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The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was the war between the American colonists and British colonists also known as the seven years' war. The war provided Britain with a lot of territorial gains in North America, but paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, and eventually, led to the American Revolution. -
Americans move west of the Appalachian Mountains
After the Seven Years’ War, the British Parliament created the Indian Proclamation Line which banned colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. English settlers ignored the line, expanded west, and incited conflicts with Natives over land in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and other western regions. Several factors contributed to the migration, including overcrowding in the east of the mountains and a reduced price of federally owned land. -
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Pontiac's' Rebellion
Pontiac’s Rebellion was an armed conflict between the British Empire and Algonquian, Iroquoian, Muskogean, and Siouan-speaking Native Americans following the Seven Years’ War. The violence represented an unprecedented pan-Indian resistance to European colonization in North America. -
James Otis, Jr. - “No Taxation Without Representation”
James Otis Jr. strongly opposed taxation without representation. He also denounced the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on printed materials and which, he says, threatens to bring the justice system to a halt. -
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Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was an attempt to stop the smuggling of goods by lowering the prices of sugar and molasses. The previous tax rate was reduced, but it also added products like hides and skins as commodities that could be exported without being illegal. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax imposed directly on American colonists by the British Parliament. The act imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies and came at a time when the British Empire was in great debt from the Seven years’ war and looking to its North American colonies as a revenue source. -
Stamp Act Congress
It was the first colonial action against a British measure and was formed to issue the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act Congress was attended by 27 representatives from 9 out of the 13 colonies. -
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Quartering Acts
The Quartering Act stated that Great Britain would house its soldiers in American Barracks and in public houses. If the soldiers outnumbered colonial housing, they would be quartered in inns, barns, alehouses, and other buildings. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a huge riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier but quickly escalated to a very chaotic bloody slaughter. The conflict energized anti-British sentiment and paved the way for the American Revolution. -
Virginia Resolves the Stamp Act
Patrick Henry wrote resolutions against the Stamp Act and presented them to the House of Burgesses who then passed them after an intense debate. The document written document of the Virginia stamp act resolves was found in an envelope with Patrick Henry’s will and testament. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was when British Parliament made sure British taxing authority was the same in America as in Britain. The most commonly known taxes are the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed by parliament and its objective was to reduce a large amount of tea held by the British East India Company. The act was one of the several events that greatly indebted the British government leading up to the American Revolution. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest that occurred at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists were angry at Britain for “taxation without representation,” so they dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance against British rule over the colonists. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were to punish Massachusetts colonists for their defiance during the Tea Party protest against the Tea Act. -
1st Continental Congress
The 1st Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American Colonies later known as the United States. The 1st Continental Congress also declared America's independence from Britain. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
A confrontation on the Lexington town green started off the fighting, and soon the British were hastily retreating under fire. The Americans won the battle of Lexington and lost at Concord. -
Battle of Trenton
General George Washington’s army crossed Delaware on Christmas Day and throughout the next 10 days, won two crucial battles of the American Revolution. In the Battle of Trenton, Washington defeated the Garrison of Hessian mercenaries before withdrawing. A week later he returned to Trenton to try to lure British forces south, then executed a march to capture Princeton. -
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was one of the several defeats suffered by the Americans in the early times during the British military offensive in the south. British forces under General Charles Lord Cornwallis established a supply at Camden as part of their effort to secure control of the South Carolina backcountry. -
Battle of Princeton
The battle of Kings Mountain (Battle of Princeton) in South Carolina was a big defeat in the British attempt to secure control of the Southern colonies. The British tried to secure more loyalists in the south but failed in the attempt. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a big turning point in The Revolutionary War. When the Americans won it lifted patriot morale, furthered the hope for independence, and helped secure the foreign support needed for the war. -
Battle of Valley Forge
While conditions were notoriously cold and harsh and there was short supply, it was at the winter camp where George Washington proved his mettle and, with the help of former Prussian military officer Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben, transformed a battered Continental Army into a fighting force capable of beating the British. -
France Recognizes U.S. Independence
France recognized the United States as independent when their Secretary of Council of State, Conrad Alexandre Gérard, and American commissioners Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee signed two treaties. The double treaty signing ceremony was held in Hôtel de Coislin in Paris. -
Battle of King's Mountain
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a defeat in the British attempt to have control of the southern colonies. The Americans won and the battle was called “The turn of the tide of success.” -
Surrender of the British at Yorktown
British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered 8,000 British soldiers and seamen to a larger Franco-American force. This helped lead to bringing an end to the American Revolution. -
Battle of Cowpens
American troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan routed British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton during the Battle of Cowpens. The Americans inflicted heavy casualties on the British, and the battle was a huge turning point in the war’s Southern campaign. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay negotiated a peace treaty with a representative of King George lll of Great Britain.