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The French Indian War
The French Indian War (also known as the Seven Years War) was a was fought between the French and the British for land from Virginia to Nova Scotia. It was a brutal war that started with George Washington taking over a French concession camp.The British, were more likely to win, and did, because they had their own malitia and produced their own food. The French were weaker, they relied on soldiers hired by fur-trading companies and home from their homeland. 10400 british died 3000 French died. -
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The Revolution
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The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued to prohibit settlement by British colonists beyond the Appalachian Mountains in the lands they had just fought for in the French Indian War. By doing this, the British hoped to avoid the expense of further wars with Native Americans. The colonists were very unhappy, because this meant that all the people that had just died fighting for the land had died for nothing. -
Sugar Act passed
The Sugar Act put a three-cent tax on refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of rum and French wines. The Sugar Act was passed without the permission of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. -
Currency Act passed
The Currency Act banned the use of paper money in all the colonies. In passing this, the British hoped to gain more control over the colonies. Basically, the British prohibited the colonies to use their own form of currency (their Bills of Credit), and instead, use the British form of currency. This allowed the colonies only to be able to trade with the British, and not the French or any other country. -
Stamp Act Passed By Parliament
The Stamp Act was an act imposed on all American colonists . It required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Legal documents, licenses, and even playing cards were taxed. The money the colonists payed was used to help pay for the costs of defending the American frontier near the Appilachian mountains. The colonists didn't think they should have to pay for something they had been doing for free for many years, and responded with a diplomatic body, The Stamp Act Congress. -
The Quartering Act was passed
The Quartering Act was an act that forced all colonists to give British soldiers food, shelter, and transportation. If a colonist didn't do what a British soldier wanted, they would face consequences. The colonist wouldn't get killed, he would get his house burned down or something like that. The British insisted that the colonists do this because they said they were protecting them from the French. But the colonists didn't think of the French as a threat and didn't want to help the British. -
The Townshend Acts Passed
The Townshend Acts were named for Charles Townshend, who was a treasurer. These laws placed new taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Colonists reacted to these acts the same way they reacted to the Sugar Act and the Stamp act. In response to the sometimes violent protests by the American colonists, Great Britain sent more troops to the colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that happened on March 5 1770 between a "patriot" mob of colonists throwing balls of ice, rocks and sticks at a group of British soldiers. In court, John Adams, defended them. One Son of Liberty claimed that the colonists were only throwing snowballs, but when another colonist was questioned, the fact that the colonists were also throwing rocks was revealed. Even though the Boston Massacre wasn't entirely the British's fault, it killed many people. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was the main reason the Boston Port Act was made. On December 16 1773, over 7000 agitated colonists led by the Sons of Liberty, boarded the British ships docked in the port, and dumped all their tea into the ocean. The purpose of the Boston Tea Party was to show the British that the colonists were not happy with the way they were taxing tea. On that day, 342 boxes of tea ended up in the ocean. -
Boston Port Act
The Boston Port Act punished all of Boston for the dumping the British tea in the ocean in the Boston tea Party. It outlawed the use of the Port of Boston (by setting up a blockade) for "landing and discharging, loading or shipping, of goods, wares, and merchandise" until the East India Company was paid back for damages suffered. In other words, it closed Boston Port to all ships, no matter what the ship was there to do. -
The Quebec Act was passed
The Quebec Act was was designed to extend the boundaries of Quebec and guaranteed religious freedom to Catholic Canadians. It added the remainder of the Indian reservation north of the Ohio River to the province of Quebec. This aroused resentment in some of the thirteen colonies already close to rebellion, since it was seen as an attempt to deprive them of their claims to western lands. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
When a man named Dr. Warren heard about the British'es plans, he sent Paul Revere, a blacksmith to go warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams. On the evening of April 18th, the British troops were ferried across the Boston Harbor to start their march on Lexington. Paul hung 2 lanterns in the church steeple, this meant that the British were coming. The colonists assembled a group called the minutemen, men that could be ready to fight in a minute. When the British arrived, they were ready to fight. -
The Revolutionary War
During the war, The 13 colonies had united and formed the Continental Army. The army was led by General George Washington, a 20 year old who had fought on the British's side during the French Indian War and knew how they fought. The British were used to standing in a line, and facing their oponent. They had never fought like Native Americans, when the colonists shot at them from behind the trees, they didn't know how to react. The colonists quickly defeated them, and got their freedom. -
The Battle of Ticonderoga
When the colonists realized that they needed firearms and ammunition, they sneaked into fort Ticoderoga in New York and demanded its surrender. The British surrendered the fort to the rebels and not one person was killed. Since the colonists took overt the fort Colonel Henry Knox transported more than 60 tons of military supplies including 59 artillery pieces from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
When the American forces learned that the British were planning on taking over the hills in Boston, they quickly moved their troups onto Bunker and Breeds hills, 2 unoccupied hills just outside of Boston.The next day, when the British realized what had happened, the British attacked. Their gerneral led 3 charges up Breeds Hill. The colonists fought back for a while but started to run out of ammunition and had to retreat at the 3rd charge. Around 226 British were killed and 800 wounded. -
final version of Declaration of Independance adopted
The Declaration of Independance was a very important document. It was written to announce that the thirteen colonies were now their own country and not part of Britain anymore. It was written by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston Thomas Jefferson and signed by fifty six people representing different states. It never got changed a lot, only about 20 changes were made. The Declaration of Independance is also the reason we celebrate July 4. -
The Treaty of Paris ratification
The Treaty of Paris basically said that Britain recognized the independent nation of the United States of America. Britain agreed to remove all of its troops from America. The treaty also set new borders for the United States including all land from the Great Lakes on the north to Florida on the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.
