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French and Indian War
A war fought between Britain with the help of the colonists and few Native Americans, and France with the help of many Native Americans. This war was fought in New World territory, although Britain had won the war it had shown that they weren't invincible, and showed that colonists weren't as loyal to Britain as they once were. This war was the starting point of a new time period in history that would lead to major revolutionary events for the colonies. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
As an effect of the French and Indian War, Britain gained new land in the new world, but Britain put restrictions on that new land. This restriction was the proclamation line of 1763, which was a line drawn on the Appalachian Mountains and prohibited colonists from moving west. This line was put into place as a means to protect the Native Americans land and calm Native American hostilities. As this displeased the colonists, they continued to move west even with the restrictions put in place. -
Boston Massacre
As British soldiers were guarding a customs house, tensions were rising between the colonists and British soldiers, leading to citizens of Boston taunting and throwing objects at the soldiers. As the citizens were taunting and yelling "fire", a soldier accidentally fired his gun and through miscommunication the British soldiers fired into the crowd resulting in the death of five citizens while injuring six. After the incident, troops were removed from Boston and some taxes were repealed. -
Boston Tea Party
As colonists grew more wary of England's rule, 150 colonists including members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. They did this in order to protest the Tea Act, and although tea was cheaper than it had ever been the act gave the British India company a monopoly on tea that was sold to colonists, while allowing them to undercut smugglers who sold tea to colonists at cheaper prices. -
Intolerable Acts
A series of acts passed by the British parliament as a means to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party and end colonial challenges with British authority. This series of acts included The Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, and The Quartering Act which all put restrictions on Massachusetts and irked the citizens leading to spiked outrage between the colonies and Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
During the year 1775, British troops were sent to Concord, MA in order to seize arms at the militia supply depot. Patriot leaders sent three men to warn colonists that the British military were on their way, those three men were Paul Revere, Dr. Samuel Prescott, and William Dawes. The patriots were able to get rid of most of their supply before the British arrived. The first battle happened in Lexington, leading to the Concord battle as British soldiers were on their way to leave. -
2nd Continental Congress
A meeting of a group of delegates from all thirteen colonies that met in Philadelphia, this continental congress reamined our de facto government until the Articles of Confederation went into effect in 1781. This congress did things such as create the continental army, appoint George Washington to command the army, and issued the "Olive Branch Petition" which stated that the states wanted to remain loyal to the king but wanted their rights observed as well. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
A battle fought in Massachusetts on Breed's Hill although it was originally supposed to be Bunker Hill. Although the British had one the battle, colonial forces inflicted significant casualties onto British soldiers. Britain had won this battle due to colonial forces running out of ammunition and having to flee the battle. This battle provided the colonists with a confidence boost knowing that British forces weren't as powerful as they once were. -
Battle of Quebec
In the year 1775 patriot forces led by Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery tried to capture the city of Quebec which was occupied by the British as a means to gain support from Canada. This battle was a loss for the patriots as Montgomery lost his life, as the British continued to attack the patriot force were forced to retreat. This battle is considered the first battle of the Revolutionary War that the patriots had lost. -
The Declaration of Independence
As the tensions between the colonies and Britain continued to rise due to taxation and frontier policies such as The Proclamation Line of 1763, the thirteen colonies came together to form The Declaration of Independence. The declaration declared the colonies as an independent nation as the colonists gave reason for their desire to seek freedom by stating a list of grievances to the king. -
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Battle of Saratoga
This was a battle fought in the state of New York consisting of two different battles located in Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights. Although colonial forces were overcome by the British in Freeman's Farm, the Americans had ultimately won the Battle of Saratoga. This battle was a major victory for the colonies and is known as the turning point of the war because it had convinced France to side with the colonies against Britain. -
Articles of Confederation
These articles were served as the first constitution of the United States. Under the articles Congress had the authority to make alliances, maintain armed forces, and coin money while the states remained sovereign and independent. These articles did have flaws as the central government couldn't levy taxes and regulate commerce. Those issues surrounding the articles led to the Constitutional Convention in the year 1787. -
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Battle of Charleston
During the year of 1780 Charles Cornwallis and Prevost accompanied Clinton from New York and went onto Charleston. With combined British forces they were able to trap the Americans in their city until Lincoln offered to surrender the city as long as his men were able to exit unharmed but Clinton refused his offer. As time went on the British moved closer to American lines until the city began to burn and General Lincoln had to surrender. -
Battle of King's Mountain
A battle fought on King's Mountain located between North and South Carolina between Major Ferguson's force, and William Campbell's force. This battle is known as the turning point in the South as patriots won the battle when Ferguson's force tried to make an escape. As Ferguson's force were escaping, he was killed along with many of his men resulting in the deaths of 157 men on his force. -
Battle of Yorktown
This battle happened as a result of British Charles Cornwallis traveling to Yorktown after the battles of Savannah and Charleston. As he is waiting for the British to come to his rescue, the French navy blocked all British ships from coming in while Washington's army were on their way. Cornwallis was soon trapped, and eventually surrendered to Washington after losing many men. This battle is considered the last major battle during the American Revolution. -
The Land Ordinance of 1785
This ordinance established how the United States government could measure, divide and distribute land gained after the war. The land gained was located in the North and West parts of the Ohio River Valley. As the land was sectioned off, a section in the middle of the gained land was established and called a township which included courthouses and business. The government would collect taxes from these places in order to build schools in the North. -
Annapolis Convention
This was a regional meeting in Annapolis, Massachusetts which was a movement towards a federal convention in order to address the issues surrounding the Articles of Confederation. This convention included 12 representatives from five different states which were New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, and Virginia. The goal of this meeting was to address the barriers that limited trade and commerce between the states. -
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Shay's Rebellion
A series of violent attacks on different courthouses and government properties in Massachusetts due to crushing debts and taxes imposed on farmers after the Revolutionary War with most of the citizens involved being former soldiers in the war. One of the many leaders involved in these attacks was Daniel Shays who was a farmer and former soldier. These attacks led to military confrontation in which four men were killed, then leading to the argument for a stronger central government. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
This Ordinance structured settlements of the Northwest territory and created policies for the newly created states. Statehood was achieved in three stages. Those three stages were Congress appointed three judges and governor to govern the territory, when population reached 5,000 adult male landowners it was able to elect territorial legislature, and when population reached 60,000 it was able to elect delegates to a state constitutional convention. -
The United States Constitution
This was a document which established the United States national government, fundamental laws, and guaranteed citizens basic human rights. This document came after the Articles of Confederation which was proven to be a weak form of government throughout time. During a convention in 1787 delegates formed a plan in order to create and much more strong federal government than what they once had, this new federal government included three branches which were judicial, executive, and legislative.
