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The French and Indian War
The French and British both wanted the Ohio River Valley. The British wanted it for cheap farmland, but it was the French and Native American's land. British governor Dinwiddie ordered the French to leave, but they refused to. George Washington built a fort on the Ohio River Valley, Fort Necessity, and started the war. The British won the war. -
The Proclamation Line of 1763
Following the French and Indian war, the British Parliament established a border aligned with the Appalachian Mountains that separated colonists from the Native Americans. This line was created in order to prevent another war from starting, mainly to reduce the amount of debt in England. -
The Sugar Act
In 1764, a 3 cent tax was placed of foreign refined sugar, and raised existing taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. Importation of rum and French wines were banned. Colonists were very mad at the tax, but were even more infuriated at the fact that they had no representation in Parliament. -
The Stamp Act
Following the French and Indian war, a rule was made where a stamp, purchased from the British government, must be placed on all important documents including court papers, almanacs, pamphlets, newspapers, and playing cards. Soldiers were placed around, to prevent the Native Americans from attacking. Representatives formed the Stamp Act Congress and declared that the colonies should not be taxed if they do not have representation in Parliament. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts placed taxes on glass, tea, paper, paint, and was also a way to show the colonists that the British had power over the colonists. England wanted to tax the colonists in order to cover the costs from the French and Indian war, as their debt has plummeted down from 80 million in debt, all the way down to 140 million British pences (£) in debt. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an event that happened on the night of March 5th, 1770, at around 9 o' clock PM. Colonists provoked British soldiers to shoot, and when a British soldier was hit by a flying object, he fired his musket. After the first shot, more soldiers fired their muskets. In the end, 5 people were killed, and several others were injured. -
The Committees of Correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were the first attempts of the 13 colonies to maintain communication with one another. This new method of communication helped form bonds between each of the colonies. Each colony had a Committee of Correspondence, and sent news about what was happening in each colony, and was also used to send information about how to resist the British. It helped form strong bonds between the colonies that would later help them with the American Revolution. -
The Tea Act // The Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act was surpassed by British Parliament in 1773 in order to assist the East India Company, as the company had 18 million pounds of unsold tea. When the shipments of tea arrived in the colonies, New York and Philadelphia sent the shipments back to England. In Charleston, the colonists left the tea on the docs to rot. In Boston, however, 60 colonists dressed up as Mohawk Natives boarded the ships and dumped 342 crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
The Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
4 Acts corresponded to the Coercive Acts. The Boston Port Act closed Boston Harbor until all of the tea that was dumped was paid for. The Administration of Justice Act said that a British soldier arrested for murder in the colonies was to be tried in England. The Quartering Act required colonists to allow British soldiers to stay in their homes. The Massachusetts Government Act put an appointed governor in control of the colony. -
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The First Continental Congress
In 1774, representatives (delegates) from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Congress was held not only to express their outrage with the Coercive Acts, a punishment inflicted by England for the Boston Tea Party, but to discuss how it wasn't fair to be taxed without representation in Parliament. People urged colonists to boycott the Coercive Acts until they were repealed, or cancelled. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were 2 battles that led up to the American Revolution. The first battle that took place was the battle of Lexington, where about 60 militia men stood against about 900 British soldiers. The militia men had lost. When the British soldiers were walking into Concord, looking for weapons, everyone had fled and warned others. As the British soldiers walked out of Concord to Boston, 1000 militia men surrounded them, hiding, and the British lost.
