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French and Indian War
A war between the French and Native Americans over land. The French were more interested in taking the land for themselves by force rather than settling and sharing. Great Britain already had 200,000 acres in Ohio and were sending colonists over but the French had bulit Fort Duquesne. Great Britain sent an army to evict the French. French victory. -
Writ of Assistance
A general search warrant that allowed Bristish customs officials to search any colonial ship or building they believed to hold smuggling goods. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris officially ended the war between Great Britain and France. Britain took control of Canda, all of North America, east of Mississippi river,and Florida from spain (allied with France). Spain kept possession of its lands west of Mississippi and the city of New Orleans. France retained control of a few islands and small colonies near Newfoundland, and West Indies. -
Proclamation of 1763
A way to avoid further conflicts with the Natives, the British government established a proclamation line along the Appalachians, which the colonists were prohibited to cross. however the proclamation was not a success -
Sugar Act and Colonists Response
Prime Minister, George Grenville concluded that colonists were smuggling goods into the country without paying taxes. The Sugar Act did three things: halved the taxes of foreign-made molasses, so colonists would pay lower tax rather than smuggling, placed taxes on certain imports, provided accused colonists of violating the act to be tried in a vice-admiralty court rather than a colonial court. colonists did not agree . -
Stamp Act and Colonists Response
Parliament passed act which imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as, wills, newspaper, and playing cards. the stamp proved the tax had been paid. conlonists united to get rid of the law and was later repealed. lasted a year. -
Sons of Liberty is Formed and Samuel Adams
Sons of Liberty: A secret resistance group formed by Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laberors to protest the law.
Samuel Adams:One of the founders of the Sons of Liberty who boycotted the British goods. -
Declaratory Act
The same day the Stamp Act was repealed they created this new act which asserted Parliament's full right to "bind the colonies and people of America in all cases whatsoever". -
Townshed Acts, Colonists Response, and why they were repealed
Leading government minister, Charles Townshed, passed this act which taxed goods that were imported into the colony from Britain, such as, lead, glass, paint, and paper; also taxed tea. colonists protest "taxation without representation". was repealed because of boycotts. -
John Locke's Social Contract
maintained that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property. The idea of the social contract was an agreement in which people consent to choose and obey a government as long as it guards their natural rights. If the government tried violating by taking away or interfering with those rights, the people had the right to resist, even over throw the government. -
Boston Massacre
a mob gathered in front of the Boston Customs House and taunted the British soldiers and war began between colonists and the British soliders. all due to the taxes. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed in order to save the nearly bankrupt British East India Co. Granted the company the right to sell tea to the colonies free of the taxes that colonial tea sellers had to pay. -
Boston Tea Party
An action against three British tea ships anchored in the harbor in which the Boston rebels disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped 18,000 pounds of the East India Co. tea into the waters of the Boston harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
When King George III pressed Parliament to pass an act, they responded by passing a series of measures in which the first law shut down Boston harbor. Second law known as the Quartering Act, authorized British commanders to house soldiers in vacant private homes and other buildings. General Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of British forces in North America later placed Boston under martial law that was a rule imposed by military forces to keep the peace. -
First Contiental Congress Meets
Fifty six delegates who met in Philadelphia and discussed a declaration of colonial rights to defend the colonies' right to run their own affairs. It stated, if the British used force against the colonies, the colonists should fight back. -
MinuteMen
Cilivan soliders who pledged to be ready to fight against the British on a Minute's notice. Secertly they stocked on fireams and gunpowder. -
Midnight Riders: Revere, Dawes, Prescott
Colonists in Boston who were watching out for the king's troops "redcoats". -
Battle of Concord
On the same day as the Battle of Lexington, the British marched into Concord after their victory, but soon met with 3,000 to 4,000 minutemen assembled. The minutemen fired on the marching troops from behind stone walls and trees. Remaining British soliders retreated back to Boston. Minutemen victory. -
Battle of Lexington
When General Thomas Gage found out about the First Continental Congress, he ordered troops to march from boston to nearby Concord, Massachusetts. 700 British troops batteled against 70 minutemen. British commander ordered the minutemen to lay down and leave their weapons, they refused and someone fired the first shot causing the British soliders to fire back. The war went on for 15 minutes. Redcoats victory. -
Continental Army
Despite the differences the congress agreed to recognize the colonial militia. George Washington is appointed as commander. -
Second Continental Congress
Held in Philadelphia by the colonial leaders to discuss their next move. Some delegates called for independence, while others argued for reconciliation (make peace) with Great Britain. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This war was actually fired on Breed's hill which was located north of the city Bunker Hill. Gage sent 2,400 British soldiers up the hill where thecolonists had held their fire until the last minute. when the war ended, colonists lost 450 men, while the British lost over 1,000. Battle of Bunker Hill was proved the deadliest battle. -
Olive Branch Petition
Congress sent the king the petition, urging a return to "the former harmony" between Britain and the colonies. King George III rejected then issued a proclamation stating that the colonies were in rebellion and urged parliament to order a naval blockade to isolate a line of ships meant for the American coast. -
Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists: Those who opposed independence and remained loyal to the British king (judges, governors, and modest people). Patriots: Supporters of independence drew their numbers from people who saw political and economic opportunity in an independent America. -
Publication of Common Sense
Thomas Paine a recent immigrant wrote a 50-paged pamphlet attacking King George and the Monarchy. Argued that responsibility for British tyranny lay with "the royal brute of Britain." explained his own revolt against the king had begun with Lexington and Concord. Declared that independence allowed America to trade more freely and that American colonists would have thechance to create a tyranny free society. Equal social and economic opportunites. Sold nearly 500,000 copies. -
Declaration of Independence
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Summary: Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness to be unalienable rights(can never be taken away)
- Gov. power can only come from the consent of the governed, gov. denies those rights, the people have the right to abolish the gov.
- All men are equal -
Redcoats push Washington’s army across Delaware River into Penn.
Where: New York City British sailed into New York with a force of about 32,000 soldiers including Hessians. Continental Army attempted to defend New York, but the untrained and poorly equipped colonial troops soon retreated. -
Washington’s Christmas night surprise attack
Where: Trenton, New jersey Washington led 2,400 soldiers and defeated a garrison of Hessians (German mercenaries or hired soldiers) in a surprise attack. -
Saratoga
General John Burgoyne planned to lead an army down a route of lakes from Canada to Albany where he would meet British troops as they arrived from New York City. The two regiments would thn meet up and join forces to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies.
Fortunately, militiamen and solidersfrom the Continental Army gathered from New York/ New England, Burgoyne didn't realize the British officers were holding off Philidelphia ad weren't coming to meet him, so they surrendered. -
French-American Alliance
French allianced with the Americans after they believed the Americans could win the war after the Saratoga victory. -
Valley Forge
Events took place in Paris, but Washington and his troops were desperately low on food and supplies. They fought to survive in the harsh winter in camp Valley Forge, Pennslyvania. More than 2,000 soliders died. -
Friedrich von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette
Friedrich Von Steuben: Prussian captain helped to train the Continental Army Maruis de Lafayette: lobbied France for French reinforcements in 1779. Led a command in virginia and with the help of European military leaders the Continental Army became an effective fighting force. -
British victories in the South
1) Savannah, Georgia was easily taken 2) Their greatest victory of the war, the British under Generals Henry Clinton and Charles Cornwallis captured Charlestwon, South Carolina. (May 1780) -
British surrender at Yorktown
Lafayette and Washington heard about Cornwallis's action and moved south toward Yorktown. A French naval force defeated a British fleet then blocked the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British on the Yorktown peninsula and attacked day and night. -
Treaty of Paris
Began in Paris in 1782. Adams, Jay of New York and Benjamin Franklin all signed the treaty which confirmed U.S. independence and set boundaries of the new nation. Stretching the United States from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida border