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French and Indian War
Both the French and the British wanted control in the colonies since before the 1700s. In addition to that, they both wanted profitable chances for trade and land for settlers. On top of all of that, there were arguments about religion. It was mostly between the Catholic French, and the Protestant English. These problems are what caused the French and Indian War. -
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French and Indian War
Both the French and the British wanted control in the colonies since before the 1700s. In addition to that, they both wanted profitable chances for trade and land for settlers. On top of all of that, there were arguments about religion. It was mostly between the Catholic French, and the Protestant English. These problems are what caused the French and Indian War. -
Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Quartering Act
In 1764, the British were trying to get money. To get money, they decided that it would be a good idea to put an import tax on molasses. This was called the Sugar Act. Also, they started to try to catch smugglers. The Colonists were very aggravated by this. Then, in 1765, they passed the Quartering Act. This act required Colonists to house British soldiers in their own homes. The Colonists argued that it was violating their privacy. Also, The British passed the Stamp Act in 1765. This required C -
Boston Massacre
Colonists started to protest about the raise in taxes. On March 5, 1770, many colonists provoked some soldiers. The soldiers shot into the crowd, and ended up killing five people. John Adams, a lawyer, decided to defend them because he thought that they should get a fair trial. Two were proven guilty and were branded on their thumbs. This was not really a true massacre. It was named the Boston Massacre, but only five people died. -
Boston Tea Party
The patriots were very mad about the Tea Act. They thought that it was very unfair. To rebel, they refused to buy tea. Then, on the night of December 16, 1773, In Boston Massachusetts, some patriots, dressed as Native Americans, went onto three British ships which were carrying tea.They threw 342 barrels of tea, owned by the East India Company, into the water.It took over two hours to throw all of the 90,000 pounds of tea into the water. In today's money, it was worth over one million dollars! -
Intolerable Acts
The king was furious after The Boston Tea Party. He wanted to severely punish Boston to set an example for other Colonies. In 1774, The British passed the Intolerable Acts. The Port of Boston would be closed until Boston was able to pay for the tea. The King got much more power. Also, Colonists needed to consult with the governor before having a second town meeting in one year. This was to prevent another rebellion from happening. The Colonists were very mad at the British for passing this law. -
First Continental Congress
In 1774, each Colony was asked to send a representative to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. They decided to have this meeting because they were furious at the British. Each Colony sent a delegate, except for Georgia. They decided to demand that the Intolerable Acts be repealed. Also, each Colony was asked to train a militia. They also planned to boycott all British goods. Lastly, they planned to meet six months later if they needed to do so. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the beginning battles of the American Revolution.They were trying to take weapons from the Americans.Paul Revere warned the Colonists when the British were coming early in the morning on April 19, 1775. John Hancock and Samuel Adams were able to escape before the British got to them. There had been many fights in New England for a very long time leading up to this. The Battle made the Patriots rebel. -
Second Continental Congress
In May of 1775, there was a Second Continental Congress. Many Colonists did not know how to deal with Britain after the battles of Lexington and Concord. Some Colonists wanted independence, while others wanted to make a compromise. The congress decided that they needed to form an army. George Washington was picked to lead the soldiers. Congress started to print a lot of money so that they could pay the soldiers. -
American Navy Made
The Americans did not have any type of Navy until 1775. They started to make a Navy, but they were not making too much progress. In 1779, The American Navy, led by John Paul Jones, beat a British ship. The British had a big ship called Serapis. John Paul Jones defeated the ship off the English coast. The British were very surprised that the Americans had defeated them. -
Common Sense
In January, 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to show his opinions about the British. The book was about how George III was awful. It also went against what the King said. It said that Americans should be free to govern themselves and that British used the Colonies primarily to get money. About half a million copies were sold within the first six months of it being published.It was very influential for the public.Common Sense influenced some of the ideas in the Declaration of Independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
British general John Burgoyne wanted to separate New York from the rest of the colonies because he believed that that if he separated New York from all of the supplies, and political leaders, they would eventually fall apart. Burgoyne's plan worked very well, until he got closer to Saratoga. Burgoyne's troops were conquered while they were trying to steal supplies from a fort in Bennington, Vermont. -
French alliance with America
The French were really eager to make Britain weaker. Even before the Battle of Saratoga, the French were helping the Americans. But, they wanted to keep it a secret until they thought that the Americans were close to winning. In February 1778, the French officially became allies with the Americans. The French would help them financially by providing them with weapons, money, and military uniforms. Later on, the Netherlands and Spain joined in. But, they mostly just gave them loans. -
The Battle of Yorktown
In 1781, the Battle of Yorktown occurred. British General Cornwallis decided to take his troops to the coast of Virginia. He set up his troops on a peninsula.French ships came and blocked the Chesapeake Bay. During the months of September and October of 1781, The Americans and French started to bombard the British ships.The British were forced to surrender because they had little food or ammunition. This ended up being one of the last battles of the war. -
Declaration of Independence
Congress decided to make the Declaration of Independence. They made this because the Americans wanted to show the British all of the reasons why they should get independence. It talks about natural rights, and a list of grievances about the King. The list of grievances says all of the ways that the King has violates their rights. On July 4th, 1776, Congress officially approved the Declaration of Independence. Other countries also started to use the Declaration as an example for their countries. -
Treaty of Paris approved
In 1782, the Parliament started to discuss peace between the British and the Americans to put an end to the war. They planned for the two sides to meet in Paris, France. They make the borders for the United States to be from the Mississippi river to the east coast, and the Canadian border all the way to Florida. On April 15, 1783, the Congress approved the treaty. George Washington let all of his troops go within the next year. Meanwhile, Americans got their land back.
