to be holding smuggled goods. -
Sugar Act & Colonists Response
An act that halved the duty on foreign-made molasses so colonists would pay a lower tax rather than smuggling. It placed taxes on imports that were not taxed before. It also said that colonists who violated the act would be tried in a vice-admiralty court. Colonial merchants complained the act would reduce their profits and that they had no right to tax them. -
Stamp Act & colonists response
Imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspaper, and playing cards. Stamps indicated that the tax was paid for. The response was the boycotting of British goods and the Stamp Act was repealed. -
Declaratory Act
An act passed by Parliament that asserted its right "to bind the colonies and people of America in all cases whatsoever." -
Sons of Liberty is formed & Samuel Adams
A group of colonists, led by Samuel Adams, that boycotted British goods because the Townshend Acts taxed goods imported by Britain such as lead, glass, paint, and even tea. -
Townshend Acts & colonists response
Acts named after Charles Townshend, the leading government minister. Placed a tax on goods imported from Britain such as lead, glass, paint, paper, and tea. Colonists boycotted British good and formed the Sons of Liberty, lead by Samuel Adams. They were repealed because it cost more to send troops to enforce the tax than was gained, however the tax on tea remained until the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Massacre
A mob in front of the Boston Commons House taunted the British soldiers. The soldiers shot at the crowd and five colonists were killed. -
John Locke's Social Contract
Locke contended that every society is based on a social contract, an agreement in which the people consent to choose and obey a government so long as it safeguards their natural rights. If it doesn't, then the people can resist or overthrow the government. -
Tea Act
Britain gives the East India Company special concessions in the colonial tea business and shuts out colonial tea merchants. -
Boston Tea Party
A large group of Boston rebels disguised as Native Americans take three British tea ships and dump 18,000 lbs of East India Company's tea into the Boston harbor. -
Intolerable Acts- All 3 parts
One law shut down Boston harbor. Another, the Quartering Act, authorized British commanders to house soldiers in vacant private homes and other buildings. The third part was putting Boston under martial law, or rule imposed by military forces. -
First Continental Congress meets
56 delegates meet in Philadelphia and draw up a declaration of colonial rights, defend the colonies right to run their own affairs, and state that if the British use force on the colonies, they are to fight back. -
Minutemen
Minutemen are civilian soldiers who pledged to be ready to fight against the British at a minute's notice. -
Midnight riders: Revere, Dawes, Prescott
These three men rode out at night to spread the word that 700 British troops were headed for Concord. -
Battle of Lexington
The "redcoats" came across 70 minutemen and at someone's fire, began shooting at the departing minutemen. Eight minutemen were killed and ten were injured, but only one redcoat was hurt. The battle only lasted fifteen minutes. -
Battle of Concord
The British came to Concord to find an empty arsenal. A few thousand minutemen are assembled, well prepared now, and slaughter the redcoats to their surprise. The British make their way back to Boston, defeated and humiliated. -
Second Continental Congress
Colonial leaders call to hold the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to debate their next move. Despite much division and debate, the Congress agrees to recognize the colonial militia as the Continental Army and appoints George Washington as the commander. -
Continental Army
The colonial militia was recognized as the Continental Army after the Second Continental Congress. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
British general Thomas Gage attacks militiamen on Breed's Hill, near Bunker Hill. Gage sends 2,400 British soldiers up the hill and the colonists mow them down, killing 1,000 of them while only 450 colonists were killed. Turned out to be the deadliest battle of the war. -
Olive Branch Petition
Congress the Olive Branch Petition to King George III urging a return to "the former harmony" between Britain and the colonies. -
Publication of Common Sense
A 50-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in which he attacks King George and the monarchy. Paine declared that independence would allow America to trade more freely and become a better society. -
Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists are those who opposed independence and remained loyal to the British king. Patriots are supporters of independence. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson, a Virginia lawyer prepared the final draft. Locke's ideas of natural rights are implemented in it, violations by the king and Parliament are listed, and the colonies declared their independence from Britain. -
Redcoats push Washington's army across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania
Around Christmas, 1776, the Continental Army fails to defend New York from the British and are pushed across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. The redcoats succeeded because the colonial troops were untrained and poorly equipped. -
Washington's Christmas night surprise attack
Took place Christmas night, the troops were lead in rowboats across the Delaware river and defeated a garrison of Hessians in Trenton, New Jersey because they attacked by surprise. -
Saratoga
British general Burgoyne's plan was to lead an army through a route of lakes from Canada to Albany and meet British troops and join them in New York City. It failed because militiamen and men from the Continental Army were gathered all over New York and British troops were preoccupied with Philadelphia, so American troops ended up surrounding them at Saratoga where he surrendered. -
French-American Alliance
The Saratoga victory convinced France that Americans could win the war, so they signed an alliance in February 1778 and joined them in the fight. -
Valley Forge
Washington and the Continental Army fought to stay alive at their winter camp in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where more than 2,000 soldiers died, low on food and supplies. -
Friedrich von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette
In February 1778, the Prussian captain Friedrich and the foreign military leader Marquis arrived to help train the Continental Army. Lafayette lobbied France for reinforcements in 1779. -
British victories in the South
After their defeat at Saratoga, Britain moves South and takes Savannah Georgia at the end of 1778 and Charles Town, South Carolina in May 1780. Their success was contributed to by their army of 7,500 which was larger than the army in other battles. -
British surrender at Yorktown
Lafayette and Washington had their armies surround Yorktown and a French naval force defeated a British fleet and blocked the entrance to the Chesapeake bay. About 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the peninsula and bombarded them until, on October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty confirmed U.S. independence and set the boundaries of the new nation, which now stretched from the Atlantic ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida border.