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Proclamation of 1763
This act prevented the colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This irritated the colonists because it restricted land claims and prevented settlement, and
the colonists wanted to expand their land and settle left of the Appalachian mountains, but England was telling them no. -
Sugar Act of 1764
This act prohibited the smuggling of sugar into the colonies. The government hoped to stop smuggling by taxing the sugar, but the act made the colonists mad instead. The colonists grew angry because they wanted to find a side way of making money that was not already taxed and people didn’t know about because it was illegal. -
Currency Act of 1764
This act prevented the colonists from printing paper money. The colonists were very angry because they printed extra paper money to pay off all of their debts. Once that was taken away, the colonists had to pay takes and debts in their resources like gold and silver. -
Stamp Act of 1765
This act stated that legal documents, academic degrees, appointments to office, newspapers, pamphlets, playing cards, and dice required stamps as proof of payment of the tax. The colonists were upset because all of the little things that they owned were becoming taxed so that England could make money. -
Quartering Act of 1765
This act required colonial governments to provide and pay for feeding and sheltering any troops stationed in their colony. The colonists were angry because they had to feed and keep the British soldiers in their homes. -
Declaratory Act of 1766
This act stated that the Parliament could make laws binding the American colonies, so the government could secure it to enforce other laws and taxes, that the colonists couldn't disagree with. The colonists were okay at first with this act because it didn’t tax them or scam them out of money like all of the other acts but later became very important for the Parliament. -
Townshend Revenue Act of 1767
This act was a series of acts that the Parliament gave the colonies to try and end many acts that upset them. The Parliament was trying to make some last minute taxes to gain extra money to pay off the debt. The colonists were calmer because many acts were being released. They were also angry that not all acts were lifted like the smuggling of sugar was still illegal. -
The Boston Massacre
This event occurred when an angry mob of colonists started teasing the soldiers stationed in the colony, which made them upset. The soldiers threatened the colonists with weapons, but the colonists were still taunting them. The soldiers then fired their weapons and ended up killing 5 people, and they were sent to jail/court. -
Tea Act of 1773
This act allowed the East India Tea Company to rid itself of a large amount of tea while also allowing the government to reinforce the Parliament's right to tax the colonies on the tea. The colonists were very angry and upset that their tea was now being taxed too. Many colonists boycotted the tea and protested because their favorite (and main) drink was being taxed, so they had to pay extra to fund England. -
Boston Tea Party
The colonists were upset that Britain had taxed their tea, and decided to revolt. Some colonists dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea, from British ships, into the harbor. The British saw this as unruly and decided to try and control the colonists. -
Intolerable Acts of 1774
This act was a bunch of laws and taxes meant to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. The colonists were furious that England sent out laws, which they didn’t follow, and now they are being punished for not following them.
The colonists want to take all of their profits for themselves so that they can feed their family and run their normal lives instead of giving it to England. -
Lexington and Concord
This was a fight that the British and the Colonists fought against each other because the colonists were upset that the British was trying to take their gunpowder. 70-80 colonists lined up and were prepared to fire at the British. No one knows who fired the first 2 shots. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This battle was fought between the British and the colonists who were both trying to gain control over Bunker Hill. The colonists traveled up the wrong hill and built a fort on Breed's Hill instead of Bunker Hill. The British then seized control over Bunker Hill and controlled who came in and out of Boston. The British won, but they lost a lot of men. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document written by the colonists to declare that they were their own country, and they had full power over themselves. They told Britain, the colonists, and the world that they were separated to gain allies, unify themselves, and let other countries know that they are strong. -
The Battle of Trenton
The battle was lead by George Washington against German mercenaries lead by Colonial Johann Rall and the battle was in Trenton, New Jersey. America won this battle and they captured around 900 Germans and killed 22, but no Americans were captured or killed. The Americans wanted to continue the war because they felt stronger and more spirited after the battle and felt greatly improved as a united army. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The British and German mercenaries wanted to gain control over the Hudson River Valley, but the Americans ended up winning and outnumbered them. The Americans lost roughly 600 men whereas the opposing army lost several hundred more. This gave the Americans confidence and pride to win the Revolutionary War. This battle was the turning point of the revolutionary war and It led directly to the intervention of France on behalf of the Americans. -
Valley Forge
This was a training camp for the continental army. The battle was during winter in Pennsylvania, so the Continentals struggled to survive with weeks without meat and shortage of fuel. Howe retreated his army after four days and America won. The troops’ encampment in Valley Forge was a critical point in the American Revolutionary War. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Americans and their French allies fought against the British in the battle of Yorktown. General George Washington beat Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis and it was the last battle in the American Revolution leading to the Treaty of Paris. -
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Abolitionism
Abolitionism was a movement to end slavery in the US. Abolitionists believed that slavery was wrong and worked to convince others to end it. They helped enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Abolitionism helped in the fight against slavery and eventually lead to its end with the 13th Amendment. Abolitionism split the nation apart because the slaves in the south were escaping to the north. This angered the south because the north was helping the slaves escape. -
The Treaty of Paris
This was a treaty between Britain and America signed in Paris signifying that America was free and their own country. It was signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Lay. The revolution came to an end with the Americans winning, the British had lost its reign of America, and the Americans became an independent country. -
The Great Compromise
The Great Compromise was an agreement that was made when the leaders were trying to form a new government. The big states wanted to have more say in the government because they had more people, but the small states didn't agree. The compromise allowed for both larger and smaller states to have a say in the government, with one house based on population and the other giving equal representation to each state. This way, both big and small states had an equal say in the government. -
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Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion added new territories and states to the United States by acquiring land from Native American tribes, Mexico, and other countries. It started by a desire for more land, natural resources, and economic opportunities, as well as the belief in Manifest Destiny, which was the idea that America's mission was to spread its political and social values. This connected the nation because everyone was hoping for success and working together to get people to move to the land in the west. -
The 3/5 Compromise
The 3/5 Compromise was a compromise that was made when they were trying to figure out how to count enslaved people in the population. They decided 3/5 of all the slaves would count towards a state's population. This compromise helped decide how many representatives each state would have in Congress. The north didn't want them to count because the south wasn't treating the slaves like people, and the south wanted them to count to get more votes in Congress. -
The Whisky Rebellion
The Whisky Rebellion was the rebellion/protest against President George Washington's decision about creating a tax on whiskey. He created this tax to raise money for their debt from the Revolutionary War. The colonists disagreed, so Washington lowered the tax, and spread it out between months. They were still unhappy, so they burnt the tax collecter's home, and they killed 5 of his guards. George Washington wasn't happy about this, so he sent the militia to control the colonists. -
States Rights
The States Right's also known as the 10th Amendment, separated the nation. The 10th Amendment states that the states could decide themselves on any issue that they had. The federal government was trying to create a law about slavery, but the states thought they should decide for themselves. The states were mad that the federal government was trying to take their power. This divided the nation because each state wanted to make their own rules & not have the federal government make the decision. -
The XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair happened when the French kept attacking the American fleets, and President John Adams sent 3 men to negotiate with them. The French king refused to see the 3 men that John Adams sent, so he sent 3 men (known as XYZ) in his place. XYZ refused to stop attacking the fleets unless they were given 10 million dollars, but the 3 representatives said no and went back to America. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were the acts that the federal government passed after the XYZ Affair. The Alien Act was that the president could imprison or deport anyone considered to be dangerous and not a U.S. citizen, and the Sedition Act was that it was a crime to speak or publish any 'false' and malicious criticism of the government. -
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were when Virginia and Kentucky took the federal government to the Supreme Court, because their Acts were unconstitutional. The Alien act said that just because you were french or looked remotely dangerous, you could be imprisoned. This does not follow the amendments about the criminal justice system. The Sedition Acts didn't allow the people to state the wrongs of the federal government, or write about it in the press. This does not follow amendment one. -
Embargo Act
The Embargo Act was an act that did not allow any ships, vessels, or transport to send out goods to a foreign country. Thomas Jefferson was trying to get the foreign countries to respect him, by preventing the exports of the goods that they traded with with each other. No registered vessel carrying goods was allowed to leave the harbor unless the captain provided a bond ensuring that the captain would go directly where they said, otherwise they wouldn't get their money back. -
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The Unground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of people who helped enslaved African Americans escape from slavery in from the southern states.Abolitionists would help by hiding them in safe houses, churches, and showing them secret routes that led to freedom in the North. This separated the nation because the slaves were escaping from the south and heading to the north, which made the south mad, because their workers were leaving them. The south was upset at the north for helping the slaves. -
The War of 1812
The War of 1812 was occurred because the Americans were tired of the British and French destroying their ships. The president consulted his advisors, and decided to go to war. The Americans already won a war against Britain, and they could do it again. If the Americans won, the British and French would have to leave them alone, but if the British won, the Americans would have to go back to the British. The Americans won the war and proved to the other countries that they should be respected. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
McCulloch v. Maryland was the argument between McCulloch, the man who ran the bank, and the state of Maryland. The federal government put a federal bank in Maryland, but Maryland wasn't happy about this and tried to tax it. The federal bank refused to pay the tax, and the government claimed that the jobs the Constitution gave them, had to be enforced with a bank. Maryland and McCulloch went to the Supreme Court, and they voted in favor of McCulloch, and let the bank stay in Maryland with no tax. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a deal made in the United States to decide if new states would allow slavery or not. The compromise decided for every new slave state like Missouri, there would be a free state like Maine, in order to keep the balance of free and slave states equal. It also made a line, called the 36°30′ parallel, where any new states above that line would be free states and any below it could allow slavery. This split the nation because the line shows different laws on each side. -
The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a policy stated by James Monroe after the War of 1812 against the British, saying that the Western Hemisphere was no longer open to European colonization, and that the U.S. would view any attempts of them interfering with the affairs of America, as hostile. In return, the U.S would not interfere with the internal affairs of the European countries. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion was an uprising of enslaved African Americans in Virginia led by Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher who believed he was chosen by God to lead people to freedom. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of around 60 white people and caused slave owners to pass harsher laws. It inspired other enslaved people to fight for their rights, but the division between north & south was getting worse because the south wasn't able to make as much money, and the north was helping the slaves. -
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist, social activist, & was born as a slave. After she escaped from slavery, Harriet went to become a helper on the Underground Railroad, in order to help slaves escape to freedom in the North. This divided the nation because the people of the south were upset that all of their slaves were escaping, & they were angry at the people of the north for housing the escaping slaves. This made the south angry at the north & caused the south to only think about themselves. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was passed to try and end slavery issues in the U.S. This accepted California, Utah, and New Mexico as free states, and the new territory from the Mexican-American War voted on slavery. The U.S. gave Texas $10 million dollars to fix the border issues with Mexico, and to fill their debt from the war. This act separated the states because they were trying to find out which states would be slave states and go to the south, and which ones would be free and go to the north. -
Fugitive Slave Law
The Fugitive Slave Law was designed to address the issue of runaway slaves and it required that all escaped slaves, regardless of where they were found, to be returned to their owners. This law required the return of escaped enslaved people to their owners. This was sectionalism because even though the slaves escaped to the north, they had to be brought and returned to the south. The north hated this law because they believed that everyone was equal and didn't want to send the slaves back. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a declaration by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War that declared all enslaved people in the Confederate states, free. Even though it only applied to areas under Confederate control, it led to the 13th Amendment, which formally abolished slavery throughout the entire country. This tore the states apart because the southern states were furious that the north and the federal government were taking away their 'property' and their plan for cash crops.