-
Founding of the Colonies
In 1607, colonists from Great Britain landed in Jamestown, Virginia. This was the first official colony founded by the British in America. They traveled by boat and came to the land to increase wealth and to broaden their influence on world affairs, as well as religious freedom and new trade. Since they were an ocean way it was difficult for the British to completely govern over the colonies, which meant that colonists started getting comfortable governing over themselves. -
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was between the French and the British, and the Native American allies on each side. It happened throughout North America and numerous battles were fought. The war started because the British and the colonists wanted to take over French territory and the fur trade that came with it. The war ended with the British succeeding and resulted with the Peace Treaty of 1763,the expansion of British territory, and more taxes for the colonists to pay for the damages. -
Sugar Act, Quartering Act, Currency Act, Stamp Act
In the spring of 1764, the British passed a series of acts that consisted of taxing the colonists in order to pay for the French and Indian War. These were the Sugar Act(taxes on sugar and molasses), the Quartering Act(everyone had to provide British solders with housing and food), the Currency Act(banning the issuing of new colonial money),and the Stamp Act(tax on all paper products.) This enraged the colonists because they had to pay more, mainly business who had to use things like paper a lot -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a secret, Patriot organization that was formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to resist taxation by the British government. They played a major role in the Stamp Act and the organization of the Boston Tea Party. It consisted of men who resisted the Crown laws and taxes such as Samuel Adams (founder),Benedict Arnold,Paul Revere,John Hancock, etc. They met throughout Boston and New York, and their motto was "no taxation without representation." -
"No Taxation Without Representation"
"No Taxation Without Representation" was a popular slogan used by the colonists. It was first mentioned by James Otis, but it wasn't popularized until the Sons of Liberty started using it. They used this slogan because it wrapped up the injustice the colonists were facing in a phrase. The colonists viewed themselves as British citizens, but they didn't have the choice to vote for a representative which means the British couldn't tax them if they didn't have a say. -
Boston Tea Party
After the British established the Tea Act, a group of opposing citizens demonstrated a political protest against it. They decided to dump chests of tea into the Boston Harbor to express their beliefs of objection. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws passed by the British government for the colonists. These harsh laws were used to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party so that it would never happen again. These include the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. -
Boston Blockade
In March of 1774, the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act in which the British lined up their ships along the Boston Harbor to block exports. The Boston Harbor was the busiest port within the colonies. This act affected the wealthy Patriots in Boston, which caused them to get even more mad. This was part of the Intolerable Acts, which punished the colonists for the Boston Tea Party -
First Continental Congress
From September 5 to October 26, 1774, a group of delegates from each colony came together in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss the Intolerable Acts that the British Parliament ordered on the colonists. Men such as John Adams, Samuel Adams (MA),Nathaniel Folsom (NH), and Roger Sherman (CT) spent more than a month coming up with strategies and plans to resist the British. In result, they came up with the ideas to boycott British goods and to stop exporting resources to GB. -
Paul Revere’s “Ride”
On April 18 1775, Paul Revere, a member of the Sons of Liberty, took a midnight ride from Boston to Lexington. He took this ride in order to warn the colonists in Lexington that the British were coming to seize their ammunition. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military interactions of the American Revolution between the British army and the colonists. After Paul Revere warned the colonists in Lexington that the British were coming to take their weapons, an argument happened between the first sides which eventually led to violence and battle. -
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called "Common Sense." This persuasive text talked about how the colonists can gain independence from Great Britain. Paine wrote this to encourage the colonists to protest for a egalitarian government. It ended up having a major influence on the public and became an immediate sensation leading up to more protests.
