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The Stamp Act
The Stamp act of 1765, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which put a tax on all printed paper such as playing cards, magazines, newspapers, and many more. This came at a time where The British were in debt and they needed a way to gain some revenue. They looked to North American colonies to gain some money. Most of printed items in the colonies had to be produced on paper made in London. This paper had a stamp on it. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were multiple laws that were passed by the British Parliament. These laws effected the American Colonies. They had new taxes and these laws took away some freedom the American Colonists. There were new taxes on paint, lead, glass, and tea. They passed a few other laws which gave the British more power over the colonies. These laws were put in so the Colonies basically had to pay for themselves as they would just be paying the British government. -
Boston Massacre
On the night of March 5, 1770, a group of angry American colonists surrounded the Boston Custom House. The Americans didn't want the troops to control the city of Boston. These people began harassing the British soldiers who had made a border around the building. They threw items such as snowballs and stones at the soldiers. The troops eventually fired their rifles, hitting multiple people and killing five men. These deaths are considered to be the first deaths in the war. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that took place on December 16, 1773. The boycott led by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty was aimed at the Tea Act which made the Colonists pay taxes for tea. In Boston, people boarded ships and dumped chests of tea, which was imported by the British East India Company, into the harbor. This event helped the British see that the American Patriots weren't going to back down. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place in Carpenters' Hall. They met from September 5 to October 26, 1774. It was a meeting between representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies excluding Georgia. The purpose of the meeting was to repeal the Intolerable which was passed by British Parliament in 1774 to reassure there control over the thirteen colonies. The appeal had no effect which lead to the Second Continental Congress. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American Revolutionary War. Residents of the thirteen colonies started to get angry with the British. On the previous night hundreds of British troops went from Boston to Concord. With the help of Paul Revere and other riders alerted the colonial militiamen. These people stopped the British in Lexington and fired until the British retreated. This is the start of the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting with delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies in Philadelphia. This followed the the Battles of Lexington and Concord and took momentous steps towards declaring independence for America. New faces like Benjamin Franklin attended this meeting. The Lee resolution was an act of the Second Continental Congress declaring independence for the thirteen colonies. The Lee resolution was basically a draft of the Declaration of Independence. -
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga was during the American Revolutionary War, on May 10, 1775. A small group of Green Mountain Boys, led by Colonel Benedict Arnold captured a small group of British troops in the fort. This capture led to multiple other fort captures where they gained resources and supplies. Although the captures were minor, it broke up communication between north and south British groups. Weapons were taken from Ticonderoga to Boston Harbor pushing the British out of the city. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775. This was during the earlier stages of the American Revolutionary war and during the Siege of Boston. On June 13th, Under the command of William Prescott, colonial troops unexpectedly occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. The British were alerted and became aware of the attack. The British ended up winning the battle although it served as a confidence boost for the unexperienced American troops. -
Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence is the document adopted by the Second Continental Congress. The declaration showed how the thirteen colonies, fighting in the war with Great Britain, should be independent and no longer have to be under Great Britain's ruling. The new thirteen states took a step into forming the United States of America. All thirteen colonies and fifty-six delegates signed the declaration written primarily by Thomas Jefferson himself. -
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a critical battle in the American Revolution. The Battle took place on December 26, 1776 in Trenton, New Jersey. George Washington crossed the icy Delaware river. The severe weather was a problem, Washington only had 2,400 men. The army went south to Trenton, towards the Hessians. The Hessians lowered their guard and Washington surprised them. After a short fight the Hessians surrendered and were captured. The Continental Army won this small battle. -
Battle of Saratoga
The battle of Saratoga took place September and October of 1777. This battle included two important battles which were fought apart from each other. The Continental Army won the battle and gained a lot of momentum from it. The two battles were Freeman's Farm and the battle fo Bemis Heights. This battle also persuaded the French, Spanish, and Dutch to help fight against the British. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the United States of America's first constitution. It was approved during the Second Continental Congress. All thirteen states agreed on this constitution. The purpose of the Articles were to keep the independence of the states. The states didn't ratify the constitution until March 1, 1781. The Articles had made it so the central government was less powerful and the state governments had most of the power. In 1789 the Articles of Confederation were replaced. -
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth began without George Washington, about a third of the army was being commanded by Charles Lee. The plan was to start a fight and then Washington would arrive. At the start of the battle, Lee had a bad attack on the British at Monmouth forcing him to retreat until Washington arrived. Washington had the rest of the army. The fighting had went back and forth until General Henry Clinton decided to evacuated on water to New York. The British one this somewhat equal battle. -
Baylor's Massacre
The Baylor's Massacre was a surprise attack by the British on the Continental Army under the command of George Baylor. This occurred in present day Rivervale, New Jersey. The Continental Army was outnumbered. George Washington had been fighting somewhere else. George Baylor and other officers had tried to escape the sight but were captured and later died. Nearly seventy people were killed and it is called a Massacre for that reason. -
DeWint House
The DeWint house which now stands in present day Tappan, New York, was the temporary headquarters for George Washington. Washington was a guest in the house only two times during the American Revolution. Washington's first visit was from August 8–24, 1780 while looking over a fort on the Hudson River. Washington's next visit was from September 28 to October 7, 1780, for the trail of Major John Andre. Andre was hung nearby at what is now a restaurant. -
Execution of John Andre
John Andre was a major in the British Army. He was captured by the patriots after they found paper in Andre's boot. The papers showed that Andre had just secretly met with Benedict Arnold, a US. general. He had told Andre he would surrender the Hudson River Fort to the British for money. Arnold then fled to British and joined there side in the fight. George Washington had tried to spare his life and kill Arnold instead but the British never answered, so Andre was hung on October 2, 1780. -
Battle of Yorktown
On September 28, 1781, 17,000 French and Continental troops commanded by George Washington clashed against 9,000 British troops in Yorktown, Virginia. This is considered the most important battle in the American Revolutionary War. The British were commanded by General Cornwallis who chose Yorktown as a safe spot for their base. Washington realized he had to do something. Troops blocked Cornwallis from escaping on land and by sea. Cornwallis surrendered to Washington ending the Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the American Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams negotiated the treaty with representatives from Great Britain including King George III. The treaty basically says Great Britain formally recognized the United States of America as independent and Britain gave up land on America which would double the size of the Future United States of America. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place from May 25, to September 17, 1787. The convention took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Convention's main point was to revise the Articles of Confederation, but some of the delegates wanted to get other things done. They wanted make a whole new government system. They ended up making a new federal government system in which we use today.
