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The French & Indian War
The French controlled the St.Lawrence River Valley, and the ;and land drained by the Mississippi River. The French wanted trade, while the English wanted to build colonies and control land. George Wshington confronts the French. In May 1754, Washington attacked at Fort Meadows. The Armerdindians who were loyal to the English prevented the French from escaping. The English won due to the help of the colonists and change in leadership. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris officially ended the war. It gave the English land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The colonists weren't allowed to settle on land as King George III had other plans for them. All French territory on the mainland of North America was lost. -
The Royal Proclamation
The Royal Proclamation prohibited the settlement beyond the Appalachians, resolving the Indian problem. The british sent blankets infected with small pox to the Indians living in Englands territory. This brought temporary peace. In 1763 the Royal Proclamation was made, preventing settlers from living beyond the Appalachians. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a law passed by the British parliament. In !764, the Sugar Act put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar, and also increased taxes on coffee, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of rum and French wine. These txes only affected a certain part of the population, but the merchants who were affected were very mad because the taxes were raised withoutthe consent of the colonists. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765.The tax was imposed on all American colonists. It required them to pay taxes on every piece of paper they used. The money collected by the Stamp Act was used to help pay the costs or defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachians Mountain. -
The Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress, was a meeting held between October 7th and October 25th in 1765, in New York City. Representatives from some of the North American British colonies attended. It was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies to devise a unifed protest against the new British taxation. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were originiated by Chalres Townshend and passed by the English Parliament shortlyafter the repeal of the Stamp Act. They were made to collect revenue from the colonists in America by putting customs duties on imprts of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. The colonials protested against the taxes. The Boston merchants boycotted English goods. The boycott decreased British trade, and in 1770 most of the boycott was repealed. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars. It was the culmination of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massacusetts in October 1768 to enforce heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshed Acts. -
The Boston Tea Party
150 American Patriots, who disagreed wth the tea acts, dressed up like Mohawk Indinans and boarded British tea ships. They dumped 342 tea chests into the Boston Harbor. -
The First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve colonies that met on September 5th, 1774 at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennyslyvania. It was called in response to the Intolerable Acts by the British Parliament. The Intolerable Acts had punished Boston for the Boston Tea Party. The congress was attended by 56 members appointed by the legislatures of twelve of the thirteen colonies. The congress met briefly to consider a boycott of British trade. -
Partick Henry "Give Me Liberty"
"Give me liverty, or give me death!" is a quotation attributed to Patric Henry, from the speech he made to the Virginia Convention. On that day, at St.John's church in Richmond Virginia, he convinced the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. -
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Paul Revere, a member of the Sons of Liberty, and the Committee of Correspondence, made sure all of the colonies knew what was happening. Revere, joined by William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, rode to Concord on April 18th, 1775 to warn the colonists of the English preparations. The message got through and the colonists were ready to face the redcoats. -
The Battles of Lexington & Concord
The colonial militia was up and ready on the town green on April 19th, 1775. A shot rang out. No one knows who fired it. The redcoats opened fire, fixed their bayonets, and charged. The colonist retreated after 8 people died, and 10 people were wounded. The redcoats marched on to Concord. unaware that their weapons and ammunition weren't there. The Concord militia quickly retreated over the North Bridge. The redcoats set fire to gun carriages, and killed two people. Militia killed 12 redcoats. -
The Second Continental Congress Meets
The congress called for another Continental Congress in the event that their King George III petition was unsuccessful in halting enforcement of the Intolerable Acts. Their appeal to the Crown had no effect, so the Second Continental Congress was convened the following year to organize the defense of the colonies at the onset of the American Revolutionary War. The delegates also urged each colony to set up and train its own militia. -
Fort Ticonderoga
The capture of Fort Ticonderoga happened on May 10th, 1775, when a small force of Green Mountain Boys, led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold overcame a small British garrison at the fort, and they looted the personal belongings of the garrison. Fort Ticonderoga was located on Lake Champlain, in northeastern New York. It served as a key point access to both Canada and the Hudson River during the French and Indian War. The battle of Fort Ticonderoga was the first American victory of the war. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17th, 1775, early in the Revolutionary war, the British defeated the Americans in Massachusetts. The inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant caualties against the enemy, and the batte provided them with an important confidence boost. Most of the fighting occurred on nearby Breed's Hill. -
"Common Sense" Published
King George III had announced that colonies in a state of rebellion should choose between loyalty and independence. On January 9th, 1776, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet entitled "Common Sense" that encouraged colonists to choose independence. It explained the advantages of and the need for immediate independence. Washington had it read to all of his troops, it became an immediate sensation. "Common Sense" presented the American colonists with an argument for freedom from British rule. -
The British Evacuate Boston
During the American war for independence, the British forces were forced to evacuate Boston following Patriot General George Washington's successful placement of fortifications and cannons on Dorchestor Heights, which overlooks the city from the south. -
The Declaration of Independence is Announced
On July 4th, 1776, the declaration of independence was announced. The idea of the decalaration of independence was based off of the "social contract", where if the government upheld rights, everything is ok, but if not, then the people have the responsibility to make a new government. The work of the Committee of 5 brought the document to the entire 2nd Continental Congress for approval. They voted to accept the document on July 2nd,and it was sent to the printer and announced on July 4th, 1776. -
"The Crisis" Published
"The Crisis" is a collection of articles written by Thomas Paine during the American Revolutionary War. It helped to persuade many Americans to support independence. There are sixteen essays in total. They first appeared at the dark time for the American cause. Paine's essays were read around campfires of the Continental Army. -
Washington Captures Trenton
The battle of Trenton took place in the morning of December 26th, 1776, after Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, north of Trenton, New Jersey. Washington led the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a short battle, almost all of the Hessian soldiers were captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The Americans won. -
British Defeated at Saratoga
Continental forces trapped British General John Burgoyne's army, at Saratoga. Burgoyne was forced to surrender on October 17th, 1777. It was the turning point in the war. -
Winter at Valley Forge, PA
The Continental Army sent the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, just outside of Philadelphia, PA. They trained in the classic European style of warfare by Baron Von Steuben and others. They showed off their new skills Monmouth, New Jersey, which was a victory forcing the English to move further south. Starvation, disease, and exposure killed nearly 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778. -
John Paul Jones Defeats the Serapis
John Paul Jones was a scottish sailor and United State's first well known naval fighter in the American Revolution. The defeat of HMS serapis by the French-provided American frigate Bonhomme Richard in which Captain John Paul Jones declared in response to the British captain's query as to whether he was asking for quarter. The victory was hassened by a well-timed grenade thrown by Jones' secretary, Edward Fanning. -
Benedict Arnold Plans Found Out
Benedict Arnold was an early American Hero of the American Revolution. He participated in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. He played a crucial role in the surrender of Burgoyne's army at Saratoga. He never received the recognition he thought he deserved. In 1779, he enters into secret negotiations with the British, agreeing to turn over the US post at West Point in return for money and a command in the British Army. His plot was discovered, and he became known as a "traitor". -
Cornwallis Surrenders
Lord Cornwallis, leader of English troops in South, backed himself on to a penninsula in Virginia. France, the worlds #2 navy, defeated an English force off of the coast of Virginia. This cut off Cornwallis' escape by sea. Washington snuck away from New York City to join the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia. They surrounded the city of Yorktown, with the help of the French Fleet. Cornwallis saw no chance of escaping, so he surrendered on October 19th, 1781.
