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The Creating of a Nation
This is the time period of when America becomes independent -
French and Indian War
French Indian War Crash Course The French and Indian war was a war before the revolution. The french and indians joined together in a joint force to rid themselves of the british colonists. As the war progessed the french were increasingly successful in the start. However the british soon started to win and the french signed the treaty of paris. -
Treaty of Paris Signed
The war was ended due to the signing of the treaty of paris. The treaty of paris gave all of canada the french had and it gave us florida. The french got two little islands. And finally the Spanish got the phillipines which was right next to china and was very lucrative for them. -
The Sugar Act passed
The sugar act added additional taxes and allowed officials the ability to seize goods without due process. This act also didn't allow merchants to press charges. So for example if your goods were wrongfully seized you couldn't press charges for them to be returned or for you to be paid. Colonists didn't like this because getting your stuff taken wrongfully sucks. -
The Stamp Act passed
The stamp act like the sugar act caused widespread anger through the colonies. However the stamp act forced the colonists to pay rent for all the soldiers in the colonies. It also put stamps on alot of things like books, newspapers, magazines, and even playing cards you would then have to pay a tax for the stamps. In response the newly founded Sons of Liberty started to hang stamp salesmen and burn their homes. The colonists as a whole just boycotted british goods. -
Townshend Act passed
After the failure of the stamp act the british passed the Declaratory act which allowed them to make laws for the colonists they had to follow. After that they passed the Townshend act which was basically the stamp act with a new paint job and a new feature. The new part was it allowed writs of assistance. These would allow the british not only to look on ships but on any property if they were looking for evidence of smuggling, and they could do this with or without the owners notify the owners. -
The Boston Massacre
After the townshend acts there was even more protests and riots. So to calm the people down and control the situation the british sent 1,000 men to the colonies. These troops are constantly harassed day and night. Until Aug. 21, 1773 Colonists were pelting a lone soldier with snowballs so he called for help and 12 more men came. As the violence escalated the british fired into the crowd of people killing 5 and injuring 6 others. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party is a famous event. Basically what happened was the east india trading co. had all this tea they wanted to sell but they couldn't afford the tariff's so the british let them have a huge discount. Now the colonists got mad because the townshend act was still in place and they were boycotting british goods. So what they did was wait until night then they disguised themselves as indians and through all the tea into the harbor. -
The Shot Heard Round the World
School House Rock "Shot Heard Round the World"
This event took place in Lexington. Prior to this scuffle because it's hardly a battle paul revere warned the men and they were able to make a hasty defense. As each side faced off it is not know who fired the first shot but after that many more were fired. Now I don't call this a battle because only 9 people died... like total 8 americans and 1 british dude. -
Battle of Trenton
Battle of Trenton began on December 26th, 1776 after George Washington's crossing of the Delaware. He was able to get his main army to Trenton where they captured almost all the Hessians garrisoned there. This was a major morale booster for the Continental Army. They had captured about 1,500 Hessians. This victory inspired rebels in the colonies and helped bring in new recruits. -
The Declaration Signed
Thomas Jefferson had drafted the Constitution in early July with the help of Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. They issued this the Declaration of Independence on July 4th,1776. Beforehand, the Americans felt ready to declare independence with the help of the book Common Sense written by Thomas Paine. The men who signed the Declaration are from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and many others. -
Battle Saratoga
General Burgoyne and his men marched south from Quebec into New York in June of 1777. General Burgoyne was not able to defeat the Americans defending upper New York. British troops marching east from Lake Ontario were ambushed by militia and then driven back by American troops, making him surrender. -
The French Alliance
On Feb. 16th, 1778 the French alliance was signed. Now the french alliance was a defensive alliance. Which meant that if france attacked england america didn't have to help vice versa. What this meant though was france could send troops, supplies, and generals to aid the revolution. This news made George Washington so happy that he pardoned two deserters and re enlisted them to their former ranks. Which by accounts from the period was almost never done. -
Washington Camps at Valley Forge
After the British capture Philadelphia, George Washington and his men take shelter in Valley Forge. It was very cold and food shortages killed nearly 2,500 men. Luckily, he was able to secure training for his army while at Valley Forge. He also got help from two European officers from France and Prussia to help improve discipline and boost morale among the troops. -
The War is Over
After the Battle of Yorktown, on October 14th, Alexander Hamilton attacked British defenses. General Cornwallis was ready to begin negotiations to surrender. On October 19th,1781 8,000 British troops laid down their weapons and marched out of Yorktown. During the surrender, a British military band played: The World Turn'd Upside Down. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The battle of york town was the final battle in the revolutionary war in which the americans and the suporting french won, cauasing the british to surrender and later sign the Treaty of Paris.
