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Period: to
The Colonial Era
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Detroit Established
Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, the modern Detroit for New France. The establishment was used as a post for fur and alcohol trade, and laid the beginning for the modern day city of Detroit. -
Yale University Founded
A charter was granted to found a university based on teachings of clergy and political leadership, orginally called the Collegiate School. The name was changed to Yale University in 1718 to show appreciation for Elihu Yale, a governer of the British East India Company, for a gift given to the founder of Yale, James Pierpoint. Yale is the 3rd oldest college in America to today. -
Queen Anne's War Begins
Queen Anne's War was fought between France and England over control of North America. Native American tribes sided with both nations, and Spain sided with the French. Also known as The War of Spanish Succession, Queen Anne's War was the bloodiest war between France and England over North America, and lasted for 11 years. -
Tuscarora War Begins
A Native American rebellion in North Carolina opposing the settler's arrival occured and led to the war between the Tusacora Native American tribe and the settlers, marking the beginning of truly unfriendly relations between Native Americans and the colonists. When the war ended on February 11, 1715, most of the Tuscarora tribe fled to New York, while the remaining signed a treaty granting the colonists 56,000 acres of land. -
Carolina Splits into North and South Carolina
The colony is officially split due to constant dispute and the inability to settle differences between culture. -
Treaty of Utrecht Signed
The Treaty of Utrecht ended Queen Anne's War between England and France. France ceded the Hudson Bay territory, Newfoundland, and Novia Scotia to England. The Native Americans were completely ignored in the treaty as well, laying the foundation for future conflict. -
New Orleans Founded
The French Mississippi Company, under direction of leader Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, founded the settlement in order to extend French fur trading routes and also because the geography of the site allowed for floods to become less of a worry due to a relatively higher ground level. -
Baltimore Founded
The colony, named after Maryland governer Lord Baltimore, was founded as a port for tobacco trading. The establishment played many important roles in colonial history, including becoming a large enemy against the British and becoming the meeting point of the Second Continental Congress. -
Benjamin Franklin Publishes The Pennsylvania Gazette
The Pennsylvania Gazette was a vastly popular newspaper in the colonies prior to the American Revolution, It is famous for including things such as Franklin's findings in the kite experiment and his "Join or Die" political cartoon. The paper also brought up the issue of freedom of the press when Great Britain outlawed publishing of newspapers disdaining them, which led to the provision in the First Amendment of the Constitution. -
The First Great Awakening Movement Begins in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
The First Great Awakening brought religious revival throughout America from the 1730s to the 1740s. Powerful preachers, especially Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, advocated Christianity throughout America, and made the religion an extremely important factor in colonial life. -
Hat Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Hat Act placed limits on American manufacturing, sale, and exporting of hats. This meant that Americans were forced to buy hats from Great Britain that costed about 4 times as much as normal hats, and began to stress relations between the colonists and Great Britain. -
Colony of Georgia Founded
James Ogelthorpe founded Georgia as a colony for those in deep debt as a place for a "second chance". -
Benjamin Franklin Begins to Publish Poor Richard's Almanack
Poor Richard's Almanack was an immensely popular publication in the colonies, containing entertainment such as humor, weather, and poems. The book also emphasized virtues such as common sense, thrift, and industry. It was extremely popular; next to the Bible, it was the most read publication in America. -
Molasses Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Molasses Act placed a tax of 6 cents per gallon of molasses imported from non-British colonies. The act was designed to stimulate the British economy by cutting off other sources of the product, especially in the French West Indies. The act upset the colonists greatly, who felt they were being used by Britain with no authority, and contributed to growing tension between the two sides. -
John Peter Zenger is Arrested for Publishing Newsletter Against Royal Governer
John Peter Zenger was a German colonist best known for his newspaper "The New Weekly Journal" in which he criticized and voiced his opinion of the royal government. Upon his arrest, the colonists were outraged, arguing that it was completely ok for such opinions to be heard. This incident was a major contribution to the freedom of the press provision in the first amendment. -
The Zenger Trial Occurs
John Peter Zenger, the famous publisher known for his voicing against the government and their actions, is ruled not guilty. Zenger's lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, helped to convince the judge in his ruling and worked to bring up the issue of freedom of the press. -
Stono Rebellion
In South Carolina, a slave uprising occured known as the Stono Rebellion. After killing from 22-25 whites, the state militia intercepted the rebellion at the Edisto River. The battle that occured saw the death of 20 more whites and 44 slaves. This marked one of the largest pre-Revolutionary America slave revolts in history. -
War of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear broke out between Spain and Great Britain due to vast tension between the two nations over provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht that allowed Britain to trade goods within Spain. Spain believed that Britain was smuggling illegal goods into their country and was an obstacle of their navy, and was infamously known to capture and torture British merchant crews, including the severing of Robert Jenkins' ear. -
King George's War
King George's War occured between Great Britain and France as part of the War of Austrian Succession in which Great Britain, as an ally of Austria, was drawn into against France and Prussia. An important part in American history is Britain's capture of France's Fort Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, organized by Massacusetts Governer William Shirley. -
Iron Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Iron Act of 1750 placed limits on American manufacturing, exporting, and sell of iron and iron products, and also aimed to encourage such manufacture in Great Britain. The act served to only anger an increasingly rebellious America by stemming economic activity and forcing British goods upon the colonists. -
Currency Act of 1751 Passed by the British Parliament
The Currency Act of 1751 prohibited the printing of paper money in the New England colonies in order to help British merchants in debt that had to accept said paper money as payment. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War, erupted between Great Britain and France over control of the Ohio River Valley. During this war, George Washington gained prominence as a military leader, and went on to become a valubale leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Native American tribes sided with both nations as well, and contributed to the war on a large scale. After the war, much of New France was ceded to Great Britain. -
Treaty of Paris Signed
The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War officially, It gave large concessions to Great Britain and led to the fall of New France in North America. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
Near the Great Lakes region, a large Native American uprising occured led by Chief Pontiac due to disdissatisfaction with postwar British policies in America. The rebellion was extremely violent- 8 American forts were destroyed, and hundreds of colonists were killed. Many civilians on both sides were killed, and Britain used smallpox-infected blankets as biological warfare against the Natives. The conflict ended in a stalemate, and was a factor of the Proclamation of 1763. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 prohibited any settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains, and was enacted in part due to an attempt at stabilizing the colonial relationship with the Native Americans. The passing of the proclamation angered the colonists greatly, and is said to have been the true beginning of revolutionary America. -
Sugar Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Sugar Act was a modification of the Molasses Act of 1733. It reduced the tax for gallons of mollases by 3 pence, but also provided for vastly more strict enforcement of the tax. It also placed taxes on sugar, wine, coffee, and also further regulated the exporting of iron. Beginning with this act, the colonists began to protest and oppose the taxes passed without their opinion- "no taxation without representation". -
Currency Act of 1764 Passed by the British Parliament
The Currency Act of 1764 extended the provisions of the Currency Act of 1751 to all 13 colonies, and also changed the prohibition of distribution of paper money to the prohibiton of distribution of all types of currency. -
Quartering Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Quartering Act required that colonists provide housing, food, drink, and any other needed accomodations to British soldiers in times of war. The act was steadily abused by troops to their advantage, and added fuel to revolutionary beliefs by the colonists. -
Stamp Act Congress Founded
The Stamp Act Congress consisted of representatives from 9 colonies that prepared a petition to be sent to King George III that provided for the repeal of the Stamp Act and other related acts such as the Sugar Act, suggesting taxation without representation was a violation of basic civil rights. The Congress showed the colonies first attempt to unite against British authority. -
Stamp Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Stamp Act required that all printed materials in the colonies, including newspapers, mail, magazines, playing cards, and legal documents, be stamped. The stamps had to be paid for in British currency as well, like all other taxes. The act was met with vigorous opposition, and contributed to an already vastly growing opposition to British control. -
Declaratory Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Declaratory Act, accompianed by the repeal of the Stamp Act, was an act reasserting the rights of the British Parliament to pass acts that are binding on the colonies. Some colonists were outraged by the act, while others were celebratory from the repeal of the Stamp Act. -
Townshend Acts Passed by the British Parliament
The Townshend Acts provided for new taxes on products, including paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. The colonists were at unrest after the act was passed, especially in Boston because of the continuation of taxes without representation from the colonists. -
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, in the town of Boston, Massachusetts, 5 British soldiers fired into a protesting group of colonists, killing 3 and injuring 8, 2 of which are fatal. This was the crumbling point of relations between the colonists and Great Britain, and was a major factor in later events to come, especially the Boston Tea Party. -
Committee of Correspondence Formed
11 members were appointed by the Virginia House of Burgesses to the Committee of Correspondence with the goal of coordinating responses to British acts among the colonies. -
Tea Act Passed by the British Parliament
The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to ship its tea to the colonies without middlemen in a direct sale in an attempt to cause a monopoly for the struggling company, harming many colonial merchants. The act was opposed by the colonists in violent riots and mobs. -
Boston Tea Party
In a violent and rapid protest against the Tea Act, the Sons of Liberty boarded British merchant ships carrying tea and threw it all into Boston Harbor, effectively destroying it. The event shows the boiling point that was reached by the colonists against the British acts, and will be a major factor of the beginning of the Revolutionary War. -
Intolerable (Coercive) Acts Passed
The Intolerable Acts shut down the Boston Port, effectively ruining the colonial economy, along with taking many other actions in response to the Boston Tea Party, especially seen in the Quebec Act, which extended the territory of French Quebec and favored the Catholic inhabitants of the region. -
First Continental Congress Meets
The Congress met in Philadelphia with representatives from every colony except Georgia to discuss the topic of Britain, showcasing the colonist's attempt to unite as one and remove Britain. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
This battle marks the beginning of the Revolutionary War between the colonists and Great Britain. 70 "minutemen" fought an advancing British platoon out to destroy American weaponry, with the "shot heard around the world" upon the British to begin. -
Second Continental Congress Meets in Philidelphia
At this meeting, George Washington is appointed military leader of the Continental Army and John Hancock is elected president of the congress. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The colonists, bunkered in Breed's Hill, are ordered "not to fire until they can see the white of their eyes". Though the result was an American retreat with 400 lost, including leader Joseph Warren, over half of the attacking British force was lost in over 1000 casualties. -
Olive Branch Petition Drafted and Sent to King George III
The Olive Branch Petition, drafted by the Second Continental Congress, was made in hope to reconcile relations between Britain and the colonies. King George III refused to read it, and instead declared the colonies as in an open rebellion. -
Thomas Paine Writes Common Sense
In the pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine convinces the colonists that British rule of America is absurd, and that revolution was inevitable. The pamphlet is a vast morale booster for the colonists, and is able to pump up the war effort. -
France Gives Support to the Colonists
King Louis XVI of France donates 1 million dollars in arms and ammunition to America in support of their war effort. The colonists are able to use this donation to win the war eventually, and probably could not have done it without such support. -
Declaration of Independence Ratified
Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence provided for a free America from Britain control, and was ratified by the Second Continental Congress. -
Battle of Saratoga
The major turning point for the war as colonial forces defeat British forces with a small loss of 150, while Britain loses 600. -
Congress Adapts the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were the first government of the United States, and were interpreted differently by the colonists, namely federalists and anti-federalists. It was very weak, and established too weak of a federal government compared to state governments. -
Washington's Troops Settle at Valley Forge
The conditions of Valley Forge were grueling to the colonists- freezing, starving, and tired, only one man was able to whip them into shape. Baron von Steuben of Prussia trained the men even better during their period at Valley Forge. -
France Declares War on Britain
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Spain Declares War on Britain
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Britian Surrenders at Yorktown
After a long fight between French navy forces and colonial infantry forces, Britain surrenders at Yorktown, ending the Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris (1783) Signed
The Treaty of Paris is signed, recognizing the United States as an independent nation and officially ending the Revolutionary War.
