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The Enlightenment
In the mid 1600s The Enlightenment occured. This was the period where people started using reason for everything. Philosophers like John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jaques Rousseau began to express their reasoning for things. I would rate this event an 8, because the ideas that these philosophers expressed would later show up in The Declaration of Independence, which gave Colonists freedom. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was where the American Colonists and England fought against the French in America. This war cost England a ton of money, which is why they began to tax the colonists so much. This also led to The Procloamation of 1763, which said no colonists could settle west of the Appalachians to avoid conflict with native americans. I would rate this event an 8, because this is when England got in debt. This led to to the taxing, boycotting, and boston tea party. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was made in response to the French and Indian War. It was a law that said Colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid further conflict with the native americans. Colonists did this anyway and the law wasn't really enforced. I would rate this a 6, because as I said, the law wasn't really enforced and people still did it anyway. It was important to try to reduce conflict after the war, so as not to go into even further debt. -
Stamp Act
In 1765, The British started making a direct tax. This was known as The Stamp Act. Every printed item from newspapers to mail to playing cards were stamped. These stamps were to show that the items were taxed. This was done to help The British pay off their war debt. This angered The Colonists and they boycotted English goods. I would rate this event a 7, because this got The Colonists angry which would eventually lead to more rebellion. The boycotting was the first step. -
Boston Massacre
In 1765, there was a conflict in Boston. Colonists clashed with British troops and it broke out into a battle which left 5 people dead. The term "Massacre" was used as propoganda to get the Colonists fired up. I would rate this event a 7, because as I said, it got the Colonists fired up for rebellion. -
Tea Act
The tea act put a new tax on tea for The Colonists. Again, this was The British trying to pay off their debts. This was basically the final straw for Colonists, because the Boston Tea Party was really a rebellion to this act. I would rate this event a 7, because it led to the Boston Tea Party which was the point where The Colonists finally rebelled. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was the colonists response to the new tax on tea. The Sons of Liberty thought they had been taxed enough, and dressed up as mohawk indians and dumped hundreds of cases of tea off of the ships and into the harbor. This was the main protest by the colonists and cost England a lot of money. This is what led to the Intolerable acts. I would rate this event a 7, because it was the main protest by the colonists, where they finally decided to get England back for all they had done. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were what the British responded to The Boston Tea Party with. They were three new acts to punish Colonists. The Colonists now got no trial by jury, they were forced to house and feed English soldiers, and no ships were allowed to enter or leave the Boston Harbor making hardships for Boston. I would rate this a 6, because it was British's revenge on the Colonists for the Boston Tea Party, and it hurt the Colonists, but they would gain freedom in the end anyway. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was when the delegates from 12 of the colonies met in Philadelphia to talk about the intolerable acts. They asked King George by letter to repeal the acts, but he didn't. I would rate this a 6, because it was an attempt to repeal the acts and failed. -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord started because the british troops believed weapons were being stockpiled in Concord. They went to check it out and got stopped in Lexington by some colonist militia. A battle broke out and the British won, and another battle broke out at Concord, and the British won again. This encouraged more colonists to fight. I would rate this a 7, because this got the colonists eager to fight, and these battles helped lead to the Second Continental Congress. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration showed issues with The British tyranny, and gave The Colonists the right to freedom from The British. I would rate this event a 9, because it was really important, and without it The Colonists would have struggled under British rule for a long time. This gave them a right to seperate themselves from The British. -
Second Continental Congress
In 1776 Delegates met to talk about the battles in Massachusetts. They were half and half on their opinions of Independence. Thomas Paine played a big part in convincing majority to support the ida. This is when a committee was appointed to write the Declaration. I would rate this an 8, because it was the point where the Colonists officially decided to gain Independence from England
