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Treaty of Paris (ending French & Indian War)
The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. It gave Great Britain the land west of the Mississippi and the 13 colonies. It also made the French give up their claims to land and give up support to any colonies in North America. Spain was forced to give up their claim to Florida, but they got to keep their land West of the Mississippi River and in South and Central America. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was the first act passed by Parliament to raise money in the colonies. The Sugar Act put taxes on the sugar and molasses that were imported by the colonists. This act also made the British officials take arresting smugglers more seriously. The Sugar Act also made it much harder for the colonists to trade with other merchants. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was proposed by Prime Minister Grenville. The Stamp Act made colonists pay for an official stamp whenever they bought paper products. The tax affected many things such as: legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, and many other things. If the colonists refused to pay they could possibly be fined or sent to jail. The act was immediately protested causing Parliament to repeal it in 1766. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts put duties on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. They were passed by Parliament. British officials had to use the writs of assistance to enforce these acts. The colonists did not like these acts and argued that they took power away from the colonial governments. To show that they did not agree, they boycotted the British goods. -
Boston Massacre
A British soldier was standing outside of a Custom Hall when a young man started to insult him. The soldier hit the colonist with the end of his gun causing him to scream. The colonist ran away and came back with friends, and they continued to insult the soldier. Shortly a crowd was assembled of both colonists and more British soldiers. The colonsits kept daring the soldiers to fire into the crowd, and finally one of the soldiers did. As a result there were 11 people were killed or wounded. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was agreed upon and passed by Parliament. It said that the British East India Company was allowed to sell tea directly to the colonists. Many tea sellers were worried about losing their business to the British East India Company because they had cheaper tea. This act led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The colonists got angry with Parliament for passing the Tea Act, so in retaliation they disguised themselves as Indians, and went to Boston Harbor. They snuck onto ships that were filled with tea, and they dumped 340 chests into the Harbor. -
First Continental Congress
Representatives from all the colonies except for Georgia met in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia on September 5th of 1774. They were upset about how Great Britain was treating the colonies. Some representatives argued that the only solution was violence, others disagreed because they wanted peace. They all ended up compromising that the colonists may keep boycotting British goods, that they needed to prepare their militia for war, and also they created a Declaration of Rights. -
Lexington & Concord
The Battle of Lexington was the first battle in the American Revolution; even though it only lasted a few minutes. After the batttle the British marched to Concord, where there was a stockpile of weapons. Most of the weapons had already been hidden, so when the British arrived they set fire to the buildings due to the missing stockpile. In retaliation the minutemen attacked forcing the British to retreat. The British sufferred many casualties. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress occurred in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, They decided to meet again after King George III refused to read their Declaration of Rights. Some delegates argued that war was the only option, others argued for peace. Again, they decided to compromise. They decided to create a Continental Army that would be led by George Washington, also they decided to write and sign the Olive Branch Petition. That was their last failed attempt at peace. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed's Hill; which is actuallly right next to Bunker Hill. Great Britain had a tragic victory because they lost almost twice the amount of soldiers that the Patriots had. Despite the loss the Patriots proved that they could fight the British. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was Congress's last attempt to restore peace with Great Britain. It was written during the Second Continental Congress. They sent it to King George III, and he refused to read it, instead looking for ways to punish the colonies. -
Common Sense
"Common Sense" a 47 page pamphlet was distributed in Philadelphia. It was published anonymously, but Thomas Paine was the author. He sold 500,000 copies throughout the colonies. In it he argued that the citizens should be the ones making the laws not the king. This caused many colonists to change their views on their king. The ideas written made the people think about economic freedom and a military for the right of self-defense. He also argued about tyranny & the misuse of government's power. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was mainly written by Thomas Jefferson. It was written to declare the colonies' independence from Great Britain, but also to state that all people are born with unalienable rights such as life,liberty, & the pursuit of happiness. The approval and signing of this document created the United States of America as well as conflict with Great Britain. -
Battle of Trenton
On Christmas night of 1776, George Washington and his soldiers rowed across the frozen Delaware River. They were headed for Trenton, New Jersey to attack the Hessian soldiers. The Hessian soldiers had celebrated Christmas the day before, so it made it easy for the Patriots to sneak up on them. The American soldiers captured about 900 prisoners during the battle. The Battle of Trenton did not last very long since the Hessians were unprepared. This was an important victory for the Patriot soldiers -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga is known as the turning point in the war for the Patriots. British General John Burgoyne was forced to surrender to General Horatio Gates. General Burgoyne's plan to meet up with General Howe failed, & left him without Howe's army. The Patriot forces had set up obstacles along the way to Saratoga, and when the British came up to the obstacles, they were attacked. They were then surrounded and this caused General John Burgoyne to surrender. -
Valley Forge
In the winter of 1777, George Washinton and his 12000 men settled at Valley Forge. This was a long hard winter for them. They suffered greatly, lacking clothes and food. The winter was brutal, and no matter how hard Washington tried, he could not get anyone to send him supplies. Throughout the winter around 2000 men died of disease and malnutrition. The surviving men went on to be trained and drilled by Baron von Steuben. -
John Paul Jones Captures the Serapis
When John Paul Jones decided to join the navy, the French presented him with a small fleet of 7 ships to command. With these 7 ships he captured a British warship named the Serapis. When the battle started, the British knocked out Jones's best artillary, As the battle went on, the British forces began to wear down, causing them to surrender after just over 2 hours. -
Battle of Yorktown
When British General Cornwallis decided to move his troops to Yorktown for better communication with the British naval fleet, George Washington decided this was the perfect opportunity to trap him. He ordered troops to surround Cornwallis. They did so and then the french took over the Chesepeake Bay blocking their last escape option. They battled for a couple of months until eventually with a worn down army, Cornwallis surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris (ending Revolutionary War)
The Treaty of Paris was a peace agreement that made Great Britain recognize the United States as an independent country. It set America's borders, returned Florida to the Spanish, and allowed the Americans to have free trade. This ended the American Revolutionary War.
