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Period: to
Pre-Revolutionary Events
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1754-1763 French and Indian War
The French and the Indian War began in 1754 and with the signing of the Treaty of Paris the war ended in 1763. This war was also referred to as the Seven Year War. -
Albany Congress
The Albany Congress was a meeting of representatives from seven of the thirteen British North American colonies. Representatives met daily at Albany, New York from June 19 to July 11 to discuss better relations with the Indian tribes and common defensive measures against the French. -
Capture of Fort Necessity by the French
On July 3, the French, led by Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers, Jumonville's brother, arrived and quickly surrounded the fort. Taking advantage of Washington's mistake, they occupied high ground along the tree line which allowed them to fire into the fort. -
General Braddock's Defeat at Fort Duquesne
Braddock's Defeat, was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne in the summer of 1755 during the French and Indian War. Braddock's defeat was a major setback for the British in the early stages of the war with France and has been described as one of the most disastrous defeats for the British in the 18th century. -
Battle of Quebec
In September 1759 Wolfe returned to America to command the attack on Quebec.The direction of the attack caught the French commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, by surprise as he had anticipated a British attack from the west or south. -
Recapture of Fort Duquesne
The French military captured the trading post in 1754, constructing Fort Duquesne soon after. In 1759, the English successfully recaptured Fort Duquesne and changed its name to Fort Pitt. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
The Indian tribes of the Ohio Valley were surprised and angered by the defeat of their French allies in the French and Indian War; the natives were in possession of their homelands and had little feeling of loss during their association with Frenchmen. When word arrived in the Ohio Valley that the tribes were expected to turn their loyalty to a new European monarch, George III of Britain, they were outraged. -
Sugar Act
On April 5, 1764, Parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar Act (1733), which was about to expire. Under the Sugar Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of "six pence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses". -
Currency Act
It prohibited the colonies from issuing paper money in any form. It was an effort to reapply to the colonies the old principles of mercantilism. -
Stamp Act
It was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. -
Quartering Act
In 1765, Parliament passed the Quartering Act. It is an act outlining the locations and conditions in which British soldiers are to find room and board in the American colonies. -
Boston Massacre
British troops had been stationed in Boston in order to protect and support crown-appointed colonial officials attempting to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation. Amid ongoing tense relations between the population and the soldiers, a mob formed around a British sentry, who was subjected to verbal abuse and harassment. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773, would launch the final spark to the revolutionary movement in Boston. The act was not intended to raise revenue in the American colonies, and in fact imposed no new taxes. -
Coervice Acts
The Intolerable Acts or the Coercive Acts are names used to describe a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to Britain's colonies in North America. They were important developments in the growth of the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of the delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies. The Congress was attended by 56 members selected by the legislatures of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists borded British ships and dumped 341 chests of tea to the Boston harbor ruining thousands of dollars of wasted tea. This became known as the Boston Tea Party.