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The French and Indian War
This war pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France. Both sides were supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, as well as by American Indian allies. In 1763, Britain and France ended the war and signed the Treaty of Paris. France gave Britain control of Canada and most of the land east of the Mississippi River.link text -
Proclamation of 1763
King George III issued this proclamation following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War, which forbade all settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. -
The Sugar Act
An earlier Molasses Tax imposed a tax of six pence per gallon of molasses, but had never been effectively collected due to colonial evasion. By reducing the rate by half and increasing measures to enforce the tax, the British hoped that this tax would actually be collected. These incidents increased the colonists' concerns about the intent of the British Parliament and helped the growing movement that became the American Revolution -
Currency Act
The Currency Act is one of many several Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain that regulated paper money issued by the colonies of British America. The Acts sought to protect British merchants and creditors from being paid in depreciated colonial currency. The Currency Act threatened to destabilize the entire colonial economy of New England, the Middle Colonies and the Southern colonies. The industrial areas in the North and agricultural areas in the South united against the Currency Act. -
Stamp Act
The British placed a stamp on different goods that meant they were taxed more for buying those items. John Green has a video about the response from The Colonies.
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Patrick Henry's "If this be treason..." speech
Patrick Henry attacks the Stamp Act and Parliament's authority to tax the colonists and speaking of George III, he stated that, “Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell and George the Third — ." At that point he was interrupted by cries of “Treason!" from delegates who easily recognized the reference to assassinated leaders. Henry paused briefly, then calmly finished his sentence: “...may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it." -
The Declaratory Act
an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, which accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act 1765 and the changing and lessening of the Sugar Act. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act because boycotts were hurting British trade and used the declaration to justify the repeal and save face. The declaration stated that the Parliament's authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament's authority to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies. -
The Townshend Revenue Act
Imposed taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Townshend hoped the acts would defray imperial expenses in the colonies, but many Americans viewed the taxation as an abuse of power, resulting in the passage of agreements to limit imports from Britain. -
Boston Non-importation Agreement
Boston Takes Action Against the Townshend Revenue Act. The Boston Non-Importation Agreement of August 1, 1768, was a formal collective decision made by Boston based merchants and traders not to import or export items to Britain. -
The Boston Massacre
A squad of British soldiers, come to support a sentry who was being pressed by a heckling, snowballing crowd, let loose a volley of shots. Three persons were killed immediately and two died later of their wounds. This game leads you up to the Boston Massacre, Choose Nat's loyalties and see where it leads.
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The Gaspee Affair
The HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship, ran aground in Rhode Island and a Sons of Liberty group attacked and set fire to the ship as a response to the unfair raiding of the colonists ships.
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The Tea Act
The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help the financially struggling company survive. A related objective was to undercut the price of illegal tea, smuggled into Britain's North American colonies. This was supposed to convince the colonists to purchase Company tea on which the Townshend duties were paid, thus implicitly agreeing to accept Parliament's right of taxation. -
The Boston Tea Party
On a cold evening in December of 1773, a small band of patriots made history when they dumped three ships worth of valuable tea into Boston Harbor. Click on the link to an activity to find out more about this important protest.
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The Intolerable Acts
These were five acts that The Colonies considered to be "intolerable" and thus we a pushing point into the revolutionary war and became a reference for Patriots when fighting for freedom.
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The First Continental Congress
A meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies who met at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was called in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament, with which the British intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.The Congress met briefly to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade and drawing up a list of rights and grievances; in the end, they petitioned King George III for redress of those grievances. -
Articles of Assosciation
This document proposed a boycott on the import and export of goods from Britain and its other colonies to take effect December 1, 1774. The delegates of the First Continental Congress were careful not to criticise the king, but express their unhappiness at the current state of affairs. The Congress used the Virginia Association, which wished to increase cooperation between the colonies, as its template. The document was signed by 53 delegates, including George Washington. -
Galloways Plan
Galloway suggested the creation of an American colonial parliament to act together with the Parliament of Great Britain. On matters relating to the colonies each body would have a veto over the other's decisions. The Colonial Parliament would consist of a British President-General and Colonial delegates. Galloway's plan would have kept the British Empire together, while allowing the colonies to have some say over their own affairs, including the inflammatory issue of taxation. -
Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death"
Patrick Henry sounded one of the most famous calls to arms in American history. During a meeting of the Second Virginia Convention at St. John’s Church in Richmond, the lawyer and politician gave an impassioned plea urging the Old Dominion to form militias to defend itself against the British. His brief address which closed with the line “Give me liberty or give me death!” swayed the Convention in his favor, and his words became a rallying cry during the march to war that was soon to begin. -
The Ride of Paul Revere
Paul Revere was employed as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of important documents as far away as New York and Philadelphia. On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was summoned by Dr. Joseph Warren of Boston and given the task of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts, with the news that British troops were about to march into the countryside northwest of Boston. Clink on this link to read more and see his route!
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Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the American Revolution and the shot heard round the world. British troops are sent to confiscate colonial weapons, they run into an untrained and angry militia. This ragtag army defeats 700 British soldiers and the surprise victory bolsters their confidence for the war ahead.
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