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Albany Plan of Union
In response to French attacks on the frontier, a plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin for uniting the colonies. The colonies rejected the plan because it gave too much power to an assembly made up of representatives from all 13 colonies. -
George III becomes king of Great Britain
One of the 2 events that greatly changed the relationship between the colonies and Britain. George III had different ideas about how the colonies should be governed. Because of the war debt, leaders in Britain believed the colonists had an obligation to pay up-and that was how all the trouble started. He was determined to deal firmly with the American colonists. -
French and Indian War
This war started as a struggle between the French and British over lands in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Great Britain won the war and gained complete control of the eastern third of the continent. This eliminated the French power in North America, which also changed the relationship between the colonies and Britain. American colonists no longer needed to British to protect them from the French, but the war costed the British. -
Stamp Act Congress
Nine colonies sent delegates to a meeting in New York. This was the Stamp Act Congress, also the first meeting organized by the colonies to protest King George's actions. Delegates to the Congress sent a petition to the king, arguing that only colonial legislatures could impose direct taxes such as the Stamp Tax. -
Stamp Act
This was the first direct tax on the colonists. It required them to pay a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and even dice and playing cards. Parliament also passed laws regulating colonial trade in ways that benefited Great Britain but not the colonies. Britain's revenue from the colonies increased, but colonial resentment increased too. Political protests spread throughout the colonies and colonists refused to buy British goods. These protests led to the repeal of the Stamp Act. -
Boston Tea Party
After repealing the Stamp Act, the British passed other tax laws to replace it. The colonists were infuriated. A group of colonists dressed at Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of British tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Committees of Correspondence
Organizations known as the committees of correspondence were urging resistance to the British. These committees consisted of colonists who wanted to keep in touch with one another as events unfolded. Samuel Adams established the first committee in Boston, and the idea spread quickly. Within a few months, Massachusetts had more than 80 committees. Virginia soon joined this communication network, with members on their committee including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. -
Coercive Acts
In retaliation to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts. These acts did things such as close the Boston Harbor and they withdrew the right of the Massachusetts colony to govern itself. Events, such as this, showed that revolution was not far off. -
First Continental Congress
The Intolerable Acts prompted Virginia and Massachusetts to call a general meeting of the colonies. Delegates from all the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. The delegates debated what to do about the relationship with Great Britain. They finally imposed an embargo on Britain and agreed not to use British goods. They also proposed a meeting for the following year if Britain did not change its policies. -
Second Continental Congress
Within 3 weeks, delegates from all 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia. The Continental Congress immediately assumed the powers of a central government. It chose John Hancock of Massachusetts are president. The next steps were to organize an army and navy, to issue money, and to appoint George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. The Second Continental Congress had no constitutional authority, but it served as the acting government of the colonies throughout the war. -
Lexington and Concord
After the First Continental Congress, events moved quickly. The British adopted stronger measures. George III stated, "The New England governments are in a state of rebellion. Blows must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or independent." The first blow fell early when British Redcoats clashed with colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Resolution of Independence
The war had been going on for almost a year, yet no declaration of independence had been made. Finally, in June 11776, more than a year after fighting had begun in the colonies, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declared independence. After this resolution, the Congress promptly named a committee of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman to prepare a written declaration of independence. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson wrote the draft of the Constitution. On June 28th, the committee submitted the edited draft to the Congress. On July 2nd, Congress approved Lee's resolution and the colonies officially broke with Great Britain. Congress then turned it's attention to Jefferson's draft. A few passages were removed and some editorial changes were made. On July 4, Congress approved the final draft. It held the signatures of all 56 delegates and it explained the reasons for declaring independence.
