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John Locke
John Locke lived from August 1632 - October 1704 and was one of the most known philosophers and political theorists in the 17th century. Locke made foundational contributions to modern theories of government. -
Charles Montesquieu
Charles Montesquieu (AKA Baron de Montesquieu), was a well known French political analyst and lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He lived from January 1689 - February 1755. -
Sam Adams
Sam Adams lived from September 1722 - October 1803. The main things he was was a Founding Father, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a member of the Continental Congress. Adams also served as a governor of Massachusets. -
Paul Revere
Born January 1735, Paul Revere was a silversmith and ardent colonialist. He was a part of the Boston Tea Party and was a veteran of the French and Indian War. Revere was most known for making a midnight ride to Lexington and Concord to warn the Patriots there of the British advance from Boston. Revere died in May 1818. -
John Hancock
John Hancock lived from 1737 - 1793 and was an American merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He also served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor and Commonwealth of Massachusets. -
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold was an American Revolutionary War general mostly known for his defection from the Continental Army to the British side of the conflict in 1780. He lived from January 1741 - June 1801. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was lived from April 1743 - July 1826. He was a Founding Father of the US and is most known for writing the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson also served as the third president of the US. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Great Britain won which gave them tremendous territorial gains in North America. Even though the British still won, they still faced pressing colonial problems that the Treaty of Paris only aggravated. After gaining so much land, the Indians were angered by the provisions of peace and room left for their concerns. -
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton lived from January 1757 - July 1804. Hamilton was known for being General George Washington's assistant and a Founding Father of the United States. In 1788, as one of America's Founding Fathers, he convinced New Yorkers to agree to ratify the US constitution. Today, he has a famous internationally known musical about him and his life as a Founding Father. -
George and Martha Washington
George and Martha married in January 1759, making Martha the nation's first First Lady. Their marriage lasted until December 1799, around when George passed away. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the French/Indian War between France and Great Britain, as well as their respective allies. In terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, ending any British colonies to leave from there. -
Proclamation of 1763
After the British won the 7 Years War and conquered land in North America (after the French and Indian War), it published the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited American colonists from settling west of Appalachia. This document also marked the end of the French and Indian War. -
Act: Sugar
The Sugar Act was a revenue-raising act passed by the British Parliament of Great Britain in April 1764. Because of the need for tax, the British hoped that the new tax of sugar would be collected. -
Act: Currency
The Currency Act regulated paper money issued by the colonies of British America. The act sought to protect British merchants and creditors from being paid in depreciated colonial money. This Act was published in September of 1764. -
Abigail and John Adams
The two married in January 1759 - December 1799. Abigail is most known for being the first First Lady in the nation once she married George Washington, which was a Founding Father who served as the first president of the US from 1789 to 1797. -
Intolerable Acts: Quartering Act
The Quartering Act made reserves for British troops to be given food and shelter at the expense of American colonists. This happened in 1765. -
Act: Quartering
Published in 1765, the Quartering Act required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks provided by colonies. If the barracks were too small to house all soldiers, then localities were to accommodate the soldiers in places like livery stables or local inns. -
Act: Stamp
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parlament in March 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on any and every printed paper they used. This included newspapers, legal documents, licenses, and even playing cards. -
Act: Declaratory
The Declaratory Act was declaration by the British Parliament that accompanied the revocation of the Stamp Act. It stated that the British Parliament's taxing authority was the same as in Great Britain and America. This Act was published in 1766. -
Act: Townshend Review
The Townshend Acts were a series of laws that passed by the British government on the American colonies in 1767. They placed more taxes and took away some freedom of the colonists including things like new taxes on imports of paper and tea. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight in Boston which occurred on the 5th of March 1770. This incident was a confrontation in which British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob. Patriots including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams were involved in this situation. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party happened in 3 British Ships in the Boston Harbor. The Tea Party took position because the colonists didn't want to pay taxes for British tea. The effect of the Boston Tea Party was that the British people passed the Intolerable Acts, and were being very cruel and ungrateful to the people of Boston. This happened on December 16th, 1773. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was compromised of delegates from the colonies which met in 1774 to the Intolerable Acts, also known as the Coercive Acts. -
Intolerable Acts: Administration of Justice Act
This act had a stated purpose of ensuring a fair trial for British officers who were charged with capital offenses while upholding the law. This law was published in 1774. -
Intolerable Acts: Boston Port Act
The Boston Port Act was one of the Intolerable Acts, portrayed by Parliament in reaction to the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Port act carried on after March 1774. -
Intolerable Acts: Quebec Act
The Quebec Act expanded the British Canadian territory south into the Ohio Valley. It also made Quebec Province a Catholic Province. This act wasn't in response to the Boston Tea Party. The Quebec Act was published in June 1774. -
Intolerable Acts: Massachusetts Government Act
This act was published to punish the inhabitants of Boston, Massachusets for the incident that is known as the Boston Tea Party. This law was released in May 1774. -
Minutemen
Minutemen were civilian colonists who organized independently to form well-prepared militia companies self-trained in tactics, weaponry, and military strategies from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They first battled in the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was the governing body of American colonies from 1775 - 1781. It was made when the British failed to address the grievances of the First Continental Congress and to organize a Continental Army to fight. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord started on April 15th, 1775. Lexington and Concord are where the Revolutionary War started when there was a gunshot. It was called "the shot heard around the world." No one knew who fired it and no one was expecting it, either. By the end of the day, British troops had lost 273 soldiers and the Colonists had lost 94. Even though this was a small war, it was important because this is where the Revolutionary War started. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Early in the Revolutionary War, in Massachusets, the British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Even though the Americans lost, the battle was a significant confidence builder for them, as they were inexperienced. After this, the British conquered the Charlestown Peninsula. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was one of the most important signed documents in history. It was a document signed by 56 Founding Fathers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It was signed on August 2nd, 1776. -
The Hessians
The "Hessians" referred to about 30,000 German troops hired by the British to help fight during the American Revolution. They first fought together -
Battles of Saratoga
In 1777, the two Battles of Saratoga turned some tables in the Revolutionary War. Almost 6,000 British and Hessian troops surrendered their arms, which caused General John Burgoyne (British army officer) to lose 86% of his force. It was a victory for the American Patriots. -
French Alliance
The French Alliance was the 1778 alliance between the Kingdom of France and the US during the American Revolutionary War. This was a military pact in which the French provided many supplies for the Americans. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the original constitution in the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was one of the greatest but last Revolutionary War battles, where the British army surrendered and the British started to consider a peace treaty. During the battle, the British were outnumbered by French and American troops. Later, the American forces took of the British troops and eventually surrendered. This battle happened from September 1781 - October 1781. -
US Constitution Signed
The US Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention (now known as the Constitutional Convention), which convened from May - September 1787, and was signed on September 17th, 1787. -
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" Speech
The "Give me liberty or give me death" speech was recited by Patrick Henry declaring to have a war against the British. He recited this back in 1816.