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Boston Massacre
Beginning with an argument in the street between a British soldier and a colonist, while the mob insulted and threatened the soldiers, a musket was fired and multiple colonists died. 6 soldiers were found not guilty and 2 were found guilty of manslaughter. This was one of the most important events leading up to the Revolutionary War because it led directly to the British government being in Boston and how the soldiers occupied the town, causing an uproar. -
Boston Tea Party
An act of protest where 60 American colonists threw 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor to go against the tax on tea (taxation without representation). The British government took this as an act of treason and acted very harshly. At the same time, it showed Britain that Americans would not tolerate taxation, it rallied the 13 colonies to fight for independence. -
Passage of Intolerable Acts
A series of laws were passed by the British Parliament to punish Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. This included the Boston Port Bill which closed the Boston Harbor. Secondly, the Massachusets Government Act which put a higher military in the government, then the Administration of Justice Act which protected British officials from getting in trouble with the law, and lastly the Housing Act which allowed British troops to take home in any colonists' home against the homeowners' will. -
Continential Congress
Series of legislative bodies with executive function for the 13 colonies before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. After the war, they ratified the first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation until it was replaced by the U.S Constitution. -
Paul Reveres Ride
It was his race back to Concord to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that over 700 British troops were marching there to arrest them. This led to the Revolutionary War because it gave the militia advantages during the battles of Lexington and Concord and Americans eventually fighting for independence. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Many events leading up to this battle. British troops were ordered to confiscate guns and weapons and when the Americans reused war broke out, this was only one more reason for American colonists to revolt and fight against the British Army. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
New England soldiers fought against British troops for the first time on a hilly landscape with nearby fenced-in pastures and animals. Although the British won, it showed them that Americans could hold their own in a fight and they were not going to give up. -
Declaration of Independence
A passage including the main ways of living and rights for all Americans including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Announced America's independence from Britain and the British government. -
Battle of Saratoga
The turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American defeat of the British army lifted patriot morale and continued the hope and fight for independence. This also helped convince the French of helping Americans win over their freedom. -
Treaty of Paris
Finally ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as its own independent nation with its own government.