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French/Indian War
The French/Indian war was fought between the French and British over control of the Ohio River valley. At the beginning of the war, the French and Native Americans were continually routing the British, but after a decisive win in Quebec the British began their winning streak, which would lead to their victory over the French. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris, where Britain claimed all of France's holdings east of the Mississippi River.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_War] -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was the first of many taxes imposed on the colonists to help Britain pay for debts from the Seven Years' War. The tax was on any printed item, including documents, wills and playing cards.
[http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/4258] -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were taxes on anything imported from Britain into the colonies, such as tea, lead, glass, paint and paper. The tax on tea especially angered the colonists, being that tea happened to be the most popular drink in the colonies.
[http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts] -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the direct result of a mob taunting British soldiers standing guard in front of the Boston Customs House. The colonists responded and called the event a massacre, which heightened tensions between the colonists and British.
[https://www.landofthebrave.info/boston-massacre-facts.htm] -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was thought of by Lord North to try to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy. This would allow the East India company to sell straight to consumers, which inevitably would cut tea merchants out of the tea trade, even though it voided the tax on tea.
[http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/tea-act] -
Boston Tea Party
The colonists, outraged by Lord North's Tea Act, dressed up as Native Americans and raided three British Tea ships. While onboard the ships, the colonists dumped 18,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor.
[http://chapinus.wikia.com/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party_(Final_Draft)] -
Intolerable Acts
King George III was infuriated by the recent offenses from the American colonists, such as the Boston Tea Party, so he tightened his rule over Boston by closing the harbor and quartering troops there. He also appointed General Thomas Gage as governor of Massachusetts, who placed Boston under martial law.
http://www.crareacatholic.com/lasalle/Resources/rev%20war%20websites/Bryce,%20Will,%20Carter,%20Colby%20rev%20war/Rev%20War%20Bryce%20Serovy/Intolerable_Acts.html -
First Continental Congress
56 colonists met in Philadelphia and wrote a declaration of colonial rights. They felt that colonists had the right to run their own affairs, and wrote that they should fight back against the British if the British used force.
[http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/continental-congress] -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington was the first battle of the Revolutionary War, and only lasted 15 minutes. Eight minutemen were killed and another ten were injured, and the British troops marched on to Concord. When the British arrived, they saw that the town's arsenal was empty, so they started their march back to Boston. On their way there, they were ambushed and humiliated by minutemen hiding behind various barriers, killing many British troops.
[http://www.britishbattles.com/concord-lexington.htm] -
Second Continental Congress
This congress convened to discuss how to react to the battles at Lexington and Concord. At this meeting, the congress appointed George Washington to be the Commander of the Continental Army.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Continental_Congress] -
Thomas Paine Publishes "Common Sense"
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" attacked King George's monarchy in Britain. In his pamphlet, Paine proposed for the colonies to be freed from Britain's tyrannical rule over the colonies.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_(pamphlet)]
