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The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War lasted from 1756 to 1763. The war was sparked when George Washington was sent to the Ohio River Valley with orders to ask the French to leave the Valley. This would soon lead to conflict and eventually war. The French would gain the trust of most of the native American tribes. Although it seemed that the French were destined, the tide turned and the french were ultimately defeated at the battle of Quebec. Allthough the British won, they were left with a huge war debt. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed on Feb. 10, 1763. This event marked the end of The Seven Years War between the French and British. The Seven Years War, commonly known as The French and Indian War by the colonists, was started in the Americas, but was fought world-wide. The outcome gave the British a huge amount of land, leaving the French with a desire for revenge. -
Pontiac's War
Pontiac's War was one of the first major rebellion against British colonist. The war began near the end of The French and Indian War when the Native American tribes realized that once the French were drive out, there was no stopping the colonists from expanding. The war was rightfully named after its leader, Pontiac, who united the tribes against British forces. This was the first time the colonists realized that they were a large threat. This was one of the reasons for the Proclamation of 1763 -
Proclamation of 1763
After The French and Indian War and the infamous Pontiac's War were concluded, the British issued a law stating that colonists were forbidden to cross the Appalachian mountains. This law was known as the Proclamation of 1763. The law was created to avoid any more Native American conflicts in North America. This left the British in an uproar, forbidden to seize the land that they had conquered. -
The Suger Act
After The French and Indian War, the British were faced with a large war debt. The British government believed that the colonists should help pay for a war they helped start. They passed a law that charged additional money on more than just sugar this tax included wine, coffee, indigo, and other products. This was the first of many laws to be pressed upon the colonists. This left the colonists angry at Britain. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act,also issued by the British Government, was a tax that charged colonists extra currency on products made from British paper(such as newspapers, and even cards) The colonists did not react as harshly as with the sugar act, and instead left it upon the House of Burgess to resolve. The House declared that they alone had the right to tax colonists. -
The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was passed twice, once in 1765, and again in 1774. The law was passed because the British Parlament feared that the British troops in the colonies were not taken care of properly. It stated that the Colonists had to shelter and feed the soldiers if they required it. The colonists considered this more offensive than the Sugar and Stamp Acts. Some colonists, particularly in New York, would not abide by these rules, as they considered it a violation of their personal space. -
The Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting of several colonial representatives held from October 7th and October 25th. The congress was made up of 27 representatives, including its leader William Ruggles of Massechusetts. Nine out of the thirteen colonies attended. The congress was held as a protest against the British taxation. The Declaration of Rights and Grievances was the conclusion. It stated that taxing colonists without their permision was unconstitutional. -
The Townsend Acts
The Townsend Acts were a series of Acts that included The Revenue Act, The Indemnity Act, and The New York Restraining Act. The acts were named after Charles Townsend, who Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time. The acts taxed things like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. The acts were eventually repealed, except for the tax on tea. The acts caused colonists to react with riots, boycotts, and other protests. -
The Boston Massacre Part 1
Leading up to the massacre, British soldiers were stationed in Boston, the capital of Massachusetts. Their job was to protect leaders that supported British taxation that the British government were pressuring them to pay. The residents, furious of the repetitive acts issued by the parliament, would begin to protest both violently and nonviolently in order to rebel against them. As these events progressed, tensions grew between the colonies and England. -
The Boston Massacre Part 3
John Adams would defend them. Even though that he was anti British, he believed that thet deserved a fair trial.The eight soldiers would be put on trial, two of which would be concluded as guilty of manslaughter, but were give shortened sentences. -
The Boston Massacre Part 2
It is March 5, 1770, a group of soldiers stand outside the Old State House in Boston, Massachusetts. A crowd forms around them. They shout, throw snowballs and other objects at them. The soldiers, shoot into the crowd, killing five people. This event was known as the Boston Massacre. I do not believe that it should be considered a massacre, the soldiers acted in self defense, provoked by the colonists. The famous picture "The Bloody Massacre" depicted by Paul Revere, visually narrates the event -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act's purpose was to help Britain's East India Company get bck on track. After Britain's countless tries to tax the colonists on tea, the company was doing horribly financially. The Tea Act had the company take tea to the colonies, and sell it to them at an insanely low price. In other words, they offered them a monopoly, a deal that colonists could not pass up, leaving them little choice but to buy it. Colonial merchants feared that the deal would have a negitive effect on their sales. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was the colonists response to the Tea Act. The colonists believed tha th the Tea Act would have a huge impact on the colonial economy. They would not let the ships unload the tea. Evenyually, a group named the Sons of Liberty, lead by Samuel Adams, would sneak onboard disquised as indians, and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The British would respond with the intolerable acts. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts, or The Coercive Acts, were actually five laws. Four of which were to punish the colony of Massachusetts for their unacceptible behavior during the Boston Tea party. The other, the Quebec Act was to enlarge the borders of the area. These include the return of the infamous Quatering Act. The First Continental Congress was formed in opposition to these laws. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was held in responce to the Intolerable Acts, or Coercive Acts. 12 colonies were present, excluding Georgia. They agreed to have a boycott of British goods, and also held a Second Continental Congress. There were 56 representatives, including John and Samuel Adams, and George Washington. -
Lexington and Concord Part 1
The British were heading to Concord in mid-1775 because they had gotten notice that the colonial militia were holding supplies and weapons there. The colonial forces had gotten notice way ahead of time. They assembled their minutemen, militia that would arm themselve and be ready to fight at a minutes notice. The British regulars first encountered them at lexington. Th militia stood no chance. They retreated to Concord were they met up with more militia. -
Lexington and Concord Part 2
As the militia retreated to Concord, the British followed. They met up with allies and outnumbered the British. They fought off hordes of redcoats. The British retreated, as the colonial forces followed and killed many more. The battle of Lexington and Concord was the prologue of the American Revolution and was hence forth known as "the shot heard around the world." -
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress created The Colonial Army on June 14, 1775. In July of 1775, the congress agreed on The olive Branch Petition, stating that they were loyal to Britain and politely asked the king fo have sympathy. They also created the Declaration of Causes and Taking up arms, which explaining why they had misbehaved and that theybdid not think it was right to tax without representation. In the end, the congress ended up giving the colonies a military, and uniting themselves. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill Part 2
On the morning of June 17, the British devise a foolish plan. The British believed that the colonists were "no match for trained soldiers." They planned to charge straight for the enemy, and that is exactly what they did. The British forces charged the colonists three times. The first two times, they suffered severe casualties. The third time, they charged the colonists to find that they wereretreating. They had ran of ammunition... The British had won, at a great cost, with huge losses. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill Part 1
The Battle of Bunker Hill is one of several battles that mark the dawn of the American Revolution. In June of 1775, the Continental Army besieges Boston. A group of roughly 1,200 colonial militia, led by William Prescott, head to Bunker Hill with orders to occupy, and fortify it. Prescott then decides that it is wiser to make their stand on Breed's Hill, further south. The colonial forces set up their defences practically over night. The British led by Gen. Howe, get ready for battle.