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Treaty of Paris [ Ending th French and Indian War]
In 1763 Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris, offically ending the French and Indian war. Great Britain got Canada and all land east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. Great Britain also gained Florida. -
Sugar Act
Parliament passed the Sugar Act to help pay for the standing army in North America and the French and Indian War. This act set duties on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies. -
Stamp Act
The stamp act required colonists to pay for an official stamp when they bought paper items. This act was parliaments first try to tax the colonists directly. Many colonists were extremely angry about this and in 1766 the stamp act was repealed. -
Boston Massacre
Colonists in Boston were unhappy about the British soldiers being there. An argument between a soldier and a citizen turned into more soldiers arriving and a crowd of citizens. The soldiers fired into the crowd and three men were instantly killed and others were wounded. -
Tea Act
Forced the colonists to buy cheaper tea from the British East India Company. Even though the tea was cheaper than what they were buying, the colonists did not like being told what to do or buy. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists snuck onto three docked ships filled with tea and dumped 340 chests of tea. This was their reaction to the Tea act. -
Intolerable Acts
In direct result of the Boston Tea Party, the intolerable acts were laws Great Britain passed. Such as Boston Harbor closing, the colonists were forced to house soldiers, and Thomas Gage[ a British official] became govenor of MA. -
First Contintental Congress
Almost all of the colonies sent representatives to a meeting at Carpenters hall in Philidelphia. They were meeting about their relationship with Great Britian. Their goal was to state the colonists concerns and ask the king to fix these problems. They told the colonists to keep boycotting British goods and told the militia to prepare for war. They also agreed to meet again if the king didnt do anything. -
Lexington and Concord
Great Britains army marched towards Concord to find rumored weapons. First minutmen temporarily stopped the forces, but Britain passed on to Concord. At Concord they were stopped and forced to retreat to Boston. -
Second Continental Congress
The second Continental Congress accomplished numerous things. First they set up the Continental Army. Second they set George Washington in charge of the Continetal Army. Last the created the OLive Branch Petition as a last attempt at peace. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Patriots had postitioned themselves on Breeds Hill and the British had to fight uphill to get to them. In the end, the British won but it was extremely costly to them because they lost double the number of Patriot soldiers. -
Common Sense
A 47 page pamphlet written bt Thomas Paine. Such a phenomenon it ended up selling 500,000 copies. -
Declaration of Independence
Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence formally announced that the colonies were breaking away from Great Britain. Stated that the colonists had the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
Battle of New York
Series of Battles, where British General Howe pounded American General Washington and the Continental Army. Howe eventually pushed the Continental Army out of New York into New Jersey -
Battle Of Trenton
Washington and army attacked the Hessians on Christmas night. Took them by suprise. American victory, and they took over 800 prisoners. -
Battle of Saratoga
British General John Burgoyne wanted to cut off New England from the other colonies. Burgoyne's plan failed near Saratoga when he was surrounded by Patriots and he surrenderd his entire army. This battle was the turning point of the war because it was the greatest victory so far for the Patriots. -
Valley Forge
Washington brought 12,000 men to Valley Forge in December. Their winter there was extemely harsh. They suffered through it with little supplies and shelter. About 2,000 soldiers died at Valley Forge from disease and malnutrition. However, the soldiers that survived became better soldiers because they continued to drill and march. -
John Paul Jones captures the Serapis
John Paul Jones's ship got into a battle with the Serapis. Even though his heaviest artillery was destroyed early in the battle, the British still surrendered. John Paul Jones had just captured a British warship. -
Battle of Yorktown
British general Cornwallis moves his men to Yorktown and Washington combines his men with 4,000 french troops and traps Cornwallis at Yorktown. Patriots and french soldiers surrounded Cornwallis and he surrendered. He lost about 8,000 British soldiers which was the largest British army in America. This battle was the last major battle of the Revolution. -
Treaty of Paris (ending Revolutionary War)
Great Britian started trying to make peace with America becuase they were low on money. After two years, an agreement was made. They made the Treaty of Paris and Great Britian ackowledged the independence of the United States.
