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Proclamation of 1763
To prevent further conflicts with Native Americans, Parliament announced the Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation stated that the Appalachian Mountains were as far west as the colonists could settle, because England did not want the colonists to settle on more Native American land. The Proclamation caused controversy over the belief that you could settle wherever you want. The colonists mostly ignored the Proclamation. This lead to more conflict between England an the colonies. -
Sugar Act
The first time the British put new taxes on items in the colonies was in 1764 when British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. Molasses, and other similar items now had a duty. Smugglers were now harshly punished, which caused many protests. -
Quartering Act
Parliament passed the Quartering Act in 1765, one year after the Sugar Act was passed. The Quartering Act required colonists to house and British soldiers, in order to save money. Colonists protested and argued that the English government was violating their rights. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed in 1765 by Parliament, and it made Americans buy tax stamps that were on items such as newspapers, will, land titles, contracts, and other documents. There were many protests against the Stamp Act. Every colony protested. Eventually, the act was repealed, but conflicts remained. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed in 1773 by British Parliament. After the colonial tea boycott, the East India Company was severely hurt. The Tea Act was intended to help the East India Tea Company, by allowing them to monopolize the tea market in the colonies. Also, the Tea Act lowered The East India Tea Company’s tea prices. Colonial merchants couldn't compete with them,so they had to sell smuggled Dutch tea, which angered colonists. This led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
Sons of Liberty -
Intolerable Acts
Parliament passed four laws as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. Two acts strengthened the royal governor’s control, and reduced the influence of town meetings, and it eliminated the Massachusetts Legislature’s upper house as well as allowing colonists to be tried in England for murder instead of the colonies. One act even shut down the port of Boston and the Quartering Act was also enforced. The colonists supplied Boston with necessities. This eventually led to the beginning of the war. -
Battles at Lexington and Concord
The new governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Gage, found out that Patriot militias, or minutemen, were storing arms in Concord. As the governor was sending out 700 troops to Concord, Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the minutemen. There were 77 minutemen in Lexington awaiting the British. When the British arrived, the commanded the minutemen to leave, and the minutemen refused. The first shot of the war was fired. Noone knows who shot it. It began the Revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the first official battles of the American Revolution. It proved that the Americans could face the British army, and it also influenced the British commanders in their decision to leave Boston.The third time the British attacked, the Patriots had low ammunition, and the Americans gunfire weakened. The British attacked the Americans. The Americans managed to escape and 1,494 soldiers were killed, hurt, or captured total. -
Publication of Common Sense
Common Sense was a fifty page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in January 1776. It was first published in Philadelphia, and it motivated many people to fight for independence from Britain. The majority of the colonists were neutral, and Paine helped sway many of them to the Patriot side. About 500,000 copies were sold in the first six months. The publication of Common Sense led to the Virginia resolution, and eventually, the DOI. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776, but it was not signed until August 2, 1776. There were great risks for signing the Declaration of Independence. If you were caught by the British, you could be hanged as a traitor. After the Declaration was signed, there was no way out of the war, the colonies already had one foot out the door. We were now fighting for a new country. The main principles the Declaration was founded on still live on all around the world. -
Battle at Trenton
2,500 men from the Continental Army, led by George Washington, crossed the Delaware River towards Trenton. The troops were poorly supplied and the weather was harsh. Some soldiers had to march in the snow without shoes. They attacked Trenton successfully from two sides on the morning of December 26th, surprising the Hessian troops that were there. The Americans captured around 1,000 Hessians. When the British followed, we lit fires and then fled. We later captured a major fort in Princeton. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was an extremely important battle for the Continental Army. The Battle of Saratoga helped prove to European countries that we were a strong army, and those countries declared war against Great Britain in the years following the battles, which helped to divert England’s attention from the colonies. British General John Burgoyne attacked American troops at Freeman’s Farm on September 19, 1777. We defeated his troops, and Burgoyne surrendered almost a month later. -
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Winter in Valley Forge
The winter of 1777-1778 was spent in freezing cabins in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania for George Washington’s men. Many soldiers became seriously ill and even died from frostbite and exposure. This gave the Continental Army more motivation to keep fighting despite the hard times at Valley Forge. There was not much food, and Colonists helped. The harsh winter at Valley Forge gave the troops motivation. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The winter of 1777-1778 was spent in freezing cabins in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania for George Washington’s men. Many soldiers became seriously ill and even died from frostbite and exposure. This gave the Continental Army more motivation to keep fighting despite the hard times at Valley Forge. There was not much food, and Colonists helped. The harsh winter at Valley Forge gave the troops motivation to win the war. -
Treaty of Paris
Arguments regarding peace with Britain began in Paris in 1782. Eventually an agreement was made, and the boundaries for the new land were made. Canada marked the north boundary, Florida on the south, the Atlantic Ocean marked the east, and the Mississippi River on the west. America pledged to restore the Loyalists’ property and rights that were damaged during the war. The treaty was approved on April 15, 1783, it lasted eight years.
