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Native Americans Uprising in 1763, led by Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe. It was a response to British policies in the Great Lakes region after the French and Indian War. Tribes united to resist British expansion and the imposition of British rule, attacking forts and settlements before eventually being subdued. -
Issued by British government; applied to British North America (Appalachian divide). After the Seven Years’ War Britain forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian crest to reduce conflicts with Native nations and control frontier costs. It is significant because it helped shift colonial attitudes toward Britain many colonists felt their interests were being subordinated to imperial priorities, contributing to later resistance. -
The Sugar Act of 1764 was a British law that aimed to reduce smuggling and increase revenue from the American colonies. It lowered the tax on molasses but increased enforcement, and it also taxed other goods like sugar, wine, and coffee. The colonists saw it as an infringement on their rights. -
Requires colonists to provide housing, food, and supplies for soldiers stationed in the American colonies. Parliament wanted everyone to share the costs of protecting the soldiers. Many were against the Quartering Act. -
An act that required colonists to buy a stamp for every piece of paper they used. The French and Indian War took place beforehand and was very expensive. The British government felt the colonists should help pay for governing and protecting new territories in America. However, this act was repealed by Parliament in 1766. -
The purpose of the Townhend Acts was to import taxes on:
- glass
- lead
- paint
- paper
- tea
This act was passed in order to be able to pay British officials in the colonies. Colonists later protested, stating "no taxation without representation." The result of this caused Parliment to repeal the act -
On the Boston streets, a crowd confronted British troops; after taunting and a scuffle the soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. The incident was widely publicized and used by Patriot leaders to inflame anti-British sentiment. The significance is it became a propaganda touchstone for colonial opposition and helped polarize public opinion in New England. -
In Boston participants were colonists including men of the Sons of Liberty who boarded ships owned by the East India Company. Protesters dumped shiploads of tea into Boston Harbor to oppose the Tea Act, which they viewed as favoritism toward the East India Company and as unjust taxation. it was significant as the British responded with the Coercive/ “Intolerable” Acts, which in turn pushed colonies toward coordinated resistance and the First Continental Congress. -
The First Continental Congress was convened in response to the Intolerable Acts, which were intended to punish Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party. 56 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies attended. Considered the first political action taken against Britain since the colonies were upset about the Intolerable Acts. -
British troops marched from Boston to Concord, Massachusetts, to gather colonial weapons that were being stored there. Battle of Lexington = A shot was fired by a troop, nobody knows who, and it became the "shot that was heard around the world." These were the first battles of the American Revolution. -
War ended Sept. 3, 1783, and it was in the Thirteen Colonies. Some of the key figures was Georgie Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. The war for independence from British rule involved numerous battles and culminated in the Treaty of Paris, which recognized American sovereignty -
A meeting of delegates from all 13 colonies. What they did was create the Continental Army with George Washington as commander. The Second Continental Congress transformed the colonies into an independent nation. -
Continental Congress, notably Thomas Jefferson (primary author), John Adams, Ben Franklin. The Continental Congress proclaimed the thirteen colonies independent from Britain and listed grievances justifying that break; the document asserted natural-rights language that shaped the nation’s political rhetoric. The significance is it formally announced independence, inspired republican governments and later democratic movements; became the foundational political statement for the US. -
Who:
George Washington - leader of the Continental Army, fighting for independence
William Howe - leader of the British Army, fighting to keep the colonies under the British's control Washington ultimately won the war after a long, hard fight against Howe. -
Battled in Saratoga, New York.
Two main battles:
- Battle of Freeman's Farm 09-19-1777
- Battle of Bemis Heights 10-7-1777 This event is considered to be a turning point in the revolution as it ended the British threat from the north. France officially formed an alliance with the Untied States too as a result. -
In Paris, France the treaty was negotiated by Benjamin Franklin and American diplomats. France formally allied with the U.S. against Britain, providing military and financial support. This is significant because it secured vital international backing that contributed to the American victory in the Revolution. -
This battle was the last major battle fought during the American Revolution. The war was between the armies of George Washington and Charles Cornwallis. Cornwallis realized he could not win after Washington's army had him surrounded and ultimately surrendered on October 17, 1781. This war secured American independence. -
The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War. Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States, and the treaty established the boundaries of the new nation, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. It also addressed issues like debts and the treatment of Loyalists. -
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts, led by Daniel Shays, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The rebels, mostly farmers, were protesting high taxes and debt, which threatened them with foreclosures. The rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and spurred calls for a stronger national government. -
Signed by George Washington and created the federal court system under the Constitution. Supreme Court - 1 Chief Justice and 5 Associate Justices
Lower Courts - district courts and circuit courts
Appeals - federal courts were allowed to review state court decisions
Attorney General - represent government in legal matters Gave the government a judicial branch. -
Proposed by the First U.S. Congress; championed by James Madison and supported by many Anti-Federalists. To address fears about federal power and secure ratification support, Congress proposed amendments guaranteeing individual freedoms (speech, assembly, religion, jury trial, etc.); ten were ratified in 1791. Significant because it Cemented civil liberties into the Constitution and remains central to American law and political culture. -
Washington declares US neutrality in the war between Great Britain and France. France helped the US win independence, but the US was too weak to help France fight their wars. Federalists - supported neutrality with Britain
Democratic-Republicans - wanted to support France -
The Whiskey Rebellion, peaking in 1794, was a revolt by farmers in western Pennsylvania against a federal tax on whiskey. These farmers, many of whom relied on whiskey production for their livelihood, violently protested the tax, viewing it as an unjust burden. President Washington responded by sending in federal troops to quell the uprising, asserting the authority of the U.S. government to enforce its laws.