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Two Treatises on Government - John Locke
John Locke, a thinker in the Englightenment, created a works called Two Treatises on Government. He argued that people have Natural Rights, or rights from birth. He also opposed the belief that monarchs get their authority to rule directly from God, or Divine Right. -
British Settlers Move Into the Ohio River Valley
France and Britain each controlled large amounts of land in America in the 1700s. They both wanted more land, so this eventually created war. The British settlers moved into the Ohio River Valley, land claimed by the French, to gain more farmlands. -
The Spirit of the Laws- Montesquieu
A French thinker, the Baron de Montesquieu influenced American culture greatly. In his book, The Spirit of the Laws, he argued that there should be three branches of Government: The legislative branch to make laws, the executive branch to enforce laws, and judicial branch to make judgments based on the law. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was between Britain and the French and their Indian allies. France and Britain both wanted more land in America. They both wanted the Ohio River Valley, but the French got there first, so war broke out between the two. -
Albany Plan of Union
As protests grew, so did the chance of war between Britain and the Colonies. So, Benjamin Franklin drew up a plan, the Albany Plan of Union, that would give elected officials on a council authority over western settlements, relations with Natives, and other urgent matters. It could also create armies and collect taxes for them. -
Braddock's Defeat
Braddock didn't think that the American soldiers were qualified to be soldiers. When Benjamin Franklin and the American soldiers warned him about walking down a narrow road in red coats, being perfect targets for ambush, he didn't listen. When the French ambushed, many died, along with the General himself. -
Pontiac's War
The leader of the Ottawa nation, Pontiac, created an alliance of Natives. Their goal was to protect the Native lands from British invasion. In May 1763, they attacked British forts and settlements. The war only lasted a year. -
Proclamation of 1763
When tensions started rising between Native Americans and colonists, Britain decided to act before war broke out. They created a border on along the Appalachian Mountains that the colonists had to stay on the right of, and the Natives on the left. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a tax passed by Parliament. It was an import tax on sugar, molasses, etc. -
"The Intolerable Acts"
Britain was angered by the Boston Tea Party. So, they passed four laws that punished and restricted colonists. The colonists nicknamed them the "Intolerable Acts." One closed the port of Boston. Two others increased power of the royal governor, abolish the upper house of legislature, and cut the powers of town meetings. Now, if anyone was accused of murdering a British official could be tried in Britain. Another law strengthened the 1765 Quartering Act. -
Townshend Acts
The five laws, including the Quartering Acts, that helped repay debts of Britain after the Seven Years War. -
Boston Massacre
When a group of colonists started harrassing a small group of British soldiers by throwing rocks and ice at them, the soldiers opened fire. Five were killed, and six were wounded. The American Colonists used the massacre to their advantage by creating posters of an exaggerated massacre by the British killing innocent people, which was false. -
The Stamp Act
Parliament passed a act that stated that a stamp must be put on newspapers, wills, liscence, insurance, policies, land contracts, and more. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act angered the colonists. The Act demanded that tea could only be brought into and sold in the colonies by the British East India Company. This monopoly angered the colonists so much that it was part of the reason for the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists in Boston, and around the colonies, decided to act on the Tea Act. In Boston, in an event that we call the Boston Tea Party, a group of colonists, called the Sons of Liberty, disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped 90,000 pounds of British tea into the Boston harbor. -
Battle at Lexington
This battle was one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. It is the site of the "shot heard 'round the world," or the first shot in the War. -
Second Continental Congress
Even when most Americans didn't want war, they wanted to defend their rights against the British. The Second Continental Congress came together to create a solution to the problems of war. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
In Boston, most colonists were not trained as soldiers. So in 1775, British Gneral William Howe decided to attack the colonists. The Americans waited until the British were close and then opened fire. The colonists killed and wounded 1000 British, while they only had 400 wounded and killed. This battle proved that the colonists could fight the British and defend Boston. -
Olive Branch Petition
A piece of paper written by Thomas Jefferson to make peace with Britain. -
Attack on Quebec
In late December 1775, the Americans attacked Quebec during a snowstorm. The Americans stayed outside of Quebec until May, when the British landed new forces in Canada. The Americans left, leaving Canada for the British. -
Declaration of Independence
A document that stated the colonies were seperating from Britain and creating a new country called the United States of America.
