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Period: to
Revolutionary War
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Treaty of Paris - 1763
The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the seven year French and Indian War. The treaty's terms made France give up all of it's North American territories. This removed all of the French millitary from North America and dispersed the threat to the English colonists. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 closed off most of the New World to colonial expansion. It stated that colonists couldn't settle west of the heads of any of the rivers that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. It also protected Indian Territory and angered the the colonists greatly. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 required colonists to pay a tax on every piece of paper they used from legal documents or newspapers to playing cards. This angered the colonists because it was the first time Parliament had deliberately taxed them to raise money. They also believed it opened the doors to greater taxation. -
The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act stated where and how the Bristish soldiers were to find housing. It said that the colonists had to provide barracks and housing for the British soldiers in town. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a gorup of laws that imposed taxes on glass, paint, oil, lead, and tea in the colonies. They started riots in the colonies among the colonists and British soldiers. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occured when 50 colonists attacked a group of British soldiers with snowballs, sticks, and stones. The Bristish began firing and 3 colonists were killed on the spot with another 8 wounded. This was a key event leading up to the Revolutionary War. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party happened in the early hours of the night when around sixty men, some dressed up as Native Americans, climbed aboard tea-ships in the Boston Harbor. The men dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor which amounted to around one million present-day dollars. -
The Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a secret society of early Patriots. There were many printers in the society and they often printed the latest escapades of the group. Their most famous act was the Boston Tea Party in which they dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea from British cargo ships. -
The Intolerable Acts
The intolerable acts were four acts that the British passed. Three of the acts were partially in result of the Boston Tea Party, and although the fourth wasn’t considered connected to the three others by the British, the colonists saw that it was. The four acts were the Boston Port Act which closed the Boston Port, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quebec Act. -
The 1st Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress happened in reaction to the Intolerable Acts. The First Continental Congress took place at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia between 56 delegates from every colony besides Georgia. They drafted a declaration of rights and grievances and elected a president of the Congress. -
Sam Adams
Sam Adams was a tax-collector and an important Patriot. He was also cousins with the also prominent Patriot John Adams. Sam attended the first and second Continental Congress and was a large advocat of American rights. He later became the govenor of Massachusetts and was continuously re-elected. -
John Adams
John Adams was a prominent Patriot during the Revolutionary War. He is also known for being the first vice-president of the USA and the second president. He attended both the first and second Continental Congress and played a large role in advocating the Declaration of Independance. -
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and an important patriot in the Revolutionary War. He is most famous for his midnight ride to Lexington and Concord to warn the colonists that the British army was coming on April 18 and 19, 1775. -
Lexington and Concord
In the early hours of April 19, 1775 the British marched towards Lexington and Concord, hoping to seize the colonist's war leaders and weapons. Paul Revere warned the colonists though, and around 70 minutemen gathered to face nearly 240 British soldiers. A shot rang out, now known as "the shot heard 'round the world", and a abttle quickly broke out. This is often considered the beginning of the Revolutionary war. -
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was a Patriotic journalist during the Revolutionary War. He is most known for his pamphlets urging the colonists to declare independence from Great Britain. His first pamphlet, Common Sense, gave him claim to the title “Father of the American Revolution”. -
the Loyalists
The loyalists were a group of colonists that remained loyal to the British empire. About one in six colonists were Loyalists, but there most likely would've been more if the Patriots hadn't treated them so awfully. A large part of the Loyalists were run-away slaves who were offered freedom in exchange for support in the war by the British. By March 17, 1776 all of the Brirish forces and Loyalists had been forced out of Boston, MA by the Patriots. -
Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independance was a formal statement of the colonies' intentions. It was drafted mostly by Thomas Jefferson with help from Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. The Declaration was accepted by Congress on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father and the principle author of the Declaration of Independance. He was also the second vice president of the USA and the third president. -
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the husband of John Adams, the second president of the USA. She often wrote her husband letters and during the Revolutionary War she began to try to convince him of equal rights between women and men. She was one of the first women's rights advocats and the mother of the sixth president of the USA, John Quincy Adams. -
Patriots
The Patriots were a group of colonists dedicated to gaining independace from Great Britain, and over 2/3 of the colonists were Patriots. Some important Patriots were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. On July 4, 1776 the Patriots declared themselves free form British rule as the United States of America and signed the Declaration of Independance. -
The Hessians
The Hessians were a group of German soldiers fighting for the British in the Revolutionary War. King George III contracted many German soldiers to fight for him because he had a hard time finding British soldiers. Overall there were nearly 30,000 German soldiers fighting for the British. On December 26, 1776 General George Washington crossed the Deleware River and captureed a large camp of Hessians. -
The Battles of Saratoga
There were two Battles of Saratoga 18 days apart. During the first battle British General John Burgoyne lead an attack on the American army lead by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. The British won the first battle, but 19 days later their forces had been weakened and when they attacked they were defeated and forced to retreat. Ten days later General Burgoyne surrendered to the Americans which made the French realize the American's cause and enter the war as their ally. -
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold is well known fro being America's fisrt traitor, but before he switched sides he was a great general in the Continental Army. He was a great general when fighting for the Americans and won many battles, but he severely broke his leg. He began to have doubts about the USA and became a double agent for the British. -
Martha Custis Washignton
Martha Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the USA. Before the Revolutionary War she never traveled far from home, but when the war broke out she traveled thousands of miles across the country to be with her husband while he was fighting. She is known for staying with her husband during the winter encampment of Valley Forge and being madly in love with him. -
Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis was a leading British general in the Revolutionary War. He is known best for the actions he took during the Battle of Yorktown. After three weeks of battle with the Americans Cornwallis was forced to surrender, nearly ending the Revolutionary War. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the final major battle of the Revolutionary War. The battle began on September 28, 1781 and ended 21 days later on October 19. The French and the Americans worked together and capture the British army forcing General Cornwallis to surrender. The Battle of Yorktown was one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War and resulted in the second Treaty of Paris. -
George Washington
George Washington was an important Patriot and commander in cheif in the Continental Army. He was also the first president of the USA and set a great example for future presidents. He is well known for the batte of Yorktown where he took a great victory over the British. -
The Treaty of Paris 1783
The Treaty of Paris (1783) was a treaty signed between the British and the Americans. The treaty was a negotiation that ended the Revolutionary War and granted the Americans independance from Great Britain. The treaty was negotiated on the American side by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Fay.
