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1492
Columbus journeys to the Americas
Columbus sailed to the Americas to find a passageway to India and China. This was important because Europe was able to colonize the New World because of the "discovery". -
Jamestown founded
Jamestown was settled in Virginia and I became the first successful colony. They started to grow crops and build an economy which caused England to make new settlements along the east coast. This was important because this is the first successful colonial settlement. -
Pilgrims land in Plymouth
The Pilgrims and the Strangers landed in Plymouth in 1620 hoping for religious freedom. This was the first religious colony in Massachusetts. This being the second successful colony led to England settling along the east coast. They also created the Mayflower compact which was the first act of democracy in the New World, which is why this event is important. -
French and Indian War
This war was between the French, the Natives, and the British. This is important because at the end of this war the British got a lot of land and the King started taxing the colonists because Britain was in debt after the war. This would lead to the American Revolution. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was where Benjamin Franklin had an idea to join the 13 colonies together and fight against the French and Natives. This was important because this was the first act of trying to join the 13 colonies together into 1 country. The colonies turned the idea down. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
The treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. This is important because the French surrendered and gave the British a lot of land. This caused the French to leave the New World and go back to France. -
Proclamation of 1763
The King passed a law that the colonists couldn't settle past the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists were very mad because the King had neglected them during the war and now he just showed up and told them what to do. The colonists ignored him. This was important because this was the start of the colonist's anger with the king. -
Stamp Act
The British had to pay off debt from the French and Indian was, so they taxed the colonist's paper products. They colonists refused to buy stamps, protested and attacked British tax collectors. So, the British canceled it. This is important because this is the first time the colonist's were being taxed. -
Quartering Act
The British had their soldiers in the colonies there to protect the colonists but they were living on boats, so they forced the colonists to provide housing, food, and. supplies for them. The colonists protested and some refused to do it. This is important because the colonists are about to start thinking about becoming their own country. -
Townshend Acts
Because the King canceled the Stamp Act he had to find a different way to get money because of the debt. So the King taxed the the colonists imports (candles, glass, paint, paper, tea, ect). The colonists rioted, protested, argued, and boycotted. So the king canceled their colonial assembly and sent troops to Boston. This is important because the colonies are starting to figure out that they can survive without the king telling them what to do. -
The Boston Massacre
Hugh White was guarding a building when teasing began between some young colonists and him. White hit one of the young colonists with the back of his musket and then was surrounded by colonists throwing curses, snowballs, and ice. More soldiers came to support White. He got hit by a stick and fell but when he fell his gun fired and then someone yelled fire, which caused the soldiers to fire out into the crowd. -
Tea Act of 1773
This was when Parliament passed a law where only the East India Company to sell tea to the colonists. This was important because it made the tea cheaper for the colonists, but they still had the Townshend Act was still in play. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists joined together to throw the tea off of three ships from the East India Company that had just arrived. The colonists were mad about the acts that were just set so they decided to rebel. The broke open chests of tea and threw them into the harbor. This was important because this was millions of dollars of tea just thrown away and this will continue and add to the king's anger with the colonists. He will soon pass the coercive acts to punish the colonists for what they did. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable (Coercive) Acts were laws passed by the king as a punishment for the colonists actions. This was important because the colonists were getting madder and madder at the king with these acts which would lead to the start of them deciding that they don't need the king. The colonists continued boycotting and rebelling the british. -
First Continental Congress
The Continental Congress had reps from all the colonies except for one. They met as a group to plan steps to take with the challenges they faced. The first Continental Congress didn't want to start war. They wanted to not buy the British goods that were imported. This was important because this is the first meeting of the Continental Congress and the only meeting where they aren't wanting to start a war, they are just trying to get the king's attention that they aren't happy. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was more focused on what will happen if there's a war. They decided on a general and they created the Continental Army. They also created the Olive Branch Petition that they would send to the king begging for help and to stop the bloodshed. This was important because this shows that they were ready and willing to fight if the king didn't accept their Olive Branch Petition. -
Battle of Lexington
The Battle of Lexington was the first battle in the American Revolution. The colonists had gotten hold of lots of gun power and weapons in Concord. The British didn't want the colonists to have such power so they wanted to take it away from them so they attacked at Lexington. The colonists were prepared for the British army when they marched up. -
Battle of Concord
The British and the colonists then went and fought in Concord. Some of the British were looking for the weapons during the battle but they had no luck. They also fought on a place called North Bridge. In the end the colonists won the battle and chased the British back to Boston shooting at them from the trees. This was important because the colonists were greatly out numbered but they still won. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was sent to the King by the second Continental Congress saying that they are giving him one more chance to make peace and if he doesn't they are willing to fight him. The King ended up ignoring them. They begged for no further bloodshed. This was important because now there is war because the King ignored their petition. -
Period: to
The American Revolution
There were many battles in the American Revolution. The Americans won more than the British. The war ended with America gaining their freedom from the British, which was very important because if we hadn't won things would be a lot different. -
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine wrote a book explaining to everyone that we don't need the King and that all he has done is harm us. He said that it he really cared about them he would try to start a war. This was important because this will start to change the colonists minds more about the king. -
The Declaration of Independence
The colonists are saying that they aren't happy with the king and that it is becoming destructive an harmful to the colonists. This explained what the king did wrong and why they are breaking away from them. This was important because now the colonies have broken up with the king and they will start their fight for freedom. -
Shay's Rebellion
He lead a protest of 1,500 armed protestors. They blocked the judges from getting into the Northampton Courthouse. They were protesting because they wanted their money that they got from fighting in the war. They couldn't pay for their farms without them so people were going into poverty and loosing their farms. This was important because it's the first rebellion as America. This was a win for the protestors. -
Congress ratifies the U.S Consitution
When Congress ratified the Constitution it meant that a new set of laws was in place. These laws included adding a military, a president, and taxes. This was important because the U.S. finally had the rules it needed to run a more perfect country. -
XYZ Affair
The U.S. made a treaty with Britain. This made France mad and they felt backstabbed. France had been taking the ships that the U.S. was using to trade with Britain. France demanded money ( $250,000) from the U.S. before they agreed on a treaty. The Federalists want to fight but the Anti-Feds don't. They ended up making a treaty. This was important because now the U.S. has a peace treaty with Britain and France. -
The War of 1812
The French and British don't want the U.S. to trade with the other country. So they started attacking the ships that would trade with the opposing country. The captured sailors were forced to join the Royal Navy. The U.S. couldn't decide what to do because they were too poor to go to war. They decided to go to war with the British but in the end, no one won. This was important because it made people proud to be an American. Also, the National Anthem was made during the war. -
Whiskey Rebelion
Congress passed a tax on whiskey that the citizens didn't like so they rebelled. George Washington (the president) decided to send an army in and shut down the rebellion which ended it. This was important because it proved that the president was strict and that they couldn't just rebel when they didn't like something, but that he was a good person doing it for the wellbeing of the people not like what the king did.