French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war that was fought between Great Britain and France to see who would control North America. The war was started because both Great Britain and France felt they owned a piece of land called the Ohio River Valley. Most of the battles of the war took place in Canada. Both sides had Native American allies who fought in the war. American colonists, including George Washington, also fought along side the British in this war, which lasted from 1754 to 1763. The British won the war and gained possession of most of the land in North America. France practically disappeared from North America.
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was a law passed by Parliament (the law making body in Great Britain) that said the land west of the Appalachian Mountains was reserved for Native Americans, and that no colonists could travle there or live there. Parliament passed this law as a way to try to prevent future disagreements between Native Americans and the colonists. This angered the colonists because they wanted to live on this land, and because they felt it violated their rights as British citizens to live on or travel to any land owned by Great Britian.
Sugar Act of 1764
A law that Parliament passed in 1764 which placed a tax on sugar and increased taxes on items like coffee, and indigo. The tax was placed against the colonists in order to help pay for the French and Indian War. This tax was placed upon the colonists without the consent of the colonists.
Stamp Act of 1765
A tax placed upon newspapers, pamphlets, and other documents. Colonists had to have a stamp on their papers to prove they had paid their taxes. The colonists were mad about this tax. They didn't think they should have to pay a tax for something they had been getting free for years. Colonist complained and protested this new tax, and in March 1766 Parilament repealed the tax law.
Boston Massacre, 1770
On the night of March 5, 1770 British troops fired upon an angry mob of American colonist who were protesting in the city of Boston. As a result five American colonists were killed including an African-American man named Crispus Attacks. Crispus Attacks is often considered the first person to die in the American Revolution. Both sides had different versions of the story. The British soldiers said the American colonists through rocks and snowballs at them. The American colonists said the British had guns, and opened fire on the unarmed group of colonists. As a result of this incident, some American colonists began to distrust the British military and government.
Boston Tea Party, 1773
A secret group of colonists who called themselves the Sons of Liberty were angry about a new tax placed on tea. This group decided to protest this new tax. On the evening of December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Native Americans, snuck aboard three British ships (the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver) stationed in Boston Harbor, and dumped 342 chests of British tea into the harbor. In today's terms, the tea that was destroyed was worth over 2 million dollars! Tea was eventually boycotted throughout the colonies. (Click here to see a short Lego dramatization of the Boston Tea Party!)
Intolerable Acts
A series of laws placed up on the colony of Massachusetts as a punishement for their involvement in the Boston Tea Party. Some of these laws included:
-Massachusetts Bay Colony Regulating Act: this law banned the colonists from having town meetings
-Boston Port Act: this law closed the Port of Boston until the tea that was destroyed was paid for; no ships could come in, and no ships could go out
-The Quartering Act: this law stated that British soliders could stay in the homes of the colonists if the barracks (the area where soldiers live) were full
These laws were considered to be the harshest of the all of the laws placed upon the colonists because it cost the colony of Massachusetts a lot of money, and because it violated the rights of the colonists. Parilament had hoped that these laws would squash the idea of a revolution, but their plan back fired. As a result of these laws, more colonists want a revolution.
-Massachusetts Bay Colony Regulating Act: this law banned the colonists from having town meetings
-Boston Port Act: this law closed the Port of Boston until the tea that was destroyed was paid for; no ships could come in, and no ships could go out
-The Quartering Act: this law stated that British soliders could stay in the homes of the colonists if the barracks (the area where soldiers live) were full
These laws were considered to be the harshest of the all of the laws placed upon the colonists because it cost the colony of Massachusetts a lot of money, and because it violated the rights of the colonists. Parilament had hoped that these laws would squash the idea of a revolution, but their plan back fired. As a result of these laws, more colonists want a revolution.
Declaration of Independence, 1776
The document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring that the 13 American Colonies were independent from Great Britain. It was approved by the Contintental Congress on July 4, 1776. Many of the countries Founding Fathers signed it, including John Hancock, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin.