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The French and Indian War
Overview:
- The French and Native Americans fought against the British over the Ohio River Valley from 1756 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
- It provided Great Britain with tremendous territorial growth in North America.
Significance:
- The British wouldn't let American colonists go past a certain point past the Appalachian Mountains. This made them upset, which made them realize that they and the French both shared a disliking for the English. -
The Stamp Act
Overview:
- Passed to help pay down war debt and to finance the British Army's presence in the colonies.
- Americans had to pay a tax on every piece of paper they used
Significance:
- The British felt that they were benefiting the Americans because of the extra protection from the British troops. However, the Americans didn't feel the same because they believed the British should've paid the taxes due to it being passed in England by the Parliament. They thought it violated their rights. -
The Boston Massacre
Overview:
- British soldiers opened fire on a group of American colonists, killing five
- Street fight lead by rebel leaders Samuel Adams and Paul Revere
- Between a “patriot mob” who threw snowballs, stones, sticks, etc.
Significance:
- One of the victims was Crispus Attucks, a former slave of Wampanoag who is said to be the first person who died in the American Revolution
- Helped colonists unite with one another and also sparked the colonists’ desire to fight for their independence. -
The Tea Act (part 1)
Overview:
- Passed by the Parliament to grant the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies
- Passing of Tea Act imposed no new taxes because the tax on tea had already existed since 1767’s Townshend Acts
- Not meant to anger colonists, but to instead attempt to get the British East India Company out of debt due to unstable political and economic policies in India along with European markets still being weak from the French/Indian War -
The Tea Act (part 2)
Significance:
- The Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, went on three ships in Boston and destroyed 92,000 pounds of tea. (Boston Tea Party)
- British passed the Intolerable Acts (5 laws created as punishment) to keep control of the colonists after the Boston Tea Party -
Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death!" Speech
Overview:
- Said he wanted his countrymen to declare war on the British
- Talked about all the hardships the colonists had to overcome due to the British
Significance:
- One of the most important speeches in American history
- Since the Virginia Convention debated whether or not to send troops in to fight the British, Henry declared they do so
- With the colonists and Henry eventually fighting for independence, it meant that they'd all rather die than continue to be under Britain's control -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
Overview:
- First military engagements of the Revolutionary War
- British army set out from Boston to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington
- Wanted to destroy Americans’ weapons and ammunition in Concord
- Americans shot first at dawn
- Americans won the battle and the British retreated back to Boston
Significance:
- Proved that the Americans weren’t just a bunch of unorganized rebels and could actually win the war -
The Declaration of Independence
Overview:
- Explained why the colonists should break away from the British and said that the people had rights that couldn't be taken away
- Listed complaints about The King
- Delegates signed their names at the bottom, which was basically a death wish
Significance:
- Led to Americans’ independence from King George III
and eventually cut ties with the British government
