-
Period: to
Queen Anne's War
When the king of Spain died, he left the throne to the grandson of the king of France. Seeing the threat that France was becoming, Queen Anne of England declared war on both Spain and France. Most of the battles took place between the English colonies and the French colonies. While England came to a fortunate treaty, the colonies bore the load of the war. -
Period: to
The French and Indian War
After many skirmishes and battles between the French and English colonists during expansion, war was declared. The major battles were fought over rivers for advantages in transportation. While the British ended up defeated the French and the Native Americans, the English colonists were the ones to take the brunt of it. British soldiers were forced to reside with them, they were taxed for the war, and they were left to clean it up. -
Boston Massacre
The colonists were gradually becoming angrier and angrier with the British rule and its taxes. The people took to the streets and began to riot. One night, a riot got out of hand and a British soldier signaled that he was being attacked. More soldiers arrived and the 5 of those colonists were killed. This was the first violence that spurred the Revolution. -
Boston Tea Party
Coming out of so many wars and battles, England was in deep debt. Their solution was to tax the colonists in the New World. One of the first goods to be taxed was tea. The colonists were furious. To show England that they wouldn’t pay off their debts, the colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This truly brought together the 13 colonies. -
Period: to
Revolutionary War
As tensions rose, both sides knew that violence would start the war. The Battles of Lexington and Concord brought this about. The war waged on, and the British took the early lead. It was clear that England was better organized and had more resources. However, almost every colonist was devoted to the fight. And so, through strategic tactics and passion, the colonists won and defeated the strongest nation in the world. -
Period: to
Battle of Saratoga
In a heated battle between British General Burgoyne and Continental General Gates, much blood was shed. Numbers dwindled so far that they ended prematurely, and each side was to receive backup. Gates’s came in the thousands; Burgoyne’s didn’t come at all. Because supplies were running out, Burgoyne attacked and lost dreadfully. This was the first battle where the Continental Army realized they had a chance to win. -
Period: to
Siege of Yorktown
General Washington originally wanted to attack British forces in New York City but had to readjust when Frenchmen arrived in Chesapeake Bay. He saw an opportunity to travel down to Yorktown, but make it seem that they were still going to attack New York City. Through the surprise attack and the chokehold in Chesapeake Bay, the British General Cornwallis quickly surrendered. This was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War and essentially meant independence. -
The Signing of the Constitution
The members of the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to devise a new form of government. The Articles of Confederation were soon replaced with a bicameral legislature that was more representative. The upper house consisted of two representatives from each state and the lower house consisted of representatives depending on the population of their respective state. -
Washington Elected
With the new Constitution came an empty executive branch. The writers knew that they did not want a centralized government, but they did want a president with a cabinet to assist him. This position was soon filled by Washington. It was the only presidential vote to be unanimous.