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Proclamation of 1763
After the end of the French and Indian War, King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763. It forbade the colonists from settling to the West of the Appalachian Mountains in order not to make any contact with the French and Native Americans. Having been shut out of the vast wild West, the colonists was furious. They decided to ignore and continue to move West, violated the Proclamation Line. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act lowered half of the duty on foreign-produced molasses in attempt to discourage colonists from smuggling. Also, it provided increased revenues to fund enlarged British Empire responsibilities following the French and Indian War. Although the stricter enforcement made it more dangerous and risky for the colonists to smuggle, the act didn't effectively work and colonists were still smuggling foreign-produced molasses into the countries. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act imposed a direct tax on the Thirteen Colonies and require every printed material to carry an embossed revenue stamp. These included legal documents, licence, pamphlet, newspapers, and many other types of paper. The colonists reacted furiously and the Sons of Liberty were born, founded by Samuel Adams and start to repeal by assaulting stamp distributor, custom worker and sometimes royal governor. Very soon, all were forced to resign, and the tax was never effectively collected. -
Repeal of Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was repealed as a matter of expedience. However, the Declaratory Act was issued afterward as an act of power assertion from the Parliament. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred when British soldiers open fire on a group of American colonists on the night street of Boston. Earlier, a fight for jobs between colonists and poorly paid soldiers broke out. Later on, more colonists and soldiers were gathered at the fight and the soldiers ended up shooting at the angry mob, killing five men. Immediately, Samuel Adams and other colonial activists labeled this event the Boston Massacre, making the British looked bad in the eyes of the colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
On the edge of bankruptcy, the British East Indian Company was granted the right to sell tea without paying taxes by the British prime minister, Lord Frederick North. However, instead of buying the cheaper tea, the colonists protested and took matter into their own hands. Dressed up as Indians, the colonists dumped 343 chests of tea at a cost of $18,000 pound, which worth over $1 million today, into the water of Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed by the British Parliament after the Boston Tea Party. Boston Harbor was shut down and Boston was placed under martial law were the acts of restoring the British authorities in Massachusetts. In September 1774, 56 delegates met at the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia and clearly stated that the colonies would fight back if the British used force against them. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were between British soldiers (Redcoats), who wanted to take away the colonists' weapons and arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams on the way to Concord, and American colonists. After a one-man lost battle in Lexington, the Redcoats moved back to Boston from Concord and were ambushed by 400 minutemen. As a result, 250 Redcoats died while only 90 minutemen were killed. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a political document adopted by the Second Continental Congress that announced the breakaway of Britain from the Thirteen Colonies. It is based on the ideas of English philosopher, John Locke. Base on his theory, the three basic rights that can not be deprived of human life are the right to live, to be free and to possess. The declaration was signed by representatives of the Thirteen Colonies, forming an independent nation, the United States of America. -
Battles of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga marked the turning point in the American Revolution. The first battle on September 19th was a small victory for the British, comparing to the damage they took. As a result, on the second battle, the British was no match for the superior American forces, retreated to Saratoga on October 7th and finally surrender ten days after. The army was accorded the traditional honors of war as they marched to surrender and was kept in captivity until the end of the war. -
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army. After losing Philadelphia to the hands of the British, George Washington and his wounded soldiers set camp in Valley Forge in hope of surviving through winter. The injured hardly made it and others were suffering from extreme conditions. After six months, 1700 to 2000 soldiers died due to the cold, food shortages and diseases. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolution. General Cornwallis chose Yorktown, at the mouth of Chesapeake, as his base, just as the French also departed St. Domingue for the Chesapeake Bay. George Washington saw the chance, ordered the American troops to block Cornwallis' escape by land while the French block his escape by sea. By September 28th, Yorktown was completely surrounded and after three weeks, the British surrendered and started ending the war.
