-
Albany Congress
The British government thought war was going to break out so they called a meeting with colonial leaders in Albany, New York. The British wanted colonies to agree to cooperate in defending themselves against the French. They invited the Iroquois tribes hoping to form an alliance but they declined. Benjamin Franklin believed the colonies had to succeed, so he published a newspaper from the Philadelphia Gazette with a picture of a snake chopped into pieces with the warning "Join or Die." -
Period: to
French And Indian War
French/Indians v.s British, colonists, Iroquois. Both wanted the Ohio River Valley. The British won the war. The French lost most of their land to British. -
Treaty Of Paris
The French could no longer defend the rest of its North American territory so Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris. It was signed in Paris, France. France lost almost all of its North American possessions. France had surrendered French Canada, Mississippi (with exception of New Orleans), and Spanish Florida to the British. Native Americans also had a great lost. Without the French's help, the Native Americans could not stop British settlers from moving on their lands. -
Period: to
Pontiac's War
British fur trappers and traders were on their land, so, on the last days of the French and Indian War, the leader of the Ottawa nation, Pontiac, formed an alliance with the western Native Americans. They attacked British forts and settlements throughout the area. Nearly half a dozen western British forts were destroyed and at least 2,000 back-country settlers were killed. The British defeated Pontiac's forces at a battle near Fort Pitt. Pontiac continued to fight for another year but failed. -
Proclamation Of 1763
Britain wanted to avoid further wars with Native Americans on the frontier. That's why the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763. It banned colonial settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers were told they had to move to a location east of that line. It angered lots of colonists who believed they had the right to reside wherever they wanted. But the proclamation was ignored and proved impossible for the British to enforce. -
Sugar Act
Wars are expensive that's why after the war Britain was left with a large debt. The British effort to impose new taxes on the colonies began when Parliment passed the Sugar Act, which put a duty-or import tax- on several products, including molasses. It also called for harsh punishment for smugglers. Colonial merchants, who sometimes traded in smuggled goods, protested. -
Stamp Act
Passed by Parliament, the Stamp Act required that all colonists buy special tax stamps for all kinds of products and activities. The stamps were placed on newspapers, wills, licenses, contracts, and other documents. Protests against the Stamp Act was widespread. Colonists in the British colonies started boycotting to refuse to buy British goods. The protests worked. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. -
The Quartering Act
Parliament passed the Quartering Act to save money. To enforce the Proclamation of 1763, Britain kept about 10,000 soldiers in the colonies. The act required colonists to quarter, or house, British troops and provide them with food and other supplies. The colonists protested angrily. Once again the colonists complained that Parliament was violating their rights. -
Boston Massacre
Parliament repealed all the Townshend duties except the one on tea. That tax was left in force to demonstrate Parliaments's right to tax the colonies. Parliament had not acted in time. In Boston an angry crowd of workers and sailors surrounded a small group of soldiers. They shouted and threw things at them. The frightened soldiers fired into the crowd, killing 5 people and wounded 6. John Adams defended the 9 soldiers that were involved in the shooting for he wanted them to have a fair trial. -
The Tea Act
The British Parliament passed the Tea Act. The colonial boycott hurt the British East India Company so it was help them. The Tea Act actually lowered the price on tea by allowing the East India Company to ship tea directly to the colonies. The price on tea was lowered so nobody thought the colonists were to object. But some colonists reacted angrily to the part of the act that gave the East India Company a monopoly on selling British goods to the colonies. The monopoly hurt colonial merchants. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists called the Sons Of Liberty organized in port cities to stop tea from being unloaded. They threatened ship captains who were bringing in the tea and merchants who said they would buy it. Thomas Hutchinson made sure that the tea would be unloaded. He refused to give the arriving tea ships papers that would allow them to return to England. In Boston one night a large group of men dressed as Native Americans boarded the tea ships throwing over 342 cases of tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed 4 laws. The 1st act closed the port to Boston. 2 others increased the powers of the royal governor, abolished the upper house of Massachusetts legislature, and cut the powers of town meetings. Now, anyone accused of murdering a British colonial official could be tried in Britain. The 4th law strengthened the Quartering Act. Parliament also passed the Quebec Act, which set up a government for the territory taken from France in 1763. -
First Continental Congress
This meeting took place in Philadelphia. 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates. Georgia didn't send representatives. Among the delegates were John Adams and Sam Adams from Massachusetts,John Jay of New York,and George Washington and Patrick Henry from Virginia. Congress demanded the repeal of the Intolerable Acts and declared that the colonies had a right to tax and govern themselves. It also called for the training of militias to stand up to British troops and for a new boycott of British goods. -
Battles Of Lexington And Concord
Thomas Gage, the governor of Massachusetts,learned minutemen were storing arms in Concord.He sent 700 troops to seize the arms and capture some important colonial leaders.As the troops sent out, a signal appeared by the Old North Church.Paul Revere and William Dawes then rode out to warn the minutemen. In Lexington minutemen were waiting when the British arrived.The minutemen refused to leave.Suddenly a shot rang out.British opened fire.3 died.In Concord,British retreated, 300 killed or wounded. -
The Second Continental Congress
The British had ignored the Congress's demands so they held there 2nd meeting. It took place in Philadelphia. Some delegates included Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Ben Franklin. They wanted to prepare for war. The 1st step was to form an army. The Congress chose George Washington as the commander. He had military experience and was well respected. The Congress also took steps to pay for its army by printing paper money. The Second Continental Congress was starting to act like a government. -
Battle For Fort Ticonderoga
Colonists called the Green Mountain Boys made an attack on the fort. The fort stood at the end of Lake Champlain. Leading the force was Ethan Allen, a blacksmith.The force of 83 men crossed the lake at night and surprising 42 British troops in the morning. They had surrendered. The fort was important because it controlled the main route between Canada and the Hudson River valley and also held valuable weapons, especially cannons. Those cannons drove the British right out of the city in Boston. -
Battle of Bunker and Breeds Hill
General William Howe decided to attack Breed's Hill. The hills are important because they were on higher ground and they can overlook most of Boston. The American commander Israel Putnam knew they didn't have much ammunition so they waited till they were only 150 ft away, then fired. Finally the British's 3rd attack succeeded because the Americans ran out of ammunition. The British won but, more than 1000 were killed or wounded. Americans proved they could fight and stand up to British soldiers. -
Olive Branch Petition
Months after Lexington and Concord, many delegates at the 2nd Continental Congress hoped that peace could be restored between Britain and its American colonies. So the Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George. It stated that the colonists were loyal to the king. It asked George to stop fighting so all disputes between the colonies and Britain could be solved peacefully. King George didn't even bother to open the petition, instead he sent 20,000 soldiers to the colonies to end the revolt. -
Invasion Of Quebec
While Washington was training 1 army outside Boston, 2 other American armies were moving north into Canada. 1 led by Richard Montgomery, left from Ft. Ticonderoga. The other led by Benedict Arnold, moved north through Maine. Arnold had a rough trip through the woods in the winter. They were forced to boil bark, candles,and shoe leather for food. The Americans attacked Quebec during a severe snowstorm. The attack was turned back. Richard died and Arnold was wounded. The Americans had to withdraw. -
The British Withdrawal Form Boston
Washington knew had to build a regular army and get powerful weapons. He had cannons,which had been seized at Ft. Ticonderoga, dragged on sleds across mountains and forests to Boston which took 3 months. He placed the cannons on high ground overlooking Boston. The British could no longer defend their city. The British withdrew from Boston by sea and never returned. Although the Americans won the war it was far from over. Britain had most advantages.They had a powerful navy and hired mercenaries.
