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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation prohibited the colonists from settling West of the Appalachian Mountains due to the fear of Native American attacks. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was the first law that Parliament passed to tax the colonists to regain money that they lost during the French and Indian War. This act raised the duty in sugar from the West Indies. -
Stamp Act
This act made the colonists have to pay a tax on every piece of paper that they use. The people in England had to pay a higher stamp tax than the colonists did. -
Quartering Act
This act made colonists house and feed the British troops, which made them very angry. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress expressed the rights and thoughts of the colonists and attempted to get Parliament to repeal their legislation. They were ignored in England, but this was a significant step toward unity between the colonies. -
New York Legislature Suspended by Parliament
As a punishment for the colonist’s failure to comply with the Quartering Act, Parliament suspended the legislature of New York. -
Townshend Acts
These acts made an import tax on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea. After these acts were passed, colonists refused taxes without representation. -
Townshend Acts except for the Tea Act repealed
The Townshend Acts failed to make revenue, they nearly caused a rebellion, and they hurt the English economy. Even after the Townshend Acts were repealed by Parliament, the colonists were far from content because the British increased their efforts in enforcing the Navigation Laws and Samuel Adams continued encourage his trained mob. -
Boston Massacre
Around sixty townspeople were taunting and throwing snowballs at the squad of ten British redcoats who were there. They were still furious about the death of an eleven year old boy who was shot only ten days before this at a protest. Without orders, the redcoats opened fire into the crowd out of nervousness and being provoked by the crowd. Give people were killed and six more were injured. -
Increased effort to enforce the Navigation Laws
The Navigation Laws were imposed restrictions on colonial trade by the British Parliament. British officials doubled the effort to enforce the Navigation Laws. -
Committees of Correspondence formed
The first Committees of Correspondence was organized in Massachusetts by Samuel Adams. After the one in Boston, near eighty more similar organizations were formed. Opposition to British policy was kept alive through exchanged letters. Intercolonial committees of correspondence became the next logical step. Virginia led the way and twelve other colonies joined the effort. They later evolved into the first American congresses. -
British East India Company faces bankruptcy
The British East India Company had seventeen million pounds of unsold tea. The British ministry granted it a whole monopoly with the American tea business, so it could sell its tea at an extremely low price. However, the colonists thought this was an en endeavor to trick them into accepting taxes. Tea bearing ships were forced to return to England with all of their cargo because of mass demonstrations. -
Boston Tea Party
Hutchinson enraged the radicals of Boston when he ordered the tea ships to not leave Boston until the cargo was unloaded. Around one hundred Bostonians poorly disguised themselves as Indians and boarded the cargo ships. They smashed open and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts limited the rights that were conventionally practiced in Massachusetts. These restrictions were place on town meetings. Now, officials who killed colonists while in their line of duty could now be sent to Britain for their trial. Also, the new Quartering Act allowed local authorities to house soldiers anywhere, including private homes. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act organized a permanent management in Canada to replace the temporary government that was created during the Proclamation of 1763. This gave the French Canadians complete freedom of religion and also restored French civil law. -
First Continental Congress
The first meeting of the Continental Congress was in Philadelphia to rectify injustices. Twelve of the thirteen colonies, all but Georgia, sent fifty five men. Some of these men are Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry. They made a response to the Intolerable Acts and wanted a boycott of all British goods. -
The Association
The Association requested an absolute boycott of British goods. Their actions include nonimportation, nonexportation, and nonconsumption. -
Lexington and Concord
A British commander in Boston sent troops to get hold of the stores of gunpowder in Lexington and Concord. These troops were also meant to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, the supposed ringleaders. Minute Men in Lexington did not spread out and shots were fired, killing eight Americans and injuring many others. The redcoats moved on to Concord, here they endured heavy casualties. These were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was the group of representatives from all thirteen colonies. They headed the colonial war effort, as well as formed the Declaration of Independence. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breed’s Hill bear the outskirts of Boston. This battle had a large cost for the British, but it ended in the colonial militia’s retreat. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition announced American loyalty to the British crown, pleading with the King to prevent further aggressiveness. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine impels the colonists to declare their independence and also to make a republican government in this pamphlet. This helped the colonists to support the revolution. -
Declaratory Act
Alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act, the Declaratory Act was passed as a way to reaffirm Parliament’s sovereignty over the colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the official announcement of independence of the colonies (the United States of America), which was devised by Thomas Jefferson and approved by Congress. -
Battle of Trenton
A fast asleep garrison of German Hessians were shocked and trapped by George Washington. This raised the morale of his army, as well as foreshadow his victory at Princeton. -
Battle of Princeton
At the Battle of Princeton, Washington defeated a small British force. This was a life saving victory and many believe it to show Washington at his military best. -
Surrender at Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a momentous colonial victory that occurred in upstate New York. Trapped, Burgoyne surrendered to General Horatio Gates at Saratoga. This helped ensure the French’s support for the Revolutionary purpose. -
The Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation is the first constitution of the United States, this was an agreement between the original thirteen colonies. -
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the George Washington’s encampment for his very poorly equipped army that spent a devastating and glacial winter. Hundreds of soldiers died and over a thousand deserted. -
The Battle of Yorktown
Washington and the French army laid siege to Cornwallis, the French naval fleet prevented the British reinforcements from coming on land while this was happening. A heavy blow was dealt to the British war effort, helping lead the way to eventual peace when Cornwallis surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris is a peace treaty between the British and the United States, which ended the Revolutionary War. Through this, the British formally acknowledged American independence. They also forfeited territory East of the Mississippi to Americans.
