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French and Indian War -or- 7 Years' War
Seven Years’ War: the last major conflict before the French Revolution to involve all the great powers of Europe... But the Seven Years’ War also involved overseas colonial struggles between Great Britain and France, the main points of contention between these two traditional rivals being the struggle for control of North America and India. The War began over the specific issue of whether the upper Ohio River valley was a part of the British or French Empire.- CREDIT: global.britannica.com
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Proclamation of 1763
The law banned settlement in certain western lands. Its purpose was to reduce tensions between the colonists and Native Americans. The British army could then withdraw from the frontier and, thus, save the government money.- CREDIT: "We the People: The Citizens and the Constitution" Center for Civic Education; U.S. Department of Education
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The Sugar Act
The purpose of teh alw was to stop the smuggling of goods into and out of the colonies. It gave the British navy greater power to search colonial ships. Naval officers used writs of assistance, or search warrants, that allowed tehm to board colonial ships. The law also required products such as tobacco, sugar, and timber to be shipped directly from teh colonies to Britain. The law set taxes on cloth, sugar, coffee, and wine coming into the colonies. -
Patrick Henry's Speech...
"If this be treason, make the most of it!"
"Give me liberty, or give me death!" -
The Stamp Act
The law imposed a tax on every legal document, newspaper, pamphlet, and deck of cards coming into teh colonies. -
The Quartering Act
The Britis government moved teh army from the western lands into the cities. The law required colonists who were innkeepers or public officials to house and feed teh British soldiers. -
The Declaratory Act
The law stated thatParliament had the right to pass laws for the colonies in "all cases whatsoever." Its purpose was to remind teh colonists that the authority of teh king and Parliament was superior to colonial governments. -
The Boston Massacre
British troops opened fire on a crowd of protestors outside teh customs house in Boston. Five people died as a result. The tragedy convinced many colonists that the British government would use military force to make them obey the laws. -
The Tea Act
The law gave the East India Company the sole right to sell tea to the colonies. The East India Company was a large and important corporation in Britain. The purpose of the law was to keep the company from going broke. -
The Boston Tea Party
The colonists attempted to prevent the unloading of a cargo of tea that had arrived in Boston Harbor. The protestors (dressed as Native Americans) ripped open 342 chests and dumped the tea into the harbo. The British responded by closing the harbor to all trade. -
"The Intolerable Acts" -or- "The Coercive Acts"
A series of laws passed by Great Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party to try to regain control of the colonies. Some local governments from the colonies even insisted that their people not follow the new laws. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress ment in Philadelphia. Twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives (Georgia!). It was the stat of a unified American government. The purpose of teh Congress was to decide on the best response to teh actions of the British government. The members of Congress agreed to impose their own ban on trade with Great Britain. Congress hoped that this move would force the Birtish government to change its policies toward teh colonies. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere warned members of the citizen militia, called Minutemen, to get ready to fight. They gathered in Lexington and Concord. By a series of lantern signals in church steeples: "one if by land, two if by sea", one lantern in the steeple would signal the army's choice of the land route while two lanterns would signal the route "by water" across the Charles River. -
Fighting Breaks Out
On this day, British troops marched to the towns of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The army was supposed to capture hidden guns and supplies by surprise, but a system of signals warned the Americans. The Americans fired on teh British and forced tehmback to Boston. This was the beginning of the Revolutionary War. -
Shot Heard 'Round the World
This morning gunfire began between the American colonists (minutemen: militia) and the British. It is known as the shot heard 'round the world because the news of the fights spread throughout the world quickly, and began to influence other colonial countries to demand their own independence. -
2nd Continental Congress
- Agree to create a Continental Army
- Olive Branch Petition to the King
- The King then declared the colonies in a state of Rebellion in August.
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Declaration of Independence
