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The French and Indian War
1754-1763
The French and Indian War is also called The Seven Years war and was the beginning of the open hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain. It began because Britain wanted to settle in the Ohio river valler and trade with the Native Americans who lived there but the French did not like this and built forts too protect their trade with the Indians. Britain declared war on France for control over the valley. In 1763 Britain and France ended the war and Britain won. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian war by giving Great Britain Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi river, and they took Florida from Spain. The treaty permitted Spain to keep its lands west of the Mississippi and the city of New Orleans. -
The stamp act
The stamp act imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspapers, and playing cards. This was the first act that affected colonist directly because it was levied on goods and services. This act caused the resistance act and cry against taxation without representation. -
Townshed act
The Townshed acts were a series of acts introduced into the English Parliament by Charles Townnshed that imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea imported into the colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre when a mob gathered in front of the Boston Customs House and taunted the British soliders and resulted in the killing of five colonists by the British Regulars. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed by Parliament and granted the British East Indian Company Tea a large amount of tea on sale in the American colonies. The primary objective was to reduce the mass amount of tea held by the struggling company. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party is when a group of Boston rebels dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 18,000 pounds of the East Indian Company's tea into the Boston harbor and proceeded to take action against three British tea ships anchored on the harbor. -
The first and second continental congress
The first continental congress met in 1774 in reaction to the Coercive Acts and included 12 of the 13 colonies. The Second continental congress met in may of 1775 in Philadelphia to debate their next move. Some delegates called for independence while others argued for reconciliation with Great Britain. -
Intolerable acts
The Intolerable acts were a series of British laws that acted as punishment for the Boston tea party. One law shut down the Boston harbor. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American revolutionary war. They marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between the kingdom of Great Britain and the 13 colonies on the mainland of British America. -
Publishing of common sense
Writer Thomas Paine published his pamphlet "common sense" which advocates independence for the American colonies from Britain.
