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Albany Plan
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more central government. Although it was never carried out, it was the first proposal to conceive the colonies as a united whole under one government. -
Stamp Act
The Crown puts a tax on all papers that are used for legal purposes. Colonists were outraged and the people in charge of collecting the tax were too afraid of the colonists to enforce it. -
Boston Massacre
On this day, the Townshend Duties are repealed and the Boston Massacre takes place. In the Boston Massacre, British soldiers fired at unarmed colonists and killed eight of them. Nobody knows for sure what events led the soldiers to fire on the civilians, but colonists were outraged at what the British Regulars did. -
Boston Tea Party
Even before this event, Colonists had already refused shipments of the Company's tea to dock at the harbors. In this particular case, Colonists dressed up as Indians and boarded a British vessel and threw hundreds of chests into the harbor, resulting in a big financial loss for the East India Company. -
Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, the Crown passed a series of laws:
-Boson Harbor would be closed
-Court cases dealing with British soldiers would take place in Britain
-Massachusetts would be placed under Military Rule. -
First Continental Congress
12 out of the 13 Colonies meet to discuss the Intolerable Acts and to make sure that the Crown understood how they felt about the new laws. They pledged to meet in 1775 if their needs were not met. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
British Regulars and Minutemen exchange fire at the two cities after the British discovered that the Colonists were storing ammunition. No one knows who fired the first shot. This was seen as the point of no return. -
American Revolution
Great Britain's North American colonies gained political independence and went on to form the United States of American -
Second Continental Congress
The Colonies met again and sent an Olive Branch Petition to the King, asking for peace. King George refused it and declrared the Colonies in a state of rebellion. In response, the Congress created a Continental Army and asked Thomas Jefferson to draft a document declaring their independence. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson writes an inspiring document that summarizes the feelings of the Colonies toward the King. It also lists the reasons for which they declare their sovereignty.