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Albany Congress
Organized by Benjamin Franklin, representatives from seven colonies met in Albany, New York, to discuss uniting the colonies. The plan ultimately failed though. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is another name for the Seven Years' War, and was fought between France and Great Britain, with Native American tribes helping both sides at different times. It lasted from 1756 until 1763. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain on the 10th of February, ending the Seven Years' War. As a result, Britain gained control of French Canada, and Spain gained control of the land west of the Mississippi River. -
Proclamation of 1763
Issued on October 7, 1763, it forbade British colonies to settle in the Ohio River Valley, the area the colonists fought and risked their lives to secure. -
Stamp Act
Passed on February 6, 1765, by Parliament. The Stamp Act forced colonists to pay a tax on most printed items such as newspapers, legal documents, etc. -
Quartering Ac t of 1765
In 1765 the British angered the colonist by passing the Quartering Act that forced the colonists to house and feed Brithish soldiers in North America. This act increased tension between the colonists and the British. The colonists we very angry that they were forced to open their homes to these soldiers. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the shooting of five American colonists by British soldiers on March 5, 1770. The British say rocks and snowballs were thrown at them. But the British had guns, and they did fire. The Boston Massacre increased American hatred of the British military in the colonies. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed by Parliament on May 10. 1773. It stated that American colonists could not buy tea unless it came from the East India Company. It lowered the price on this East India tea so much that it was way below tea from other suppliers. However, the American colonists saw this law as another "taxation without representation" because it meant that they could not buy tea from anyone else without spending a lot more money. Instead the colonist refused to unload the tea from the ships. -
Boston Tea Party
The colonies stopped complaining about the Samp Act when British came out with the Tea Act in 1774. The British government made it so the only company you could buy tea from is the East India Tea Company. Thomas Hutchinson said that tea should be unloaded in Boston. On December 16th, many Boston colonists crowded into a meeting to listen to Samuel Adams. After Adams was done speaking, the crowd headed for the harbor.They entered 3 different ships and threw 90,000lbs. of tea in the Boston Harbor. -
Boston Port Act
The Boston Port Act was part of the Intolerable Acts. It shut down the Boston Harbour and as a result trade in that area, causing economic troubles. -
Lexington and Concord
The first shots starting the revolution were fired in Lexington, Massachusetts. On April 18, 1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of Concord. They also planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two of the key leaders of the patriot movement. -
The Declaratory Act
After the repeal of the Stamp Act, British Parliament passed the Declaratory Act in 1776. This declared that the British Parliament and king could pass laws over the colonist without their consent. This angered the colonist because they had no representation in Parliament.
