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Protest of Stamp Act
The British Parliament announced a stamp tax that they would begin in November, that American colonists would be charged taxes on a variety of printed items, including newspapers, wills, and playing cards. American colonists, having recently fought in support of Britain, rose up in protest against the tax before it went into effect. The protests began with petitions, led to refusals to pay the tax, and eventually to property damage and harassment of officials. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was created in order to help the British pay off their debts from the Seven Years War.It was enforced by putting stamps on paper and documents and the person had to pay a tax for it.This enraged the educated colonists, like lawyers, who had to pay this new tax on their legal documents. This would lead to a strong opposition on this act by the colonists. -
Gaspee Affair
The HMS Gaspee was a ship that was charged with patrolling the waters around Newport RI and it was hated by all of the merchants as it stole their goods for no reason. A ship lured the HMS Gaspee into a shallow area where it ran aground. A group of 40 to 50 men boarded the ship and burned it without masking their identities.They were never convicted in local court and this enraged the Parliament. -
Committee of Correspondence Established
They were the first intercolonial provisional government. The first was created in response to the Gaspee Affair and made by Sam Adams in 1772.They were also established to get oppostion towards the Currency Act and other reforms made by the British.As a result of how the colonies towns were structured the Committees had a profound affect on the colonists and stirred them into action. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773, took place when a group of Massachusetts Patriots, protesting the monopoly on American tea importation, threw over 342 chests of tea in a midnight raid on three tea ships and threw them into the harbor. -
Coercive Acts
The coercive acts were a series of acts following the Boston Tea Party. They were meant to punish the colonies by restricting trade to make an example out of Boston so the other colonies rebellion's would be avoided. The coercive acts included the Boston Port Act, Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts governemt act, quartering act of 1774 and lastly the Quebec Act. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act passed by the British Parliament instituted a permanent administration in Canada replacing the temporary government. It gave the French Canadians complete religious freedom and restored the French form of civil law. The Thirteen Colonies considered this law one of the Intolerable Acts, for it limited many of the Western claims of the coast colonies by extending the boundaries of the province of Quebec to the Ohio River. -
First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress took place from September 5 to October 26. It was to make the King know of the greivances of the colonies.It put into place mechanisms to regulate the resistance against the British.this was to continue until the end of the Intolerable Acts. -
Paul Reveres Ride
Paul Revere was instructed to ride to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock that British troops were coming to arrest them. He then rode throughout Lexington alarming the countryside. He and two other riders continued to Concord where there was a weapons cache. They were all arrested by a British patrol but they all escaped. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
On the night of April 19 1775 hundreds of British troops marrched to Concord to seize a weapons cache. Men sounded the alarm and the colonists began to fight the British at the Lexington green. The British ended up retreating under heavy fire. -
Second Continental Congress
On May 10, 1775, the members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. The New England militia were still encamped outside of Boston trying to drive the British out of Boston. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
George Washington Appointed General
The day before the battle of Bunker Hill the Congress gave the command of it to Colonel George Washington, of Virginia, and made him a general and commanderin-chief of all the forces of the patriot cause. The congress elected Washington from Virginia because they thought it would draw the southern colonies in to the Patriot way. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed's Hill despite the name. American troops acting under orders from Artemas Ward moved out of their camp and their destination was Bunker Hill. But went to Breed's Hill by mistake and were much closer to the British position than they were supposed to be. The British military demanded they attack the American even though they widely outnumbered. The British attacked the Americans three times and each time retreated. The were outnumbered. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a letter to King George the third from the members of the second continental congress in which many Americans displayed their opinions on not wanting to break away from Great Britain forever. Many were angry with the British policies and treatment, but they thought that an agreement could somehow be reached with the King that would right the wrongs done to them. Declaring independence was a hope of some of the patriots, but not of most. -
Common Sense Published
The Common Sense pamphlet was created by Thomas Paine. It was credited with being the first publication of an idea of independence that put average citizens and political leaders on the same page. It preached the idea of independence and that England was not their mother country but instead all of Europe. -
British Evacuation Boston
Following the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the patriots had the British blocked off in Boston. Although the British defeated the Americans in the Battle of Bunker Hill, major losses left the British in need of reinforcements from England. On the evening of March 4, cannons were positioned on top of Dorchester Heights aimed at the British ships in Boston Harbor. The next morning when British General Howe saw the cannons aimed at him, he loaded his men and supplies onto their ships and left. -
Writing of the Decleration of Independence
The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson. He began on June 11 and wrote several drafts until he submitted his final draft on June 28, 1766. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the unanimous decision from the leaders of the thirteen colonies to claim their independence from England.It was the first document written by the colonists that they had the right of self government. -
British pulled out of Virginia
On October 17-19 1781 the British pulled out of Virginia. This happened during the battle in Yorktown Virginia when the British were running low on supplies and weapons. The British were hoping that more troops would come to provide assistance but they did not arrive in time so the British General attempted to escape but failed to do so because colonists saw them. On October 19, 1781 British leader Cornwallis signed the surrender agreement and they fled.
