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Bacon's Rebellion
An uprising of about a thousand Virginians led by Nathanial Bacon, against the Governor of Virginia, William Berkeley. This was the first rebellion in the English Colonies in America. -
Attack on Fort Necessity
The attack on Fort Necessity by the French marked the beginning of the French and Indian War. -
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French and Indian War
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Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a major, worldwide war mostly between England and France. Prussia and Portugal, and Austria and Spain were also allies of the major powers, respectively. England and Prussia were the victors of the war. -
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Seven Years' War
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Treaty of Paris
Not to be confused with the Treaty of Paris that was signed in 1783 to end the AWI, this treaty ended the Seven Years' War and the French and Indian War, cedeing all French and Spanish land east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain. The Treaty of Hubertusburg was also signed, with relation to the Central and Eastern European affairs from the war. -
Proclamation of 1763
A royal proclamation from King George III, this proclamation created a line running roughly down the Appalachians, that colonists weren't allowed to go west of, although this was largely ineffective. -
Sugar Act
An act created to replace the Molasses Act of 1733, this act changed the tax rates on some items already taxed, and added taxes to other items. It also attempted to crack down on illegal smuggling in the colonies. -
Quartering Act
Following the Seven Years' War, the British left soldiers in the colonies, requiring the colonial assemblies to provide food and housing for the soldiers stationed supposedly for their defence. While the Quartering Act was overshadowed by unrest over the Stamp Act, it was also quite controversial, as it placed an additional economic burden on the colonies. Many colonists also feared that it was an attempt to exert military control over the colonies. -
Virginia Resolves
In a speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses on the controversial Stamp Act, Patrick Henry introduced a series of resolutions that stated that colonists had the same fundamental rights as any British citizens, notably the right to be taxed only with the consent of their representatives. These resolutions were published throughout Virginia as the “Virginia Resolves.” -
Stamp Act
An act made to help pay for the Seven Years' War and the French and Indian War, this act created a tax on many paper and other goods in the American colonies. It was received with much hostility. -
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War of the Regulation
The War of the Regulation was an armed uprising that occurred in the North Carolina colony. A militia of white farmers, the Regulators, was formed following discontent over an economic system that placed much of the tax burden on the poor. The Regulators acted to prevent the collection of taxes, as well as petitioning the government in 1768 over the lack of distribution of wealth. The movement enjoyed widespread support among poor whites, until it was crushed militarily in 1771. -
Repeal of the Stamp Act
The Stamp Act and its effect on all members of society served to unify the colonies in opposition. Many of the objections stemmed from the precedent the act created as a tax to raise revenue, rather than simply to regulate trade. Colonists such as Patrick Henry and James Otis called for its repeal, inciting several protests, as well as a boycott of British goods. The British eventually backed down and repealed the act, more because of the economic pressure than the political discontent. -
Townshend Duties
Following the repeal of the Stamp Act, colonial assemblies focused their efforts on the Quartering Act. The assemblies of New York and Massachusetts refused to provide the required supplies for the troops stationed within their colonies, so Charles Townshend, chancellor of the exchequer, retaliated by dissolving the New York Assembly. Townshend also instituted new duties on lead, paint, paper, and tea from Britain, as well as creating a customs commission to crack down on smuggling. -
Repeal of the Townshend Duties
Following Townshend's death, and widespread discontent over the new duties, Prime Minister Lord North repealed all of the duties except the tax on tea. Much of this was due to economic pressure resulting from a boycott of British goods. This boycott arose in large part because the customs commission was restricting the formerly lucrative smuggling trade, rather than simply because of the economic impact of the duties themselves. -
Boston Massacre
In Boston, discontent over the customs commission grew to the point where there were regular stand-offs between troops protecting the Customs House and angry mobs. On March 5th, 1770, a mob confronted and began harassing the sentries at the Customs House. Capt Thomas Preston brought in several troops to protect them, and in the ensuing altercation, the British fired, killing 5. This event was quickly seized on by the revolutionaries, who portrayed it as a violent assault upon innocent civilians. -
Somerset Case
In 1772, the King's Bench ruled that James Somerset, a slave brought to England from the colonies, could not be detained against his will, effectively abolishing slavery in Britain itself. This ruling notably did not extend to British colonies, but nonetheless contributed to a feeling, especially in the southern colonies, that England would abolish slavery all together. Many plantation owners resented the notion that Britain could prevent them from owning slaves which they relied on for labour. -
Tea Act
In an effort to sell the excess tea of the British East India Company, the Tea Act granted the company special permission to sell their tea in the colonists without paying the tea duty imposed on other colonial merchants. This duty was from the Townshend administration, but what this act did was show that the Colonists and the British were not being treated equally by Parliament and large boycotts followed. -
Boston Tea Party
Following the boycotts and public discontent with the Tea Act, a group of Colonists destroyed three ships worth of British Tea in what was called the Boston Tea Party. A group of 150 or so men, dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the ships in Boston Harbour and dumped all of the tea into the water. After news of this Event spread, other similar protests occurred in other Colonies. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts were set of acts proclaimed in response to the Boston Tea Party and similar revolts to the Tea Act. Along with Quartering being added into law, new restrictions were put specifically on Massachusetts for their role in destroying the Tea. To the other Colonies, however, Massachusetts became a symbol of how the British treated the Colonists, and other Colonies and groups showed their support in even more boycotts and local legislation. -
First Continental Congress
In order for the Colonists to secure their protection from British Authority, the Colonies needed to work together. In its first meeting, delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies made a demand for the repeal of the legislature that they saw as oppressive, organized larger boycotts which intended on ceasing all trade with Britain, and called for the military preparations to be made in the case of more British aggression in Boston. -
Lexington
After the Colonists agreed upon strengthening their own military force, a stockpile of gunpowder was established in Lexington. British General Thomas Gage grew concerned about what the large stocks could entail in the future, so he decided to seize the materials. Colonists in Boston saw the movement of British troops and sent a warning to Lexington. From one or another side, shots were fired, and the situation escalated into a battle, with the Colonists clearing arising as the victors. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to convince more of the Colonists to join the revolutionist cause. Most of its ideas were about the Britain's System of government and the illegitimacy of the monarchy. He also made arguments as to the economic and political advantages for separation and wrote it all in a way as to appeal to all colonists and not just the colonial elite. It became one of the most popular writings in the new world and was distributed all throughout the Colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
In 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a group of Colonists to draft the Declaration of Independence. The writers of the declaration included Thomas Jefferson and John Locke, and while it did successfully show their separation from Britain, they left out some major concerns other Colonists were having at the time, like the rights of slaves, women and the large differences in wealth in between commoners and the Colonial Elite.