-
Albany Congress
The British government called a meeting between the colonial leaders in Albany, New York. The British wanted the colonies to agree to cooperate in defending themselves against the French. The effort paid off and the colonies agreed to work with the British. The Iroquois also came but refused to make an alliance with the British and the colonies. -
Period: to
French and Indian War
French and the Indians vs. British and the Colonists and the Iroquois. They are fighting over the Ohio River Valley. The British win the French and Indian War. The French lose there empire to the British. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was a treaty confirming the surrender of the French. The British gained all of the French's land including French Canada, French territory east of the Mississippi River, and French Florida. The British also moved into Native American land. -
Period: to
Pontiac's War
Pontiac was the leader of the Ottawa nation. Pontiac made an alliance with the Native Americans that lived near the Appalachian Mountains. They attacked British forts throughout the area because the British where taking their land. The British reacted by killing Native Americans, even those that had not attacked them. The British finally defeated Pontiac's forces in a battle near Fort Pitt in 1764. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The British wanted to avoid wars with the Native Americans, so they published the Proclamation of 1763. It banned the colonists from building settlements west of a line along the Appalachian Mountains. While this prohibited the colonists access to the Ohio River Valley, the British didn't have enough soldiers and money to enforce it. -
The Sugar Act
The Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764 which was a tax the British put on sugar products including molasses. The French and Indian war left the Britain in dept. The British believed the colonists should pay there dept. The Colonists protested this Act much like they protested many other acts passed by Parliament; they soon decided not to buy British products. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act, like the Sugar Act, was another law passed by Parliament in 1765 seeking to make colonists pay part of Britain's debt. The law required colonists to buy stamps for all documents such as contracts and newspapers. Protests included a boycott of British goods by merchants. Also, the House of Burgesses, supported by Patrick Henry's speech, declared that only it had the right to tax Virginia. After repeal, Parliament sought authority over the colonies by passing the Declaratory Act. -
The Quartering Act
The Parliament passed the Quartening Act. The purpose of the Quartering Act was to save money. The British sent 10,000 soldiers to the colonies. The act required the colonists to house the British troops and provide them with food and other supplies. The Colonists thought that Parliament was violating their rights and protested angrily. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre followed the Stamp Act protests. After an angry crowd threw rocks and debris at nine soldiers, the soldiers shot and killed five. The first killed was Crispus Attucks, an African American sailor. Gov. Thomas Hutchinson had the nine soldiers arrested and tried for murder. John Adams, a famous lawyer, defended the soldiers on the basis that everyone had the right to a fair trial. Only two soldiers were convicted. Their punishment was only to have their thumbs branded. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was intended to help the British East India Company. It lowered the price of tea allowing the company to to ship directly to the colonies. Frederick North, the prime minister of England felt that the colonies should not protest to this act because the price of tea was lowered. But, some colonists reacted angrily because it gave the company total control of the tea market. This act hurt tea merchants because now they couldn't compete with tea East India company. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists called the Sons of Liberty organized in port cities to stop the East India Company tea from being unloaded. No tea was unloaded in New York, Philadelphia, or other ports. Boston's governor Thomas Hutchinson decided to make sure the tea was unloaded. When the first ships arrived, he ordered the tea to be unloaded. Two weeks later, a large group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded the ship and threw 90,000 pounds of tea worth a million dollars into the Boston harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed four laws. One closed the port of Boston. Second removed the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature and cut the powers of town meetings. Third Anyone accused of hurting a British official was tried in Britain, rather then the colonies. And fourth strengthened the Quartering Act. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia and was a meeting between 12 of the 13 colonial delegates. Only Georgia didn't send a delegate. Among the delegates were George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Jay, and John and Samuel Adams. the Congress demanded the repeal of the intolerable acts, declared the colonies had the right to tax and govern themselves. It also started the training of militias and a new boycott of British goods. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
General Thomas Gage sent 700 troops to concord to capture colonial weapons and colonial leaders. Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to warn the minutemen. At Lexington 77 minutemen where waiting for the British. Nobody knows who fired first but the British killed eight Americans. In Concord, 400 minutemen fought the British killing 3. As the British retreated toward Boston, about 4,000 Americans fired at them from behind trees. By the time the British reached Boston, 300 were killed or wounded. -
The Second Continental Congress
This Congress was divided about what to do. Delegates from New England wanted to declare independence but delegates from the middle colonies didn't. All colonies agreed that they needed to prepare for war. The Congress chose George Washington as the commander of the Continental army. The Congress also printed paper money to pay for the army. The Second Continental Congress was starting to act like a government. -
The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
A band of colonists made a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga. The Fort stood on the southern end of Lake Champlain and protected the water route to Canada. Leading the 83 colonists was Ethan Allen, a blacksmith. Only 42 British troops guarded the fort and they surrendered almost immediately. This fort was important for two reasons. It controlled the water route between Canada and the Hudson River valley, and held valuable weapons, including cannons. -
The Battles of Bunker and Breeds Hill
Bunker and Breeds hill overlooked Boston. At Breeds hill, British general William Howe decided to attack straight up the hill. The Americans waited until the soldiers were only 150 feet away and then opened fire. The first British attack failed, so did the second. The third attack succeeded only because the Americans ran out of ammunition and had to retreat. More then 1,000 British soldiers were killed and America only lost 400. -
The Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a letter to King George stating that the colonists were loyal to the king. It asked King George to stop all fighting between the colonists and Britain. The petition got its name from the olive branch which was a symbol of peace. When the King received the petition, he didn't even read it and declared the colonists "in open rebellion". Also he sent 20,000 soldiers to the colonists to end the revolt. -
The Invasion of Quebec
Two armies, one led by Richard Montgomery and the other led by Benedict Arnold,left to attack Quebec. Arnold had a terrible journey through the Maine wood. His troops had to eat candles, bark and shoes. Finally the Americans attacked Quebec during a severe snow storm.Montgomery was killed and Arnold was injured. The Americans stayed outside of Quebec until the British landed new forces forcing the Americans to leave Canada to the British. -
The British withdrawal from Boston
Washington knew he had to build a regular army and he also needed powerful weapons to drive the British from Boston. Washington on high grounds overlooking Boston so know the British couldn't defend Boston. The British withdrew from Boston by sea and never returned.