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The Great Awakening
From the 1730s to the 1740s, a religious movement where Evangelican preachers traveled the colonies, giving lengthy sermons on the hellfire and damnation that follows from not believing in God. This movement was a counter-movement to the Enlightenment and resulted in new religious sects, increased religious tolerance, and raised democratic beliefs on personal freedoms. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian war was primarily fought between the French and their Native Allies against the British and their American colonies. They fought mainly over trade and land claims. The British and colonies won the war but accumulated a large debt. This was the turning point for Anglo-colonial relations. -
Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War, American colonists began to settle in the Ohio River Valley, recently acquired by the British. The British passed this proclamation to limit expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains, as the Natives living in this area began to have conflicts with new settlers (Pontiac's Rebellion). The colonists were angry that this proclamation was issued because they had fought for this land under the idea that they would be able to settle. -
Quartering Act
The law required colonists to house and supply British soldiers staying in the colonies without their permission. This angered the colonists and felt it was an invasion of privacy. Nothing was really done about this at the time but would become one of the amendments in the constitution. -
Stamp Act
This was the first direct tax placed on the colonists. The British were in debt from the French and Indian war and felt that the colonists should help pay. The tax was on all printed materials. This angered the colonists because they said it threatened prosperity and liberty. They argued that they had no representation in Britain and should not be taxed until they do. -
Townhend Act
The Townshend acts was an act that taxed everyday items such as lead and paper. It also allowed for British officials to search colonists homes without probable cause. The colonists boycotted and protested and were alarmed by the assumed complacency by the British. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, in Boston. The colonists began throwing rocks and snowballs at the British troops. They also taunted them by shouting “Fire!”. Confusion erupted and the British soldiers fired into the crowd of colonists. Five colonists were killed in the altercation. Samuel Adams wrote an inflammatory article to the newspaper, which deemed this event a massacre. The conflict energized anti-British sentiment within the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773. American colonists were frustrated at Britain for imposing taxes without colonial representation. The Sons of Liberty, a group of colonial merchants and tradesmen, dressed as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. The Boston Tea Party rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable acts were a direct result of the Boston Tea Party. Parliament wanted to punish Boston and they did this by closing the port of Boston and they made the colonists quarter British soldiers. This caused violence between Britain and the colonists and was the last straw before the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress
From September 5 to October 26 representatives from all thirteen colonies, except Georgia, met in Philadelphia. They announced a boycott of British goods to try and reverse the Coercive or Intolerable acts.They called each colony to start training soldiers. An association was set up an embargo on British trade. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord was fought on April 19, 1775. This battle was due to tensions that had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities. On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched to Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the British troops. An altercation in Lexington started off the fighting, soon the British began retreating under intense fire. -
Second Continental Congress
At the Second Continental Congress 12 of the 13 Colonies who met voted in favor of independence. Thomas Jefferson, with the help from people such as Ben Franklin, wrote the Declaration of Independence. They also sent a last stitch effort in the form of an Olive Branch Petition which the King ripped up. The Declaration of Independence was officially adopted on July 4, 1776.
