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French & Indian war (1754-1763)
The French and Indian war was a conflict between the American colonies of Great Britain and New France. They declared war on each other in 1756. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar act was a special tax which was put on molasses. Molasses was used to make rum which was a large business and it hurt large plantation owner's profits. -
The Stamp Act
The stamp act was a tax that was put on paper. Every piece of paper that was used had to have a special tax stamp put on it. This angered rich elites like lawyers and newspaper printers because they used large ammounts of paper. -
Stamp Act Congress
Angered by the stamp act, a group of delegates from each of the colonies met in New York to discuss their plan to deal with the new tax. This may have been the first time that the colonies united to oppose Britain. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend acts were a group of acts that were imposed on the colonies to raise revenue for Britain. They met heavy opposition by the Americans. -
Boston Massacure
The Boston Massacure happened when a group of people were shot while protesting the Townshend acts. The protestors were fired upon by British soldiers after they started throwing snowballs at them. -
The Boston Tea Party
In 1773 a group of American patriots raided ships carrying tea into the Boston Harbor. They dumped thousands of pounds of valuable tea into the water to protest the new British taxation on tea. -
The First Continental Congress
The first continental congress was a gathering of delegates from each of the British colonies except for Georgia. They decided to boycott all British goods until the king lifted the new taxes that had been placed on them. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
This was the first real armed battle between the American patriots and the British army. They met at a bridge in Massachusets. The patriots ended up retreating back to Boston. -
George Washington Named Commander in Cheif
George Washington was named the commander in cheif of the continental army by the continental congress in 1775. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775. It was a resounding victory for the patriots and it helped to turn the tide of the war in their favor. -
Second Continental Congress
In 1775, delagates from each of the colonies once again convened in Philadelphia. The congress met fruenquently in the subsequent months and acted as a form of temporary government for the colonies. Organizing troop movements and supply lines for the army. -
Benedict Arnold's Attack on Quebeck
Benedict Arnold led an expidition from Cambridge Massachusets to Quebeck Canada. He failed to take the British fort, but he was promoted to brigadier general for his efforts. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
In January of 1776, columnist Thomas Paine wrote a very controversial and popular article called "Common Sense". It was very critical of the British government and it explained in very straighforward language why the Americans needed to break away from Britain. -
British Evacuate Boston
Fearing the recapture of Boston, British soldiers and loyalists evacuated the city and headed back to England on ships by March of 1776. -
Richard Lee Proposes Independence
In June of 1776, Richard Lee proposed to the continental congress that they should declare independence from Britain. -
Declaration of Independence Adopted
By July 4th of 1776, the continental congress had finally adopted the agreed upon document that officially declared them independent of the rule of king George. -
The Declaration of Independence signed
After the Declaration was adopted. John Hancock boldly signed the document. Other members gradually decided to put their names on the paper as well, though they wrote their names less clearly for fear of the prospect of what would happen to them if they lost the war.
