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Treaty of Paris
This treaty marked the end of the French and Indian War and gave Great Britain nearly all of France's land in North America. It also gave Great Britain a lot of power in Europe. -
Proclamation of 1763
While there was much celebration of the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, many English colinists hoped to move into the western frontier that had beed won from France. Unfortunately, the royal proclamation of 1763 closed off the frontier for expansion. This made the colinists feel a strong resentment toward England. -
Period: to
Span of the Revolutionary War
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The Stamp Act
The British parliment issued the stamp act to tax colinists on every paper that they sent by post. Needless to say, the colinists were not happy about having no say in the taxes that they had to pay. -
The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was a law that said that English troops staying in America had to have residence and food. This meant that many colinists had to take soldiers into their homes for prolonged periods of time and had to feed them. -
The Townshend Act
Also known as the Townshend Revenue Act, this law stated that all exports including glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea had to have a specific tax. This hurt businesses and individuals who exported goods for a living and thus caused a lot of anger between colinists and Britain. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was caused when a mob of Patriots became angry at some British officers. After the Pariots began throwing stones at the officers the "Redcoats" felt threatened and openly fired at the mob. Several colinists were killed. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts included many "acts" (laws and taxes) that were not favorable for the colinists. Most of them aimed to make extra money for Britain. On the fifth of March all of the taxes were repealed except for the tea tax. -
The Boston Tea Party
While this event was not exactly a party, it was important to the revolution because it was the first major protest against Britain's taxation laws. Because of a tea tax, angry Bostonians dumped over three hundred chests of tea into Boston Harbor. -
The Sons of Liberty
This was a group of Patriots who formed to protect the rights of the colonists.They carried out events like the Boston Tea Party and other protests against the English laws. -
John Adams
John Adams was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and was also a member of the Continental Congress. He was also involved in the repealment of the stamp act and helped plan the Boston Tea Party. -
Martha Washington
Martha was the wife of General George Washington yet was torn between the Loyalist and Patriot parties. Although many of her friends were Loyalists, Martha eventually decided that she was a Patriot. -
Loyalists
Loyalists were Americans who were loyal to the crown of England. They were not in favor of America becoming its own country. -
Patriots
Patriots were Americans who believed that they should have their own government independant from Great Britain. In other words, they were the revolutionaries that sought freedom. -
The first Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates to decide how they had to act toward Great Britain's disagreements. -
Samuel Adams
Sam Adams was considered to be one of the Founding Fathers of the United States because he was a leader of the revolution movement. He was also a member of the Continental Congress and was governer of Massachusetts. -
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was a remarkable women who was an advocate of women's rights and was also a Patriot. She was well known for giving advice to her husband John Adams, and was therefore indirectly involved in the Continental Congress. -
Lexington and Concord
British General Gage wanted to end the rebellion by capturing colonial leaders in Lexington and then gunpowder in Concord. Unfortunately for him, Paul Revere got news of his plan and warned the minutemen in Lexington. When the troops met the colonial minutemen, the "shot heard round the world" marked the start of the war. -
Paul Revere
Both a Patriot and an industrialist, Paul Revere was one of the men who alerted the minutemen of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. -
Benedict Arnold
A superb general and commander, Benedict Arnold helped win many battles in the war. He was most famous for his failure at the Battle of Quebec, and eventually betrayed the Americans and fought for the British. -
"Common Sense"
Common Sense was a book written by Thomas Paine that challenged the authority of the British government and monarchy. It was the first book to openly ask for independance from Great Britain. -
Thomas Paine
He wrote famous and inspirational book on independance: "Common Sense". He was also considered the father of the American Revolution because he published his book anonymously and had instand and widespread success. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was also an important member of the Continental Congress. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independance
When the Declaration of Independance is signed it marks the start of a free nation. It is the reason that America is a "free country". -
Hessians
Hessians were Germans who contracted for service under the crown of England. They were soilders and mercenaries who were best known for capturing fort Washington. -
The Battle of Saratoga
This series of victories for American troops caused the destruction of British General John Burgoyne's army, and was the turning point in the war. -
Battle of Yorktown
This battle was the last battle in the Revolutionary War and was a decisive American victory. It was also when the British finally surrendered to the American and French troops. -
Lord (Charles) Cornwallis
British general Lord Cornwallis is remembered for his defeat at the battle of Yorktown: he lost to French and American forces. -
George Washington
George Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the war. He lead a victory at the Battle of Yorktown, and was later elected to be the first president. -
Treaty of Paris
The signing of the Treaty of Paris marked the end of the Revolutionary War and granted America freedom from Great Britain. It also allowed the Americans to expand their boundaries.
