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Period: to
American Revolution
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Navigation Acts
(1650-1763) Restricted colonial trade, manufacturing, and shipping. The Colonial Response--Smuggling, evasion, and disregarded restrictions. -
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790) Franklin left school at the age of ten and later became a wealthy businessman, inventor, journalists, scientist, and statesman. After independence was declared, he went to France where he forged an alliance that helped win the war. In 1783, he was one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution. -
Samuel Adams
(1722-1803) Adams was a political activist and organizer of the rebellion agaianst British policies. He spoke and wrote articles agaianst British restrictions in Massachusetts. He was a leader of the Boston Tea Party, attended the First Continental Congress, and signed the Declaration of Independence. -
George Washington
(1732-1799) Washington, a Virginia plantation owner, was an army officer in the French and Indian War. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and led the colonies to independence when the British surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown. -
Thomas Paine
(1737-1809) Paine arrived in the colonies in 1775, and early in 1776, wrote a pamphlet entitled "Common Sense." It became a best seller overnight. Paine urged colonials to revolt and form an independent, democratic republic. His arguments were so persuasive that many colonials pushed for Independence rather than reconciliation with Britain. -
King George III
(1738-1820) George III was determined to restore power to the monarchy that had gradually eroded as Parliament become more dominant. To maintain control of his most valuable colonies, he waged an aggressive policy agaianst colonial resistance. Colonial grievances against George III are listed in the second part of the Declaration of Independence. -
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826) Jefferson, a Virginia plantation owner, was an early leader of the Revolution. He wrote political pamphlets opposing British restrictions on the colonists. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolution he served in the Virginia Legislature and as governer of Virginia. -
Period: to
American Revolution
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Sugar Act
Duty placed on sugar from the West Indies to raise revenue for Britain. Colonial Response--Colonial protest led to lower duties. -
Stamp Act
Required the use of stamped papers and articles showing that tax had been paid. Colonial Response--Protested taxation by Parliament without colonial representation and Stamp Act repealed. -
Quartering Act
Required certain colonies to provide food and housing for British soldiers. Colonial Response--Colonial assemblies refused to comply with the act. -
Townshend Acts
Light taxation on glass, lead, paper, and tea. Colonial Respones--Smuggling, resisting British troops which resulted in the Boston Massacre, and refusing to import goods. -
Boston Massacre
The murder of five colonists by British regulars. The regulars fired upon the crowd because they thought the colonists were trying to attack the soldiers. In self deffense, they shot and killed five innocent colonists. John Adams stood up for the soldiers, but two of them were convicted of murder -
Enforcement of Tea Tax
East India Company was given a monopoly for colonial tea business with small tax. Colonial Response--Tea ships and cargos destroyed by colonials in Boston and Annapolis. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a response to the Tea Act. The colonist dressed up like Mohawks and threw 342 boxes of tea off the boats. They did this because they didn't like how the British were taxing the tea. -
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
Many rights of Massachusetts dissolved: assembly, town mettings, jury trials, port of Boston closed. Colonial Response--Colonial representatives met in the first Continental Congress to protest the acts and called for a complete boycott of British goods. -
Quebec Act
Extended Quebec to Ohio River, did not provide trial by jury or right of assembly, and recognized Catholic religion in Quebec. Colonial Response--Colonials protested the extension of Quebec into lands where British colonists expected to settle. -
The First Continental Congress
It was a convention of delegates of the twelve British North American colonies. They met occasionally and they talked about the economy and how they could make a better society for the people. -
Patrick Henry's " Give me liberty or give me death " speech
Patrick Henry gave a speech to the Continental Congress and the President. He wanted them to go to war with Britain and win their independence. -
The Rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes
Revere and Dawes were mostly watch men for Colonials. Revere and Dawes heard about the British coming to find Samuel Adams and John Hancock, so they got on horseback and rode to Lexington and yelled "The regulars are coming!" When Adams and Hancock heard they got the minute men ready to fight. -
Battle of Lexington & Concord
The British army attempted to put down an insurrection in Massachusetts before it started. They sent troops to seize stores of colonial gunpowder and capture leaders of the rebellion. Shots were fired causing casualties on both sides and the Revolution began. -
The Second Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convetion of delegates by the Thirteen Colonies. When they got together, they talked about how they could fight the war and gain independence. They talked about the stategies and tactics they could use to win independence from Britain. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The battle was fought for many days, but the British won in the end. The colonials had 1,200 men under William Prescott. They were low on ammunition, so they told the soldiers "don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!" This tactic saved them for many days until they couldn't hold the line any longer. The rebels had 800 wounded and 226 dead including a large number of officers. -
Declaration of Independence
Jefferson wrote that when a form of government destroys the rights of the people it governs, they have a right to alter or abolish it. However, they should not take change lightly and should declare reasons why seperation is the only recourse. He directed it to King George III because he made the decisions he did. -
Battle of Saratoga
This great American victory over the British proved to be the turning point in the war. It led to a military alliance with France followed by aid from Spain, Holland, and other European countries. -
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was a camp site where George Washington and his troops stayed over the winter. It was a victory but they didn't have to fight at all. George Washington made them march to get them ready. One third of the men didn't have shoes, and when they marched they left bloody foot prints because of the cold weather. The women helped by bringing them supplies, but it didn't do much. The men got sick, but eventually recovered and won. -
Articles of Confederation
In establishing a new government , colonials had to decide where sovereignty rested--with a central government or with the states. Framers of the Articles established a weak Congress, but no executive branch. The guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. -
Battle of Yorktown
Four years after Saratoga, despair was widespread and the government was nearly bankrupt. Some soldiers threatened mutiny over back pay. In the fall, aided by the French army and fleet, Washington won a great battle at Yorktown and accepted the surrender of the main British army under Cornwallis. -
Treaty of Paris
Fearing French and Spanish interests in acquiring territory in North America, the British made a speedy and liberal agreement with the Americans. The treaty provided for generous boundaries and the recognition of independence.
