Revolutionary war

Events Leading to the Revolution

  • French and Indian War

    French and Indian War
    -French settled in Quebec
    -Disputes with Colonists about frontier lands
    -1754 George Washington was sent by VA govenor to protect Virgina Colony
    -Met French 40 mile south of Ft. Duquesne
    -Washington fired at French
    -Defeated them and started French and Indian war
    -French won at Ft Necessity
    -French winning the war
    -William Pitt turned things around for the British
    -Battle at Louisbourg first significant British victory of war
    -Attack Quebec then Montreal, British Victories
    -British won the War
  • Proclamation of 1763

    Proclamation of 1763
    -Established by British govt. in London
    -Prohibited settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains
    -Meant not to oppress the colonists, but to work out the problems with the Natives in the area, to prevent another Pontiac-like uprising
    -Americans were angered by this legislation nonetheless
    -Colonists did not want to be restrained
    -Many still headed west, in defiance of the Proclamation
  • Sugar Act

    Sugar Act
    -First tax on the Colonist
    -George Grenville made this act
    -Led to many protests
    -taxed lowered
    -Grenville felt the colonist should pay their share of the cost of defending them
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    Video on the Stamp Act
    -Raise money for new military in America
    -"Stamped Paper"
    -50 different items must be stamped with a seal (card, newspaper)
    -Certified payment of this tax
    -British also paid this tax and paid more than the colonists did
  • Quartering Act

    Quartering Act
    Settleres had to provide food and shelter for Bristish soldiers in the colonies
  • Stamp Act Congress

    Stamp Act Congress
    -Took place in NYC
    -27 delegates from 9 colonies showed up
    -Stated their grievences
    -Had little effect in Britain and America
  • Declaratory Act

    Declaratory Act
    -This declared Parliament's authority over the colonists
  • Townshend Act

    Townshend Act
    -Light tax on imported glass, lead, paper, paint, and TEA
    -British would use this money to pay for the royal salaries in America (royal govenors and court justice)
    -Colonists began to smuggle
    -Colonist were very mad
  • British troops occupy Boston

    British troops occupy Boston
    -Two regiments of British troops landed in Boston
    -Massachussetts was unruly
    -Many began smuggling
    -Troops were sent over to control the colonists
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    -10 redcoats vs. 60 colonists
    -The colonists taunted the redcoats, threw snowballs and rocks at them, hit them with clubs, and verbally attacked them
    -Troops provoked to open fire
    -Troops fired on Colonists
    -11 "innocent" victims- 5 killed and 6 wounded
    -John Adams defended soldiers in trial and they were founded not guilty
  • Townshend Act repealed

    Townshend Act repealed
    -British repealed the Act except for on Tea
    -Colonist found this most offensive
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    -Colonists disguised as Indians
    -Threw 342 chests of tea off the boat it was on and into the Boston Harbor
    -Parliament ANGRY
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts
    -Called this by the colonies
    -A series of Acts by the British government
    -One act was the Boston Port Act
    -Closed the port of Boston
    -Massachussets charter taken away
    -Restrictions put on town meetings
    -British officials' trials would be sent back to England
  • Quebec Act

    Quebec Act
    -60,000 French subjects were under British rule in America
    -They were given religous freedon
    -Allowed the keep their traditional customs (no trial by jury or representative assmebly)
    -Boundary extended down Ohio River
    -Angered Americans
    -Colonists were already settled in that region
  • First Continental Congress

    First Continental Congress
    -Help in Philadelphia
    -12/13 colonies showed up- Georga did not attend
    -55 delegates
    -Met for 7 weeks
    -Were not calling for independence- Most wanted to reconcile
    -John Adams- eloquent speaker
    -He swayed many toward revolutionary cause
    -Wrote appeals to the King, the Colonists, and to the British people
    -The association- a complete boycott of British goods
    -Would meet again in May, 1775 if necessary
  • Battle of Lexington

    Battle of Lexington
    -British commander in Boston sent a detachment of troops to Lexington
    -They were sent to seize the gunpowder that was stored there
    -"Minutemen" local milita didn't disperse rapidly
    -Short battle
    -8 Colonists were killed and others were injured
    -British troops obtained the gun powder
  • Battle of Concord

    Battle of Concord
    -After the Battle of Lexington, the British Troops marched on to Concord
    -For this battle the American Troops were ready
    -70 "Redcoats" killed
    -230 British injured
    -British were forced to retreat
    -Colonists won
  • Second Continental Congress

    Second Continental Congress
    Second Continental Congress
    -Met a month after the Battle of Lexington and Concord
    -Philadelphia
    -All 13 colonies attended
    -Not asking for independence
    -Congress drafted new appeals to the British ppl and King- appeals that were rejected
    -Delegates also adopted measures to raise money & to create an army and navy
    -Washington chosen as military leader
    -Britain and America were on the brink of warfare
  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    Battle of Bunker Hill
    -One of the most important colonial victories; moral victories
    -Originally called Breed's Hill
    -Sharpshooting Americans numbering fifteen hundred mowed down the advancing redcoats with frightful slaughter
    -Colonists forced to abandon after they ran out of ammo.
    -Continental Congress adopted the "Olive Branch Petition" professing American loyalty to the crown and begging the King to prevent further hostilities
    -In August 1775, King George III formally proclaimed the colonies in rebellion
  • Thomas Paine's Common Sense

    Thomas Paine's Common Sense
    -Common Sense was published
    -This was one of the most influential pamplets ever written
    -The author was the radical patriot Thomas Paine
    -His track became a whirlwind best-seller & within a few months reached the astonishing total of 120,000 copies
    -Presented the colonists with a powerful argument for independence from British rule
    -Small nation shouldn't control a larger nation
    -Republic
    -Paine structured Common Sense like a sermon & relied on Biblical references to make his case to the people