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The French and Indian War
Lasting from 1754-1763, this battle against the British and the French was over the rights to the Ohio River Valley. The war ended with the British being victorious and the French being forced to leave colonial America. Although the British won, debt was a major issue which caused Britain to put taxes on its colonies. -
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Events Leading to the U.S. Revolution
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The Sugar Act
The first tax that Britain put on the colonies, the Sugar Act of 1764 put tax on sugar. Not only was it put into place to pay the debt that Britain had from the recent war, it was also put into place to address the smuggling of sugar. -
The Boston Tea Party
This event was a political protest of the Sons of Liberty in Boston in 1773. It was an attempt to destroy an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company in defience of the Tea Act. The Tea Act was a tax put into place by Britain that put taxes on tea and made colonists only aloud to buy tea from the East India Company. -
The Intolerable Acts
These were a series of laws passed by Britain after the Boston Tea Party. They were put into place in order to punish Massachusetts for their defience in boycotting the shipment of tea in Boston. These acts triggered and outrage and resistance from the colonists. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
These battles were the first military engagments of the Revolutionary War. These battles marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between Britain and the colonies. -
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence
This document, adopted by the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia on July 4, 1776, announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as newly independent sovereign states. -
The Battle of Trenton
The battle of Trenton was a battle of the Continental Army against the British. It was a surprise attack from America and was a huge success for the American colonists. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The battle of Saratoga was a huge turning point in the Revolutionary War. In this battle, the French made an allience with the colonists to fight te British. The British ended victorious. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The battle of Yorktown was the final battle of te Revolutionary War. This attack from the Continental Army caught the British off guard. The British ultimately surrendered and left America, leaving the colonies victorious. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by the three American negotiators, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, and David Harley, representing King George III. It was signed at the Hotel d'York in Paris. This document formally end the American War of Independence and recognized the former thirteen colonies as free and independent states.
