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Albany Plan
The Albany Plan of 1754 was an idea to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. Although this plan was never put in place, it was the first proposal to look at the colonies as a whole. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War occurred between 1754 and 1763. The North American colonies of the British fought against those of France and their native allies over control of the territory. It ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which provided the British Empire enormous territorial gains. -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War occurred between 1754 and 1763. The North American colonies of the British fought against those of France and their native allies over control of the territory. It ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which provided the British Empire enormous territorial gains. -
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Lead up to American Revolution
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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 prevented the colonist from settling beyond the line of the Appalachian Mountains. This was land the colonists believe they earned from fighting in the French and Indian War, so they were upset with this and tension between the colonies and British increased. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar act of 1764 was an act put in place by the British on the colonies that aimed at ending the smuggling trade in sugar and molasses. It also was an attempt to raise British revenue following the 7 Years War -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act directly imposed taxes on the colonies. It taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and even playing cards. This caused further resentment of the British in the colonies. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts of 1767 introduced a series of taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. In response the colonist again decided to practice Nonimportation, which means they discouraged trade with the British. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a confrontation in Boston on March 5, 1770. It started as street brawl and violent protest between colonist and and the British. However, it quickly escalated, and became very chaotic. Resulting in 9 British soldiers to shoot several times into the crowd, killing 5 colonist. This brought the colonies closer together and put them against the British. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a colonial protest on December 16, 1773. The sons of liberty had enough with the Tea Act on the colonies. So, to protest they destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. This ended up being one of the key events that lead up to the Revolutionary War. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts of 1774, also known as the Intolerable acts by the colonists, were law passed by the British to punish Boston for the Boston Tea Party. Some of these acts resulted in the blockade of the Boston harbor, stationed British troops in Boston, etc. Although these acts were meant to break the colonies, it actually unified them against England -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting held by delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies, the exception being georgia. The congress met in Philadelphia on September 5th, 1774. On October 20th of that same year the Congress adopted the Articles of Association. Which stated that if the British did not remove the intolerable acts a boycott of British goods would begin. It also formally announced that colonists should have the same rights as Englishmen. -
Second Continental Congress
The second Continental Congress was the second meeting of delegates from each of the colonies. During this meeting they established George Washington as Commander-in-Chief. They also drafted the Olive Branch Petition. The most important part thing they did was the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by congress as a last attempt from the colonies to prevent a real war declaration with Great Britain. It declared their loyalty to the crown and their rights as citizens to the British. Although the King refused to even read it and did not respond, he did react to the petition by declaring his own Proclamation of Rebellion. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The battle of Lexington and Concord is widely known as the first battle of the American Revolution. On April 19th, 1775 Massachusetts colonists defied British rule and fought off the British troops. This led to many colonists to support the revolution. -
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American Revolution
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Common Sense
Common sense, written by Thomas Paine in 1776, it advocated for the rights of American citizens and inspired a lot of the movement for independence. This book united the nation and solidified the ideas of independence and freedom. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence of July 4th, 1776 stated the freedom’s that the colonies saw as important, such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. It also severed the political ties between the 13 colonies and Britain. -
Valley Forge
Valley forge was the first winter encampment during the Revolutionary war, resulting in many men building their own huts and cabins. This is significant because it shows the terrible conditions of the Revolutionary war and provided shelter to Washington’s army, helping them to win the war in the end. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga in 1777 was a severe turn in the revolutionary war that took place in New York. It was a major win for the Patriots that boosted morale and inspired them to continue the war despite the terrible conditions. -
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Valley Forge
Valley forge was the first winter encampment during the Revolutionary war, resulting in many men building their own huts and cabins. This is significant because it shows the terrible conditions of the Revolutionary war and provided shelter to Washington’s army, helping them to win the war in the end. -
Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown took place in 1781, and wIth support from the French, Washington’s army defeated the British in Yorktown, Virginia. This directly led to the end of the Revolutionary war and negotiations for peace. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of confederation were put in place in 1781, and they were the first idea of the modern constitution. It put large amounts of power into the colonies, and not much into centralized government, and was later changed to be the constitution we all know today. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, and it was a treaty between the Americans and Great Britain, ending the American Revolution. This document formally recognized America's independence.