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French & Indian War
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR was part of a long struggle between France and Britain for territory and power. This was lasted for seven years. Because many Native Americans fought with the French, the colonists called it the French and Indian War. -
Proclamation of 1763
THE PROCLAMATION OF 1763 happened after the British government faced many problems after the French and Indian War. One of these problems was how to keep the colonists and Native Americans from killing each other as settlers went westward. The final solution was to draw a line down the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers had to stay east of that line and Indians had to stay west of that line. -
Stamp Act of 1765
Another problem that the British government faced after the French and Indian War, was that they had to pay off a large debt from the war. The final solution was THE STAMP ACT. This act required colonists to buy a stamp for every piece of paper they used. This added to all of the other taxes they already had to pay. -
The Boston Massacre
THE BOSTON MASSACRE was a riot between British soldiers and colonists in Boston. On March 5, 1770 was when it all started. Rocks and ice balls were being thrown at troops. The colonists were threatening the British, so the British opened fire and a few people died. -
Boston Tea Party
The BOSTON TEA PARTY was a protest led by the PATRIOTS. To complete this act, the PATRIOTS disguised themselves as Native Americans. They then went aboard the British ships and dumped 342 chest, or 90,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
First Continental Congress
The FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS was when 50 leaders from the 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss their rights and the Intolerable Acts. The 50 delegates decided to write a letter to King George. This letter urged the king to consider their complaints and to recognize their rights. -
Intolerable Acts
The Boston Tea Party was what caused King George to create the INTOLERABLE ACTS. THE INTOLERABLE ACTS were designed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. As a punishment, the Boston Harbor was closed to all shipping, the Massachusetts government was placed firmly under British Control, and that British soldiers accused of murder would be tried in England, not the colonies. -
Second Continental Congress
The SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS was a meeting about the Revolutionary War. The Second Continental Congress decided that the CONTINENTAL ARMY would be created and GEORGE WASHINGTON would be the leader of this army. -
Revolutionary War
The REVOLUTIONARY WAR was the struggle between the 13 colonies trying to gain their independence from Britain. The only people who lived in the colonies in favor of the British were the LOYALISTS. They remained loyal to the British Empire throughout the entire war. The colonies ended up winning the war, breaking free of British control and gaining their independence. -
Articles of Confederation
The ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION was the first written plan of government for the United States. The Articles of Confederation created a "firm legue of friendship" between the 13 states. They also gave Congress several important powers. -
Declaration of Independene
The DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE was the colonists creating a declaration declaring their independence from Britain. Before writing the declaration, the colonists wrote the OLIVE BRANCH PETITION. This petition was meant for KING GEORGE III asking him to end the quarrel. To persuade more of the colonists to agree to writing the Declaration of Independence, THOMAS PAINE wrote a pamphlet called COMMON SENSE. THOMAS JEFFERSON was the main drafter of the declaration. JOHN LOCKE also helped. -
Treaty of Paris
The TREATY OF PARIS was about Britain and the 13 colonies seperating. There were three important parts to this treaty. First, Britain agreed to recognize the United States as an independent nation. Second, Britain gave up its claims to all lands between the Atlantic Coast and the Mississippi River, from Canada south to Florida. Third, the United States agreed to return all rights and property taken from Loyalists during the war. -
Constitution
The CONSTITUTION was the written plan that provided the basic framework for the government. The PREAMBLE of the Constitution explained the reasons for the new government. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS were about the ratification of the Constitution. They were written by JAMES MADISON and ALEXANDER HAMILTON. A lot of people agreed on the Constitution with the acception og ANTI-FEDERALISTS. Anti-Federalists are people who oppose the ratification of the Constitution. -
Northwest Ordinance
The NORTHWEST ORDINANCE was the law that divided the Northwest Territory into smaller territories, each governed by a territorial governor. As son as a territory had 5,000 adult males, it could elect its own legislature. When the population reached 60,000, a territory could apply to Congress to become a state. -
Shay's Rebellion
SHAY'S REBELLION was lead by a farmer named Shay who rebelled. They rebelled because of a money shortage that was particularly hard on farmers who could not earn enough to pay their debts and taxes. In Massachusetts, judges ordered farmers to sell their land and livestock to pay off their debts. This is when they rebelled. -
Constitutional Convention
The CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION was the meeting of the delegates in the colonies to discus the creation of the Constitution. The GREAT COMPROMISE was the plan of making two houses of Congress. The THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE was how the slaves were to be counted when determining population. They decided to count each slave as three-fifths of a person. Finally, the ELECTORAL COLLEGE was the group of highly educated people that were elected to elect the president. -
Bill of Rights
The BILL OF RIGHTS are the 12 amendments that the United Sates follows. There is the right to worship freely, the right to free speech and press, the right to assemble and petition, the right to bear arms, quartering troops in homes, searches and seizures, legal rights, criminal trial rights, bail and punishments, rights retained by the people, and powers reserved to the states. All of these amendments were RATIFIED. The MAGNA CARTA laid the foundation of government and rights with Britain & U.S
