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Period: to
Colonial Times
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Founding Jamestown
A group of wealthy people made an attempt to establish an English colony in North America. Some wanted to fing silver or gold, and others expected to trade with the Indians for furs, wich they can later sell in Europe. The first colonists first arrived in Virginia, then late sailed to the Chesapeake Bay and built a fort that they called "Jamestown". -
The First Thanksging
A local chief gave the Pilgrims food. Squanto, another Native American brought them seeds, corn, pumpkins, and beans. He also showed them how to plant the seeds and to catch eels from nearby rivers. Then, they all sat down to give thanks for their good fortune. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon led an uprising of 1,000 westerners. They started to attack and kill Native Americans. They burned Jamestown and forced the governor to run away. Bacon died when he became sick, and the rest of his follwers were hanged. -
The Glorious Revolution
King James II was removed from the throne by Parliament. Parliament then asked his daughter Mary and her husband William to rule. Later, they signed the Enlish Bill of Rights. -
The Enlightment
A group of European thinkers believed that all problems could be solved with human reason. They ushered in a movement called "The Enlightment" Locke and Montesquieu had differences about government. -
The Great Awakening
The "Great Awakening" was a Christian movement that swept through the colonies between the 1930's and 1940's. It led to the rise of new churches, and the toleration of religious differences. -
Disaster at Fort Duquesne
General Braddock knew nothing about the fighting in North America. He didn't respect the soldiers, and did notlisten to the warnings. Benjamin Franklin warned him of the danger, but still, said they were no threat. Fort Duquesne was ambushed by French troops, half of his mean died, along with Braddock humself. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The British wanted to avoid further wars with the Native Americans so the Proclamation of 1763 was issued. It banned colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mts. Many people ignored it because they felt they had the right to reside wherever they wanted to. -
The Quartering Act
Parliament passed this act to save money. It required colonists to house soldiers and provide them with food. Many complained that it was a violation of their rights. -
The Stamp Act
It required all the colonists to buy a stamp for all products such as newspapers, wills, licenses, insurance policies, and more. Protests and boycotts were spread everywhere. A petition was sent to end the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act and worked. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was intended to help the British East India Company. It lowered the price of tea. A monopoly was placed on all British Tea, so people had to drink only the tea from the Britiah East India Company. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists organized in port cities to stop the British east India Company tea from being unloaded. A large group of men dressed as Native Americans boarded the ship and dumped 342 cases of tea in the harbor. They destroyed 90,000 pounds of tea worth thousands of dollars. -
Common Sense
Common Sense is a 50 page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. He ridicluled the idea of rule by kings, and called King George lll a royal brute. It inspired people in all colonies and 500,000 copies were sold between January and July of 1776. -
Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independace is based on the ideas of the Enlightment. It explains why the colonists wanted to break away from British rule. The Declaration begins with the introduction called the Preamble, or introduction. Then comes Natural Rights which states some general ideas about society and government. Next, is the List of Grievances. That states the complaints about King George lll. Last, is Dissolving the Bonds, which ends with a pledge. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris, signed ended the American Revolutionary War. It was 8 years since "the shot heard around the world" at Lexington. The war was officialy over.
