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French and Indian War
During the mid-1700s, the British and French fought this war for control of North America. The British later won this war, but at a high cost. -
The Stamp Act
This act was passed to help repay the debt from the French and Indian War, so the British government placed taxes on the colonists. The government placed stamps on packages (which cost money) that the colonists had to pay for on imports and exports. -
The Townshend Act
This act put taxes on things such as glass, paint, oil, lead, and paper. It was not passed long after The Stamp Act. This helped raise ￡40,000 a year for the administration of the colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
It was a street fight between a "Patriot" mob and a group of British soldiers throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks. The Boston Massacre was a signal event leading to the Revolutionary War. -
The Tea Act
The act was designed to prop up the East India company that was floundering financially and burdened with 18 million pounds of unsold tea. It never intended to raise revenue in the American and it imposed no new taxes. -
The Boston Tea Party
Radical townspeople stormed 3 ships carrying tea into the Boston Harbor. They tossed 342 chests of tea into the water while disguised as Native Americans. The damage in modern American dollars exceeded 3 quarters of a million dollars. https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/united_states_history_timeline.php -
Lexington and Concord
The colonists and British Soldiers exchanged shots at Lexington and Concord, the first battle of the American Revolution. This was known as "the shot heard around the world" -
The Declaration of Independence
The final draft of The Declaration of Independence was approved on this date. It explained why we should be free, listed the grievances we had with King George III and England's parliament, and it declared our independence. -
Battle of Yorktown
General George Washington, commanding a force of 17,000 French and continental troops, began the siege against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9,000 British troops at Yorktown. Cornwallis later surrendered to Washington in the field, effectively ending the war for independence. -
US Constitution
This document established their basic structure of our government. It created a government in which the people hold the power; they elect their own representatives, as shown in the first three words (We the people). The Constitution is divided into the preamble, the articles, and the amendments. The Bill of Rights was later added to the Constitution as the first 10 amendments in 1791. -
Louisiana Purchase
This was a deal between the US and France, in which the US acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million -
The War of 1812
This was between the US and Great Britain. It was fought over the right of neutral countries to participate in foreign trade without the interference of other nations. This war ended in 1815 and proved inconclusive, with both countries agreeing to revert to their prewar status as much as possible. -
The Battle of the Alamo
This was a 13 day siege at a mission in San Antonio that was fought by Mexican forces of about 4,000 under President General Santa Anna against a handful of 180 American rebels fighting for Texan independence from Mexico. Ultimately, the Texans defeated Santa Anna’s army and Texas won it’s independence from Mexico, becoming the Republic of Texas -
The Civil War
This war was also known as the war between the states. It was between the United States (the “Union” do the North) and several Southern slave states that had declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America. The war began because the northern states wanted to abolish slavery. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle had the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is often described as the war’s turning point. On the third day of this battle, General Lee and the Confederate army retreated.
