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French and Indian war
The treaty of Paris ended the war. France ceded all of it's North American possessions to Britain. -
Stamp Act
It was imposed to provide increased revenues to meet the costs of defending the enlarged British empire. -
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Townshend acts
Passed by the British parliament in an attempt to assert what it considered to be it's historic right to exert authority over the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
British army detachment open fired and killed five people. They were charged with murder. -
Boston Tea Party
Protesting both attacks on tea and the monopoly of the East India Company, a party of Bostonians boarded ships and dumped 10,000 euro worth of tea into the harbor. -
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Intolerable acts
British parliament enacted four measures that became known as Intolerable acts: The Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice act, and Quartering act. -
First Continental Congress Convenes
The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. 56 delegates represented all the colonies except Georgia. -
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"
Convinced that war with Great Britain was inevitable, Patrick Henry gave this speech. -
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Paul Revere's Ride and the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Paul Revere rode from Charlestown to Lexington to warn that the British were marching from Boston to seize the colonial armory at concord. It sparked a squirmish that left 8 Americans dead. Total losses numbered 273 British and more than 90 Americans. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill was part of the American siege of British held Boston. The battle was a moral victory for the American. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense Publish
This 50-page pamphlet sold more than 100,000 copies within a few months. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. Congress recommended that colonies formed their own governments. -
Nathan Hale executed
On September 21, 1776, Nathan Hale was captured by the British. He was hanged the next day without trial for having penetrated the British lines to obtain information. -
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Washington Crosses the Delaware
George Washington and the continental army crossed the Delaware River and took 900 prisoners. -
Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga
A British force under Gen. John Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga. Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga. -
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Washington Winters at Valley Forge
Washington and 11,000 regulars took up winter quarters at valley forge. The reorganized continental army emerged the following June. -
France and The United States form an alliance
The French have secretly furnished financial and material aid to the Americans since 1776. The Franco-American alliance was formalized. -
John Paul Jones: "I have not yet begun to fight"
The American commander John Paul Jones proclaimed "I have not yet begun to fight!" He lost his ship in the process when he refused to surrender. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
American general Benedict Arnold conspired with the British to surrender the fort at west point new york. Arnold took sanctuary with the British. -
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Siege of Yorktown
Washington's army placed Yorktown under siege and Cornwallis surrendered his army -
Articles of Confederation ratified
A plan of a government organization that served as a bridge between the initial government by the Continental Congress and the federal government. It was fully ratified by the states on March 1, 1781. -
Treaty of Paris ends the war
British recognized the independence of the United States with generous boundaries.
