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The French and Indian War
A feud began between France and Britain in North America over the Ohio River Valley. The French owned this land but Governor Dinwiddie told the French to leave,or the English would use force to make them leave. Why did the British want this land? This was because the farmland was quite cheap.The conflict starts as soon as George Washington shoots. France wins early battles, but ultimately the British win the seven year war. -
The Proclamation Line of 1763
After the French and Indian war, England creates a physical border between the Native Americans and the colonists. This border was the Appalachian Mountains. The reason England put up this border was in the hopes that a war would not break out between the colonists and the Native Americans . England was already in debt and really couldn't afford another war. This ends up infuriating the colonists because they only ended up with a portion of the land they had fought for. -
The Sugar Act
The British Parliament passed a law that required colonists to pay a three cent tax on foreign refined sugar. This law was placed to help pay off the debt that was a result of the French and Indian war. This again angered the colonists because they had no representation in Parliament. The colonists then started the slogan " No taxation without representation". -
The Stamp Act
England sent soldiers to protect the colonists new territory.People in England thought that the colonists should pay for the the upkeep of the soldiers because they were after all helping the colonists. This started the Stamp Act.The Stamp Act said a British stamp was to be placed on every important document,and even playing cards to show that the tax had been payed on that item.The colonists didn't want the soldiers much less to pay for them and they still had no representation in Parliament. -
The Townshend Act
The Townshend Acts were started to again help England pay off their debt and to show they still had control. This was a tax put on several items like paper,glass,paint, and tea. This again because of no representation in parliament caused anger in the colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
In the city of Boston, Massachusetts tensions were quite high. At nine o'clock at night a crowd of colonists approached a group of British soldiers and provoked them by throwing snowballs, sticks, and stones. The colonist then started yelling fire continuously and in all the confusion maybe purposefully or maybe accidentally a British soldier fired upon the crowd of colonists when the firing stopped,five colonists lay dead and others were seriously injured -
Committee of Correspondence
The Committee of Correspondence was started to help keep communication throughout the colonies. This would help form a strong bond between all thirteen colonies. This bond would eventually help the colonists come together and win the American Revolution. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed by Parliament in 1773, it was not designed to raise taxes in the colonies,but instead to help out the East India Tea Company.England then creates a monopoly on tea in the colonies. This angered the colonists causing them to rebel by leaving the tea to rot on the docks, prevented the ships from unloading, and sent the ships back to England. Also the colonists refused to pay the taxes on the tea. -
The Boston Tea Party
At night around sixty colonists, dressed up as Indians boarded tea ships and threw crates of tea overboard. In total 342 crates of tea were tossed overboard in the Boston Harbor. This act against England was only to make a point. The colonists even swept up their mess before leaving the ships. -
Coercive(Intolerable) Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a punishment put in place on the colonists by England because of the Boston Tea Party.This included no trials for British soldiers in the colonies, Boston Harbor was shut down, colonists were forced to house soldiers, and the colonists also lost the right to govern themselves and were given an appointed govenor. This was the last straw for colonists. -
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The First Continental Congress
The First Continental congress is important because it was America's first form of democracy. The congress consisted of George Washington, John Adams, Patrick Henry, John Jay, Samuel Adams , and several others. They sent a letter to King George the third stating basically if you take away taxes we will remain loyal. Since taxes weren't removed they stopped exporting goods to England and rebeling even more -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
At dawn in Lexington 70 militiamen took on 700 British soldiers.The firing started When the smoke cleared 8 militiamen are dead,no redcoats died. The British continued to Concord to seize the colonist's weapons and and ammunition. Unfortunately for them most of the arm were already hidden or destroyed.Hundreds of militia men in Concord prepared to defend their town.So as the British soldiers started their march back to Boston they were attacked by the colonists leaving 250 British soldiers dead.
