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The war was fought between the colonies of British America and the French over land in the upper Ohio River Valley area. The war started in 1754 and ended in 1763. The British won and added territory to the British colonies in America. The war doubled British national debt and therefore the British taxed the American colonists to pay for the war debt. The increase in taxes angered the colonists. -
The Proclamation of 1763 was a British announcement that declared the American colonists were not allowed to settle on the lands that were won in the French and Indian War. The line was drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists were not allowed to settle west of the proclamation line. This upset the colonies because they felt Britain was trying to control them.
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The Sugar Act was the first tax on the American colonists on imported sugar and molasses. The act was passed by the British Parliament to help pay off the French and Indian war debt. This tax upset the colonists and resulted in boycotts of British goods. -
The Stamp Act was a law passed by the British Parliament requiring that all printed materials had to carry a stamp. The stamp cost money which upset the colonists and they pushed to boycott British goods. This was the first time the colonists acted together to get the act repealed.
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The Townshend Revenue Act was the second act of the Townshend Acts. It created a tax on glass, lead, paint, oil, and paper imposed on the colonists by Britain. The colonists were angry about the taxes and protested and organized boycotts of British goods. -
The Boston Massacre was a fight in the street between colonists and British soldiers. The colonists were protesting the Townshend Acts. The fight got out of hand and three colonists were killed. The death of the colonists helped unite the colonists against Britain. -
After Britain created a tax on tea, the colonists dressed up as Native Americans and dumped shiploads of tea into the Boston Harbor. This event was important because the anger between the colonists and Britain increased. Britain responded with the Coercive Acts (American colonists called them the Intolerable Acts). After the Intolerable Acts, the colonists decided to fight back. -
The British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act in response to the Boston Tea Party. This was the first act of the Coercive Acts. The act closed the port of Boston as punishment to the colonists for dumping all the tea into the Boston harbor. The act angered the colonists and united them against Britain. -
The British Parliament passed the Massachusetts Government Act in response to the Boston Tea Party. The act took power away from the colonists that were governing Massachusetts. It gave more power to the governor of the state who was chosen by Britain. The colonists became more united in their anger against Britian. -
The First Continental Congress was a group of delegates (12 out of 13 colonies) that met in Philadelphia to coordinate resistance to the Intolerable Acts. This was important because it was the first time the colonists met in a government-type meeting to come together against the British.
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Patrick Henry was a colonist in Virginia who gave his famous speech to the Second Virginia Convention. In the speech, he said the state of Virginia should fight against the British. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were at the convention and heard the speech.
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Paul Revere was a colonist in Boston who was part of the Boston Tea Party. He also created a system of lanterns to warn the militia if the British were coming. On the night of April 18th, 1775 he rode his horse to Lexington to warn the militia leaders that the British were coming to attack. -
The battle of Lexington and Concord was fought between the British and the Massachusetts militia (who were called the minutemen). Not many minutemen were killed in the battle and it helped encourage the colonists that they could stand up to the strong British army. This battle is considered the start of the American Revolutionary War. -
Members from the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss and organize the war against Britain. The Congress elected George Washington to be the leader of the Continental Army. They also authorized the Declaration of Independence which stated the American colonists' independence from Britain. -
Thomas Jefferson was the Virginia representative at the Second Continental Congress. He was the main author of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson believed that the government should not interfere with the natural rights of people, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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This document declared independence for the 13 American colonies from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson and members of the Second Continental Congress wrote the document in Philadelphia. It was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776.
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John Hancock was the president of the Second Continental Congress and the first member to sign the Declaration of Independence. He signed his name the largest because he wanted people to read his name without needing spectacles.
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The Battle of Saratoga consisted of two battles - the Battle of Freeman’s Farm and the Battle of Bemis Heights. The Continental Army won the Battle of Saratoga and it helped to motivate the colonists in the war against the British. Also, other countries started to join the Continental Army to fight the British such as the French, Spanish and Dutch after Saratoga. -
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. It was written to define a central government for the colonies. The Articles of Confederation named the country “The United States of America.” Congress felt that the country needed a constitution to help keep the country strong to win the war against Britain.
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A treaty signed by Britain and the United States that officially ended the Revolutionary War. The treaty stated that the United States was free and independent of Britain. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams helped negotiate the treaty. This was the official document that ended the war and gave some British land to the United States (east of the Mississippi River).
