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John Locke
John Locke inspired Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence and came up with the idea of a leader that was voted for and the first idea of the system of checks and balances as well as the idea that life, liberty and property were basic rights every person should have. -
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Charles Montesquieu
Charles Montesquieu was a French Philosopher. He developed some of the political ideas that many people were inspired by when creating the U.S. Constitution and other documents regarding the system of government. -
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Paul Revere
Paul Revere fought in the American Revolution (on the side of the colonies) and was, and still is known for riding his horse into Boston and warning the residents that the British would soon arrive. He saved many lives, and it was such a big deal, someone wrote a song about it. -
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Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson wrote some of The Declaration of Independence as well as signing it. He was also vice president for John Adams for a brief period of time. -
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Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, a US president. She was very involved in the political world, so much so that she was sometimes referred to as "Mrs. President". -
The French Indian War
The French Indian War was fought by Britain (and it's Native allies) as well as France (and it's Native allies). It lead to the huge expansion of the colonies but the expenses for paying off the massive amounts of money the British spent winning it was collected by taxing the colonists for practically everything and anything they could, which lead to the revolution. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was created by the British after the French-Indian war to satisfy the Native Americans by creating a boundary (the Appalachian Mountains) where the colonies could not expand further than. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act of 1764 was made to stop the smuggling of sugar from the French and Dutch West Indies so that the British could tax all sugar going to the colonies to make enough money to pay for the French Indian War. This made the colonists very angry. -
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The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was an act placed on pretty much anything made with paper. According to Encyclopædia Britannica the stamp act "required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp" (this meant that every time someone bought a newspaper, for example, the British would get some of that money) This made people angry, but the British needed to pay off the absurd amount of debt they had from the American Indian war. -
Boston Massacre
According to Britanica "Boston Massacre" five colonists were killed in the Boston Massacre after "confronting eight British soldiers and insulting and threatening them" because they were frustrated by new acts that were placed by the British. The British soldiers shot at them and killed five, yet there were no consequences for the British who essentially murdered five of the colonists. This caused further outrage agaist the British in Boston. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was led by American patriots who were protesting the taxes on tea (put there by the British). They dumped hundreds of pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor while dressed up as Native Americans. This caused the British Parliament to get frustrated, take control, and pass the Intolerable Acts in 1774. -
Quebec Act
According to The Canadian Encyclopedia "It (the Quebec act) was passed to gain the loyalty of the French-speaking majority of the Province of Quebec." It was one of the Intolerable acts, meaning the American Revolution stemmed almost directly from the frustration that the act brought. -
Minutemen
According to Andrew Ronemus from USHistory.org "The Minutemen played a crucial role not only in the Revolutionary War but in earlier conflicts." Minutemen were a form of militia who "helped protect their assigned towns from foreign attack" during the American Revolution. They were called minutemen because they were known to be ready to fight within a minute. -
Hessians
Hessians were German troops that the British hired to help them beat the colonies in the American Revolution. They played a role in most of the battles that took place in the American Revolution. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord was fought by the Colonists against the British. (It was the official first battle and the start of the American Revolution.) -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document demanding independence for the 13 colonies. The Declaration of Independence was one of the main reasons that the American Revolution even happened. It says 'we view ourselves as independent' (although they weren't legally according to the British Parliament) and this put the reasons for the revolution on paper. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were a quick fix to create a stronger government among the Colonies that people believed was strong enough to defeat the British government. It gave the United States of America its name. It was later revised in the form of the U.S. Constitution because it was no longer what anybody wanted or what was working for a governmental system. It was rattified four years after it was written. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was one of the most important battles in the American Revolution as it was the last. U.S. and French troops surrounded British troops and forced them to surrender. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in Paris. This was the end of the American Revolution as the treaty was signed to make legal statements about a.) where everyone's land was (territories) and b.) to give the 13 colonies their legal independence. -
U.S. Constitution Signed
The U.S. Constitution said exactly how the government would operate amoungst the 13 colonies. It was sort of like a revision of the Articles of Confederation. For the constitution to be "binding" nine out of 13 had to agree to it and sign it. It went into effect on March 4, 1789. -
