-
French and Indian War
This war lasted for seven years, which is why it is also known as the Seven Years' War. The war was between Britain and France, and was created from repeated conflict over expansion into into the Ohio River Valley that interfered with claims of the British Colonies. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
The Treaty of Paris 1763 ended the French and Indian War. In the terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in North America, ending any foreign military threat to British colonies there. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
The Proclamation Line of 1763 forbid colonial settlement beyond the line of the Appalachian Mountains. The act also created the provinces of Quebec, West Florida, and East Florida. The proclamation was largely ineffective in preventing western settlement, and served only to anger both settlers and the political elite who had invested in western land speculation. -
Sugar Act
Also known as the American Revenue Act, this act was a British Law passed by the British Parliament, designed to raise revenue from the American colonists in the 13 Colonies. The Act set a tax on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies which impacted the manufacture of rum in New England. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was passed by the British parliament to affirm its power to legislate for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”. The declaration stated that Parliament's authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament's authority to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies. -
Townshend Revenue Acts
Series of laws that were designed to collect revenue from the colonists in America by placing taxes on British goods like paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight between a patriot mob and British soldiers. The riot began when about 50 citizens attacked a British sentinel. A British officer called in additional soldiers, and these too were attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 3 on the spot and wounding 8 others, two of them died later. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act of 1773 was a British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain, that was designed to bail out the British East India Company and expand the company's monopoly on the tea trade to all British Colonies, selling excess tea at a reduced price. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct protest by colonists in Boston against the Tea Tax that had been imposed by the British government. Boston patriots, dressed as Mohawk Indians, raided three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped 342 containers of tea into the harbor. The Boston Tea Party arose from the resentment of Boston colonists towards the British which had been fueled by protest activities by patriots in the Sons of Liberty organization. -
Quartering Act of 1774
The Quartering Acts were two British Laws that were designed to force local colonial governments to provide provisions and housing to British soldiers stationed in the 13 Colonies. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts, also called the Coercive Acts, were a series of British Laws. Four of the Intolerable Acts were specifically aimed at punishing the Massachusetts colonists for the actions taken in the Boston Tea Party. The fifth of the Intolerable Acts series was related to Quebec was seen as an additional threat to the liberty and expansion of the colonies. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was called to order on September 5th, 1774. 55 colonial representatives from twelve colonies met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to form a plan of action. Georgia was the only colony that did not send representatives. They discussed the current situation with Britain including the Intolerable Acts, and it was decided that each colony would be allotted one secret ballot. -
Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death” speech
Patrick Henry delivered his "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death" speech with the purpose of freeing Virginia from British colonial rule, and to urge the American colonies to revolt against England. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord signaled the start of the American Revolutionary war. British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of Concord. They also planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two of the key leaders of the patriot movement. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, in a final attempt to avoid a full-on war between the Thirteen Colonies, that the Congress represented, and Great Britain. The petition affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and entreated the king to prevent further conflict. -
Second Continental Congress
The second Continental Congress succeeded the first, and managed the colonial war effort, and moved incrementally towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence. -
George Washington named Commander in Chief
The Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army on June 19, 1775. Washington was selected based on his previous military experience and the hope that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies. -
Thomas Paine writes “Common Sense”
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine which advocates independence from Great Britain to people in the American colonies, and proposes the creation of a democratic republic. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution, and became an immediate sensation. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. It was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule.
