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Albany Congress
Who: The British Government, colonial leaders, Iroquois tribes What: A meeting between colonial leaders and the British government. The British wanted the colonies to agree to cooperate in defending themselves against the French. But the colonists not cooperate. When: June 19, 1754 Where: Albany, New York Why: The British government expected War to break out soon and wanted to meet to try to reason with colonial leaders. -
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French and Indian War
Who: French and Indians vs. British and colonists and Iroquois. When: May 1756 - February 1763 Where: North America. Why: Fighting over the Ohio River Valley What: The British won the French and Indian War. The colonists now wanted to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Treaty of Paris
Who: Britain and France When: February - 1763 Where: Paris, France Why: This was the Treaty that ended the French and Indian War. What: In this Treaty, France lost all of its North American lands to the British. Britain received all land east of the Mississippi. -
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Pontiac's War
Who: Pontiac's ( leader of Ottawa nation ),western Native Americans and back country settlers. What: Pontiac and his allies British fort's and settlements half a dozen British fort's were destroyed and 2,000 back country settlers were killed. When: May 1763-September 1764 Where: Areas east of the Mississippi River, back country. Why: Native Americans were desperate to keep their lands. -
Proclamation of 1763
Who: British government What: It banned colonial settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains When: October 7, 1763 Where: All land west of the Appalachian Mountains Why: Britain wanted to avoid further wars with Native Americans on the frontier. -
Quartering Act
Who: Parliament What: The act required colonists to house British troops and to provide them with food and other supplies. When: March 24, 1764 Where: in the colonies Why: Britain had soldiers in the colonies to enforce the Proclamation of 1763. If the colonists housed the soldiers this would save money. -
Sugar Act
Who: British government (Parliament) What: This put a tax on several products including molasses. It also called for harsh punishments for smugglers. When: April 5, 1764 Where: In the colonies Why: The French and Indian War had resulted in a huge debt for the British. They thought the colonists should pay for some of this debt so Parliament taxed the colonists. -
Stamp Act
Who: Parliament What: The act required all colonists to buy special tax stamps to place on newspapers, wills, contracts and other documents. When: March 22, 1765 Where: in the colonies Why: The French and Indian War had resulted in a huge debt for the British. They thought the colonists should pay for some of this debt so Parliament taxed the colonists. -
Boston Massacre
Who: British soldiers and colonists. What: An angry crowd gathered around British soldiers. The colonists were yelling and throwing rocks and snowballs at the soldiers. The soldiers fired into crowed killing 5 colonists. When: March 5, 1770 Where: Boston, Massachusetts. Why: The colonists were angry about the taxes and the Quartering Act. They did not want the British soldiers there. -
Tea Act
Who: British Parliament and colonists What: Act tried to help the British East India Company by giving it a monopoly on selling tea in the colonies. The act hurt colonial merchants who sold Dutch Tea smuggled into the colonies. When: May 10, 1773 Where: in colonies Why: The British Parliament passed the Tea Act to save the East India Company from bankruptcy. By severely lowering the tax on tea, the legislation allowed the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
Who: Colonists in Massachusetts What: The contents of three shiploads of tea were dumped in Boston Harbor. When: December 16, 1773. Where: Boston Harbor at Griffins Wharf near Pearl Street in Boston. Why: To protest at the Tea Act passed by the British parliament both because it imposed a tax on Massachusetts and other colonies without representation and it gave a monopoly to the East India Company putting other merchants business at risk. -
Intolerable Acts
Who: King George III, British colonists What: Four laws passed by Parliament: 1.) Port of Boston was closed. 2.) increased the powers of the royal governor 3.) abolished the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature 4.) cut the powers of town meetings When: March 24, 1774 Where: Massachusetts Why: These acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party. -
First Continental Congress
Who: Delegates from 12 out of the 13 colonies What: The Congress demanded the end of the Intolerable Acts and declared that the colonies had a right to tax and govern themselves. It also called for training of militias. When: September 1774 Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Why: The committees of correspondence organized this meeting to discuss what to do next about the British. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Who: Minutemen and British soldiers What: It was the first battle of the American Revolution. British troops were sent to seize colonial weapons. The American army defeats 700 British soldiers and the surprise victory bolsters their confidence for the war ahead. When: April 18, 1775 Where: Lexington and Concord Why: The British government did not plan to meet the demands of the Continental Congress. The colonists began to form a militia to fight for what they wanted. -
Second Continental Congress
Who: Delegates from the 13 colonies What: The group was divided. Some wanted to fight for independence. Others wanted to wait. Nearly all agreed they should form an army and prepare for war. When: May 9, 1775 Where: Philadelphia Pennsylvania Why: They chose George Washington to lead the army because he had experience. They began to coin their own money. -
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
Who: Green Mountain Boys and British soldiers What: The Green Mountain Boys, led by Ethan Allen made a surprise attack on British soldiers. When: May 10, 1775 Where: Ticonderoga, NY Why: This was important because the fort controlled the main route between Canada and the Hudson River Valley and the fort held valuable weapons. -
Battle of Bunker Hill/Breed's Hill
Who: American and Britain troops What: British attack on American troops. The British won but suffered huge losses. When: June 17, 1775 Where: Breeds Hill, Boston, Massachusetts Why: British knew that Americans were not well trained and thought they could easily be beaten -
Olive Branch Petition
Who: Second Continental Congress to the KIng What: This was a petition that stated that the colonists were loyal to the king. It asked for a peaceful solution to the fighting between Britain and the colonists. When: July 1775 Where: Written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Why: The colonists were trying to peacefully solve their conflict with Britain. -
Invasion of Quebec
Who: Patriot forces under the leadership of Benedict Arnold What: The Patriots attempted to capture the British-occupied city of Quebec. Weakened by hunger and disease the Americans eventually withdrew, leaving Canada to the British. When: December 31, 1775 Where: Quebec Why: The Patriots attempted to capture the British-occupied city of Quebec to get support for the American cause in Canada. -
British Withdrawal from Boston
Who: British soldiers What: The British could no longer defend the city of Boston. The British troops permanently withdrew from Boston When: March 4, 1776 Where: Boston, Massachusetts Why: George Washington placed the cannons on high ground overlooking Boston.