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The French and Indian War was part of a worldwide nine-year war that took place between 1754 and 1763. It was fought between France and Great Britain to determine control of the vast colonial territory of North America. At the end of the war, Britain won the war but they were broke so they starter taxing the territory. -
The British Parliament passed the “Stamp Act” to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' War. The act required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. -
On March 5, 1770, an unruly group of colonists taunted British soldiers by throwing snowballs and rocks. Firing upon the crowd, the British killed five colonists, including Crispus Attucks. -
A small group of protesters protest about British Parliament's tax on tea. They then demonstrators boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The British government considered the protest an act of treason and responded harshly. -
In response to colonial resistance to British rule during the winter of 1773–74, Parliament was determined to reassert its authority in America and passed four acts that were known as the Coercive Acts in Britain but were labeled the Intolerable Acts by the colonists. Because Boston had been the center of resistance, the acts targeted Boston and Massachusetts in particular. -
The Battles of Lexington on 19 April 1775, the famous 'shot heard round the world', marked the start of the American War of Independence. Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence -
In Massachusetts, the American patriots were defeated at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but they proved they could hold their own against the superior British Army. The fierce fight confirmed that any reconciliation between England and her American colonies was no longer possible. -
By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. -
The battles occurred over a span of nine days and are notable as the first successes won by the Revolutionary General George Washington in the open field. The victories restored American morale and renewed confidence in Washington. -
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American defeat of the superior British army lifted patriot morale, furthered the hope for independence, and helped to secure the foreign support needed to win the war the like of Francis and Spain. -
On December 19th, 1777, 12,000 soldiers and 400 women and children marched into Valley Forge and began to build what essentially became the fourth largest city in the colonies at the time, with 1,500 log huts and two miles of fortifications. -
This treaty, signed on September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain ending the War of the American Revolution. Based on a1782 preliminary treaty, the agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. -
The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution. Supported by the French army and navy, Washington's forces defeated Lord Charles Cornwallis' veteran army dug in at Yorktown, Virginia. Victory at Yorktown led directly to the peace negotiations that ended the war in 1783 and gave America its independence. -
September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain ending the War of the American Revolution. Based on a 1782 preliminary treaty, the agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory.