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French/Indian War
The French and Indian War was the last and most important of a series of colonial conflicts between the British and the American colonists on one side, and the French and their Native American allies on the other. -
Stamp Act
British Parliament put a tax on the colonies that required many printed materials be produced on stamped paper produced in London. -
Townshend Act
A series of acts passed by the British Parliament. The Townshend Acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Many Americans saw these acts as an abuse of power, and about 3 years later, the only tax remaining was on tea. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars. The riot began when about 50 citizens attacked a British sentinel. A British officer called in additional soldiers, and these too were attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 3 on the spot wounding 8 others, two of whom died later. -
Tea Act
An act passed by the British Parliament. It was designed to prop up the East India Company which was burdened with eighteen million pounds of unsold tea. This tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies, and sold at a bargain price. -
Boston Tea Party
On this night, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard as a protest against British taxation. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts was the American Patriots' name for a series of laws passed by the British Parliament after the Boston Tea party. -
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The First Continental Congress
A convention of delegates from twelve colonies who met at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia in response to the passage of the Intolerable Acts. The congress' objectives were to compose a statement of colonial rights, to identify British parliaments violation of those rights, and to provide a plan that would convince Britain to restore those rights. -
Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the war, Lexington marked the beginning of the American Revolution. The battles marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between Great Britain and thirteen of its colonies on the mainland of British America. -
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Second Continental Congress
A convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting to discuss the making of the Declaration of Independence, a statement declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. -
Publishing of Common Sense
On this day in 1776, writer Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet "Common Sense," showcasing his arguments in favor of American independence.
