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The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock
The Pilgrims left England seeking religious freedom. In Sept 1620, they set sail on the Mayflower and landed on the shore of Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. They named their new settlement Plymouth after the port of Plymouth, England where they started their voyage. -
Pennsylvania Becomes a Colony
William Penn and the Quakers was another group that left England for religious freedom. He purchased land in New Jersey and gained a large tract of land from King Charles II. The King named it Pennsylvania. -
The French and Indian War
The war began because the British felt that they needed to protect and gain back land from the French that was rightfully belonged to them. The war officially started when George Washington, at the age of 22 attacked the French at Fort Duquesne. It ended with the British’s victory over the land and the French’s defeat in Quebec, 1759. -
The Sugar Act
After the French and Indian War, the England Parliament passed laws requiring taxes from colonists to collect money and pay for the war debt. One of the laws was the Sugar Act of 1764. The Sugar Act of 1764 offered a lower tax on molasses and prevented colonial smugglers. -
The Currency Act
The Currency Act prohibited colonists from having and printing their own paper money. They could only use British currency. Many British merchants complained that they were being paid by the colonial currency which devalued money. Britain passed the Currency Act that prohibited the use of colonial paper money and they can only use British currency. However, colonists insisted they cannot maintain their market without using colonial currency. -
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
The Quartering Act was passed in New York. It forced colonists to provide housing, bedding, beverages for the soldiers stationed at the colonies. These soldiers could enter colonists' houses and demand to stay there. The tension soon led to the Boston Massacre. -
The Townshend Revenue Act
The Townshend Revenue Act put taxes on goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. Many colonists resented this Act. They believed that without their agreement, the Parliament cannot tax them. The Townshend Act was repealed afterward but taxes on tea were kept. -
The Boston Massacre
The colonists could no longer stand the Quartering Act. They gathered outside of the Boston customs house. The crowd insulted and threw snowballs, oyster shells, and chunks of ice at the soldiers guarding the building. Panicking, the soldiers fired on the crowd and killed five people. Crispus Attucks was the first American colonist to be killed. -
The Boston Tea Party
The colonists refused to buy tea from the British East India Company and resented the Tea Act of 1773. Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty sent a message demanding three ships loaded with tea to leave the port. Being rejected, they were furious. Men split open 342 tea chests and dumped them all in the ocean. -
The First Continental Congress
Delegates from 12 colonies gathered up in a meeting called the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The purpose of the meeting was to support Boston and figure out a way to approach Britain. The debate ended with the agreement to boycott all British goods and stop exporting goods to Britain until the laws were banned. The delegates also urged colonies to have their own militia. -
Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty or give me Death” speech
Patrick Henry, a member of the Second Virginia Convention, did not expect a peaceful response from the petition sent to the King by Congress. He predicted that there would be war judging by the arrangement for troops to surround the colonies. Henry clearly expressed his opinion to the House through one of his powerful speeches. In it, he said “Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take. But as for me, give me liberty or give me death! -
The Ride of Paul Revere
The Sons of Liberty watched every movement of the British troops on their way seizing the colonial militia. They signaled messengers to warn colonists in Concord that the troops were heading toward them. Paul Revere, one of the messengers, mounted on the horse and shouted “The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!” along his way through Concord. -
The Second Continental Congress
Delegates from 13 Britain colonies held the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. They decided to send a petition called the Olive Branch Petition to the King in which they asked him to repeal the Intolerable Acts. John and Sam Adams didn’t expect the petition to work out and indeed, it didn’t. King George III went furious after reading the petition and sent 20,000 more troops to end the rebels. -
George Washington named Commander in Chief
On June 19, 1775, the Second Continental Congress made a bold decision. They were going to set up the Continental Army. The delegates appointed George Washington as commander of the Continental Army to fight troops surrounding Boston.