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Stamp Act
On March 22, 1765, the Stamp Act was created by the Parliament. This act imposed a direct tax to most printed materials that was distributed in the 13 colonies. This act also required most printed materials to be produced on stamped paper made by London. The Stamp Act, just like many other acts by the Parliament, was created to help pay of the Britain's debt and to fund the American territories that were won from the French in the Seven Years’ War. -
Townshend Act
On June 15, 1767, the Townshend Act was created by the Parliament. The act allowed the British to tax imported goods to the Americans. The main purpose of the act was to pay the salaries of soldiers and pay off Britain's debt. Due to the fact that the American colonists had no representation in Parliament, this was not agreed upon and angered the colonies. As a result, Americans saw this as an abuse of power and revolted. This led to the deployment of British troops to enforce the new act. -
Dewint House
The DeWint House was created in 1700 using stones and brick. The original owner of the house was Patriot Johannes DeWint. George Washington was invited to visit the house on August 8th, 1780, while inspecting a redoubt on the Hudson. Washington then came for another visit on September 28, 1780 to attend the trial and hanging of Major John Andre. This house also acted as a headquarters for Washington and General Guy Carleton during discussions about final withdrawals of British troops from NYC. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a standoff that took place between British troops and a mob of people in Boston on March 5th, 1770. The British troops were stationed at the Province of Massachusetts Bay when this took place. They were there to support crown-appointed officials when suddenly a mob formed around a British sentry. The mob verbally abused the solider until 7 additional soldiers came. Eventually, the soldiers fired their guns without authorization, killing three people. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest led by Samuel Adams on December 16, 1773. This protest took place because Americans were not happy with the British for imposing taxes on goods. These actions were enforced by the Stamp and Townshend act which the British put in to pay off their own debt. As a result, the Americans went aboard ships and threw 342 crates of tea as a form of defiance against the taxation and tyranny the British gave. -
Intolerable Acts
On March 1774, Parliament passed 5 acts, 4 of which were related to Massachusetts and 1 of which was unrelated. There were 4 acts implemented to punish Massachusetts colonists for the the Boston Tea Party protests. Massachusetts was stripped of its many rights and its self-governance. With these acts on Massachusetts, the Parliament hoped to set an example of what would happen if other colonies followed. The last remaining act was to expand the territory of Quebec, unrelated to Massachusetts. -
First Constitutional Congress
The first Constitutional Convention took place on September 5th, 1774 in Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia. Delegates from all 13 colonies except Georgia came together to discuss the resistance to Parliaments acts. As a result, the Declaration of Rights and Articles of Association was created. The declaration stated that the colonies would be loyal to the British but would not comply to the Parliaments coercive acts. To reinforce this, the Articles of Associations which stopped trading was created. -
"Give me liberty, or give me death" Speech
During the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry read his famous speech. The context of his speech was to convince the convention to pass a resolution to allow the delivery of Virginian troops for the Revolutionary War. His famous line “Give me liberty or give me death” was part of his speech and meant that Patrick Henry would rather die then live in a world where these is no liberty. He believed that their liberty was being taken away by the British. -
Lexington And Concord
The battle of Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775 was the battle that kicked off the American Revolutionary War. The battle started when hundreds of British troops marched to Concord to seize weapons and powder. As the British neared Concord, Paul Revere sounded alarms and tried to stop the troops from reaching Concord. At first, the British troops were able to fight the Americans but eventually started losing and eventually retreated. -
The Battle Of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17th, 1775 and was the first major battle of the American Revolution. This battle was fought on Bunker Hill, Charleston under the command of Major General William Howe and Brigadier General Robert Pigot during the siege of Boston. The main purpose of this battle for the Britain was to get rid of colonial forces on the Bunker and Breed hill and then to take control of them. -
Thomas Paine Common Sense Published
On January 10, 1776, Common Sense the pamphlet was published anonymously but it was eventually revealed that Thomas Paine was the author. The pamphlet argued two main points one of which was independence from England and the other which was about a creation of a democratic republic. This pamphlet instantly grew popular and successfully persuasive into convincing people into the idea of independence. -
Declaration Of Independence
On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was created during the Second Constitutional Congress in the Philadelphia State House. For many years, the topic of separation from the British was commonly discussed but never happened until the second Constitunal Congress. Finally, on July 4th, the Congress agreed to separate from the British and created the Deceleration of Independence to officially declare that the 13 colonies were free from British rule, thus creating the USA. -
George Washington Crossing The Delaware River
On December 25, 1776, George Washington led the continental army to cross the icy and dangerous Delaware River into New Jersey. George Washington did this to surprise attack the British army of Hessians that were in the town of Trenton. This attack worked very well since the Hessians did not expect it in such weather. As a result, the Americans won and captured about 1000 Hessians. This surprise attack was a major win for the Americans as it helped the Americans turn the war to their favor. -
Battle Of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga consists of two battles: Battle of Freemans Farm and Bemis Heights. The battles began on September 19, 1777, and were led by General Horatio Gates. The main purpose was too disrupt the British from advancing south and capturing more territories. The first battle only slowed the British down. The second battle stopped the British and the Americans successfully captured many British Soldiers. These battles were considered one of the turning points of the war. -
Articles Of Confederation
After many months of debate, the Articles of Confederation was approved by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 and ratified on March 1, 1781. This article was the first constitution of the United States of America and was agreed upon by all 13 colonies. The purpose of the Articles was to create a strong government that operated well without having too much power over the states, letting them keep their independence. -
Battle Of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28, 1778 near the Monmouth CourtHouse. The battle was led by General George Washington who fought the British Army. The battle began badly because Lee did a terrible attack which led them to retreat. Eventually, George Washington came with his army that he had spent all winter rebuilding. He was able to successfully make them back off. There was no significant effect on either armies as everything resumed to normal after the battle. -
Baylor's Massacre
On September 27, 1778, a surprise British attack was launched to provoke George Washington and his army into a battle. This attack also acted as a distraction to divert their attention from a patriot privateering base that was being raided. The attack was led by a regiment led by Colonel George Baylor and led to many casualties. Many people died including Colonel Baylor who died later on after being captured. -
Execution Of Major John Andre
On October 2, 1780, Major John Andre was executed in Tappan New Jersey. He was executed for being an British Spy. He was uncovered as a spy when he went to finalize a bribery deal with General Benedict Arnold. During the finalization, his British troops were met by American troops and moved away. Abandoned, he entered American lines under the identity of John Anderson and was searched by American Soldiers disguised as British. He told them he was British, and was arrested as they were American. -
Siege Of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown was on September 28, 1781 and was led by George Washinton. They sieged a tobacco port where a major British Army led by General Cornwallis was located. The battle to capture the port lasted nearly a week as for it was quickly ended by Alexander Hamilton who led the No.10 to attack. This attack was successful as it was a quick and efficient attack that led to the victory. General Cornwallis had surrendered for he was trapped and unable to receive additional support. -
Treaty Of Paris
On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was finalized and was signed by Franklins, Adams, and Jay at the Hotel d’York in Paris. After many negotiations with the representatives of King George III, the treaty was finally passed. This treaty officially ended the American Revolutionary War. And the British finally recognized the 13 colonies as the United States Of America. The treaty also gave the nation the territory east of the Mississippi River, doubling the nation's land.
