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The French and Indian War
Great Britain and France fought over the Ohio River valley area. France claimed that they should have had it because they traded there first; Britain because they had land grants issued by monarchy. Most Native American tribes sided with the France, and the colonists fought with the British. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the war but left Britain with great debts. What followed was that Britain expected the colonists to help pay off their debt so they imposed taxes. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was passed by King George III to avoid fighting with the Native Americans. This law stated that all colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains must return east. This angered the colonists because they thought it should be their choice where they could live, so most people did not follow this law. Britain found that this law was impossible to enforce. This was one of the unfair laws passed by Great Britain that led up the Revolution. -
The Sugar Act
The 1764 Sugar Act was passed by British Parliament to help pay off war expenses from the French and Indian War. British parliament placed this tax on sugar and molasses and other goods going into the colonies. This tax angered the colonists mostly because they did not have a say in the government in order to be taxed (Taxation without Representation). This tax also showed the colonists that Britain had the ability to tax them without their consent. After this law was passed, a boycott of Br -
The Stamp Act
The 1765 Stamp Act was passed by British Parliament to share the expense of having colonial defenses. This act required special stamps to be placed on legal and commercial documents. This tax also made the colonists very angry because it was another example of taxation without representation. After petitions and grievances, it was repealed March 18th 1766 but soon after, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which stated that the king and parliament had complete authority over the colonies -
The Quartering Act
This act was passed by British Parliament in 1765 after the Declaratory Act was passed. This act was passed by British parliament to ensure that the soldiers were being properly fed and housed. Colonists had to house and care for soldiers in their own homes and pay for all the soldier’s personal expenses. The colonists thought of this act as a ‘hidden tax’ because it is not only an extra expense, but also violated their privacy. This law was eventually repealed until it was strengthened -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred after soldiers that the colonists thought were not needed, were placed in the colonies. On March 2nd several colonists surrounded and began to harass a soldier, when more soldiers came to his defense. A soldier fired after rock and snow was thrown at him. Five colonists died and six others were injured. The soldiers were arrested and after a trial, only two of them were found guilty. This all added to colonial restlessness and anger at Great Britain. -
The Boston Tea Party
English Parliament assigned a monopoly for the British East India Company to try to help the company’s economic failure. There were also import duties too on tea because Britain wanted to benefit. This was unfair to the tea merchants and angered the colonists. On the evening of December 16th, 150 patriots dressed as Native Americans boarded three British ships and threw 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The tea’s worth was over 10,000 British pounds. -
The Intolerable Acts
These acts were passed to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts consisted of four individual acts. These acts set the colonists over the edge because they were almost impossible to live with. Many people in Boston were starving and did not have basic necessities. Although the Intolerable Acts were hard to live with, they brought the colonies closer together and they started acting like a country when they all helped Boston survive. -
The First Continental Congress Gathers
Twelve colonies send delegates to Philadelphia to demand that the Intolerable Acts be repealed. Every colony begins to train and assemble a militia. There was also a boycott of British goods. The Congress plans to meet again in May 1775 if needed. The colonies start working together to achieve independence. Another meeting was needed the next June following the battles of Lexington and Concord. -
Battles at Lexington and Concord
British troops headed to Concord in search of a stash of weapons. Both towns were alerted by Paul Revere in the middle of the night so that they could prepare. The British troops encountered the minutemen on the Lexington green. There was much confusion and the first shot of the American Revolution was fired; although no one knows who fired it. What followed was the start of many more battles; we were officially at war. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
There was conflict between Britain and the colonists over the Charlestown Peninsula. The British had 2400 troops and the American Continental Army had 1500 troops. The British charged multiple times, and on the third time, the Continental Army ran out of ammunition. The British won the battle but at a great loss. About 1150 British soldiers died. This battle showed the colonists how much more work was to be done. What followed this battle was the second Continental Congress. -
The Olive Branch Petition is Sent
After fighting had begun in the colonies, they sent a petition to King George III requesting that the king help negotiate a compromise between the colonists and British Parliament and organize a cease fire. King George III never answered the petition and soon declared them to be in open rebellion. This made the colonists very angry and pushed them to keep fighting for their freedom. -
Thomas Paine Publishes Common Sense
Thomas Paine publishes a pamphlet that changed the minds of many colonists that still thought that bonds should remain between Britain and the colonies. His writing attacked King George III and argued that there should be no other option than freedom. More colonists became patriots after reading Common Sense and soon, the Declaration of Independence is written. -
The Declaration of Independence is Approved
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in order to break ties with Britain once and for all. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman were all appointed the dangerous task of writing it. The Declaration of Independence became a symbol of unity for this new and growing country. It contains ideas of “Natural Rights” of John Locke and has become one of the most influential documents on history. -
African Americans are Allowed to Fight
At first, Washington did not allow slaves to fight in the Continental Army, but the British made an offer to African American slaves that if they fought for Britain they would be freed after the war, many slaves take this offer. Then Washington changes his mind. Slaves in the Continental Army normally had only supporting roles. Once slaves were allowed to fight, there was a more faded idea of power and there was more equality. While slaves were participating in the war, in many colonies, slav
