-
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a movement in the 18th century whose goal was to advance society through learing and advances in science. I give this event an 8 because many of the ideas that America was founded on first appeared in this era. -
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was fought in the late 1750s and early 1760s. Despite its name, it was the English and the colonists, versus the French and Native Americas. Fighting this war made a huge debt for England. To make up for this debt, they decided to tax the colonists unreasonable amounts. This did not sit very well with the colonists. I give this event an eight, because it created many feelings of anger toward the British Empire that would not be dropped. -
The Proclamation Line of 1763
After the French and Indian War, the British wanted to keep conflicts from happening between the colonists and Native Americans. To do this, the made the Proclamation of 1763. This said that colonists were forbidden from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflict with the Native Americans. I give this event a four because, while it limited some of the colonists freedoms, not many people followed it. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a direct tax on all goods for all people. This made the colonists very mad and they responded by boycotting Birtish goods. The boycotts worked and the act was repealed.
I say that this event is a 6 because it made the colonists very mad because of the taxes, and the British made because they couldnt pay off their debt. -
Boston Massacre
In 1770, in the city of Boston, colonial protesters clashed with British troops. The colonists were still mad about the Stamp Act and the high taxes. The British troops felt threated and opened fire on the protesters. Five colonists were killed. I give this event a 7 because it made the colonist furious with the British government. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was signed in 1773 and put a new tax on tea. The colonists were furious about this. I give this event a 7 because it made the colonists very angry and lead to one of the most important pre-revolutionary events, the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The colonists wanted to show Britain how they felt about the new Tea Act. To do this they staged an unusual protest. One night a group in Boston called the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded a ship containg barrels of tea. They then proceded to dump hundreds of barrels into Boston Harbor. I would rate this event a nine, because it let Britain know about how the colonists felt, and it is still talked about today, so it must have had an even bigger impact then. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were the British response to the Boston Tea Party. They included three new acts to punish the colonists. The colonists could not have a trial by jury, they were forced to house English soliders, and the British blockaded Boston. I give this event a 9 because this pushed the colonists ove rthe edge and when the colonies won Independence they made admendments addressing each of these issues. -
First Continental Congress
In 1774, delegates from tweleve of the colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss the Intolerable Acts. This became known as the meeting of the First Continental Congress. The delegats sent a letter to King George III asking him to repeal the acts. He did not. I would rate this event a seven, because it was the first time that people who were high ranking in the colonies came together to rebel against the King. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
British troops thought that colonists were stockpiling weapons in Concord. On the way there they were stopped by farmer and militia at Lexington. A battle pursued, the British won, and marched onto Concord. Another battle took place there, and the British won that as well. Despite the defeats, many colonists were insprited and volunteered to fight. I give this even a ten because they were the first real battles in the American fight for Independence. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the final straw before the American Revolution. It was the work of Thomas Jefferson, who took ideas from John Locke and Rousseau. He then listed 27 examples of British tyranny and stated that is was the colonies responsiblity to become independent. I rate this event a 10 because this directly made the King of England declare war on the colonies. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in 1776 to talk about the battles in Massachusetts. Half wanted indenpendence and the other half wanted to stay loyal. Thomas Paine published Common Sense and the made most of the delegates decide on independence. I give this event a 6 because they were responsable from writing the Declaration of Independence, but I think that would have happened with or without them.
