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Navigation Act
This act restricted trade colonial trade in Britain and decreasing dependence on imported foreign goods. The Parlament wanted to promote self-sufficiency of the British Empire. -
French and Indian War Ends
The French and Indian War ended after the signing of The Treaty of Paris of 1763. After the war, Britain was in serious debt, so they places higher taxes on the colonists. -
Stamp Act
The British made enforced this act to help pay of their debt from the French and Indian War. This made the colonists angry and set a pattern of resistance. -
Boston Massacre
The colonists were angry about the Stamp Act and Townsend Act. The Bostonians rioted and threw snowballs at British soldiers. Five people were killed. This event helped unite the colonies against the British. -
Tea Act
The British needed to bail out the East India Company. Therefore, the tea act granted the company the right to ship its tea directly to the colonies without first landing it in England. They also have the right to sell it in the colonies. This led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The tea party happened because the colonists didn’t like taxation without representation. The colonists then got together, dressed as Indians, dumped over 300 crates of tea into Boston Harbor. The British then closed the Boston port. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
The Coercive Acts were forced on Americans for punishment for the Boston Tea Party. Boston Harbor was closed to trade until the owners of the tea were compensated. Town meetings were banned, and the power of the royal governor was increased. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress met because they did not like the Coercive Acts. After the meetings, there were no more British imports after 1774, and no exporting goods to Britain in September 1775. -
Lexington and Concord
Many events led to the Battle of Lexington and Concord including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Stamp Act. The colonists were agitated by the policies Britain forced on them. This battle started the Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
The meetings were called to plan any further acts on Britain if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed. It was also to take charge of the war. During the meetings they established a Continental Army with General George Washington. -
Declaration of Independence was Adopted
The colonists did not want to be under British rule anymore. They also needed as much aid from the French as possible. Therefore, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted to gain independence from Britain. -
Battle of Saratoga
It started when General John Burgoyne invaded New England from Canada to isolate New England from the rest of the land. The battle helped persuade the French to recognize American independence and provide military assistance. It was the turning point in the War. It ended on October 7, 1777 -
Winter At Valley Forge
During the Winter at Valley Forge, the Continental Army lacked food and money. They were at Valley Forge for six months. Disease killed over 2,000 people. They left Valley Forge on June 19, 1778 -
Battle of Yorktown
The British needed reinforcements. The French and the Americans wanted to attack Britain before this could happen. They stopped fighting on October 19, 1781. This was the last major fight of the War. The Americans had freedom now. -
U.S Constitution Written
The Articles of Confederation was not working in the states. So in 1787, they started writing the constitution. They stopped writing it on September 17, 1787. It is the foundation of our government today.