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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus arrives in America
His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited. His first stop was the Canary Islands where the lack of wind left his expedition becalmed until September 6. -
Period: to
The Revolutionary Era 1750-1783
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The French and Indian War
British and French fight for control on parts of land in North America. -
Proclamation of 1763
The King forbade any colonist from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains with this new law. -
The Sugar Act
On April 5, 1764, Parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar and Molasses Act (1733), which was about to expire. The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses from six pence to three pence per gallon, while Grenville took measures that the duty be strictly enforced. The act also listed more foreign goods to be taxed including sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, cambric and printed calico, and further, regulated the export of lumber and iron. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British government. The act, which imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Years’ War (1756-63) and looking to its North American colonies as a revenue source. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an act of civil disobedience, and it was to show the British a little bit of what they were capable of. Many patriots felt that the British weren't really being very good, and that they wouldn't buy anything from the British anymore, so the colonists showed their refusal. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a document, which identifies the unalienable rights of everyone, as well as the grievances that the colonists faced from the king (King George lll). -
Washington corssed Delaware
George Washington crosses the Delaware river and leads a surprise attack against the Hessians in Trenton, New Jersey. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. -
Valley Forge
The 12,000 men and women of the Continental Army who arrived in Valley Forge on December 19, 1777 with Commander In Chief, General George Washington, were half-starved and no longer believed they could win a war of independence from Britain. -
Battle of Monmouth
The army of British and German troops against American Continental troops and militia. The patriots, General Washington, won the battle of Monmouth. -
Battle of Long Island
More than 1,400 Americans were killed wounded, or captured. The rest retreated to Manhatten. The British pursued. TO avoid capture, Washington hurried north. -
Battle of Yorktown
General Cornwallis had low supplies, and causilities mounting, he thought that the situation was hopeless. The British had lost the battle of Yorktown.
