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Albany Plan of Union
This was a plan by Benjamin Franklin to create an annual congress made up of delegates from the 13 colonies. They would have the power to raise military, naval forces, make war and peace with Natives, and regulate trade with them, tax, and collect custom duties. -
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French and Indian War
The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent. -
George III becomes king of Great Britain
this is when restrictive trading acts were expanded and enforced, new taxes were imposed to support troops. -
Stamp Act
This required the use of tax stamps on all legal documents, certain business agreements, and newspapers. This created a lot of resentment in the colonies. -
Stamp Act Congress
A significant number of colonists opposed the British government and Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. -
Boston Massacre
British troops fired into a jeering crowd and 5 British colonists were killed. -
Committees of Correspondence
These are committees that spread throughout the colonies providing a network for cooperation and exchange of information among the patriots. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded three ships in the Bosten Harbor and dumped the chests of tea into the sea to protest the control on the tea trade. -
Coercive Acts
This was a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. -
First Continental Congress
delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia to discuss the worsening situation and debate plans for action. They sent a Declaration of Rights protesting to King George III. They also urged colonies to refuse trade with England until taxes and trade regulations were repealed and called for the creation of local committees to enforce the boycott. -
Lexington and Concord
This was the "shot that was heard around the world." -
Second Continental Congress
Each of the 13 colonies sent representatives and was considered the first government of the US for 5 years. -
Resolution of Independence
Richard Henry Lee proposed this and it was the final resolution to break away from England. This was created by a committee of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. -
Declaration of Independence
This is the document that the colonies sent to Britain telling them they were breaking away from them and why.