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Albany Plan of Union
In response to French attacks on the frontier, Benjamn Franklin proposed this plan to unite the colonies. The colonies rejected the plan, however, because it gave too much power to the assembly -
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French and Indian War
The war started as a struggle between the French and the 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
He had different ideas about how the colonies should be governed. -
Stamp Act
This act imposed the first direct tax on colonists. It required them to pay a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and even dice and playing cards. -
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
A group of colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians, dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. This protest became known as the Boston Tea Party. -
Coercive Acts
In retaliation to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, which the colonists called the Intolerable Acts. One of these acts closed Boston Harbor. Another one withdrew the right of the Massachusetts colony to govern itself. -
Committees of Correspondence
Organizations called committes 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. Samuel Adams established the first committee in Boston. -
First Continental Congress
A meeting for all the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia 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. -
Lexington and Concord
British redcoats clashed with colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This skirmish was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
Delegates from all 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress. The Continental Congress immediately assu,ed the powers of a central government. It chose John Hancock of Massachusetts as president. They also appointed George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. -
Resolution of Independence
In June 1776, more than a year 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." -
Declaration of Independence
On July 2, 1776, the Congress approved Lee's resolution. The colonies officially broke with Great Britain. The Congress then turned its attention to Jefferson's draft. After a considerable debate, a few passages were removed and some editorial changes were made. On July 4, the Congress approved the final draft. John Hancock was the first to sign the document, which eventually held the signatures of all 56 delegates including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston.
