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french Indian war
With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French and Indian War came to a conclusion. Although the war gave Great Britain significant territorial gains in North America, disagreements over the subsequent frontier strategy and how to pay for the war's costs eventually stoked colonial unrest and gave rise to the American Revolution. -
Quartering Act
In 1765, British soldiers in the colonies were housed in local inns, stables, ale houses, victualling houses and the houses of sellers of wine. The Quartering Act of 1765 required British soldiers to be housed in barracks provided by the colonies. If the barracks were too small, soldiers were to live in local pubs and ale houses. -
Boston massacre
On March 5, 1770, a murderous disturbance called the Boston Massacre took place on King Street in Boston. A street fight between American colonists and a lone British soldier turned into a wild, gory massacre very quickly. The war stoked anti-British feeling and helped to spark the American Revolution. -
battle of Lexington and concord
Some of the colonists were killed and the rest fled, but it is believed to have been the first shot fired in the American Revolution - the start of the US Civil War. -
battle of bunker hill
At the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, early in the Revolutionary War, the British defeated the Americans. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost during the Siege of Boston. -
declaration of independence
The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States, was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. -
Tready of Paris
On September 3, 1783, the American colonies and Great Britain signed a treaty that put an end to the American Revolution and recognized the United States as an independent country.