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Albany Congress
Who: British government, colonial leaders, and the Iroquois tribes What: A meeting between colonial leaders and the British government . The British wanted the colonies to agree to cooperate in defending themselves against the French. The colonists and the British were unable to work together. When: June 11, 1754 Where: Albany, NY Why: The British government expected war to break out soon and wanted to meet to try to reason with colonial leaders -
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French and Indian War
Who: French and Indians vs. British and colonists and Iroquois. When: May 1756 - January 1757 Where: North America Why: Fighting over the Ohio River Valley What: The British won the French and Indian War. -
Treaty of Paris
Who: Britain and France What: In this treaty, France lost all of it's North American lands to the British. Britain received all land east of the Mississippi and Spanish Florida. When: February 1763 Where: Paris, France Why: This was the treaty that ended the French and Indian War. -
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Pontiac's War
Who: Pontiac (leader of Ottawa nation), western Native Americans, and backcountry settlers What: Pontiac and his allies attacked British forts and settlements. Half a dozen British forts were destroyed and 2,000 backcountry settlers were killed. When: May 1763-September 1764 Where: Areas east of the Mississippi River; backcountry Why: Native Americans were desperately trying to keep their land. -
Proclamation of 1763
Who: British government What: It banned colonial settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains When: October 7, 1763 Where: All land west of the Appalachian Mountains Why: Britain wanted to avoid further wars with Native Americans on the frontier. -
The Quartering Act
Who: Parliament What: The act required colonists to house British troops and to provide them with food and other supplies. When: March 24, 1764 Where: in the colonies Why: Britain had soldiers in the colonies to enforce the Proclamation of 1763. If the colonists housed the soldiers this would save money. -
Sugar Act
Who: British government (Parliament) What: This put a tax on several products including molasses. It also called for harsh punishments for smugglers. When: April 5, 1764 Where: In the colonies Why: The French and Indian War had resulted in a huge debt for the British. They thought the colonists should pay for some of this debt so Parliament taxed the colonists. -
Stamp Act
Who: Parliament What: The act required all colonists to buy special tax stamps to place on newspapers, wills, contracts and other documents. When: March 22, 1765 Where: in the colonies Why: The French and Indian War had resulted in a huge debt for the British. They thought the colonists should pay for some of this debt so Parliament taxed the colonists. -
Boston Massacre
Who: British soldiers and colonists What: An angry crowd gathered around British soldiers. The colonists were yelling and throwing rocks and snowballs at the soldiers. The soldiers fired into the crowd killing 5 colonists. When: March 5, 1770 Where: Boston, Massachusetts Why: The colonists were angry about all the taxes and the Quartering Act. They did not want the British soldiers there. -
Tea Act
Who: British Parliament and colonists What: Act tried to help the British East India Company by giving it a monopoly on selling tea in the colonies. The act hurt colonial merchants who sold Dutch Tea smuggled into the colonies. When: May 10, 1773 Where: in the colonies Why: The British Parliament passed the Tea Act to save the East India Company from bankruptcy. By lowering the tax on tea, the legislation allowed the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
Who: Colonists in Massachusetts What: The contents of three shiploads of tea were dumped in Boston Harbor. When: December 16, 1773. Where: Boston Harbor at Griffins Wharf near Pearl Street in Boston. Why: To protest at the Tea Act passed by the British parliament both because it imposed a tax on Massachusetts and other colonies without representation and it gave a monopoly to the East India Company putting other merchants business at risk. -
Intolerable Acts
Who: King George III, British colonists What: Four laws passed by Parliament: 1.) Port of Boston was closed. 2.) increased the powers of the royal governor 3.) abolished the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature 4.) cut the powers of town meetings When: March 24, 1774 Where: Massachusetts Why: These acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party. -
First Continental Congress
Who: Delegates from 12 out of the 13 colonies What: The Congress demanded the end of the Intolerable Acts and declared that the colonies had a right to tax and govern themselves. It also called for training of militias. When: September 1774 Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Why:The committees of correspondence organized this meeting to discuss what to do next about the British. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Who: Minutemen and British soldiers What: It was the first battle of the American Revolution. British troops were sent to seize colonial weapons. They are faced with an untrained and angry militia. This ragtag army defeated 700 British soldiers . When: April 18, 1775 Where: Lexington and Concord Why:The British government did not plan to meet the demands of the Continental Congress . The colonists began to form a militia to fight for what they wanted.