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Stamp Act
This Act was passed in March but went into complete effect in November. It was used in order to create money for the British to pay back for the war. This tax was put onto printed things like newspaper. These printed papers had stamps put on them in order to show they have been paid. The colonists were unhappy with this movement and began to revolt and boycotted all British goods. -
Protest of Stamp Act
During the protest colonists refused the pay the tax on printed goods like newspaper, petitions, and harassment and property damage. “No taxation without representation” became very popular among the colonists. On August 14, 1765 Americans bought stamped papers and hung an image of the tax collector and tore it to pieces. Similar actions like this were made in other areas with different tax collectors to show how unhappy the colonists are with the government and the people in charge. -
Gaspee Affair
A ship on its was to Providence, Rhode Island ran aground and this word reached Providence very quickly and 5 men lead by John Brown planned on attacking the ship. This group of men had captured the entire crew and watched as the group of men burnt down the ship. -
Committees of Correspondence Established
This was established in the spring of 1772 in order to communicate between colonies formed by Samuel Adams. The committee was established to spread word of American response to British policy. -
Boston Tea Party
American colonies invaded British ships when the colonists dressed up as Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This action occurred because colonists in Massachusetts were angered by the taxes that had been put onto tea. Highly taxed tea kept coming into the harbor and Governor Thomas Hutchinson was urged to send these ships back but he refused to do so, this lead to the colonists invading these ships. -
Coercive Act
The Coercive Acts also known as the Intolerable Acts were passed by the British government in 1774(the first on March 18), in order to control/stop the colonists’ unjust and wrong behavior during the Boston Tea Party. Four new laws were passed, one of which closed Boston Harbor and another banned town meetings. These rules were put in place to end the challenge of British authority and keep the peace. -
Quebec Act
This Act set up a government in Canada to protect and save the French Catholics. This act gave the governor and his council the power of legislates while Roman Catholic religion is allowed but criminal law was to be in English. This act made the Roman Catholic Church as the main church in Quebec. The act threatened the unity of British America and was a major cause of the Revolution and caused an invasion of Quebec by revolution colonies. -
First Continental Congress
Every colony sent a representative that the people voted for besides Georgia. They all came together because they wanted to find a way to unite and show their power against the British government. They all decided that the King must be able to understand the hardships of the colonies and that the majority of the people must communicate regularly within the colonies and Great Britain. This meeting ended on October 24,1774. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Revere was sent to ride to Lexington in order to warn that the British troops were planning on arresting them. On the way there he warned the countryside and 2 other riders joined him and they were all arrested by patrols and later released to witness the battle at Lexington. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
British troops wanted to capture Congress men and military weapons so they headed for Concord were they were stored. Revere and others warned the country people and on the 19th the British troops arrived in Lexington and a shot was fired so the British shot back. Then the troops continued onto Concord but found that many of the supplies were gone. They tried to escape but they were caught by the militia and were forced to retreat. -
George Washington Appointed General
He was appointed and chosen over other such as John Hancock because of his previous war experiences and ability to control the troops. Everyone also believed that if they chose an important leader from Virginia they would be able to unite the colonies together in order to conquer in wars. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This battle was the first time that the British defeated the Americans on June 17, 1775. This battle was fought because the Americans received word that the British wanted to take control of Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill so the Americans decided to stop this by invading these hills across from the Charles River. This was named after the hill, Bunker Hill that the Americans retreated and re-organized themselves on. -
Olive Branch Petition
On July 5, 1775 a bill was passed showing that colonists were loyal to the British king and it was the last attempt to create peace in the revolution. This act was also wanted to repeal the Intolerable Acts, but King George III did not approve and the colonists revolted. -
Proclamationn for Suppressing Rebellion and Sefition
King George III of Britain wanted to end rebellions and be aware of all that were forming. After the battles at Lexington and Concord, George wanted these rules to be present so that he will know of any rebellions forming. This article says that the colonies are in a state of war and are completely responsible for what happens. -
Second Continental Congress
This meeting started on May 10, 1776 when 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia to discuss future plans. This meeting was right after the battle of Lexington and Concord and the New England army was still trying to drive the British out of Boston. This meeting established the militia, Continental Army, representing the thirteen colonies. Also, George Washington was made Commander in Chief. -
Common Sence Published
This pamphlet was written by Thomas Paine and challenged the power of the British government. This piece of work was the start of asking for independence from Britain and made sense to the common colonists. Paine helped to unite the colonists that wanted to be free of the England’s taxes and their power. -
British Evacuate Boston
This happened on March 17, 1776 when the American won the first major victory in the Revolutionary War. General George Washington had cannons captured from Fort Ticonderoga which were aimed at the British homes and ships and the British General, William Howe, decided to not create more casualties and decided to flee from Boston with his troops. They then left and set up camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia. -
Writting of Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson was in charge of writing the document but had help from others such as Adams and Franklin. He began to write his draft on June 11 and continued to work on it until June 28 when it was submitted to the Continental Congress. The drafts were all combined together to create a more concrete draft and then the other gentlemen joined in and made small changes to improve the document. -
Declaration of Independence
This was written in order to give the colonists freedom and was a large symbol of liberty. It was writing starting on June 11,1776 and was written by Thomas Jefferson. This document stated all of the rights that people should have and provided a change in the government that stated they must listen to the people. -
British Pull out of Virginia
On October 17-19 1781 the British pulled out of Virginia. This happened during the battle in Yorktown Virginia when the British had experienced many casualties and weapons were limited. The British were hoping that more troops would come to provide assistance but they did not arrive in time so the British General attempted to escape but failed to do so because colonists saw them. On October 19, 1781 British leader Cornwallis signed the surrender agreement and they fled.
