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The Stamp Act
This new tax act was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers and other publications.The anger from the colonist wasn't the actual cost of the tax but the fact that it was passed without the colonial legislators passing the act. The colonist knew that without being united, Parliament so they came up with the famous slogan "no taxation without representation." -
The Quartering Act
Act made by the British Parliament in the American colonies, that demanded them to provide for the British soldiers with any needed accommodations or housing. It also required colonists to provide food for any British soldiers in the area without charge. British soldiers were able to stay in places which included barracks, Inns, private homes, barns and even livery stables. Colonist were required to not only pay for the basics but also things such as alcohol and other associated. -
The Townshend Revenue Act -
The Townshend Acts were actually a series of taxes and laws imposed upon the colonists. These taxes were placed on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea and other bills that were included in the Townshend Acts. These acts contradicted the colonial principle of self-government and provoked so much opposition that in the end, colonist rioted and protested, contributing to the colonists' angry reaction. Due to boycotts, theTownshend Revenue Act’s taxes were repealed on everything except tea. -
The Boston Massacre
Due to the rejection of the Townshend Acts, Britain decided to send troops to Boston in order to in force the issue. Pending confrontation between the British and the colonists, due to the British government increasing control over the colonies and raise taxes at the same time. The event in Boston helped to unite the colonies against Britain. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act, granted the British East India Company to be a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. This act was the breaking point for the colonist as they already had to pay the tax because of the Townshend Acts. The goal of the British was not to anger them but help the BEIC out of debt due to the circumstances in India at the time. This resulted in the American colonies to feel resentment towards the British and caused the unity among the people. -
Boston Tea Party
Governor Thomas Hutchinson allowed three ships carrying tea to enter Boston Harbor. Before the tax could be collected, Bostonians took action. On a cold December night, radical townspeople stormed the ships and tossed 342 chests of tea into the water. Disguised as Native Americans, the offenders could not be identified. -
The First Continental Congress
A convention of 53 delegates gathered from all of the colonies, besides Georgia. The representatives gathered to discuss their response to the British "Intolerable Acts."
All colonies began military preparation in case of an attack from Britain. They met to discuss their relationship with Britain, and how they can achieve a voice in their government. They wanted to appear as united front in their reply to Britain’s random acts. The members agreed to boycott. -
Patrick Henry
Give me liberty, or give me death!" is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Virginia Convention. Henry argued that everything the mother country Britain has done including taxing was done for their own benefit instead of the colonist themselves. He also says that everything they have done to remain peaceful has not worked and will never work. The solution he saw was to fight, and to fight not soon but right away before it was too late. -
The Ride of Paul Revere
Instructed to ride to Lexington and Concord Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching towards them and the Minutemen. He devised a code of lanterns inside the church. It was established that two lanterns meant the British would invade by "by sea" while one meant they would travel "by land.” This allowed the military to prepare for battle and hide any weapons that could have been attacked by the British. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
This battle marked the beginning of the American Revolution. -
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting in the summer of 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that, soon after warfare, declared the American Revolutionary War had begun. It managed the colonial war effort, and moved towards independence, by raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties. -
Battles of Ticonderoga
The British and the thirteen colonies fought during the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga which was located on the shores of Lake Champlain on the border of New York and the Canadian province of Quebec. The colonist, aware that they needed firearms, munitions or cannon. The location of Fort Ticonderoga was very important as its strategic position of control over the waterways including the fort itself was also very important as it protected New York and New England from British invasion from Canada. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The bloodiest battle of the war. Over 1,000 British and 400 Colonists were wounded or killed in this battle. The battle was a tactical victory for the British, but it proved to be a wake up call for them, involving many more casualties than the Americans had incurred, including a large number of officers. The battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle. This is considered to be the turning point of the journey to freedom. -
Paine's "Common Sense"
The first official published document ever to ask for independence from Britain. This pamphlet was significant because it was written specifically for the common people.
Common Sense made public a persuasive and impassioned case for independence, which before the pamphlet had not yet been given serious intellectual consideration. Popularity spread across the Thirteen Colonies, which stimulated the concepts on morals within the government, and the mechanisms of democracy. -
The Virginia Declaration of Rights
The importance of the Virginia Declaration of Rights is that it was the first constitutional protection of individual rights and it served as a blueprint for later founding documents. Thomas Jefferson quotes it in the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. -
Debates & Revision
Thomas Jefferson presented the declaration of independence to Congress on July 1st. The delegates debated over parts of it. The middle colonies weren't in favor of any declaration of independence. On the first vote, only nine colonies voted in favor of declaring independence. On July 2nd Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence was accepted. -
The Signing of the Declaration
Made by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence was officially published on July 4th, 1776 after much revision and debate. It announced that the thirteen American colonies, would regard themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer under British rule. -
The Battle of Saratoga
Fought during 18 days, the two battles of Saratoga was the turning point of the war, as the French become an ally of Americans changing the outcome of the war. The French provided weapons and aid to the Americans making the Brotish push back as they suffered huge casualties. By the tenth day, the British surrendered and France officially joined the cause. -
Surrender of Yorktown
During this battle, the French joined forces with the colonists by using their navy to block the British from bringing supplies and reinforcements. During a three week non-stop bombardment using both cannons and artillery, British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown, ending the war for independence. Although the war persisted on the high seas and in other locations, the victory at Yorktown ended fighting within the American colonies. -
Signature of the Treaty of Paris
This treaty ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the Colonies. The treaty document was signed in Paris, France, by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and other representatives.
