-
End of the French and Indian War
In the 1750's, the French pushed into Virginia territory which led to conflicts with British colonists. The British declared war on France in 1756, and went on to win the war. In 1763, the Treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris were signed, which led to the French loss of Canada and the giving of Louisiana to Spain. In addition, Britain received Florida and upper Canada. (History) -
Proclamation of 1763
After the Conclusion of the French and Indian War, Indians and British Colonists engaged in numerous conflicts. The most famous is Pontiac's Rebellion; where Indians attacked Colonists, killing two thousand men, women, and children. On October 7, 1763 King George III issued a Proclamation, forbidding any colonists to settle past the Appalachian Mountains. (History) -
Stamp Act of 1765
After the French and Indian War, the British Empire was in tremendous debt. To help remedy the situation, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which imposed a direct tax on the colonies. This Act made it to where all paper documents had to feature an official tax stamp; commissioned distributors would then collect the taxes in exchange for the stamps. (History) -
Quartering Act of 1765
On March 24, 1765 Parliament passed the Quartering Act, which made colonists house, feed, and accommodate British troops. (History) -
Stamp Act Congress
In response to the Stamp Act passed by the British Parliament, representatives from several colonies gathered in New York City to hold the first unified protest against British tax policy. (Encyclopedia) -
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770 a group of colonists began harassing a British guard. This led to a group of British soldiers to arrive on the scene. After the soldiers were attacked with snowballs, shots were fired, which led to the death of ultimately, five colonists. John Adams represented the Brits in court, which led to acquittals for all but two men; who were found guilty of manslaughter and received a brand on the hand as punishment. (History) -
Tea Act of 1773
To combat the Colonists' smuggling and consumption of Dutch Tea, Parliament passed the Tea Act of 1773. This Act made it to where the British East India Company could ship tea directly to the colonies. The company no longer had to pay an additional tax in England, which lowered the price of this tea in the Colonies. (History) -
Boston Tea Party
In response to the Tea Act passed months before, the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of British tea into the Boston Harbor. (History) -
Coercive (Intolerable) Acts of 1774
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Britain passed the Coercive Acts; which the colonists referred to as the Intolerable Acts. These Acts closed the Port of Boston, until the city reimbursed the British East India Company. (Smith, 64) -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia, at Carpenter's Hall. This was done in response to the Coercive Acts, which were passed months before. Delegates from every colony except Georgia drafted a declaration of rights and grievances. (History) -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord began the American Revolution. Lexington resulted in only one British soldier becoming injured, while eight militiamen were killed, with another nine wounded. No one is certain who fired the initial shot. At Concord, the British fired first, and this shot became known as the "shot heard 'round the world". 2,000 militiamen came upon British soldiers, and fired at them from behind trees and houses. Ultimately, the British retreated. (History) -
Second Continental Congress
The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, after the Revolution had already begun. George Washington was named Commander in Chief. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and on July 4, 1776, Congress voted to approve this new Declaration; which led to America formally declaring its Independence. -
New York Campaign (Battle of Long Island)
While this was a British victory, the goal was to take control of New York, and isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. George Washington and his men miraculously escaped, if they hadn't the Revolution could have ended right then and there. (History) -
Battle of Princeton
George Washington avoided confrontation with Cornwallis. He and his men outfoxed the British and later came upon a British rear guard, which they greatly outnumbered. The Battle of Princeton resulted in an American victory, with 40 American deaths and 275 British deaths. Most of New Jersey was then left to Washington. (History) -
Battle of Saratoga
The British were looking to end the war with this battle. The British were initially successful, but due to the leadership of Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold, the Americans were victorious. Arnold actually ignored Gates (his superior) and led a charge which led the British to retreat and ultimately surrender. (History) -
Southern Campaign
After the war began to turn against them in the North, British forces decided to turn their focus toward the South. At the start, the British led by Cornwallis were victorious at Charleston and Waxhaw Creek, and at Camden where Horatio Gates was soundly defeated. Things began to turn in favor of the Americans with victories at Kings Mountain and Cowpens, ultimately leading to a showdown at Yorktown. (Encyclopedia) -
Articles of Confederation
This was the first Constitution of the United States. Fearful of tyrannical rule, the Articles purposely created a weak central government; and states were to stay sovereign and independent. (History) -
Battle of Yorktown
This was the battle that ended the war. The Americans and French overwhelmed the British on land and sea. Cornwallis did not appear at the surrender ceremony; instead O'Hara represented the British. In addition, O'Hara initially attempted to surrender to Rochambeau instead of Washington. Rochambeau refused to take part, and motioned for O'Hara to surrender to Washington. Washington then instructed O'Hara to surrender to his deputy, Benjamin Lincoln. (Badertscher) -
Constitutional Convention
This convention was held to revise the Articles of Confederation. The representatives eventually decided upon a form of government with an upper house of equal members of each state, and a lower house with representation based on population. (History) -
Ratification of the Constitution
The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation. New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, and therefore made it the law of the United States. Included in the Constitution are the Bill of Rights. (History)
