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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War lasted from 1756-1763 and was fought between France and Great Britain. As a result, the war gave many territorial gains to Great Britain, and paying the war’s expenses led to the American Revolution. The issue that led to the French and Indian War was of whether the upper Ohio River valley was a part of the British Empire. The fighting first began in North America, and spread throughout the world. Great Britain won and took control of the lands. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required the colonists to pay a tax. It was a law passed in 1765 by the British government. It meant that all legal documents had to have an official stamp. The result to this was every piece of paper was taxed by the British. The act passed without asking the American colonies, which colonists didn’t like. They weren’t allowed to have a say in political decisions, but were still taxed by the government. -
Townshend Acts
A series of four acts that were passed by the British Parliament in 1767. They taxed goods that were imported to the American colonies. The acts were named after Charles Townshend. These acts took away freedom from the colonists like new taxes, set up courts aiming towards people, and gave British officials the right to search the colonists’ houses whenever they wanted to. The British made these laws because they wanted the colonies to pay for themselves. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre happened on March 5, 1770. It began when British soldiers in Boston started firing on the American colonists. There was an argument and it escalated very quickly. There were many colonists at the scene and the local British officer sent many soldiers to control the argument. Three colonists died right away and two died later from injuries. The crowd dispersed as the governor showed up and many people were arrested. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest to the British government by the American Colonists. The protest had trade ships in Boston Harbor and they threw tea overboard in cargo to the ocean. Some colonists dressed up in disguise, but the British still knew who destroyed the tea. Tea was favorited by the British and the American colonists were told they would have to pay lots of taxes for the tea. They refused to pay, so they were told to return the tea. They protested and threw tea off the boat! -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were used to punish the people for the Boston Tea Party. There were four acts: Boston Port Act, Administration of Justice, Massachusetts Government Act, and Quartering Act. There was an extra measure which was named the Quebec Act, many colonists consider this a Intolerable Act.These acts were very cruel and harsh. After the French and Indian War, Great Britain needed a way to have the American colonies pay for the war. They hoped these acts would be used as punishment. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Early into the Revolutionary War, the British defeated the Americans in Massachusetts. Most of the fighting happened on nearby Breed’s Hill. Although the Americans lost, the battle provided them with much confidence through the Siege of Boston. The battle helped the inexperienced Americans. Adding to that, the expensive cost of the victory led to the British realizing the war with the colonies would be harsh, expensive, and long. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord led to the American Revolution. The British Army set out from Boston to get leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock. They wanted to destroy the Americans weapons and ammunition store in Concord. The colonists were warned by Paul Revere that the British were coming so the leaders were able to escape and hide ammunition/weapons. The Battle of Lexington was a very small fight and began the Revolution. The British marched to Concord and sooner retreated. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document approved on July 4, 1776. It holds the records that the United States is an independent country and it declares the freedom of the 13 colonies from Great Britain. The document summarized the colonists’ feelings for finding independence and freedom. They declared themselves an independent nation.