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French and Indian War
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Washington's Defeat at Fort Duquense/Fort Necessity
George Washington surrendered to French forces at the Battle of Fort Necessity. This was one of the first battles of the French and Indian War. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to unite the 13 Colonies under a single government. This would make it easier to collect taxes, raise troops, and regulate trade. This plan was devised by Benjamin Franklin. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was a treaty signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain. It marked the end of the French and Indian War. It gave Great Britain much of the land in America previously controlled by France. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was a law passed by British Parliament that forbade American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountations. This was in response to Pontiac's Revolution. -
The Committee of Correspondence
The Committee of Correspondence was the first means for maintaining communication between the colonies by riding messages, letters, and docuements between them. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a law passed by Parliament that put a tax on molasses, coffee, and wine. The goal was to bring in more tax revenue and reduce the smuggling of molasses. Colonists reacted with varying degrees of protest, from forming a Stamp Act Congress to send a resolution to England, to tarring and feathering tax collectors. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting in New York City between representatives from nine of the British Colonies. It was a gathering to devise a unified protest against British taxation, specifically the Stamp Act. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a law passed by Parliament that placed a tax on basically all printed goods. Newspapers, official documents, even playing cards. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was a law passed in 1765 that required citizens to house and feed any British Soldiers who may need it. -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of LIberty was a secret organization of people who detested Britain's behavior towards the Colonies, specifically the taxation without representation. They are most famous for the Boston Tea Party in response to the Tea Act. Famous members include Samuel and John Adams, Paul Revere, and Patrick Henry. -
Daughters of Liberty
The Daughters of Liberty was an organization of women who protested the British Crown by making the goods taxed by Britain themselves. Famous members included Sarah Franklin Bache, Abigail Adams (John Adams' wife), and Molly Pitcher. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was a law passed by Parliament that declared the American Colonies to be under the same juristiction of Great Britain and that the British parliament had the rights to pass any laws upon them, including tax laws. It was passed in response to the Stamp Act being repealed. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts was a series of laws passed by Parliament that placed taxes on imported goods such as tea, glass, paint, and lead. Most of these taxes are repealed, except for the tea tax, which eventually leads to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an incident in which a mob of ropemakers verbally assaulted and threw snowballs and wooden clubs thrown at Captain Thomas Preston and his men. One of soldiers fired his weapon, possibly accidentally, without orders. The rest of the soldiers followed, killing five people and injuring six others. Captain Preston and eight soldiers were arrested and charged with murder. They were defended in court by John Adams and aquitted of all charges. -
Tea Act
The tea act was a law passed by parliament that made it so the East India Shipping Company didn't have to pay many of the taxes imposed on tea. This gave them monopoly over the tea market, so colonial merchants couldn't compete with them. The outrage over this act led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was the Sons of Liberty's response to the Tea Act. Many men and boys dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the East India Company ships as they came into port and threw the crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. This resulted in the Intolerable Acts. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts was a series of laws passed by British Parliament meant to punish the Colonies for the Boston Tea Party. They banned town meetings, forced colonists to accomadate soldiers in their homes, and closed the Boston Harbor until the price is paid for the destroyed goods. Due to the very harsh nature of these laws, the American name for them was the Intolerable Acts. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act instituted a permanant administration in Canada, replacing the temporary government created at the time of the Proclamation of 1763. The colonists considered this one of the intolerable acts, as it canceled out many of their claims for western land. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting in Philidelphia of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies (excluding Georgia), It was met to discuss options for dealing with the Intoloerable Acts. Different solutions were discussed, such as economic boycotts, but ultimately a petition that called for peace between England and the colonies was devised and sent to Britain. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These battles were the first military engagements of the American Revolution. When information was found that British soldiers were marching on Concord to seize Patriot weapons, the local Massachusetts milita gathered at Lexington, but were forced to retreat, and later at the North Bridge in Concord, where, despite outnumbered, they fended off the British soldiers and forced them back to Boston, -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting between delegates from all 13 colonies in order to manage the colonial war effort. The Olive Branch Petition (the final call for peace with Great Britain) was divised and sent to England. Upon not recieving a response from England, the congress formed a committee (composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin) to write a declaration of independency. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a battle that took place mainly on Breed's Hill outside of Boston. American militia defended the important position against British forces. The British were victorious, but suffered over double the casualties. The American forces surrendered because of their lack of ammunition. Isreal Putname is quoted with saying "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes," because of their low supplies. This battle also led to the death of Dr. Gen. Joseph Warren. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, on July 4th, 1776. Fifty-six delegates signed the document. The declaration explained that the colonies are now independent states, and that they are absolved from all allegiances to the British crown. It established the idea that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
