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The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was an era that lasted from 1685 to 1815 in which people began to turn away from the church and began focusing more on individualism. Important philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Adam Smith existed during this time, and they helped people find a new way of thinking. This era affected everywhere in the world, as the new views came across the ocean into America, and people began thinking differently here, too. -
John Locke Writes Two Treatises of Government
John Locke was an English philosopher and author who wrote "Two Treatises of Government". This book talked about his views on government, and how people should control their government, called self-government, have a social contract, and have natural rights. His political views influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. -
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war between the British and the French, and help from the Native Americans on both sides. In 1754, George Washington was sent to America to defend the British, but he set them up for disaster. In 1756, the British formally declared war against the French. A new British leader named William Pitt helped the British immensely, and the Spanish ended up helping the French. The Treaty of Paris ended the war, and the French territories in America went to Britain. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
After the French and Indian War, the French territories in America went to Britain, so Britain began invading the territory. Little did they know, Native American tribes lived there. After a while of this, Chief Pontiac, a member of the Ottawa tribe, became irritated with the invasions, and rebelled. There were many battles, but in the end, Pontiac was forced to sign a treaty with Britain due to lack of tribe support. http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4042/4474306768_8ffe11f3f2_z.jpg?zz=1 -
Proclamation of 1763
After the French lost the French and Indian war, and the rebellion of Pontiac, the Proclamation of 1763 was made. After going into so many wars, the British were losing too much money, so in the Proclamation, they declared that the colonists could not move westward past the Appalachian Mountains. Although the colonists disliked this new rule, it only helped the British save money and saved the colonists from conflict with the Native Americans in the western lands. -
The Stamp Act
In 1765, the British imposed a tax on stamps, and these stamps had to be placed on every paper document the colonists made. Since Great Britain was still in major debt due to the French and Indian war, the Stamp Act was a good move on their part, but for the writers of the New World, this was a huge amount of money they had to pay. Later on, the colonists would revolt, and the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. -
The Quartering Acts
The Quartering Acts of 1765 was when the British declared that British soldiers in America could go to a colonist's house and say that they were going to sleep there that night, and the colonist would have to be okay with that. If the colonist's house was not large enough to sleep all of the men, the colonist would then have to pay for the soldiers to stay in an inn. The British stayed there until they were driven out by George Washington in 1776. -
Minutemen
Minutemen were colonists who were self-trained in weaponry and military strategies. They appeared during the American Revolution and were a major part of the Revolution, as they helped the colonists win the war and could be ready in a minute's notice- hence the name "Minutemen". -
The Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was the first congress held by the colonists in New York, where representatives from the colonies as well as Britain convened. It lasted from October 7 to October 25, 1765, and they talked about the taxation inflicted on the colonists. -
The Townshend Acts
In 1767, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend created the Townshend Acts, named after himself, in hopes of helping the debt problem in England. This Act put a tax on things such as glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. The colonists saw this as an abuse of power, since they were still under the British rule, so they limited the amount of British imports in the colonies. In 1770, British Parliament repealed all Townshend Acts, except the one on tea. -
The Boston Massacre
The British soldiers that were in America were not being paid enough by the British, so they began taking the colonist's jobs. This angered the colonists, so on March 5, 1770, the Patriot colonists gathered in front of the Customs House in Boston and began taunting the British soldiers. The British leader, Captain Thomas Preston, ordered his men to go outside. This is when the massacre started, and the first to die was an African American man named Crispus Atticus. Only five colonists died. -
The Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16, 1773, the colonists dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. They did this in protest of the British taxing tea, in hopes that they would remove it. This protest was led by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty. -
The Coercive Acts
Angry because of the Boston Tea Party, British Parliament induced the Coercive Acts, a series of four acts made to punish the colonists in Boston, and restore order in Massachusetts. These acts included the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. Parliament hoped to separate Boston and the New England colonies from the rest of the colonies, but instead the other colonies sent resources and made the Provincial Congress. -
The First Continental Congress
In response to the Coercive Acts, the colonists created the First Continental Congress, where fifty-six delegates from each of the colonies, except Georgia, came together in Philadelphia to create a declaration of rights and grievances. Here, the colonists discussed the British taxation and acts, and talked about acts of protest. -
Lexington and Concord
These battles started the American Revolution, and it began with many American losses. Before it began, there was already a lot of tension between Britain and the American colonies, and when the British troops marched into Concord, American minutemen stayed in Boston, and four hours later, the colonists began shooting at the British when they arrived in Boston. They then moved to Lexington, where they fought again, and the British ran to New York where they obtained help from the Navy. -
The Second Continental Congress
After the First Continental Congress was a success, the colonies then got back together in 1775 to create the Second Continental Congress. The Second Continental Congress was made up of representatives from the thirteen colonies and they got together to discuss the conflicts with Britain, and it was here that they created the Continental Army and declared the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Thomas Paine Writes Common Sense
Thomas was a pamphleteer in the 1700s, ad his most famous work was his pamphlet named "Common Sense". Thomas wrote this to change the view of the colonists about their feelings towards Britain. When he was writing it, many colonists were still loyal to England, but after he published it, they began despising England. -
Treaty of Alliance
The Treaty of Alliance was a military alliance between France and America. It said that if war ever broke out between France and England, America would send military support to help them, and the other way around. Also, it stated that neither country could agree to a separate peace with Britain. This treaty was signed during the American Revolution, and was helpful for the Americans. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1776, and it declared America's independence from England. Thomas Jefferson took many ideas from John Locke, but ultimately, Thomas Jefferson wrote down our rights and our grievances and sent it to the King of England, and at the end of the American Revolution, America was free. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the war for America. At the first battle on September 19, America lost, but at the second battle on October 7, the British troops retreated and the Americans won. This event showed the Americans that they could beat the British, and it gave them some hope. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris acknowledged American independence, and ended the American Revolution. The Continental Congress named Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens to negotiate a treaty. At the end of the Revolution, the treaty was signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens for America, and Richard Oswald for Great Britain on November 30, 1782. The final treaty was signed on September 3, 1783.
