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The Stamp Act
The British put tax on the American colonists. They put tax on paper, newspapers, and ect. This happened because during the French and Indian war, the British helped the Americans. And they saw fit that they should put tax on paper so that they could pay off their expenses from the war. But the colonists disagreed. They thought that the British didn’t have any right to tax them since they were not representatives. So the Colonists threatened and sometimes made Tax collectors quit their jobs. -
Boston Massacre
A deadly riot occurred on King Street in Boston. It was between American Colonists and one British soldier, but quickly escalated to a chaotic fight. A soldier named Private Hugh White was alone on duty, guarding the King’s money. Not long after, Colonists went up and insulted him, threatening violence. The soldier struck a colonist with his bayonet. The angry colonists then threw snowballs, ice, rocks, at him. He then called for backup. They killed 5 colonists, and 6 were wounded. -
Boston Tea Party
American Colonists were angry at the British for taxation without representation, so they dumped over 342 chests of tea. This event represented that Americans weren’t going to take taxation. And this motivated them to fight for independence over the 13 colonies. This happened because the British were deep in debt. So they made necessities such as paint, tea, and ect, have taxes too. Colonists were furious and felt that it was wrong for Britain to force taxes on them to pay off debt. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place on September 5 through October 26 1774. Representatives from all colonies, except Georgia, met at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They discussed the current situation with Britain. After they discussed, they sent a letter to King George III. They told him that the Colonies didn’t like how they were being treated. But he chose to ignore. They planned to meet again in May, 1775 if he did not agree. -
Lexington and Concord
This battle is important since this is when the Revolutionary War all started. Neither sides thought there was actually going to be a fight. But that all changed when there was a gunshot. The British attacked. While the Americans fled to Lexington, the British marched to Concord. And while the Americans were waiting, they were getting more militiamen and were getting stronger and stronger. They decided to go to Concord and fought the British, forcing them to retreat to Boston. -
Bunker Hill
The British were commanded by Major General William Howe and the Americans were commanded by Colonel William Prescott. Prescott ordered his men not to fire until the British were near. It was an effort to conserve their ammunition since they had limited supplies. And after the British were within several dozen yards, the Americans fired on them, forcing the British to retreat. When the British charged again for the third time, they went to hand to hand combat with the Americans. -
Declaration of Independence
5 members wrote Declaration of Independence. The 5 members were Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the First draft. The Declaration of Independence signified that they were no longer in control of the British government. After Jefferson wrote the first draft, with changes, they presented it to Congress on June 28, 1776. And on July 4th, 1776, was when the Final version of the Declaration. -
Townshend Act
On July 2nd, 1776, the British Government passed down a series of laws on the American Colonies. They placed new taxes and took away some freedoms from the Colonists. This event was named by the Charles Townshend. The British came introduced this because they wanted the Colonies to pay for themselves. It was specifically to pay salaries for Governors and judges. They thought it would be okay since it was taxes on imports. But they were wrong. -
Saratoga
The British headed to John Freeman’s farm. The Americans were there too. They had 500 sharpshooters led by Daniel Morgan that were to shoot the British when they advanced. At the end of the battle, the British took control over the land. But they lost 600 men, unlike the Americans. After the Freeman’s farm battle, the British attacked again. But they failed again and were forced to retreat. In a matter of days, the Americans surrounded them, and the British were forced to surrender. -
Yorktown
The battle of Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary War. The Americans, commanded by George Washington, were marching down from the North, while the British army were retreating to Yorktown. The French were also moving toward Yorktown. The British were now surrounded and were greatly outnumbered. The General, Charles Cornwallis, tried ordering Washington to surrender. But he ignored. And when the French and Americans were just about to attack, Cornwallis surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay were 3 important Americans who negotiated the treaty in the city of Paris, France. David Harley was a member of the British Parliament who represented Britain and King George III. The treaty was signed at the hotel he was staying in, called Hotel d’York. King George III finally signed the treaty a year after.