-
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act put taxes on imported sugar and molasses. It was the first act put to raise money specififcally on the colonists. They made it so when someone was accused of smuggling any of these goods, they were treated as guilty until proven innocent. It upset the colonists and started the idea that the British government had no right to tax them without their consent. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act made the colonits pay for an official stamp for paper item purchases. The punishment for not buying the stamps was a fine or even jailtime. This was the first direct tax on the colonists. The colonists protested against this almost immediately, and the Sons of Liberty were born. -
Boston Massacre
The tension between the colonists and the British exploded in the Boston Massacre. The colonits were in an angry mob yelling at the British and daring them to strike. Then, some of the soldiers fired. Three of the victims were killed immediately, and the other two died in a few days. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act made the colonists have only one option when it came to buying tea: from the British East India Company. The British thought that the cheaper tea from the company could encourage the colonists to stop smuggling. However, the Sons of Liberty still knew there was a tax in there, so they refused to buy the tea. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was the Sons of Liberty's response to the Tea Act. When the ships wouldn't leave the Boston Harbor, they went on the ships filled with barrels of tea and they took the barrels of tea. Then they dumped them into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts, or the Coercive Acts, are a series of acts that the British used to punish the colonists. They were made mainly to punish the colonists in Boston. They took away the Massachusetts charter, closed the Boston Harbor, and some other things. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of the colonial leaders who were struggling with their relationship with Great Britain. Some of them believed that war was unavoidable. Others thought they could still handle the matter peacefully. They compromised by encouraging the colonists to boycot British goods and by telling colonial militia to prepare for war. While that happened, they wrote the Declaration of Rights and didn't seek separation. They planned to meet again in 1775. -
Lexington & Concord
Lexington and Concord are the first battles of the Revolution. The British army went right through the minutemen at Lexington and went to Concord. Although the British won, they didn't find the supply of weapons they had in Concord. That enraged the British, so they burned a few buildings in response. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was the second meeting of the colonial leaders that represented a try in making a republic government for the colonies. They were still unsure as to whether or not they wanted to go to war, so they compromised again. They had made a Continental Army, while they wrote the Olive Branch Petition as a last attemp to make peace. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the early battles in the war that occured on Breed's Hill, Massachusetts. The British tried to battle their way up the hill twice and failed. However, they succeeded at their third attempt, since the Patriots were out of ammo and had to retreat. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was the last attemmpt to make peace with the British. However, the king didn't even look at it. Instead, it made him want to punish the colonists even more. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine. He wrote it to try to convince people that a country should be ruled by its citizens, not a king or a queen. It changed how a lot of colonists viewed the king. It caused more people to support the Revolution. -
Americans Drive British Out of Boston
George Washington got cannons from the captured Fort Ticonderoga and had them brought down to Boston. He strategically placed the cannons on Dorchester Heights, which overlooked Boston. In the morning, Howe saw the cannons and was scared out of Boston. -
Declaration of Rights
The Declaration of Rights was a document that was drafted by the First Continental Congress. It gave a list of 10 solutions to be presented to the king. Of those solutions were the colonists' rights of "life, liberty, and property." -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document that officially declared the separation of the colonists and the British. It stated why the colonists were separating from Great Britain. It also stated what the king has done wrong to force them into separation. -
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was George Washington's last chance to redeem himself and save the Revolution. He led the troops across the Deleware River on Christmas night. He surprised the Hessians and defeated them. It was one of the most important Patriot victories because it caused soldiers to re-enlist and others to apply. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga occured in New York. Burgoyne was trying to get to Albany to meet Howe. However, he got cut off by the Patriots headed north. Burgoyne was trapped and had to surrender to General Horatio Gates. -
Period: to
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was where George Washington and his troops camped during the winter of 1777-1778. The conditions were brutal and people died of sickness, malnutrition, and other things. The ones that survived trained under Baron von Steuben and became better soldiers. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the war. George Washington's and Comte de Rochambeau's troops surrounded Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia. When Cornwallis was about to be defeated, he surrendered, ending the war. -
Treaty of Paris(ending Revolutionary War)
The Treaty of Paris of 1783 officially ended the Revolutionary War. It officially declared the United States of America as an independent nation. It also set the borders of the United States.
