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The French and Indian War
By 1754, both the French and the British wanted control over the Ohio River Valley. War begun where the French and the Indians were fighting the British. Britain was losing at first, but once more soldiers arrived, they quickly won the war and the Ohio River Valley. The war ended in 1763. Britain expanded further into America, and tighten control of the colonies, which later led colonists to rebel. -
The Proclamation of 1763
After the end of the French and Indian War, the British began to tighten their control over the thirteen colonies. The Proclamation of 1763 stopped the colonists from moving to the land west of the Appalachian Mountains, and it also declared that colonists, except for licensed traders, cannot make deals or agreements with Native American. This was a response to a revolt led by a Native American called Pontiac, and was supposed to protect colonists from attacks by the natives. -
The Stamp Act
In 1765, the British government made the Stamp act, which was the first direct tax on the colonies from Britain. The colonists protested greatly to this and there were riots through several cities. Many colonists sent delegates to New York City to write official letters of protest to Britain. Also, many businesses closed so that they wouldn’t have to cooperate with the new tax, and after this, the British government repealed the tax in 1776. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts put a tax on many goods that were imported the the colonies. The acts sparked a lot of colonial protests around the colonies and some colonists wrote letters to the British government. The new laws were also cracking down on smuggling. Eventually, Parliament repealed the taxes on all of the items, except for tea. -
The Boston Massacre
In Boston in 1770, a boy was insulting British soldiers. The soldiers hit the boy with a rifle, and his scream attracted a crowd. Soon the crowd was harassing the soldiers, by throwing ice and rocks at them, and daring them to shoot. One soldier was pushed to the ground, and the other eight fired into the crowd, and killed five men. -
The Intolerable Acts
By March 1774, the Prime Minister passed the first of four laws that would be called the Coercive, or Intolerable Acts, that impacted all of the colonies. The first act closed the port of Boston, the second act increased the power of royal governor’s and forbade town meetings. The third act allowed the royal governor to move trials to other colonies or England, and the fourth act was the Quartering Act which allowed soldiers to stay in colonists private homes.The colonists protested about these. -
The Shot Heard Around the World
These battles were the opening battles of the Revolutionary War. The British figured out that guns and other arms were stored in Concord, and the Americans knew that British had knowledge of this. When the British were spotted coming towards the town on April 18th, Paul Revere and others rode through the town to warn people. At dawn on April 19th, troops assembled on the Lexington Common and a shot rang out (the shot heard around the world). British troops open fired and killed eight men. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
1,600 American soldiers moved onto the Charlestown peninsula and began working on building dirt walls. While they were working, the British attacked them, led by General Howe who commanded 2,000 men. Their attack was delayed, so it allowed Americans to prepare more. As they did, the British burned Charlestown and then attacked. Although patriots were low on ammunition, they still managed to push the British back several times, and slow them down- but not stop them. The Americans retreated. -
The Declaration of Independence
On July 4, the Second Continental Congress held a meeting in Philadelphia to approve the Declaration of Independence. Its purpose was to record the principles that Congress had enacted, when it voted in favor of freedom and independence for the American Colonies. The declaration was designed to influence the public and gain support abroad, especially from France. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The patriots victory of the battle of Saratoga, meant that they kept control of the vital region of the Hudson River Valley and convinced France to sign the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. This meant that France would send supplies and help to the colonies. The French supplies basically guaranteed that the colonies would win the Revolution. -
Serapis vs. Bonhomme Richard
On September 23rd, 1778, John Paul Jones and his ship the Bohomme Richard encountered the large British warship, the Serapis. A battle commenced in moonlight, at close range for three hours. Jones lost almost half his crew was summoned by the British to surrender. He declined and eventually defeated the British with a grenade on the British ship. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act was an attempt by the British to help the British East India Company, by allowing them to trade directly with the colonies. The colonists didn’t like this, an began to put pressure on the businesses that sold tea, and refused to let tea ships into their harbors. On December 16th 1773, 150 colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans and boarded three ships in Boston Harbor, and threw 342 chest of tea into the ocean. -
The Battle of Cowpens
Tarleton raised his troops on January 17th at 2 am. He began the march towards Morgan and when he found the first line of opponents, he attacked immediately. The first two American lines inflicted heavy damage on the British. They reached the final line and the Americans misunderstood an order, so they withdrew. The British chased them. The Americans were ordered to turn and fire at the British, while the first two lines went around them. The British army was defeated. -
The Battle of Yorktown
British General Cornwallis withdrew his army into Virginia, behind forts at the town of Yorktown. Cornwallis hoped to receive backup from a General in NY, but before that could happen, the France and American Army, commanded by General Washington and General Rochambeau, arrived outside Yorktown and sieged the city. British help was cut off by a French admiral who drove the navy out of Chesapeake Bay. Cornwallis surrendered on October 19th, 1781. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was an official close to the American Revolution, with Britain recognizing the colonies independence. The preliminary treaty was signed by representatives form both nations on November 30th, 1782 and granted the United States almost everything it wanted. The treaty was formally signed on September 3rd, 1783 and ratified by the Continental Congress on Jan 14th, 1784.
