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The French And Indian War Begins
Link The French and Indian War was a conflict that was bound to happen. Both France and Britian had established colonies in America and were both hungry for power. When George Washington attacked Fort Meadows in May 1754, the war had begun. The Amerindians, loyal to the English, prevented the French from escaping while the colonists and Englsh Troops fought. The beginning of the war wasn't great for Britian but with a change of leadership they were able to obtain a victory over France. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War. Britain receives all land east of the Mississippi River. Howvere the colonists can't use the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Royal Proclamation
Link Once the English side had won the French and Indian War, the colonists felt they were entilted to the new land since they had fought so valiently. However England wanted a good relationship with the Amerindians so King George III issued the Royal Proclamation, which prevented colonial settlement on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act
Link Parliament had just placed a tax on all foreign refined sugar and prevented rum from being imported. even though this act only had a sall impact of some merchants, the colonists were very upset since this was the first time that Parliament taxed the colonists without their input. -
Stamp Act
Link Parliment placed a tax on every newspaper, pamphlet, and all other legal and public documents. The effected almost all of the colonists and they were angry that they now had to pay for something that they had gotten for free previously. -
Stamp Act Congress
Link 9 of the 13 colonies send delegates to New York to discuss the recent Stamp Act and other matters. They believed that only the colonial assemblies could tax the colonists and the Parliament and King George III and sent a message to England that eventually led to the repeal of the Stamp Act. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend acts were named after the English treasurer, Charles Townshend. These acts put a tax on tea, glass, lead, paint, and paper. Colonists didn't like this so they protested these taxes. These riots sometimes ended violently. Parliament eventually took away all of these taxes, besides the one on tea. But this led Britian to send more troops to the colonies to deal with the violence. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Masscre started with a small group of rebillious colonists taunting a British soldier by throwing snowballs at him. The British soldier that was on guard called for backup and soon things got violent. It ended with 5 people being killed, including a free black named Crispus Attacks. -
Boston Tea Party
Still mad about the tax on tea imported by the British East India Company, members of the Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This was the first of many displays of rebellion throughout the colonies. This angered King George III and Parliament. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a group of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia to talk about the Intolerable Acts. They wanted to make sure that King George III and Parliament understood that the colonies didn't agree with the passage of the Intolerable Acts and that they would meet again the next year if these matters were not fixed. -
Patrick Henry "Give me Liberty"
Link Henry wrote this speech to inspire the Amercian people and tell them of the rights that Britian is keeping from them. -
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
LinkPaul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott, and others rode to tell everyone that the British Regulars were moving from Boston to Lexington and Concord. They were looking for John Hancock and Samuel Adams and also weapons and ammunition that the colonists had collected to be ready to fight the British. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The British marched first to Lexington Green, where the local militia turned out to meet them. A shot from and unknown gun was fired scattering everyone. As the British went to Concord, militia companies from neighboring places joined the defense. At the Old North Bridge, the British turned back to Boston while the colonists fired from behind things along the way. -
Fort Ticonderoga
The Americans, led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, wanted to capture Fort Ticonderoga, and use its cannon to force the British to surrender. They captured it with ease in the early hours of the morning. They later used their captured artillery from the fort in the battle of Bunker Hill. -
Second Continental Congress Meets
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This group eventually drew up and approved the Declaration of Independence and ran the colonial war effort. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill happened when the British charged up the hill but the colonists kept them back twice. The thrid time the colonists ran out of ammunition and din't hold their defense. The battle actually took place on Breed's Hill. -
"Common Sense" Published
Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense hoping to convince the American people, and the Second Continental Congress, to declare independence from England. -
British Evacuate Boston
The captured cannons from Fort Ticonderoga were placed at Dorchester Heights. The British were forced to evacuate Boston for Nova Scotia before Washington could use these cannons against them. -
Declaration of Independence Announced
The Second Continental Congress approves the Declaration of Independence to England. -
"The Crisis" Published
Thomas Paine published The Crisis to further inspire the American people to continue the fight for the cause of independence. The also rallied the soldiers during their harsh fighting condition. -
Washington Captures Trenton
Washington led the colonial troops across the Delaware River that was blocked by a lot of ice. He did this to surprise a group of Hessian troops as they slept at Trenton, New Jersey. This led to a colonial victory at Princeton, New Jersey. -
British Defeated at Saratoga
A series of battles in the New York town of Saratoga led to British General Johnny Burgoyne surrendering to colonial forces. This battle was a turning point in the war. An alliance between the Americans and the French was announced shortly after this. -
Winter at Valley Forge, PA
George Washington moved 11,000 American troops into Valley Forge, Pennsylvannia. This winter was one of the worst of the war, killing 2,500 men. The work of Baron von Steuben, the French mililtary general, trained the soldiers for what lie ahead. -
John Paul Jones defeats the Serapis
Captain John Paul Jones defeated the British warship The Serapis in a naval battle. This was thought to be one of the most memorable fights in the Revolution. -
Benedict Arnold Plans Found Out
Benedict Arnold made the decision to surrender the American military base at West Point, New York. This was an important site along the Hudson River. His plans were found out and Arnold barely escaped being captured by American troops. He made it back to England where he later died. -
Cornwallis Surrenders
Cornwallis realized that he couldn't escape from the Virginia town of Yorktown. The French fleet blocked his escape by sea and Lafayette and Washington blocked his land escape.
