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French & Indian War
The French & Indian War was a war where the British fought the French and Native Americans, who were respective allies, over territory that was originally the Ohio River valley. The French originally had made many small victories and seemed to be winning, but in the end the British completely won the war and the land, but gained a large war debt that they felt the colonists should help pay off. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was a document that marked the end of the French & Indian War on North American soil. When the French signed it, they effectively handed over almost all of their land they had to the British, including the Ohio River valley they had fought for. The British now had the land they wanted before the war. Without the French to keep the British in check, though, the Native Americans were concerned for the future of their land. -
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Pontiac's War
Pontiac’s War was a Native American rebellion led by Pontiac. The war had started because the French, who had kept the English occupied from settling more territory, were forced back to their homeland after the British had won the French & Indian War. The British tended to blatantly take land from the Native Americans, and because of this form of treatment, the revolt began. This caused the Proclamation of 1763 to be passed. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was a law created by the British stating that American colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains as an attempt to avoid conflict with the Native Americans. The colonists were angered by this and some of them continued to settle beyond the mountains because of good farmland, despite the law. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was passed to tax sugar, wine, and other foodstuffs being imported from England because the British wanted more money to pay off their old war debt. It was a modified version of an older tax that now put three pence per gallon of molasses with the modification and allowed more items to be taxed by the British. It was also more strictly enforced than the old version, which made certain products in the colonies decline in sales .This caused some of the colonists to boycott. -
Stamp Act
Yet another way to pay off British debt from the French & Indian War, the Stamp Act was a tax where nearly every document and printed material would have a special tax stamp placed on it and the colonists would pay tax for it. The colonists reacted worse than they did to the Sugar Act, even starting an official group opposing the act. Some colonists reacted diplomatically, with simple speeches and meetings, whilst others threw stones at the British military stationed in America. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was a law that made it so colonists would be forced to share their homes and food with British soldiers if the barracks were filled up, without anyone asking beforehand. It served as an indirect way to tax the colonists, as compared to how direct the Stamp Act was. Many of the colonists preferred being asked and therefore ignored the law until the Restraining Act was put into effect. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was a civil group of protesters against the Stamp Act, led by James Otis. It was originally founded in New York, though nine of the colonies sent representatives. Only Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire were not present. The congress eventually wrote a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which stated that taxes should only be given if the colonists gave consent or if the group giving the taxes has a representative from the colonies. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were four acts that got their name from a sponsor for the British American colonists by the name of Charles Townshend. They were created in an attempt for the British to show their right to use their authority on the colonies. The acts added taxes on lead, paper, glass, tea, and paints. The colonists reacted similarly as they did to the Stamp Act and Quartering Act, and eventually all taxes except for the one on tea were repealed. -
Boston Massacre
Tensions had been rising between the British and colonists, thanks to the revolts against all the previous acts. British soldiers were in Boston at the time, and their presence became disliked by the colonists. Eventually, a mob of colonists began stoning the soldiers, to which the captain ordered the soldiers to fire, only killing three immediately, therefore making the "massacre" title unfitting. John Adams defended the captain in court due to a belief that everyone deserved a fair trial. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was an act passed to help bail the East India Company, a company doing badly financially and stuck with millions of pounds of unsold tea. It would've give the company a monopoly, or a place where they were the only supplier of tea. The tea was going to be sold at a bargain price, but the colonist leaders thought it was a way to support the popular taxes and took different maneuvers against the act. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a revolt caused by the Tea Act where a group of Massachusetts patriots dressed as Mohawks destroyed about 340 crates altogether on three tea boats in Griffin's Wharf, throwing the tea itself into the harbor. The British then passed a series of acts--the Intolerable Acts--to punish the colonists. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts, or the Coercive Acts, were a series of three acts that were meant to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston's port until the tea could be paid for, restricted what the Massachusetts legislature could do, and allowed a change of location to England or a British colony if there was a jury trial. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of 55 representatives (including John & Samuel Adams and George Washington) from twelve colonies (save for Georgia) that aimed to settle concerns and anger about the Intolerable Acts through simply word. Congress had agreed on the Declaration of Rights and the Continental Association. -
Lexington & Concord
General Gage had the plan that, at night, his British soldiers would go to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock at Lexington, then control the gunpowder in Concord. The colonists prepared for this via having horseback riders announce the presence of the British. Certain members of the colonial militia known as minutemen (for their ability to be ready at a moment’s notice) then fought the British, despite losing. At Concord, their militia killed over 125 soldiers, therefore starting the war. -
Second Continental Congress
Congress met to create an "official" army out of the colonies' militia. They appointed George Washington as supreme commander, authorized the printing of money, and basically became the de facto government for the colonies. On June 14, riflemen companies were announced to be formed. Both the Olive Branch Petition (a failed diplomatic resolve to the war where they'd still be ruled over) and the Declaration of Causes (which approved the usage of weapons to secure rights) were created, too. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The colonists had hoped to build defenses at Bunker Hill, though they actually built a fort at Breed's Hill. Due to General Gage's plans, the British army marched uphill, hoping to scare the colonists, and attacked the colonists (led by Israel Putnam & Artemas Ward) that had moved to Bunker Hill, before either being wounded, killed, or retreated.. The British, led by William Howe, technically won and seized the Charlestown Peninsula, but had many casualties that reduced their numbers.
