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A casual British policy from about 1690 to 1763 where the British government didn't strictly enforce laws in the American colonies. This allowed the colonies to manage themselves more and grow their economy. This easygoing method helped the colonies feel more independent and encouraged their local political growth. -
7 years War between France and England. In the colonies, it was called the the French-Indian War because the colonists fought with British soldiers against France the Indians who were on the side of France. Because of the war, England had a massive war debt began to tax the people in the 13 colonies. -
Mercantilism played a big role in the American Revolution. Britain's mercantilist rules, such as the Navigation Acts, limited trade and production in the colonies to help Britain. These rules made colonists sell their raw materials to Britain and only buy finished products from there. This hurt the economy in the colonies and made people unhappy. -
The Stamp Act was a tax set by Britain in 1765 that required the American colonies to buy special stamps for legal papers, newspapers, playing cards, and other paper items. This tax was meant to help pay for British soldiers after the French and Indian War. This first direct tax led to a lot of protests and boycotts in the colonies, with people chanting "no taxation without representation". Because of strong resistance and a united front from the colonies, Parliament cancelled the act in 1766. -
The Quartering Acts were a set of British laws from the 1760s and 1770s. These laws made colonial governments give British soldiers food, housing, and other supplies. Soldiers could stay in public places, inns, or other buildings that were available. Colonists were unhappy with these laws because they felt they were unfair and placed a heavy financial strain on them. They saw them as another example of being taxed without having a say and a way for the British to control them. -
The Townshend Acts were laws passed by Britain in 1767, created by Charles Townshend. These laws put taxes on imported goods like glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea in the American colonies. They also set up a new customs office in America and made it harder for local governments to operate, all to collect money and show British control. The laws faced a lot of opposition from the colonies, leading to protests and boycotts. -
The Boston Massacre was a tragic event on March 5, 1770 when British soldiers shot into a group of angry colonists in Boston. Five people were killed, and many others were hurt. The event happened because people were upset about British taxes and the soldiers in their towns. This caused a lot of anger among the public. Paul Revere's drawing made people even more against the British, and it was an important moment that helped lead to the American Revolution. -
The Boston Tea Party was a protest that happened on December 16, 1773, in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, dressed up as Mohawk Indians, threw 342 boxes of tea from the British East India Company into the harbor. They were angry about the Tea Act and felt they didn't have a voice in the British government. This act of rebellion caused the British to punish the colonists with laws called the Intolerable Acts, which brought the colonies closer to their fight for independence. -
The Intolerable Acts, called the Coercive Acts in Britain, were four laws made by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the American colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The plan was to make Massachusetts alone and make them obey, but the actions instead brought the other colonies together to oppose British control. This led to the First Continental Congress and the start of the American Revolution. -
The Second Continental Congress (1775-1781) acted as the most government for the American colonies amid the American Insurgency. It met in Philadelphia to oversee the war, set up the Mainland Armed force driven by George Washington, and inevitably composed the Affirmation of Freedom in 1776. It made the Joined together Colonies (which afterward got to be the Joined together States) and acted as the most government until the Congress of the Confederation took over in 1781. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord happened on April 19, 1775. They were the first fights in the American Revolutionary War. British soldiers came to take weapons from the colonists, but they were stopped by ready minutemen. The fighting started in Lexington with a quick clash, and then there was more intense fighting in Concord at the North Bridge. The surprise attack on the British while they were leaving Boston led to an important win for the Americans. -
The Olive Branch Petition was a letter made by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775. It was their last effort to make peace with King George III before the American Revolutionary War started. Mainly written by John Dickinson, it showed the colony's loyalty to the King and wanted to settle things peacefully with Great Britain. However, King George III wouldn't accept it and called the colonies rebels. -
In the American Revolution, "Common Sense" is a famous booklet written by Thomas Paine in 1776. It talked about why America should be free from British rule. The writing was simple and easy to understand, which made it popular with regular people. Instead of wanting changes to the system, they started wanting to break away from the monarchy. It challenged the right of kings to rule and encouraged the belief that having a republican government was a natural thing everyone should have. -
The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, is an important document for the United States. It officially stated that the 13 colonies were breaking away from Great Britain. Mainly written by Thomas Jefferson and helped by the Committee of Five, it announced that the colonies were free and independent states, no longer under British control. The document explains the basic ideas of self-rule and personal rights. -
The Articles of Confederation was the first set of rules for the United States. It was created from 1781 to 1789 and made the central government weak. Most of the power was with the individual states. The national government struggled to function properly because it didn't have key powers, such as the ability to collect taxes or manage trade. It also lacked its own separate branches to enforce laws or make legal decisions. -
The Annapolis Convention of 1786 was an important meeting that talked about the money problems and trade issues that the United States was facing under the Articles of Confederation. Even though only five states were present, the representatives, especially Alexander Hamilton, created a report that pointed out the problems with the Articles and asked for a larger meeting. -
Shay's Resistance was an outfitted rebellion in western Massachusetts (1786-1787) driven by Progressive War ingenious Daniel Shays, challenging tall charges, war obligation, and lethargic government beneath the powerless Articles of Confederation. The disobedience highlighted the Article's lacks, driving to a national talk about that finished within the 1787 Protected Tradition and the drafting of the U.S. Structure to form a more grounded government. -
The Constitutional Convention was a meeting of representatives from twelve out of the thirteen U.S. Groups of states came together in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. They originally planned to make changes to the Articles of Confederation, but instead, they ended up writing the United States Constitution. The meeting talked about problems like how big and small states share power and issue of slavery.