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French and Indian War
France and Great Britain both owned territory in the North America. The Ohio river valley, located near Pennsylvania and Virginia was an area of contention between France and Great Britain. In 1754, the French built a fort in the area (Fort Duquesne) while the British colony of Virginia had already granted 200,000 acres of land in that area to British colonists. Virginia sent in the militia to remove the French settlers of Fort Duquesne. This event started a war between France and Great Britain -
French and Indian War pt. 2
Natives help both France and Great Britain in the fight for land. The war officially ended in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain took Canada, all of North America east of the Mississippi river, and Florida (From Spain). France maintained control of a few colonies. -
Writ of Assistance
A general search warrant that allowed British customs officials to search any colonial ship or building they believed to be holding smuggled goods -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty that officially ended the French and Indian War in 1763 that granted Great Britain all of Canada , Florida from Spain, and virtually all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Allowed Spain to keep possession of its lands west of the Mississippi and the city of New Orleans. France retained control of only a few islands and small colonies near Newfoundland, in the West Indies, and elsewhere. -
Proclamation of 1763
A mandate by the British government that prevented colonists from crossing the Appalachian Mountains to avoid further conflict with Native Americans -
Sugar Act & Colonist's Response
A mandate by the british government as a result of accumulated debt during the French and Indian War. The act halved the duty on foreign made molasses in the hopes that colonists would pay the lower tax, It placed duties on certain imports that had not been taxed before. Most important, it provided that colonists accused of violating the act would be tried in Vice-admiralty court rather than colonial court. Merchants and traders were outraged. -
Stamp Act & Colonist's response
Imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspapers, and playing cards. Such items were marked by a stamp, proving it had been paid. This was the first tax that affected colonists directly because it was levied on goods and services. Colonists responded by boycotting british goods until the Act was repealed in 1766 -
Sons of Liberty is Formed & Samuel Adams Declaratory Act
A resistance group organized by Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers. Sam Adams declared they boycott British goods once again. -
Townshend Acts & colonist's response repealed
Britain taxes certain colonial imports and stations troops at major colonial ports to protect customs officers. Colonists protest "taxation without representation" and organize a new boycott of imported goods. -
Boston Massacre
Taunted by an angry mob, British troops fire into the crowd, killing five colonists. Colonial agitators label the conflict a massacre and publish a dramatic engraving depicting the violence. -
Tea Act
Britain gives the E.I.C. special concessions in the colonial tea business and shuts out colonial tea merchants. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists in Boston detest the Tea Act by dumping 18,000 pounds of E.I.C. tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
King George III tightens control over Massachusetts by closing Boston Harbor, quartering troops, and appointing General Thomas Gage the governorship of Massachusetts. Boston was placed under martial law. -
First Continental Congress meets
Fifty-six delegates meet in Philadelphia and draw up a declaration of colonial rights. -
Minutemen
Civilian soldiers who pledged to be ready to fight against the British on a minute's notice -
Midnight riders: Revere, Dawes, Prescott
Paul Revere, WIlliam Dawes, and Samuel Prescott ride out to spread the word that 700 British troops were headed for Concord. -
Battle of Lexington
Minutemen engage the British troops in battle at Lexington for a battle that lasts only fifteen minutes -
Battle of Concord
Redcoats marching back to Boston were ambushed by about 3,500 minutemen and British soldiers fell by the dozen. This branded the american colonies as outright enemies of the crown that now held Boston and its encampment of British troops under siege. -
Second Continental Congress
A second continental congress called by colonial leaders; some delegates called for independence while others argued for reconciliation with the crown. -
Continental Army
Designated the Continental Army at the Second Continental Congress, the former colonial militia also recognized George Washington as its commander -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Thomas Gage ordered 2,400 troops to ascend Breed's Hill where colonists waited to fire until the last second. In the end, 450 patriots died, a miniscule number compared to the 1,000 british casualties. -
Olive Branch Petition
A petition sent to King George III urging a return to "the former harmony" between Britain and the colonies. -
John Locke's social contract
An english enlightenment philosopher that maintained that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Furthermore, he contended, every society is based on a social contract---an agreement in which the people consent to choose and obey the government so long as it safeguards their natural rights. -
Publication of "Common Sense"
Written by recent immigrant and critic of the crown, Thomas Paine, Common Sense was pivotal in the shifting of colonist's minds towards Independence. Essentially, it was a fifty-page pamphlet criticizing Great Britain and listing the benefits of independence. -
Declaration of Independence
A document that declared rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" "unalienable" and that officially declared the United States free from the British crown. -
Redcoats push Washington's army across the Delaware River back into Pennsylvania
In late August, while attempting to defend New York, the Continental Army was forced to fall back across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania by late Fall. Washington's untrained and poorly equipped army was no match for the British superpower. -
Washington's Christmas Night surprise attack
Washington led 2,400 men by rowboats across the icy Delaware river in the face of a fierce storm as a desperate grasp for victory. They then marched to Trenton, New Jersey and defeated a garrison of Hessians in a surprise attack. The Hessians were caught off guard and unable to regroup. -
Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists were mostly made up of judges and governors, those who opposed independence and remained loyal to the British king. Patriots were supporters of independence who drew their numbers from people who saw economic opportunity in an independent america. -
Saratoga
British General John Burgoyne's plan was to lead an army from Canada to Albany, New York, and link up with new arrivals from Great Britain. The two regiments would then join forces to isolate New England. Unfortunately they traveled through heavily forested areas, right where the patriots wanted them. Militiamen and Soldiers from the Continental Army constantly barraged the British. When it became evident british reinforcements were not arriving, Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga. -
French-American alliance
The Saratoga victory bolstered France's belief that the Americans could win the war. As a result, the French signed an alliance with the Americans and openly joined them in their fight. -
Valley Forge
While the French aid inspired hope in the young nation, soldiers fought to stay alive during winter camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. 2,000 men died, yet the survivors didn't desert. Their endurance and suffering filled Washington's letters to the congress and his friends. -
Friedrich von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette
Von Steuben, a Prussian captain and talented drillmaster, helped to train the continental army. Marquis de Lafayette lobbied France for French reinforcements in 1779, and led a command in Virginia in the last years of the war. With the help of such European military leaders, the Continental Army became an effective fighting force. -
British victories in the South
The british shifted their operations to the South in 1779, where they easily took Savannah, Georgia. Later in 1780, under the leadership of Generals Henry Clinton and Charles Cornwallis, the british captured Charles Town, South Carolina. Strong leadership and poorly defended regions granted Britain their victories. -
British Surrender at Yorktown
After learning of Cornwallis' actions, the Continental Army moved south toward Yorktown. Meanwhile, a French victory over a british flotilla allowed the FRench to form a blockade around Chesapeake bay. By late September, 17,000 French and British troops endlessly bombarded the British at Yorktown. Less than a month later, Cornwallis surrendered and America shocked the world. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris confirmed U.S. Independence and set the boundaries of the new nation. John Adams, John Jay, and Benjamin Franklin were the negotiators. The United States now stretch from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida border.
