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The French and Indian War Begins
In 1754, the French and Indian War starts. George Washington attacks the French fort, Fort Duquesne and is able to defeat a small French force. The French counterattack Washington and defeat him, starting the French and Indian War. -
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The British Comeback
From 1756-1757, the British had been struggling against the French. British forts and frontier settlements had been destroyed and raided in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Lakes Ontario and George. However, from 1758-1760, the British were able to take control of major French forts such as Fort Duquesne. Then, in 1760, the French governor surrenders the rest of Canada to the British and ensures British victory. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris is passed in 1763, officially ending the French and Indian War. The British now owned Canada, the Great Lakes, the Ohio River Valley, and Florida. -
Proclamation of 1763
The British pass the Proclamation of 1763, telling the colonies to no longer settle west of the Appalachian Mountains as an agreement of peace between the American Indians living there. -
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Paying Debt
In order to pay for the debt from the French and Indian War, British Parliament passed acts and taxes on the colonies. Some of these acts were the Sugar, Quartering, and Stamp Acts. Colonists protested these acts, saying that Parliament has no right to tax them because there is no one to represent the colonies in Parliament. These protests lead to violence and revolution which forms the group known as the Sons of Liberty. -
The Boston Massacre
One night in March 1770, a group of colonists hurled snowballs and rocks at guards who were guarding the Customs House, and nervously, the guards fired and killed 5 people. Patriots, those who were against British taxes, called the killings the Boston Massacre. -
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773 Boston Patriots boarded three British ships with tea and dumped it into the harbor. The Sons of Liberty dumped the chests of tea into the harbor in order to protest the taxes on tea. This event was called the Boston Tea Party -
The Intolerable Acts
After the Boston Tea Party took place, the British Parliament passed more acts that closed down the Boston Harbor and closed off lands to Canada until the destroyed tea was paid for. Colonists called these acts the Intolerable Acts. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
On April 19,1775, two battles broke out at Lexington and Concord. Both battles were fought with the Patriots against the Redcoats/British. The British consisted of highly trained soldiers and the Patriots consisted of farmers and part-time soldiers. At Lexington, eight patriots were killed and in Concord, 200 British soldiers were killed or wounded. These two battles started the Revolutionary War. -
Declaration of Independence
Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence was a formal paper telling the king of Britain that America was claiming its own independence from Britain. Ideas from Thomas Paine's, Common Sense, were put into the paper, saying that, "all men are created equal." -
French Allies
After the victory of Saratoga, the greatest Patriot victory yet, the French decide to make an open alliance with the Americans. Until February 1778, the French had only been secretly shipping guns and ammunition to the Patriots. However, Benjamin Franklin was able to negotiate with the French and convince them to help America in the war against the British. -
The Treaty of Paris
In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was made in order to end the war between the Patriots/Americans and the British. The war was causing too many casualties and taxes for the British to continue fighting so a treaty was made for peace. During the negotiation, Benjamin Franklin was able to secure more land than what was won in the war.
