Colonial Times

By pattersonkat
  • Period: to

    Colonial Times

  • Navigation Acts

    The English Parliament passed the first of several Navigation Acts to support mercantilism. In many ways, the Navigation Acts benefited the colonies. Colonial traders had a sure market for their goods to England. Also the law contributed to a booming in shipbuilding industry in New England.

  • The First Serious Slave Revolt

    The first serious slave revolt happened in 1663, in Gloucester, Virginia. The rebels were betrayed by and indentured servant, and the uprising failed. Soon, other revolts occured in Connecticut and Virginia. Colonial authorities then wrote slave codes as a result. Under the codes, enslaved people could not meet in large numbers, own weapons, or leave a plantation without permission.

  • Queen Mary Signed The Bill of Rights

    King William and Queen Mary signed the English Bill of Rights in 1689. The English Bill of Rights restated many of the rights granted by the Magna Carta, such as trial by jury. It also upheld habeas corpus, It required that Parliament meet regularly and declared that no monarch could levy taxes or raise an army without the consent of Parliament.

  • John Locke: An Enlightenment Thinker

    In 1690, Locke published Two Treaties on Government. In this influential work, Locke argued that people have certain natural rights, that is, rights that belong to every human being from birth. These rights include, life, liberty, and property. According to Locke, these rights are inalienable, which means they can not be taken away.

  • Zenger Trial

    A notable court case rised in 1735, which helped establish another right. That right was freedom of the press. John Peter Zenger, pulisher of of the New York Weekly Journal, was arrested for printing a series of articles that criticized the governor. At his trial his lawyer argued that the articles Zenger published were based on fact, and therefore shouldn't be considered libel. The jurors agreed and found that Zenger was not guilty of libel.

  • The French and Indian War Begins

    In 1753, the French began to back their claim to the land between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. This alarmed the Virginia colony, which also claimed the Ohio River Valley. The governor of Virginia decided to send a 21 year old George Washington, a surveyor in the Virginia militia as the leader.Washington's troops attacked and defeated a small French force . A larger French force then arrived and forced Washington to surrender Fort Necessity.

  • The Proclamation of 1763

    Britain wanted to avoid further wars with the Native Americans on the frontier. Therefore, the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763. It banned colonial settlement west of the line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers were told they to move to a location east of that line.

  • Pontiac's War

    Pontiac and his allies attacked British forts and settlements, nearly have a dozen western British forts were destroyed and at least 2,000 backcountry settlers were killed. The British finally defeated Pontiac's forces in early August at a battle near Fort Pitt. Pontiac then fought for another year but by fall of 1764, the war was over.

  • The Sugar Act

    The British effort to impose new taxes on the colonies began in 1764 when Parliament passed the Sugar Act, which put a duty or import tax on several products, including molasses. It also called for harsh punishment of smugglers. colonial merchants. who sometimes trade in smuggling goods, protested.

  • Stamp Act Passed

    Opposition to the Stamp Act was intense in the American colonies. The British were trying to recoup losses from the French and Indian war, but the colonists argued Parliament failed to obtain their consent. The Stamp Act required that all colonists buy special tax stamps for all kinds of products and activities.

  • The Quartering Act

    One year after the Sugar Act, Parliament passed the Quartering Act. The purpose of the Quartering Act was to save money. To enforce the Proclamation of 1763, Britain kept about 10,000 soldiers. The act required colonists to quarter or house, British troops and provide them with food and other supplies.

  • The Boston Massacre

    On March, 5, 1770, in Boston, an angry crowd of workers and sailors surounded a small group of soldiers. They shouted at the soldiers and threw snowballs and rocks at them. The frightened soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five and wounding six.

  • The Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson declaring that the 13 colonies should be separated from England and ruled by themselves. In the document it stated that rule by King James III was unreasonable.

  • Shays' Rebellion

    Daniel Shay's a former Revolutionary war captain led an uprising of about 1,000 farmers. They tried to seize arms from a state warehouse, the state then called the militia. Shays and others were arrested for it. It frightened some and led to the revision of the Articles of Confederation.

  • George Washington Began His Term as President

    In April of 1789, George Washington traveled from Virginia to New York City to begin his term as the first President of the United States. The trip took eight days.