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Treaty of Paris
Signed in Paris, the Treaty of Paris was a treaty between Great Britain, France, and Spain. It brought an end to the French and Indian War. The terms were bias to Britain and relfected Britain's dominant position. In the end, the Treaty of Paris left only the British and the Spanish colonial empires in the Western Hemisphere, -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was placed by the English Parliament and placed a tax on imports of sugar and coffee that were entering the ports of the American colonies. Since Britain had high expenses from the French and Indian War, the Sugar Act provided a way to raise money from the colonies. The Sugar Act also reduced the cost of legal molasses and when then brought down the competition for smuggling. This was the first time the Parliament had forced taxes on the colonists. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was the first direct tax, and required colonists to pay a tax on almost all printed materials. It also required an official stamp on about 50 different types of documents. The day the Stamp Act was put into effect colonial government and communications came to a halt. This act was another way for Britain to raise money to pay for the costs of the French and Indian War. -
Quartering Act
The first Quartering Acts that the Parliament passed required colonies to make certain provisions for English troops stationed within their towns. Another Quartering Act required the colonies to use inns and uninhabited buildings to house troops if barracks were unavailable. By 1770 England allowed the Quartering Act to expire, especially since it caused anger within the colonies. -
Virginia Stamp Act Resolution
Patrick Henry proposed seven resolutions, four adopted, against the Stamp Act. One was that colonists are entitled to all liberties, privileges, and immunities. The second one states that there has to be representation for there to be a taxation on the people. The third one is that the colonies have the right to be governed by their own laws, respecting their internal policy and taxation. The fourth one states that the colonist have right to all of the things they had in Britain. -
The Boston Riot of 1765
The Boston Riot was a result for the passing of the Stamp Act by the British government. The mob destroyed the house of Thomas Hutchinson, who was lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. They ransacked the house, took away valuables and tore down interior walls. They got into Thomas's personal papers and were looking for documents that incriminated smugglers. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress met in New York and was the first gathering of representatives from several American colonies. They wanted to devise a unified protest against the British taxations they were receiving. After the French and Indian war, the British were short on money and put heavier taxes on the colonies. The Stamp Act Congress was formed after the British passed the Stamp Act. -
The Townshend Revenue Act
The Townshend Revenue Act imposed taxes on import material goods such as lead, tea, paper, and paint. It was intended to help cover the rapidly growing expense of North American colonization. The Acts were named after Charles Townshend, who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In result of the Boston Massacre, the Parliament began to consider to partially repeal the Townshend Act. -
Boston Massacre
On the night of March 5, British soldiers shot into a mob after the mob teased, threatened, and threw stones, ice and snowballs at the soldiers. Captain Thomas Preston told his soldiers not to fire but when one of his solider's gun discharged, and the townspeople taunted to fire, the rest of the soliders shot into the crowd. Five colonists were killed and six were injuried. -
Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16th, Bostonians dressed as Native Americans boarded British merchant ships and dumped their tea into the Boston Bay. About 70 Bostonians did this and in total they destroyed 342 chests of tea. This was a protest against the Tea Act which reduced taxes and removed all duties on the exportation of East India Company tea. However, the colonists saw this as an attempt to undermine colonial businesses. -
Boston Port Act
The Boston Port Act was an act in the parliament and was designed to secure Great Britain's jurisdictions over their American dominions. The act was a response to the Boston Tea Party, and it outlawed the use of the ports of Boston for landing, discharging, loading or shipping of goods, wares, and merchandise. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress were meetings in Philadelphia held by fifty-six delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies and was established on September 5, 1774. They got together to discuss their troubles, however Georgia did not send any delegates. The delegates asked England to repeal or withdraw policies and laws dating back to 1763. They also banned imports from Great Britain and stopped exports from the colonies. The First Continental Congress was disbanded in May 10, 1775. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia's Independence Hall and they were established on May 10, 1775. They named George Washington commander in chief and created the Continental Army. When attempts of trying to settle conflicts without further combat failed, they drafted the Declaration of Independence. In the end, it was disbanded on March 1, 1781. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a statement that announced the thirteen American colonies as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. The text was ratified on July 4th, 1776 and was printed so that it could be widely viewed by the public. It was mostly written by Thomas Jefferson and contains the signatures of 56 delegates of the Continental Congress. -
The Flag Resolution
The Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution on the fourteen of June. It stated “Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” There are many uncertain facts about this, such as who made the first flag and where the stripes/star idea originated. -
First Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War. It took place in Saratoga on the Hudson River in New York State. In the end, the Americans forced the surrender of Burgoyne’s force and the Americans had a troop count of around 13,000. -
Battle of Monmouth
George Washington ordered Majar General Charles Lee to attack the British rear guard when the British army arrived at Monmouth Courthouse on June 26, 1778. However, Lee delayed and the attack ended up failing. Washington reformed his lines to meet the British, who were now overly prepared. The British killed 69 soliders and wounded 161 soliders; on the other hand the Americans killed 249 British soldiers. -
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown was a battle against the British with the French allying the Americans. When the Americans and French ganged together aganist the British, it weakened their barriers. When no help came for the British soliders, the army army marched out of Yorktown and surrendered. In this battle, 500 British soliders were killed, 80 American soliders and 200 French soldiers. -
Battle of Blue Licks
The Battle of Blue Licks was one of the last wars in the Revolutionary War and took place on a hill next to the Licking River in modern Kentucky. A force of around 50 American and Canadian Loyalists along with 300 American Indians ambushed 182 Kentucky militiamen. 72 men were killed and the remaining Kentucky men fled for their lives when they realized they were being crushed. It was the worst defeat for the Kentuckians during the frontier war.
