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French and Indian War
A war that also known as the Seven Years War, was a war fought in the New World from 1756-1763. The war was fought by the Britain and France, along with the Indians, who were allied with the French. The war was fought over a dispute about land and the British would eventually be victorious. This event was similar to the Mexican-American War that took place from 1846-1848. The two wars are similar as both were fought due to a land dispute between two countries. -
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation passed by King George III that forbade the colonist of settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. The act was passed by King George III in hopes of improving his relations with Native Americans. However the act only created tension between the colonist and the king, as there was less land available as the population of the colonies grew. -
Sugar Act
An act that placed a tax on the foreign goods (goods that were not from England) molasses, sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, cambric and printed calico and also further regulated the export of iron and lumber. -
Stamp Act
An Act that that placed a tax on all paper documents in the 13 colonies, including ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards. -
Quartering Act
Two acts that were passed in 1765 and 1766 that forced local colonial governments to provide provisions and housing to British soldiers stationed in the 13 Colonies of the United States. -
Townshend Act
An act that was named after the member of Parliament that introduced it, Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend. The act taxed tea, glass, paper, and lead that the colonist couldn’t produce. -
Boston Massacre
An incident where British soldiers shot and killed 5 people after being heckled by a mob in Boston, Massachusetts. The incident sparked outrage from the colonist and furthered the tension between the colonist and the British government. This event is similar to attacks that were led on civil rights protesters in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, where protesters were violently sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by police dogs. Like the Boston Massacre, the protests weren't violent. -
Tea Act
An act passed by the British that gave the East India Company, who was an important company for the British economy, a monopoly on the importation and sale of tea in the colonies. This act would anger the colonist and eventually lead to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
A protest led by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts. The protesters disguised themselves as Native Americans and threw 342 chests of tea from the British overboard to protest the British tax on tea. This event is similar to the riots in Ferguson, Mississippi after officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown on August 9, 2014. The riots were similar to the Boston Tea Party as both involved destroying government property to protest the actions of the government. -
Coercive Acts
A group of acts passed by the British government in 1774 as a reaction to the Boston Tea Party. The first of the acts banned trade in the Boston Harbor, banned town meetings without approval, restricted the colonist rights to a trial by jury, and allowed British soldiers to search and move into their homes. -
First Continental Congress
A meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was held from September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774 of delegates from all 13 colonies (except Georgia, who was dependant on Britain for war supplies in their fight against Native Americans). The meeting was held to discuss the resistance to the Coercive Acts. -
Second Continental Congress
A meeting in Philadelphia of delegates from every state to discuss their concerns and becoming independent from Great Britain. The declaration of independence was approved at this meeting. -
Common Sense
A book written by Thomas Paine that advocated for the colonist to support the colonies becoming independent from Great Britain. This book is similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream Speech” that was given in August 28, 1963. The “I Have A Dream” speech is similar to the book “Common Sense” because Martin Luther King Jr advocated in his speech for equality and equal rights for all people, just like Thomas Paine advocated for the colonies to be independent from the British. -
Shot Heard Around the World
Refers to the first shot fired of the American Revolution, at the Battle of Lexington. -
Declaration of Independence
A statement adopted at the Second Continental Congress meeting, which declared that the 13 colonies were no longer under the rule of Great Britain. The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson, the representative of Virginia, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts, Robert Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut.