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The Founding of the Thirteen Colonies
Originally, the colonies belonged to the English, the Dutch, and the Swedish. By the time of the American Revolution, the colonies were all under British control. The colonies were Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The colonies were founded between the years of 1607 and 1733. Many countries sought out the new land and established the land into their own colonies. -
“No Taxation Without Representation”
“No Taxation Without Representation” was a slogan created by James Otis in Boston. This was created in 1765. The reason for this was, a fundamental difference was developed between the British and Americans about taxes, and how the Americans were being unfairly taxed. Since the colonist were against taxes and they had been forced to pay them, they wanted to declare independence because from paying these taxes. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was fought between the French and the British. This war was also known as the 7 years war. It took place in North America between the years of 1754 and 1763. The French and Indian War had happened to decide if Britain or France would have the power in North America. They were also fighting over who would own certain parts of the land. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was passed by the British Parliament on April 5, 1765. Parliament had passed a new sugar and molasses act which made taxes on these products. The sugar act was also known as the American Revenue act. They passed the sugar act so the British can tax the colonists so they can regain their revenue lost in the war. -
The Currency Act
The Parliament of Great Britain passes the Currency Act in British Parliament on September 1, 1764. The act was made to protect British merchants and creditors from being paid in depreciated colonial currency. The Currency Act created paper money issued by the colonies of British America. So, they banned any other types of money but the type they used. -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was mainly made up of Patriots.The Sons of Liberty was an organization that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies. It was believed to have started in 1765 in Boston and New York. The sons of liberty was formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It was created in the thirteen American Colonies and played a major role in many of the colonies. -
The Stamp Act
British Parliament passed the Stamp Act on March 22, 1765. The Stamp Act was a direct tax on the colonists. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The Stamp Act led to an uproar in America over an issue that was to be a major cause of the Revolution: taxation without representation. -
The Quartering Act
Parliament passed the Quartering Act of 1765 on March 24, 1765. This act required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies. If the homes were too small to house all of the soldiers, they would house the soldiers in inns, livery stables, ale houses, victualing houses, or the houses of sellers of wine. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was fought between the British and the Americans. This took place at the Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773. This happened on 3 British ships and happened because colonists did not want to have to pay tax on the tea. Samuel Adams had got on 3 ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water, costing around a million dollars in today's money in damage. -
Intolerable Acts
The British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts for the colonists in 1774. The Intolerable Acts, also called the Coercive Acts, were five laws that were passed by the British Parliament against the American Colonies in 1774. They were given the name "Intolerable Acts" by American Patriots who felt they simply could not "tolerate" such unfair laws. The British passed these acts as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Blockade
The British Parliament had passed the Boston Port Act. This happened on March 25, 1774. They closed the port of Boston and demanded that the city's residents pay for the nearly $1 million worth (in today's money) of tea dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of most of the Thirteen Colonies. This took place in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 5 to October 26, 1774. People were elected into the Congress. The colonies presented they were united to show a combined authority to Great Britain, but their aims were not uniform. It was created to boycott all British goods. By reversing the economic sanctions placed on the colonists, they hoped Britain would repeal its Intolerable Acts. -
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
Thomas Paine wrote the common sense pamphlet in Great Britain between 1775-1776. He wrote this to get independence from Great Britain to the people in the thirteen colonies. It helped to get the the colonists to fight against the British for their independence. -
Paul Revere’s “Ride”
Paul Revere and William Dawes raced to Concord to warn Patriots Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops - 700 of them - were marching to Concord to arrest them. The British army was beginning a march from Boston. The two men rode from Boston to Lexington on April 18, 1775. -
Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. They were fought between the colonists and the British in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge on April 19, 1775. When the British were going to take all the weapons from the people, they ran into an untrained and angry militia. This army defeated 700 British soldiers.
