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The French and Indian War
War with the British, Iroquois, and Colonists, versus the French, Huron, and Aglonkin Indians. A war wages for control of the Ohio River Valley. The British would win, and take over the entire French empire in North America. -
The Albany Congress
Expecting a war, the British government called a meeting for the colonial leaders. It took place in Albany, New York. The British wanted the other colonies to work together and defeat the French. Britain and the colonies then formed an alliance. The Iroquois refused to side with the British because they expected the French to win the war. Hoping for more allies, Benjamin Franklin put the picture of a snake chopped into pieces saying, "Join, or Die", in his newspaper, "The Philadelphia Gazette". -
The Treaty of Paris
After losing Quebec, France could not defend the rest of it's North American land. Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris, forcing France to lose all of it's North American possessions. -
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Pontiac's War
Towards the end of the French and Indian war, Pontiac, the leader of the Ottowa nation, formed an alliance with western Native Americans. Pontiac wanted land back from the British. Pontiac and his allies attacked British settlements throughout the area. About half of the British forts were destroyed. Around 2,000 backcountry settlers were killed. And then the British turned around and did the same to Pontiac and his alliance. The British would defeat the Natives. -
The Proclamation of 1763
Britain wanted to avoid any future wars with the Native Americans on the frontier. The Proclamation banned any further colonial settlement west of the line drawn on the Appalachian Mountains. This did not go down well with the Colonists, who believed they had the right to settle wherever they wanted to. Therefore this Proclamation was ignored and was nearly impossible to properly enforce. -
The Quartering Act
Parliament passed the quartering act a year after the Sugar Act failed. The purpose was to save money by housing soldiers with the colonists, expecting them to treat them like they would their own family. This required the colonists to house them, provide them with food, supplies, and other things the soldiers would need. -
The Sugar Act
In an effort to impose new taxes to pay their debt, the British put a duty on several products, including molasses. This also included great punishment for any smugglers. Colonial merchants were big protestors because they played a great role in the smuggling community. -
The Stamp Act
This was one of the most unpopular act that was passed by Parliament. The Stamp Act required that all colonists buy special stamps for different products and activities. Parliament passed this in desperate need for a tax plan to pay off their war debt. For all paper documents, from just plain paper to newspapers and licenses, it needed a stamp. Protests against the Stamp Act were widespread. After all of the protests, the act was repealed. -
The Boston Massacre
In Boston 1770, an angry mob of colonists surrounded British soldiers when Britain imposed taxes on tea after their protests. When the mob got violent, the soldiers fired shots at the Colonists in fright. Five were killed and six were injured, while only two soldiers were found guilty of the murders. -
The Tea Act
British Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773. It's purpose was to help the British East India Company-one of Britain's most important companies. The colonial boycott on tea was strongly damaging the company, so to try to make a comeback Britain lowered the prices of tea. This allowed the East India Company to ship tea directly to the colonies. Many colonists were angered because this gave the Eastern India company a monopoly over the industry. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists called the Sons of Liberty organized an act to stop the East India Company tea to be unloaded. They threatened ship captains who would bring in tea from outside of the colonies and refused to pay them for their travels. Ports were closed in Philadelphia, New York, and many other places. -
The Intolerable Acts
Britain was outraged after the Boston Tea Party, and King George called for tough actions to make examples of the people of Boston, Massachusetts. These acts were called the intolerable acts. The first was a law that closed the port of Boston. The next two laws increases the power of the British governor, abolished power in the upper house of Massachusetts legislature, and stopped the powers of town meetings. The last law strengthened the 1765 Quartering Act. -
The First Continental Congress
Twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. the delegates were John Adams and Samuel Adams from Massachusetts, John Jay from New York, and George Washington and Patrick Henry from Virginia. The Congress demanded a repeal of the Intolerable Acts and said that the colonies had the right to govern themselves. Britain ignore this request. Instead they chose to restore their authority. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
As the colonists began forming militias, General Thomas Gage,(the governor of Massachusetts), learned that they were being stored in Concord, which is close to Boston. He sent 700 troops to seize the arms and capture some important colonial leaders. Paul Revere and William Dawes rode in to Concord with a warning after seeing the signal that the Patriots sent at a steeple of church. The minutemen killed three British men, and almost 300 minutemen were killed in return. -
The Second Continental Congress
When the crisis with Britain got worse, the Second Continental Congress formed. This took place in Philadelphia. Although the delegates were not sure what to do, they all agreed that the first step was to make an army. Congress chose George Washington to lead this army. Congress payed for the army by printing paper money. The Second Continental Congress was starting to act like a government. -
The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
This was a very important battle that took place in New York. A daring band of colonists decides to make a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga. The fort stood at the bottom of Lake Champlain and protected the water route to Canada. Ethan Allen led the group, and his followers were mostly from Vermont. All 83 men reached the fort by crossing the lake at night and surprising the 42 British troops is the morning. The British quickly surrendered. The colonies needed the weapons that were there. -
The Battles of Bunker and Breed's Hill
The Americans surrounding Boston were not trained soldiers and did not know how to fight very well. British General William Howe decided to attack going strait up Breed's hill. The Americans waited until the British got close, and then fired. Many British soldiers were wounded or killed. The British won one out of three attempts to take over the hill, only because the Americans were out of ammunition. This did not solve Britain's problems, because the Americans were still surrounding Boston. -
The Olive Branch Petition
The first Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George asking for peace in the colonies. The petition stated that the colonists were loyal to him and that they wished to stop the fighting, also they wanted the disputes between the colonists and Britain to end. This petition failed. King George hardly looked at it before declining the offer. -
The Invasion of Quebec
As Washington was training an army outside of Boston, two other American armies were moving towards Canada. One army was led by Richard Montgomery, an the other led by Benedict Arnold. It was a harsh winter for Arnold and his group. When the Americans attacked Quebec, it was during a severe snowstorm. The attack was turned around on the Americans. Montgomery died, and Arnold was severely injured. The Americans lost and the British were left with Quebec. -
The British withdrawal from Boston
The British could no longer defend Boston. With the Americans placed all around the city, the British could not risk any more battles because the Americans had cannons. The British left Boston on March 17, 1776. Although the Americans won in Boston, George Washington knew this was far from being over.