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Proclamation of 1763
At the end of the French and Indian war, the British issued a proclaimation. King George the third issued this proclaimation to forbid colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. The goal if the British was to put a stop to conflicts that had arisen between Native Americans and the colonists due to the French and Indian War. Colonists were able to get the boundry line pushed farther west. This rose tensions between Great Britian and the colonies. -
Sugar Act
This act forced everyone in America to pay a three cent tax on all sugar products. It also increased taxes on coffee, indiago, and wine. This act marked the start of a new British policy designed to raise more income in colonies. The law cut the duty on foreign malasses in half. -
Stamp Act
In March of 1765 British parliament passed the Stamp Act that placed a tax on newspapers, pamplets, legal documents and most other printed materials. It required that an official goverment stamp be printed on or attached to these materials to show that the tax had been paid. This tax was estimated to raise enough money to keep British troops in America. -
Townshend Acts
These acts imposed duties on glass, lead, prints, papers, and tea imported to the colonies. Townshend hoped the acts would defray imperial expenses in the colonies. Many Americans viewed the taxation as an abuse of power. This resulted in the passage of agreements to limit imports from Britian. -
Boston Massacure
A small unrly crowd threatened a squad of British soilders resulting in the soilders opening fire to the crowd. The disagreement left 5 colonists dead or dying in the snow. The next day, authorities arrested a british officer and 8 soilders and charged them with murder. After this huge event, parliament cancelled the the townshend taxes. Then, in 1772, Adams, James Otis, and other bostonians formed a commitee of corespondence. -
Tea Act
Parliment passed the tea act to help the struggling British East India company. The law gave the company right to sell it's tea in America without paying normal taxes. This act made the East India Company's tea less expensive than smuggled tea. This event drove American tea merchants out of business which soon enough led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
During the month of May in 1773, parliament passed the Tea Act. This specific law gave the British India Company right to sell tea in America without paying normal taxes. When the tea arrived in November of 1773, several colonial port cities refused to let ships dock. Then on December 16th of 1773 colonists were disguised as Indians while boarding three tea ships in Boston and broke open every crate and dumped all the tea into the harbor. -
Coercive Acts
After the Boston tea party, parlimanet decided to punish Boston and all of Massachsetts. They did this with a series of laws known as the Coercive Acts. One of the laws limited town meeting to once a year. Another one of the laws suspended the Massachusetts general court. These laws eventually led to the meetings of the First Continental Congress. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was held in Carpenter's Hall in Philidephia. Representatives attended this congress from all colonies except Georgia to protest against the Intolerable Acts. Some of the people who attended this congress were Samuel Adams, James Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry. The congress voted to cut off colonial trade with Great Britian. -
Concord & Lexington Battle
The battles of Lexington & Concord signaled the start of the revolutionary war. Captain John Parker led the battle of Lexington even though they were up against a larger British force led by Major John Pitcairn. The gunshot in Lexington was the first shot of the American Revolution and the start of the war. After the fled from Lexington, the British marched to the city of Concord and searched the town for the miltia's hidden stash of weapons and munitions. -
Second Continental Congress
This congress was held in Philidelphia. During this congress, they created the Continental army so the colonists met the military threats of the British. The congress comissioned George Washington of Virgina to be the supreme comander. Congress also appointed a standing commitee to conduct relations with foreign goverments. -
Battle Of Bunker Hill
The Americans occupied two hills north of Boston. General Gage then decided that the rebels must be driven from these strategic groups. Then, on June 7th of 1775 the British army finally attacked. The British then launched a second assult and then also a third. General William Howe lead the British to success during the Battle of Bunker Hill. -
Declaration of Independence
Delegates joined in on voting to approve the Declaration of Independence in July 4th of 1776. The declaration was divided into four parts which are the preamble, declaration of rights, complaints, and the resolution. This document declared the nation's independence. It also defined the basic principles in which American goverment and society would rest. -
Battle of Trenton
Washington abandoned the tradition of fighting in the winter of 1776 by fighting a battle in Trenton, New Jersey. 2,400 troops were ferried across the ice covered Deleware River in small boats. Washington's forces overpowered the Hessians by soldiers breaking ranks, eventually fleeing from the fighting.Then, the next morning, British troops lead by Cornwallis spotted Washington's army and attacked in the Battle of Princetown. -
Battle of Saratoga
In mid September, the Americans led by General Horation Gates attacked Burgoyne's forces. These series of victories took place in Saratoga, New York and is also known as the turning point of the Revolutionary War. On October 17th of 1777, 5,895 British and Hessian troops surrendered their arms. General John Burgoyne had lost 86 percent of his force that had triumphantly marched into New York from Canada in the early summer of 1777.
