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The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock
After pausing near today's Provincetown, the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor in 1620. Plymouth Rock, according to legend, is where William Bradford and other Pilgrims first set foot on land. Bradford served as governor of Plymouth Colony for 30 years and is credited with founding what is now known as Thanksgiving. -
Pennsylvania Becomes a Colony
On March 4, 1681, King George III signed the Pennsylvania Charter, which was formally proclaimed on April 2. The new colony was named after William Penn's father by the King. It was supposed to cover the territory between the 39th and 42nd degrees of north latitude, as well as five degrees of longitude west of the Delaware River. -
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War lasted from 1754 until 1763, when the Treaty of Paris was signed. Great Britain gained considerable territory in North America as a result of the war, but disagreements over subsequent frontier policies and how to pay for the war's costs led to colonial unrest and, ultimately, the American Revolution. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was introduced by Parliament in 1764 with the purpose of raising 100,000 pounds, which was one-fifth of the military expenses in North America at the time. To deter smuggling, the Sugar Act reduced the levy on foreign-produced molasses from six pence per gallon to three pence per gallon. -
The Currency Act
The Currency Act, also known as the Paper Bills of Credit Act, is one of several Acts of the British Parliament that governed paper money issued by British America's colonies. The Acts were enacted to safeguard British merchants and creditors from being paid in colonial money that had devalued. -
The Stamp Act
England wanted to pay their troops in the colonies, so they passed the Stamp Act. It put a tax on papers, documents, and other stuff. If the colonists didn’t pay, they were punished unfairly without a jury. The colonists hated this act. For them, it was an example of “taxation without representation.” -
The Quartering Act
British soldiers were required to be housed in colonial barracks. If the barracks were too small to make room for all of the soldiers, they were to be housed in nearby inns, livery stables, ale houses, victualing houses, and wine merchants' homes. -
The Townshend Revenue Act
The Townshend Revenue Acts were a set of British legislation that taxed goods imported into the American Colonies. However, the acts were seen as an abuse of power by American Colonists who had no representation in Parliament. The British sent troops to America in the run-up to the American Revolutionary War to implement the unpopular new laws, further inflaming tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a deadly fight that happened in Kin Street in Boston. At first, it was a smaller scale of fight between American colonists and a British soldier, but it quickly spread to a greater violence. -
Boston Tea Party
In response to Britain's "taxation without representation," American colonists dumped 342 chests of tea imported by the British East India Company. The event was the colonists' first major act of defiance to British rule. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress's main achievement was an agreement among the colonies to boycott British products beginning December 1, 1774, until parliament repealed the Intolerable Acts. -
Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty or give me Death” speech
Patrick Henry treated the opposition with deference and respect. In his address, Jesus emphasizes the importance of fighting for truth and God's purpose. His speech, "Give me Liberty or Give Me Death!" is founded on his opinion that enslavement is the only alternative to fighting. -
The Ride of Paul Revere
Dr. Joseph Warren of Boston summoned Paul Revere on the evening of April 18, 1775, and assigned him the mission of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts, with news that regular troops were preparing to march into the countryside northwest of Boston. -
The Second Continental Congress
At the start of the Revolutionary War, the Second Congress served as a de facto national government, raising armies, guiding tactics, appointing ambassadors, and composing petitions like the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Arms and the Olive Branch Petition. -
George Washington named Commander in Chief
On June 19, 1775, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Based on his previous military experience and the hope that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies, Washington was chosen above other candidates such as John Hancock.