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Albany Plan of Union pg.44
In response to French attacks on the frontier, in 1754 Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan for uniting the colonies- the Albany Plan of Union. The colonies rejected the plan, however, because it gave too much power to an assembly made up of representatives from all thirteen colonies. -
French and Indian War pg.43
The French and Indian War started as a struggle between the French and British over lands in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. By 1756, several other European countries became involved. Great Britain won the war in 1763 and gained complete control of the eastern third of the continent. -
George III Becomes King of Great Britain pg.43
Two events greatly changed the relationship between the colonies and Britain. First, in the french, eliminating their power in North America.Second, George III became king in 1760. He had different ideas about how the colonies should be governed. -
The stamp Act pg.43
When George III became king, he was determined to deal firmly with the American colonies. To help pay for the war, the king and his ministers levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products. The Stamp Act of 1765 imposed the first direct tax on the colonists. It required them to pay a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and even dice and playing cards. Parliament also passed laws regulating colonial trade in ways that benefited Great Britain but not the colonies. -
Stamp Act Congress pg.44
IN 1765 nine colonies sent delegates to a meeting in New York called the Stamp Act Congress. This was the first meeting organized by the colonies to protest King George's actions. Delegates to the congress sent a petition to the king, arguing that only colonial legislatures could impose direct taxes such as the Stamp Tax. -
Boston Tea Party pg.44
A group of colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians, dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. Samuel Adams established the first committee in Boston. The idea spread quickly, and written within a few months, Massachusetts alone had more than 80 such committees. Virginia and other colonies soon joined in this communication network. Two prominent members of the Virginia committee of correspondence were Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. -
Committees of Correspondence pg.44
By 1773, organizations called committees of correspondence were urging resistance to the British. These committees consisted of colonists who wanted to keep in touch with one another as events unfolded. -
Coercive Acts pg.44
In retaliation Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, which the colonists called the Intolerable Acts.One of these acts closed Boston Harbor. Another of the Coercive Acts withdrew the right of the Massachusetts colony to govern itself. By the early 1770s, events clearly showed that revolution was not far off. -
First Continental Congress pg.44
Delegates from all the colonies expect Georgia met in Philadelphia on September 5th, 1774, for the first Continental Congress. Key colonial leaders such as Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee, and George Washington attended. The delegates debated what to do about the relationship with Great Britain. They finally imposed an embargo. -
Lexington and Concord pg.44
The first blow fell early on the morning of April 19, 1775. British Redcoats clashed with colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This skirmish was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Resolution of Independence pg.46
More than a year of after fighting had begun in the colonies, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia did declare Independence. Lee introduced a resolution in the Continental Congress "that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." -
Second Continental Congress pg.45
Delegates from all thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the second Continental Congress. The Continental Congress immediately assumed the powers of a central government. It chose John Hancock of Massachusetts as president. Although it had no constitutional authority, the Second Continental Congress served as the acting government of the colonies throughout the war. It purchased supplies, negotiated treaties, and rallied support for the colonists' cause. -
Declaration of Independence pg.46
On July 4, the Congress approved the final draft. John Hancock, the president of the Congress, was the first to sign the document, which eventually held the signatures of all 56 delegates. It explained the reasons for declaring independence. Its actual title was "The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America".
