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French and Indian war
The French and Indian war (called the 7 years war in Europe) was a war involving the French and Native Americans versus the 13 colonies and Britain. The main reason why the taxes became so outrageous later, is because Britain was about £133 million in debt as a result of the war. That's about $219968700! -
Proclamation of 1763
The proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III just after the French and Indian war. It said that settlers were not allowed to expand past an imaginary line in the Appalachian mountains. -
Sugar Act
The modified Sugar Act was passed on April 5th 1764 by the British parliament. They lowered the tax on molasses from 6 pence to 3 pence, hoping that the smuggling would subside. Molasses, sugar, tea and coffee were taxed to make up for Britain's debt from the French and Indian war. James Otis Jr's 'Taxation without representation is tyranny!" became a motto and battle cry at this stage. -
Stamp Act
The British unleashed a series of taxes on the colonists to pay for the 7 years war expenses. The Stamp Act was a tax put on the colonies by the British in 1765. It said they had to pay a tax on all sorts of printed papers such as newspapers, magazines and legal documents. It was called the Stamp Act because the colonies had to buy paper from Britain that had an official stamp on it that showed the British that they had paid the tax. -
Quartering Acts
The Quartering acts stated that a British soldier can live in any family home. The family living in the home would have to give them their beds and feed them. Britain did not want to have to deal with the costs of housing and food, so they made the colonists pay for it. They had to pay for the soldiers' food, shelter, bedding, cooking utensils, firewood, salt, vinegar, beer or cider and candles. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were an inderect tax on imported goods glass, paper, tea, lead, paint, cloth and coffee. It also stated that they were allowed to search any private home as long as the British soldiers had a search warrant called the writs of assistance. The colonists responded to this act, the same way they did for the others, boycotting and/or violent protests. Eventually Britain revoked the tax on everything, but the tea. This lead to the Boston Tea Party -
Boston massacre part 1
The Boston massacre was the killing of five colonists. A mob of 60 people had gathered at the customs house, and were snowballing and oyestering the soldiers. There are many accounts of what happened that day. Some say that the crowd was yelling "Fire!" and were daring them to shoot. Other stories say that a soldier (Hugh Montgomery) was hit by a club, and losing his patience he yelled "Bleep you, fire!" -
Boston massacre part 2
In both stories however, the rest of the soldiers fired without Captain Preston's command. Two of the total eight were found guilty, the two were Matthew Killroy and Hugh Montgomery. Instead of imprisonment, they were branded on the thumb with an M for murder as a punishment. -
Boston Tea Party
Samuel Adams, the Sons of Liberty and some Bostonians dressed up as Mohawk Native Americans and threw all the tea boxes in the ships overboard. They did this because the king had passed the Tea Act. It said that the British West India tea company could import their tea to the colonies, and they didn't have to pay the tax. At first the colonists boycotted the tea, but then they decided to just destroy it. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The battle of Lexington was where the first shots of the war took place. It was the first battle in the war. The British marched to Concord because that is where the 13 colonies had stored their weapons. As they passed through Lexington "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" started the revolution. The 13 colonies had to withdraw, but they had a headstart on the British troops, so when they finally arrived, the colonial militia was waiting for them. Paul Revere had warned the militiamen on his ride. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. It stated that America was to be it's own country. It was actually signed on August 2, 1776, but was adopted by the congress on July 4, 1776. One of the statements is that all men are created equal. (But actually it only meant rich settlers with land) It has been named one of the greatest documents written in America. -
First Flag
The first official flag also called the Stars and Stripes was approved by the Congress in 1777. Other flags had been made, during the war, but this was the first national American flag. The original flag had 13 stars for the 13 colonies, but it was later changed for the 50 states. -
George Washington is inaugurated
George Washington was voted the first president of the United States of America in 1789 by the new electoral college. John Adams was his vice-president. George Washington served two terms in office, and declined America's vote for his third term. He then made the rule, that any president may only be elected twice.
