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The French and Indian War, or the Seven Years' War was a large obstacle wedged between France and Britain. France had expanded over into the Ohio Valley which had angered Britain because they had set specific boundaries. This caused them to break out into a Declaration of war in 1756. Finally a peace conference was held in 1763. -
The Proclamation of 1763 was put in place by the king to draw a line at where they could go in America. They were able to trace from the east coast to the Appalachian mountains. It later became a huge turnover with the Native American tribes. -
The Sugar Act was put in place to prevent smuggling. People had been taking sugar and molasses. They needed to put a stop to it fir their economy. So they put this act into place so that they had good watch over their own resources. -
The Quartering Act of 1765 had required the colonists to give shelter and take care of the British soldiers. They were usually put in the barracks. However, if there was little to no space for them they would have to allow them to stay in local inns and hotels. The colonists were angry about it which eventually led to the Boston massacre. -
The Stamp Act was actually the first tax placed on goods by the British government. It placed a tax on all paper documents that had to have a stamp. Eventually the colonists resorted to violence to persuade the stamp collectors into not doing their job. Eventually the Stamp act was taken back in 1766. -
The Townshend Acts of 1767 had been a series of acts put out by the British. Each measure had created a tax on different goods. The colonists had found this as tyranny towards the British's granted power. Further engaging the colonists into rebellious actions. -
The Boston Massacre was a riot that had occurred on King Street in Boston Massachusetts. As the colonists were just fighting with one British soldier. It eventually turned into a blood bath with many people getting killed as a result. It very clearly set out a road for the American Revolution to soon come. -
The Tea Act placed taxes on the tea that was being imported to the colonies from Britain. It wasn't necessarily supposed to raise their revenue from the taxes themselves, but to bail out their close ally in their economy. By adding this act, they ended up angering the colonists more. Resulting in the Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party is a political protest that took place in the Boston Harbor. They had been protesting as a way of showing Britain that "taxation without representation" wouldn't stand around. The people then continued to dump 342 chests of tea into the Harbor . This was seen as the first act of the colonists. -
The Intolerable Acts were used by the British as a way of Punishment to the Colonists. They followed after the Boston Tea Party and these were made up of 4 acts. This further angered colonists. Soon leading further to the Revolution. -
The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. Nearly all of the colonies except for Georgia had attended. They met in hopes to show an authority for independence to Great Britain. However many of their points failed to seek an actual resolution to their problems. https://youtu.be/WJ7o4umxOYA?si=Ywh5p5ExOpVhVpqA -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord started off the Revolutionary war. After tensions between the two societies had been increasing, it was soon to break out in chaos. In the middle of the night, the British had marched down to Concord to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere had rode through the town warning people of the invasion. https://youtu.be/RU-GYMXzasI?si=VaYWoi3b7dQucJR_ -
The Second Continental Congress was held as a convention from the thirteen colonies after the Revolutionary War had already started. During this convention they went over topics such as the effort in the war, and independence. They slowly introduced more topics into the meetings. Eventually, a complete congress was formed as well. https://youtu.be/592XcEkj45A?si=-mJcgatP0l9EFC3g -
The Battle of Bunker Hill which was very early on in the war had been a British win. Although the American Army had lost, they caused a great deal of damage back to the British army too. They also got a great deal of confidence out of the battle. This battle also showed that there wouldn't be any friendly making up between the countries any time soon. https://youtu.be/Y-NodSf0RKI?si=emKpMiwrL1HWy6XF -
The Olive Branch Petition was published and sent directly to King George III. This was made to show hope for restoration of their previous relations with the British. The main goal was to prevent a complete cut off from Britain. Mostly to show that they had been unhappy with the results of having a war as well. -
Common Sense was a 47 page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was written to push forward ideas of declaring independence from the British. It had also created a key turning point on many peoples perspective of the war. People originally viewed the war as just some squabbling but it soon turned many people's point of view to realize it is a true revolution. https://youtu.be/mwqr1NQg7PM?si=InjWfMkx2Qp_zarg -
The Declaration of Independence was published in 1776. However, Thomas Jefferson presented it to congress on June 28 for revision and looking over. After it was actually signed, it was then spread everywhere for people to read. This changed the whole idea of the war. https://youtu.be/P2GIoBO-uys?si=drr_lDEJBAW_TPIv -
The Battle of New York or more specifically Brooklyn, New York, was a loss for the Continental Army. General William Howe had led his troops to eventually capturing New York which gave them a big step ahead in the war. However, before the British could capture the continental army as well, they fled by boat which saved them. The Americans ended up with 1,000 casualties whereas the British had only a loss of 400 men. https://youtu.be/AdMp_YC17kI?si=NfOK6vgvrYbsMYR3 -
The battle of Trenton, which took place in 1776, was fought between George Washington's army and the Hessian mercenaries. This battle was significant considering it was Washington's first major victory. The Hessians had eventually been cornered off at the northern end of Trenton. Which eventually led to Washington's victory. -
The Battle of Saratoga was made up of two different battles. It ended up being a Continental Army victory. It was considered a crucial turning point in the war for the Americans. This victory allowed for France to have the confidence to then join the Americans as an ally. https://youtu.be/BXQRf2QBegk?si=NbIfc-nADtIYsLDt -
The Battle of Valley Forge started in the winter of 1777. This battle marked a huge turning point in the war. George Washington's army which started as a basic thrown together militia soon proved to be a force that could take out the British. This was especially impressive since during the winter they were in such a short supply of resources. https://youtu.be/u1Df1fmKVlc?si=Hk13WtdN0Upmm2hA -
Starting on June 28, 1778, George Washington led his troops into the Battle of Monmouth. There was a ton of back and forth fluctuations of reorganizing troops. Eventually, Washington's army had the upper hand in the battle. Followed by Commander Charles Cornwallis withdrawing his troops. -
The Battle of Yorktown was so significant because it was not only a victory for the Continental army but also the end of the Revolutionary War itself. After a long hard fought fight, General Cornwallis surrendered. This had marked America's new start of independence. Also winning George Washington the position of the new nation's first president. https://youtu.be/Mg7GA_aBeHw?si=NB7SoFu2xbfV8aDa -
The Treaty of Paris, occurring in 1783, was the document that had concluded the American Revolution. However, this document only allowed for Americans to spread as far as the Mississippi river. To secure this treaty, the Americans played off the European rivalries enough to have them agree.