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The Albany congress
The British government was expecting a war to break loose so they called a meeting in Albany, New York. The British wanted the colonies to agree in protecting themselves against the French. They had also invited the Iroquois in order to form an alliance with them against the French. -
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French and Indian War
The french and Indians fought the British, Iroquois, and colonists in order to control the Ohio River valley. The British ended up winning the war so the french lost their entire empire to the British. -
The Treaty of Paris
After losing the French and Indian War to the British, the French had signed the Treaty of Paris. That let the British almost control French territory which were, French Canada, French territory east of the Mississippi, and Spanish Florida. The French had lost all of their North American possessions. -
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Pontiac's war
Nearing the last days of the French and Indian War, the leader of the Ottawa nation, Pontiac, had formed an alliance with the western Native Americans. Then in May 1763 Pontiac and his allies had attacked British forts and settlements throughout the area. Nearly half of a dozen and at least 2,000 backcountry settlers were killed that had killed Native Americans who had not attacked them. -
Proclamation of 1763
The British didn't want to have any more wars with the Native Americans so they issued a proclamation that banned colonial settlements west of a line that was drawn across the Appalachian Mountains. The Proclamation of 1763 had angered many colonists who thought they had the right to settle wherever they wanted to. The proclamation was widely ignored and was impossible for the British to enforce. -
The Sugar Act
The British effort to impose new taxes began in 1764 began on molasses and several other products. It had also had called for a harsh punishment for smugglers . Colonial merchants who traded in smuggled goods , had protested. -
The Stamp Act
One unpopular law was the Stamp Act. It was passed by Parliament in early 1765.This act required that all colonists buy special stamps for all kinds of products and activities. After the Stamp Act, merchants in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia had organized a boycott of British goods. Then in October, delegates from 9 colonies met in New York for the Stamp Act Congress and sent a petition addressed to the king and Parliament and the petition demanded the end of the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act. -
The Quatering Act
One year after the Sugar Act, parliament passed a new law called the Quartering Act. The Quatering act was meant to save money. This meant colonists had to quarter or house British troops and provide food and supplies for the troops. The colonists had protested angrily an once again, the colonists complained that Parliament was violating their rights. -
The Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, Parliament repealed all of the Townshend duties except the one on tea in order to demonstrate Parliament's right to tax the colonies. Parliament had not acted in time. On the same day in Boston an angry crowd of workers and sailors surrounded a small group of soldiers. The workers and sailors threw snowballs and rocks at the soldiers. After that the soldiers fired their weapons when the captain told not to. All 9 soldiers were arrested but only 2 of them were convicted. -
The Tea Act
The tea act was intended to help the British East India Company. For years the company made money growing tea in India and selling it in Britain and the colonies. However the colonial boycott hurt the company. The Tea Act lowered the price of tea by shipping it directly to the colonies. Some colonists reacted angrily to the part of the act that gave the East India Company a monopoly on selling British tea in the colonies. Many of the merchants sold Dutch tea that was smuggled into the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
For more than two weeks feeling had been tense in Boston. Finally on December 16th, 1773 a large crowd gathered in the harbor. Suddenly a large group disguised as Native Americans boarded the tea ship. During the next three hours they threw 342 boxes of tea into the harbor. As the crowd cheered the raiders destroyed 90,000 pounds of tea worth thousands of dollars. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Boston Tea Party outraged the British Government. King George III called for action to make examples of the people of Boston and Massachusetts. In response, Parliament passed 4 laws. These laws were, closing the Port of Boston, 2 increased the powers of the Governor, and the 4th strengthened the quartering act. Parliament also passed the Quebec Act. Which claimed land between the Ohio and Missouri Rivers as part of Canada. The Congress demanded the repeal of the Intolerable Acts. -
First Continental Congress
The meeting known as the First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia. 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates. Georgia didn't send representatives. Among the delegates were John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Jay, George Washington and Patrick Henry. The Congress demanded the repeal of the Intolerable Acts and the colonies had a right to tax and govern themselves. It also called for training of militias to stand up to British troops. The Congress also called for a boycott of British goods. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Five miles from Concord, in the Town of Lexington, 77 minutemen were waiting when the British arrived. The British commander ordered them to go home and they refused. No one knows who fired it, but it was the first shot of the American Revolution. The British opened fire killing 8 Americans. A larger battle took place in nearby Concord. At this time 400 hundred minutemen fought the British killing 3 of them. When the British retreated to Boston 4000 Patriots fired at them killing 300 of them. -
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia on May 10,1775. The delegates included, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Benjamin Franklin. At first the congress was divided about what to do. A group of delegates from New England wanted to declare independence. A moderate group from the middle colonies favored less drastic action. However almost all delegates felt they needed to prepare for war. The first step was to form an army. The congress chose George Washington for General. -
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
The same day the Second Continental Congress met, an important battle took place in northern New York. A daring band of colonist made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga. The fort is at the southern end of Lake Champlain, it protected the water route to Canada. Ethan Allen led the force. Most of his followers came from the green mountains of Vermont. That is why they were named the Green Mountain Boys. Allen's 83 men crossed the lake at night and surprised the 42 British troops. -
The Battles of Bunker and Breeds Hill
The Americans around Boston were farmers and workers. No one knew if they would stand and fight against the British troops. British General William Howe decided to attack straight up Breeds Hill. The American Commander Israel Putnam knew his troops didn't have much ammo. They waited until the British were 150 ft away. When they opened fire, hundreds of British soldiers fell dead or wounded. The first 2 British attacks failed. The 3rd succeeded when the Patriots ran out of ammo and retreated. -
The Olive Branch Petition
A resolution called The Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George III. It stated that the colonists were loyal to the King. It asked George to stop the fighting so that all disputes between Britain and the colonists could be solved peacefully. The petition was named the Olive Branch, a symbol of peace since ancient times. The effort to make peace failed. King George, instead of answering the Olive Branch Petition, he declared the colonies were in rebellion. -
The Invasion of Quebec
When Washington was training 1 army, 2 other American armies were moving north into Canada. 1 of them was led by Richard Montgomery, the other by Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold had a horrible journey through the Maine woods in winter. His troops boiled candles, tree bark and shoe leather for food. In late December the Americans attacked Quebec during a severe snowstorm. The attack was turned around when Montgomery was killed and Arnold was wounded. The Americans fled Quebec due to diseases. -
The British withdrawal from Boston
In March, Washington placed the cannons on high grounds overlooking Boston. The British couldn't defend Boston anymore. On March 17,1776 the British withdrew from Boston by sea and never returned.