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The Albany Congress
A meeting, set in Albany (New York), between colonial leaders and the Iroquois tribes. It was set up by the British to get the colonies to cooperate in defense against the French. They also hoped to forge an alliance with the Iroquois, but the Iroquois refused. The colonies also were unwilling to follow the plan drawn up to unite them. -
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The French and Indian War
A war fought between the French and the British over the Ohio River valley, which they had both claimed. The French were allied with the Algonquin and Huron Native Americans, while the British were allied with the Iroquois. Eventually, the British won and gained a great amount of French territory. However, the war left Britain deep in debt. -
The Treaty Of Paris
A treaty signed in Paris by the British and the French that ended the French and Indian War. It gave the British French Canada, Spanish Florida, and all territory east of the Mississippi River. The Spanish received the French territory west of the Mississippi, as well as New Orleans. -
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Pontiac's War
Pontiac, the leader of the Ottawa Native American nation, formed an alliance between many tribes during the final days of the French and Indian War. The alliance was formed because the tribes wanted to keep their land. This alliance then started to attack British forts and settlements in the backcountry, eventually killing at least 2,000. The British also killed many Native Americans, even those who had done nothing to them. Eventually the war was won by the British. -
The Proclamation of 1763
A law issued by the British government that banned settlement west of a line drawn across the Appalachian Mountains. This order was issued to prevent further conflict with Native Americans. However, it did anger many colonists who believed they had a right to land they had fought a long, expensive war for. They ended up settling the area anyway, as the proclamation was near impossible to enforce. -
The Sugar Act
A set of taxes on multiple imported products, including molasses, passed by Britain to help pay off its debt. It also called for severe punishment for smugglers. This angered the colonial merchants, who sometimes who trade smuggled goods. -
The Stamp Act
A law requiring colonists to buy tax stamps for multiple products and activities, such as newspapers, wills, land titles, etc. The colonies organized boycotts and created petitions in protest, which eventually led to the unpopular law being repealed in 1766. -
The Quartering Act
A law made by Britain to save money after sending thousands of soldiers to the colonies. It required colonists to house and feed soldiers. This angered colonists because they believed it was a violation of their rights. -
The Boston "Massacre"
With tensions growing in the colonies over more unpopular laws being passed, many colonists were getting increasingly angry at the British. One day a crowd of furious colonists in Boston surrounded a small group of British soldiers. They yelled at them and threw rocks and snowballs. Eventually the frightened British soldiers fired into the crowd, wounding six and killing five. This event was heavily dramaticized by Paul Revere, stirring colony fervor in favor of revolution. -
The Tea Act
A law passed by the British to help the British East India Company. It allowed them to ship tea directly to the colonies and granted them monopoly over the colonial tea industry. While this did lower the price of the tea, it angered colonial merchants who sold Dutch tea. Many colonists also protested because they still had to pay the tax on the tea. -
The Boston Tea Party
After the tea act was passed, many colonial cities refused to even unload tea from the ships that carried it. Boston (Massachusetts) was the exception. After its governor ordered the tea to be unloaded, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded the ship, seized 342 cases of tea, and threw them into the Boston Harbor as an act of protest. -
The Intolerable Acts
A set of four laws passed by Britain to punish Boston after the Boston Tea Party. The first act closed Boston's port. British warships patrolled the entrance, barring any ship from leaving or entering. The second and third acts took away the Massachusetts legislature's upper branch and increased the power of the royal governor. They also dictated that anyone accused of injuring a British official had to be tried in Britain. The fourth act strengthened the Quartering Act of 1765. -
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The First Continental Congress
An important meeting set in Philadelphia between delegates sent by twelve of the colonies. They came to demand the end of the Intolerable Acts and declare that the colonies had the right to tax themselves. The congress also called for the training of colonial militias and new boycotts on British goods. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
British officials marched an army twenty miles to the towns of Concord and Lexington, as they intended to arrest Samuel Adams and seize weapon stores hidden there. Lexington's small militia confronted them, but was quickly quashed due to fact that they were vastly outnumbered. When the British did arrive at Concord, they did not find the weapon stores. As they retreated back to Boston, they were shot at by the militias of nearby towns, killing or wounding almost 300. -
The Second Continental Congress
The second meeting held between colonial delegates in Philadelphia. Anticipating war, these delegates decided to raise an army, appoint George Washington as general of said army, and print paper money. -
The Battle For Fort Ticonderoga
Ethan Allen and his group of 83 Vermont men crossed Lake Champlain in the dead of night and managed to capture Fort Ticonderoga. As the 42 British troops were vastly outnumbered, they quickly surrendered. Allen seized the cannons held at the fort for the Americans, who were in great need of powerful weaponry. These cannons played a vital role in the victory at Boston. -
The Battles Of Bunker And Breed's Hill
Americans had British-occupied Boston completely surrounded. Two of their key locations were Bunker hill and Breed's Hill, two hills overlooking the Boston Harbor where they could easily fire on British ships. This caused the British to attack these hills. They came in waves, being shot down time after time until the Americans eventually ran out of ammunition. While the British did win the battles, it proved that the Americans could stand to fight them. -
The Olive Branch Petition
A petition sent to King George of Britain, declaring that the colonies did not have a problem with their mother country itself, just the taxes imposed on them without their consent. The petition requested the king to cease the fighting and come to an agreement peacefully. However, this peace effort failed. King George didn't even read the petition before declaring that the colonies were in open rebellion. -
The Invasion Of Quebec
Whilst George washing was training his army, two other armies, led by Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold, attempted to invade Canada and capture Quebec. However both armies faced rough treks and had to attack during a snowstorm, so their attack was turned off rather easily. Eventually the weakened Americans had to retreat, leaving Canada to the British.