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Boston Tea Party
On the moonlit evening of December 16, 1733, a large group of Boston rebels disguised themselves as Native Americans and proceeded to take action against three British Tea Party, the "indians" dumped 18,000 pounds of the East India Company's tea into the waters of Boston harbor -
French and Indian War
During the late 17th and first half of the 18thcenturies, france and Great Britain had fought three inclusive wars. Each war had begun in Europe but spread to their overseas colonies. In 1754, after six relatively peaceful years, the French-British conflict reignited. This conflict is know as the French and Indian War. -
Proclamation of 1763
To avoid further costly conflicts with Native Americans, the British governemt prohibited colonists from settling west of the Applachian Mountains. The Proclamation of 1763 established a Proclamation Line along the Appalachians, which the colonists were not aloowed to cross. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act did three things. It halved the duty on foreign-made molasses in the hopes that colonists would pay a lower tax rather than risk arrest by smuggling. It placed duties on certain inports that had not been taxed before. Most Important, it provided that colonists accused of violating the act would be tried in a vice-admiralty court rather than a colonial court.
Colonial merchants complained that the Sugar Act would reduce their profits. -
Stamp Act
In March 1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act. This act imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspapers, and playing cards. A stamp would be placed ont he items to prove that the tax had been paid. In May of 1765, the colonists united to defy the law. In October 1765, merchants agreed to a boycott of British goods. the boycott worked, an in March 1766 parliament repealed the law. -
Sons of Liberty is formed
In May of 1765, Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers organized a secret resistance group called the Sons of Liberty to protest the Stamp Act. One of the founders of the Sons of Liberty was Samuel Adams. -
Townshend Acts
In 1767, Parliament passed the Townshed Acts, named after Charles Townshed. The Townshed Acts taxed goods that were imported in the colony from Britain, such as lead, glass. paint, and paper. The Acts also imposed a tax on tea, the most popular drink in the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, a mob gathered in front of the Boston Custom House and taunted the British soldiers standing guard there. Shots were fired and five colonists were killed or mortally wounded. Colonial leaders quickly labled the confrontation the Boston Massacre. -
Intolerable Acts
In 1774, Parliament responded by passing a series of measures that colonists called 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. In addition to these measures, General Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of Bristish forces in North America, the new governer of Massachusetts, placed Boston under martial law. -
First Continental Congress
In September 1774, 56 delegates met in Philadelphia and drew up a declaration 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. -
Fighting At Lexington and Concord
On the night of April 18, Paul Revere, and couple others rode out to spread word that 700 British troops were heade for Concord. As they troops neared Lexington, they saw 70 minutemen. The commander ordered the minutment to lay down and they didnt, Then someone fired and the battle began. The minutemen got dominated by the troops in 15 min. The british marched on to concord, where they found an empty arsenal. When they were moving out they got attacked by about 3000 minutemen. -
The Second Continental Congress
In MAy of 1775, colonial leaders called the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to debate their next move. Some delegates called for independence, while others argued for reconcilation with Great Britain.The congress agreed to recognize the colonial militia as the Continental Army and appointed George Washington. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17, 1775, Gage sent 2400 British soldiers up Bunker Hill. the colonists held their fire until the lat minute and then began to mow down the advancing redcoats before finally retreating. 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 8, Congress sent the king the so-called Olive Branch Petition, urging a return to "former harmony" between Britain and the colonies. King George flatly rejected the petiotion. Furthermore, he issued a proclamation stating that the colonies were in rebellion and urged Parliament to order a naval blockade to isolate a line of ships menat for American coast. -
Publication of Common Sense
In a widely read 50-page pamphlet titled Common Sense, Paine attacked King Geroge and the monarchy. Paine, a recent immigrant, argued that responsibility fro British tyranny lay with "the royal brute of Britain." Paine explained that his own revolt against the k=King had begun with Lexington and Concord. -
Declaration of Independence
One of the key Enlightment thinkers was English philosopher John Locke. Locke maintened that people have people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property. If the government violates that social contract by taking away or interfering with those rights, people have the right to resist and even overthrow the government. The congress appointed Thomas Jefferson to write the draft for Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, They adopted the Declaration of Independence. -
Early British victories
As part of a plan to stop the rebellion by isolating NEw England, the British quickly 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. The British soon regrouped, however, and in September of 1777, they captured the American capital at Philadelphia. -
Saratoga
The surrender at saratoga turned out to be one of the most important events of the war. Although the French had secretly aided the Patriots since early 1776, the Saratoga victory bolstered France's belief that the Americans could win the war. As a result, the French signed an alliance with the Americans in February 1778 and openly joined them in their fight. -
Early Continental Army victories
As general Burgoyne traveled through forested wilderness, militiamen and soldiers from the Continental Army gathered from all over New York and New England. While he was fighting off the colonial troops, Burgoyne didnt realize that his fellow British officers were preoccupied with holding Philadelphia and weren't coming to meet him. American troops finally surrounded Burgoyne at Saratoga, where he surrendered. -
Valley Forge
While this hopeful turn of events took place in Paris, Washington and his Continental Army-desperately low on food and supplies-fought to stay alive at wintercamp in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. More than 2000 soldiers died, yet the survivor didnt desert. Their endurance and suffering filled Washington's letters to the Congress and his friends. -
Friedrich von Stueben and Marquis de Lafayette
In the midst of the froxen winter at Valley Forge, American troops began an amazing transformation. Friedrich von Stueben , a Prussian captain and talented drillmaster, helper to train the Continental Army. Other foreign military leaders, such as the Marquis de Lafayette. -
British Victories in the South
At the end of 1778, a British expedition easliy took Savannnah, Georgia. In their greatest victory of the war, the british captured Charles Town, South Carolina, in May 1780. Then one of the Generals left for New York, while the other was conquering the land in South. -
The British Surrender at Yorktown
The armies of Lafayette and Washington moved south toward Yorktown. Meanwhile, a French naval force defeated a British fleet and then blocked the enterance to the Chesapeake Bay, therby obstructing British sea routes to the bay. By late september, about 17000 French and American troops surrounded the British on Yorktown and began bombarding them. Less than a month later they surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris
Peace talks began in Paris in 1782. The American negotiating team included John Adams, John Jay of New York, and Benjamin Franklin. In September 1783, the delegates signed the Treaty of Paris, which confirmed U.S. independece and set the boundaries of new nation.
