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The Enlightenment
Photo of John Locke The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement where philospohers applied reason and logical thought to society. Philosophers began to question and ponder different forms of government. Rating: 9
-Without these seeds planted in peoples' head that there is more than one way of government, they may have just continued living under the monarchy without knowing whta they were missing. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
The British forbade the Americans from settling and progressing west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British did this to avoid further conflict with the Natives. However, the Americans basically disregarded the Proclamation and continued migratind west. Rating: 4
-This event was just another example of when the British exercised tyranny over the Americans, later to be used in the Declaration. It also showed the Americans that the British had essentially no way of stopping them from settling. -
The French and Indian War
For 7 years the French and the Natives allied to fight a war against the British and their American colonists. The war was located on American soil. The war was put to an end with the Treaty of Paris. Rating: 1
-I do not believe the war really influenced the Americans to fight for independence because of the fact that the British were fighting alongside them. At the end of the war, Britain and France divied up more land and Britain continued to settle. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a direct tax, meaning all colonists had to pay it. The Act was a tax on printed materials in the colonies. It demanded that all printed materials had to have a stamp. The colonists boycotted and in response, England repealed the Act. Rating: 6
-Not the actual act itself, but the fact that the colonists had the power to have the Act repealed is a big deal. It showed Britain to be weak and that if they played it right, the colonists could get their way, -
Boston Massacre
Five colonists were killed in Boston after having a conflict with British troops stationed in the town. Rating: 5
-Some of the American leaders were able to use this event as propaganda and pit Americans even more against the British. -
Boston Tea Party
After the British imposed a new tax on tea, a group of Americans who called themselves the Sons of Liberty, dressed up as Natives and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. Rating: 6
-This event enfuriated the British but it gave the Americans a little taste of Independence. The group called themselves "The Sons of Liberty" and this inspired many people across the colonies. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was a new tax on tea enforced by Parliament. Since the British East India Company was really the only place for Americans to import tea from, it was essentially inescapable. Rating: 3
-The Tea Act is the main cause for the Boston Tea Party, which was a very influencial event in terms of how the rest of the Revolution played out. -
Intolerable Acts
The events of the Boston Tea Party infuriated the British and in response they imposed the Intolerable Acts on the Americans as a punishment. They included a) no trial by jury in colonies b) colonists were obliged to provide housing for British soldiers and c) the British cut off trade in the Boston Harbor Rating: 6
-These acts were just another example of British tyranny that further pushed the Americans to revolt. It made them want o fight for their rights. -
First Continental Congress
In response to the Intolerable Acts, a meeting was held in Philadelphia in which a letter was sent to King George III requesting that he repeal the acts. Representatives, or delegates, were present from all 12 colonies. Despite the delegates best efforts, King George did not satisfy their requests. Rating: 7
-This congress was very important because it led up to the Second Continental Congress, where the Declaration was written up. King George III pushed the colonists even further to revolt. -
Lexington and Concord
Under the impression that a supply of weapons were being held in Concord, British troops headed that way. While on their way there, members of the American militia and farmers confronted them. The British, however, were able to defeat the colonists and their guerilla warfare tactics. Despite the defeat, this event caused more colonists to step up and fight. Rating: 4
-This was a defeat, so it did not make much tangible progress for the Americans. However, it was still a stance against Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
After the battles at Lexington and Concord, the delegates met in Massachusetts and discussed how they should proceed. The issue of independence was being debated but heavily supported after the publishing of Thomas Paine's book "Common Sense." All but the delegates against independence formed a comittee to write up the Declaration. Rating: 8
-This Congress leads to the writing of the Declaration, which ends the Revoltion and gains us independence. -
The Declaration of Independence
Our Founding Fathers drew up a document that listed 27 examples of British tyranny. The Declaration stated that in light of these examples, we had the right and the resposibility to become independent. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson for the most part, assisted by Ben Franklin and the ideas were greatly influenced by Locke and Rousseau. Rating: 10
-This is the one big giant lead that America took. Britain could not argue with the document and we finally became an independent nation
