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French & Indian War
Began in 1754 due to rivalry between France and Britain; tensions grew as British expanded west and French built forts on Ohio River Valley. War began with Major Washington failing to take Fort Duquesne from French. British gained allies in the Iroquios and Ottowan tribes and had the numerical advantage; French allied with Algonuins and Horons and had a significantly smaller force. After multiple battles British won and the 1763 Treaty of Paris was signed. -
Treaty of 1763
This is the treaty that ended the French and Indian War when the British defeated the French and Spanish, who had joined the French in the war. By terms of the treaty Great Britain gained all French land east of the Mississippi River, Canada, and the Spanish territory of Florida. However, France regained the territory lost in the Caribbean. This treaty benefited all parties but left the colonist unhappy and caused differences between the colonies and the motherland. -
Proclamation of 1763
King George III the Proclamation of 1763 in response to Pontiac's Rebellion which was a Native effort to drive the British and Colonists out of their region. The Proclamation stated that settlement past the Appalachian mountains was prohibited and was for the Indian Reservation. Colonists saw this as a way for Great Britain to control them and thought that they should be allowed to settle on the land that they had fought for in the French and Indian war. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act imposed a tax on the colonies for colonists to pay for ships’ papers (merchants), legal documents (lawyers), licenses (business owners) and for newspapers. Many colonists saw this as a exploitation and another way to raise money for Great Britain, although the tax itself wasn’t that expensive it was the sheer idea of the tax that angered colonists. Reactions to the tax ranged from boycotts to various riots to attacks on the tax collectors. -
Boston Massacre
Tensions were high in Boston due to the 2,000 British troops sent to make sure taxes were being paid and the Sons of Liberty who were causing trouble with tax collectors. The night of the massacre a mob of colonists gathered outside the customs house shouting and antagonizing British soldiers until eventually shots were fired. Propaganda was later spread throughout the colonies, rioting them together, including Paul Revere’s engraving. -
Boston Tea Party
A protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston against Britain. Colonists angry that British didn’t listen to “no taxation without representation.” . Participants of the protest dressed as Mohawk Indians and dumped over 300 chests of tea from the BEIC into the water. This is the first clear act of rebellion against England and it encouraged all thirteen colonies to fight for their independence from Britain. British wanted refundment for the lost tea but this just angered the colonists more. -
Intolerable Acts
Acts imposed onto the colonists as a punishment for the Tea Party. Included the Boston Port Act (closed Boston harbor to all shipping); the Massachusetts Government Act (took the colonists’ ability to elect their own councillors in this colony); the Administration of Justice Act (sent colonist to Britain to be tried) and the Quebec Act (extended the Quebec border contradicting the proclamation line). These acts further angered the colonists and took away many of their rights. -
Battles of Lexington & Concord
Battles that started the revolution; word that British were marching to Concord to seize weapons was sent to Paul Revere who warned the militia to intercept the British. The British were met by the colonists in Lexington, Massachusetts where the “shot heard around the world” was fired; signaling the start of the war. The Patriots fought from all sides and ended up making a significant impact against the Redcoats despite being outnumbered. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Intel that British troops were going to occupy the hills surrounding Boston led U.S troops to build forts on top of Breed’s Hill under Colonel Prescott. British troops marched from Charleston to Breed’s hill under Major General Howe. Patriots were low on ammunition so as the British marched towards them Prescott ordered his troops to “[not] fire until you see the whites of their eyes” and this strategy led the British to retreat twice but on the third attempt the Americans finally retreated. -
Publication of Common Sense
A pamphlet written after the Battles of Lexington and Concords to advocate for independence from Great Britain. Paine argued that colonists should be fighting for their independence instead of representation in Parliament, he also argued that America needed a different type of government other than monarchy. After it was published, Common Sense was the “guideline” to what colonists were fighting for, General Washington even read it to all of his troops. -
Declaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson; a document declaring the US independent from Britain which included the preamble and a list of grievances against the crown. The Preamble stated that all men were created equal and had the right to liberty, life, and happiness. The list of grievances were: no rights to a fair trial, being cut off from trade, taxation without representation and the British troops always in America. This document was revised multiple times until it was adopted on July Fourth. -
Battle of Trenton
After the famous crossing of the Delaware river, General Washington led the continental Army against the Hessians (German soldiers). The Patriots divided and set up a perimeter around Trenton, New Jersey and the Hessians quickly surrendered. The quick win heavily boosted the confidence of the Patriots later on in the war. -
Battle of Saratoga
Began in September of 1777 this battle was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. The Patriots persuaded the Dutch, Spanish, French to join them against the British. At the same time, the British were trying to drive a wedge between the New England Colonies and the rest of the colonies, but ended up failing. During the battle the Patriots used their knowledge of the land to their advantage and trapped the British using rivers which forced them to surrender. -
Valley Forge
Valley Forge, Pa is where George Washington and his troops stayed for six months (December 19, 1777 through June 19, 1778. During this period the troops were stranded with no food or supplies and the men were allegedly forced to cannibalism. Nearly two-thirds of the troops (roughly 2,000 men) died due to disease. -
Battle of Cowpens
This battle is one of the shortest battles to this day (one hour). The strategic plans of Major General Greene (splitting the troops into smaller groups) led to a quick victory that ended in the death of over 600 British men and another boost of morale and confidence to the Patriots. -
Battle of Yorktown
This battle is one of the shortest battles to this day (one hour). The strategic plans of Major General Greene (splitting the troops into smaller groups) led to a quick victory that ended in the death of over 600 British men and another boost of morale and confidence to the Patriots. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
This Treaty signed by United States and British representative that officially saw America as an independent country. Other terms of the treaty include: the definition of the borders (Britain ceded the northwest territory and Spain gave up Florida), resolved debts, and fair treatment to those loyal to the crown during the war. However there were still unresolved maters that kept some tension between America and Britain.
