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The French and Indian War
The French and Indian war was caused by the French and the British disputing over the boundaries of Ohio River Valley. This was an argument for land and took place because both sides wanted to mainly dominate North America. The British ultimately won, and they both signed the Treaty of Paris. The treaty lead to the French losing almost all their land in North America. -
The Quartering, Stamp, and Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a British law passed by Parliament to have an import tax on two products, one being molasses. The Quartering Act was an act that obligated the colonists to house and feed the British soldiers in America. Finally the Stamp Act was a tax on paper goods like playing cards and newspaper. These Acts that were passed were meant to pay off Britain’s war debt. The reaction to these laws was that the colonists protested against them and felt they were an unfair violation to their rights -
The Boston Massacre Occured
This was the result of a fight that broke out during the time of the Townshend acts. The colonists teased the British soldiers by throwing things at them. The soldiers then fired their guns, killing and injuring men. The reaction to this event was that it was that the colonists’ innocence was exaggerated and this brought the colonies together. -
The Tea Acts and the Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act was a taxation of all tea products and was also a ‘bailout’ for the East India Company, who was financially insecure. This gave Britain control over the tea trade in North America. A group of colonists, known as the Sons of Liberty were maddened and in reaction, boarded a tea trading ship stuck in Boston harbor, and dressed as Native Americans threw the, estimated, thousands of dollars’ worth of tea. Following this was the passing of the coercive acts. -
The Coercive Acts were Passed
The Coercive Acts were Britain’s response to the Boston Tea Party. These laws were very harsh and therefore the colonists called them the Intolerable Acts. The first law was the closing of Boston harbor, the second lowered the power of the Massachusetts government, and the third was that the royal governor could move any trials, colonists had to England. This angered colonists because they felt their rights had been minimized if not completely taken away. This ultimately joined the colonies. -
The First Shot of the American Revolution was Fired
The battle at Lexington and Concord was where the British came from Boston wanting to find a stash of weapons and met the American minutemen on their way through. The minutemen refused to surrender and then the first shot of the American Revolution was fired. The minutemen forced the British back to Boston. Resulting from this was a huge boost in moral for the colonists and they continued to sign up to be in the army and to help Boston in large numbers. This lead to more fighting. -
The Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independence was a document to support and announce the independence of the thirteen colonies. The first section was the Introduction, the Preamble was the second, the third was about Natural Rights, the fourth listed the King’s wrongs; the List of Grievances, and the final section was the Conclusion for independence. This had a drastic effect on the colonists and split them into two groups. The Loyalists were the colonists who thought the problems with the King could be worke -
The Win at Trenton
After losing many battles the Continental Army was in low spirits. The soldiers were ready to return home after their one-year term was over. This pushed George Washington to engage the battle at Trenton, so on Christmas night the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River and invaded, winning Trenton by the next morning. The colonists had prevailed and had hope in their hearts. This followed by them signing up for more terms in the Army. -
Valley Forge
The Continental Army who were being pursued by the British found themselves routed into Valley Forge in a harsh winter. The Americans who had nothing to eat and barely any clothes to wear were dwindling physically and morally. Once the women, left at their homes, found out about the suffering army, they jumped to action. They came to Valley Forge with supplies for the troops and helped the best they could, even George Washington’s own wife came! This resulted in a boost of spirits for the army a -
French Alliance
The French had, had an alliance with America for years dating back to the French and Indian war. This had been kept a ‘secret’ ever since because of the possibility the British would win and set war upon the French in turn. On this day, however, the French recognized the ‘young’ country and signed a treaty of alliance with them. The British reacted by now having to concentrate their attacks on two nations, making their task more difficult. This was a turning point in the war because this demons -
Spanish Alliance
The Spanish had been considering siding with America for some time. They were fighting other battles (one with Portugal), and were unable to engage in war, but like France wanted to wait, to make sure the colonies were sure to win. When the battle of Saratoga (1777) was won by the Continental Army they decided to sign a treaty, Treaty of Aranjuez. The British reacted by becoming weakened, which the Spanish had ultimately wanted this because of their losses caused by the British in the Seven Year -
Yorktown
The battle of Yorktown was the last battle that ended the Revolutionary War. In this battle the Continental Army cornered the British, when General Cornwallis’ troops were trapped in Virginia and his navy chased away by a fleet of French ships. General Cornwallis then had no choice but to surrender, ending the war and giving the victory to the colonies. Following his surrender was the peace treaty of the war -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was an official peace agreement that ended the Revolutionary War. In this treaty Britain recognized the United States, a union to itself, meaning not attached to Britain, and the boundaries of the United States were set. The colonists reacted by embodying their new rights like, equality and liberty. The overall reaction to this was that the other countries were inspired and lead their own rebellion. Some countries that held other Revolutionary wars were France and some of Lat
