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Treaty of Paris (French and Indian War)
Treaty that officially ended the French and Indian War. The British gained control over the area west of the 13 British Colonies to the Mississippi River. The French agreed to no longer support any colonies in North America, including all of Canada. -
The Proclamation Line of 1763
This Proclamation of 1763 closed lands north and west of the Appalachian Mountains to settlement. The goal of the British was to put a stop to conflicts that had arisen between the Native Americans and the colonists due to the French and Indian War. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was an attempt to raise revenue in Great Britain, so they taxed the American colonists, instead of their own people. It was imposed at a time of economic depression, so this, understandably, infuriated the colonists. To accommodate, they had to raise prices of sugar. -
Stamp Act
The stamp act was passed along with the others to raise money for the wars england was in. this was the final straw for the colonist who were already grumbling and ready to protest the taxes they were paying already. Also, these taxes were forced on the people without their consent. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre caused tensions to rise enormously between the Americans and British because this was the first killing that occurred. The Americans realized that the British were not there to help them, but instead to put an end to their liberty. This was a leading cause to the Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, planned to show Parliament how they felt about the Tea Act. They boarded the British ship Dartmouth docked in Boston Harbor, dressed up as Indians, and dumped the entire load of tea into the water. This event came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. -
Coercive Acts
These Acts were the harshest of all the Acts passed by Parliament. The closing of Boston's port alone would cost the colony (and the American colonies as a whole) a ton of money. The Regulating Act was aimed at curtailing revolutionary activities. The Quartering Act angered colonists who didn't want soldiers (especially Redcoats) in their houses. -
1st Continental Congress
This was the first concerted effort of American colonies to unite under a common cause towards secession from the British Crown. It accomplished the most significant historical moment of the United States by taking the first step in a secession towards an independent Republic, as well as an Independent Nation, and setting the precedent of the creation of a wholly NEW system of government without precedent or custom effected ever before in the Western World. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
First shots fired between American and British troops, on April 19, 1775. The British chose to march to Concord because it was an arms depot. This meant that the Americans had stockpiled weapons there. British troops had occupied Boston and were marching on Concord as they passed through Lexington. No one is still sure who fired first, but it was the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Two-day engagement between British forces under the command of General William Howe and American forces under Colonel William Prescott. The Americans had occupied Breed's Hill in Charlestown on June 16, 1775, in order to protect the shipyard of nearby Boston. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Thomas Paine's pamphlet was so important because he expressed clearly and lucidly what so many people were thinking, but were not able to put in words. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This historic document said that the American colonies were independent from Great Britain. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga 1777 was known as the turning point of the American Revolutionary War. When the French realized that Americans had surrendered to the British, they decided to ally themselves with the Americans. The British had to move their resources that they used to fight the US from America because the French had allied themselves with the Americans. -
Battle of Yorktown
American victory that ended the Revolutionary War on October 20, 1781. British General Charles Cornwallis had met defeat in the south, at Cowpens, and his force had been continually weakened, especially by American General Nathanael Greene at Guilford Courthouse. -
Treaty of Paris (American Revolution)
Treaty that officially ended the Revolutionary War on September 3, 1783. It was signed in Paris by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. Under the terms of the treaty, Britain recognized the independent nation of the United States of America. Britain agreed to remove all of its troops from the new nation.
