-
Period: to
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, is the thought of philosophers bringing science into our lives trying to improve our lifestyle. Philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Roussaau, etc.
Rating: 6; During this time America was trying to find their way of gaining independence away from Britain by boycotting, pretesting, etc. Which led us to the American Revolution. -
French and Indian War
This war was fought between the British and American colonists against the French. The French and Indian war began when the French started pushing their control too close to the British. This conflict lasted seven years and officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Rating: 6
This war started the conflicts to reach from small to worldwide. This led to the Proclamation of 1763. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
The Proclamation stated that colonists were forbidden to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflict with Native Americans. The "line" extended all the way from Quebec to West Florida. The colonists did not obey thie rule, they thought it was closing them in the Atlantic coast.
Rating: 4; This wasn't that great of an influence because not only did the colonists not obey them, but this wasnt a significant role that lead to the revolution. -
Stamp Act
This act stated that all printed documents including fliers, newspapers, mail, etc. had to have a stamp. This was a direct tax. The colonists did not agree to it, so they boycotted the British goods. The boycott resulted in the act being repealed.
Rating: 5
This influenced themovement to the revolution because it showed that the colonists have a voice in the acts. -
Boston Massacre
This "Massacre" started when colonists were throwing sitcks, snowballs, etc to British soldiers in Massachusetts. When one of the soldiers was hit he turned and fired along with the other soldiers. This outbringing resulted in the deaths of five colonists.
Rating: 5; This situation was mostly about propaganda, but the killing of five American citizens angered them, which did lead to conflicts to the revolution. -
Tea Act
This was a new tax on tea. This act was not supposed to harm the colonists in any way. The act granted the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales. The colonists did not know, that it was not supposed to harm them. This resulted in the Boston Tea Party.
Rating: 5; Because this started the Boston Tea Party which was a great influence. -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Loberty started a protest of the new Tea Act by dressing up as Indians and throwing hundreds of cases of tea off the British boats and into the Boston Harbour.
Rating: 9; This highly influenced the movement because this led to the rebellion of colonists which made the Continental Congress gather and discuss. The Continental Congress would then later create the Declaration of Independence. -
Intolerable Acts
The Boston Tea Party resulted in the making of the Intolerable Acts by the British. These three new acts were made to punish the colonists. The first act states that no trial by jury in the colonies. Next is the Quartering Act which states the the colonists are forced to house and feed English soldiers. Finally the third act is the Blockade of Boston.
Rating: 7; This definitely had an influence because with these laws the colonists protested which made the British defend their country more. -
First Continental Congress
Representatives from 12 of the colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss the Intolerable Acts. The delegates decided to send a letter to King George III asking if he would repeal the acts. King George did not. Also the delegates agreed to boycott British goods.
Rating: 8; When King George III didn't repeal the acts, and when the British didn't change their policies, the colonists got angry. This led to the beginning of the revolution. -
Lexington and Concord
This began the American Revolution. The British were confronted by militia and farmers but defeated them in Lexington and Concord. Many colonists decided to fight with the help of guerilla warfare tactics.
Rating: 10; This marked outbreak to open conflict between the British and the colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
This document issued war on England. The first expected writer was Ben Franklin but shortly before the writing, Thomas Jefferson took charge. Jefferson used the idea that "all men are equal" from Rousseau. He also used the naturals rights, life, liberty and property from Locke. This document also stated that as a country we were supposed to find a way to become independent by ourselves.
Rating: 10;This highly influenced the revolution because it gave our country hope to succeed in the war. -
Second Continental Congress
The representatives met again to discuss the battles in Massachusetts. Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense" which supported his view on independence. Most, if not all, delegates supported the idea of freedom and set up a commitee to write the Declaration.
Rating: 10; If this meeting didn't happen then the Declaration of Independence might not have been written. This definitely influenced the revolution.
