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French and Indian War (1754-1763)
A war between the French and British. The French were aided by the Native Americans or Indians which is why the called it THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. George Washington fought for the British during this war and volunteered to prove that American colonists could make good soldiers. The war ended in 1763 when France and Britain signed a peace treaty. -
Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War, one of the many problems faced with the colonists was how to keep away from the Native Americans as they moved westward. King George the third thought the easiest way was to just put a line down the Appalachian Mountains which neither side could cross. The American Colonists saw the PROCLAMATION OF 1763 as an act of Tyranny from the king. -
The Stamp Act
Britain had to repay a large debt for the French and Indian War. They knew they had to par by taxing the citizens. Prime Minister George Grenville thought that the colonists were not getting taxed enough and thought of a big tax. Grenville proposed the STAMP ACT that made everyone pay taxes on stamps which would be on every piece of paper including playing cards! They later repealed it due to mass boycott and destruction from the colonists. -
The Boston Massacre
What started as a fight between some colonists and British soldiers, ended with five Boston colonists dead. Patriot Sam Adams made it look like a big fight and called it THE BOSTON MASSACRE, a massacre is the killing of defenseless people. Even before then, the soldiers wer ehaving trouble with the colonists saying they were troublemakers. -
The Boston Tea Party
After the Townshend Acts were repealed, there was still a small tax on tea. The colonists didn't care because they could just dring smuggled Dutch Tea. Soon, the British trade was badly hurt by the American boycott. Lord North wanted to tax the Americans by making tea cheaper so even smuggled Dutch Tea wasn't cheaper. The colonies knew they were being tricked. On December 16, 1773 patriots, dressed as Native Americans, dumped the tea into the sea, as we know today as the BOSTON TEA PARTY. -
The Intolerable Acts
Lord North and KIng George were furious at the Americans after the Boston Tea Party. They both agreed they should punish them. They wanted to establish control over the colonies. Parliament passed a new series of laws. The Americans thought they were so harsh, they called them THE INTOLERABLE ACTS. One of these laws was that they could not have a meeting without British consent. The colonists saw this as yet another act of Tyranny. -
The First Continental Congress
After the Intolerable Acts, some 50 leaders from 12 colonies met together and called themselves THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. There were loyalists patriots and people like George Washington who were in between. Despite there differences they all agreed that they hated tyranny and these things had to stop. They decided to set up a boycott against British goods until they repealed the Intolerable Acts. -
Revolutionary War
When the REVOLUTIONARY WAR began, the colonists were tiny compared to the British Army. The British had Loyalists, merceneries, African American slaves, and more. They lost many battles but they finally got the upper hand when they crossed the Delaware River and attacked on Christmas. They then got many allies from different countries and their army got stronger. After Cornwallis surrendered in 1781, the colonies win was inevitable. It took a couple of months for the king to accept defeat. -
The Second Continental Congress
After the first shots of war in Lexington and Concord, THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS gathered together to decide who would lead the Continental Army. The answer was someone who was born in New England and was a good leader. So they chose George Washington who was an obvious choice after what he did in The French and Indian War. -
Declaration of Independance
In July 1775, Congress sent King George the Third the 'Olive Branch Petition' asking him to end the quarrel. By the time it got there, the king declared the colonists traitors which meant war. Many people were scared of this. Thats when Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense that told the people why they should leave British rule. When British troops left America, Congress created a group, including Thomas Jefferson, and John Locke, to write the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. -
Articles of Confederation
After America won the war, the question was, which type of government would be in the country? The answer was, THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION. It gave each state their own powers and freedom with a weak central government. It did not work as well as they thought. James Madison said it bonded the country no more than a rope of sand. -
The Treaty of Paris
THE TREATY OF PARIS waa a treaty the United States and Britain signed in Paris. This gave U.S. all their rights they wanted from Britain. It made the United States recognized as an independent country. It also gave them all the rights and property taken from the loyalists during the war. -
Shays' Rebellion
Under the Articles of Confederation, the states began making their own currency. Eventually the money's worth went down. The farmers couldn't pay their debts. The farmers were forced to sell their farms. SHAY'S REBELLION was led by Daniel Shays when he and other farmers attacked court houses until they made a change. -
Constitutional Convention
After Shays' Rebellion, congress decided there had to be a change. In late May, delegates met in Philedelphia for a CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. It was a hot summer to be stuck in a hot room with 55 grown men. The delegates allowed no press to know what was happening. They did not agree on alot of things but made some compromises like the Great Compromise and Three Fifths Compromise. They also agreed on having an electoral college. -
Northwest Ordinance
People began settling in empty lands in the U.S. This caused conflicts. Congress passed passed the Land Ordinance of 1785. This seperated the land into seperate equal sections. What were to become of these sections? The answer was the NORTHWEST ORDINANCE. This said each territory would have a governer. As soon as it had 5,000 free adult males, it could elect its own legislature. 60.000 and it could be a state. -
Constitution
After the CONSTITUTION was written, it had to be ratified. The two groups, federalist and anti federalists, were for and against the constitution respectively. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton liked the constitution and wrote the federalist papers about why they did. The anti federalists did not like the constitution -
Bill of Rights
There were many rights anti federalists wanted listed in the constitution for it to be ratified. So, like the Magna Carta in England, listed the rights of the people and government. They are the first twelve amendments or changes to the constitution.
