Important Dates
The assembly known as the First Continental Congress met in
1774
British soldiers were sent to arrest patriot leaders and to capture a warehouse of weapons.
Lexington and Concord
Convinced the House of Burgesses to support the war with his speech, “Give me liberty or give me death
Patrick Henry
Rights that should not be taken from citizens, including the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Unalienable Rights
War between the French and the British broke out in
1754
Open warfare between the colonial militia (Minutemen) and British soldiers broke out
1775
In the first years of the war, the colonial army was pushed out of New York City by the British
Battle of Long Island
Appointed by the Continental Congress to lead the Continental Army
George Washington
While nobody knows who fired the first shot, it became known as the
Shot heard round the world
King George III issued a proclamation that stated that the colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Proclamation of 1763
Colonial representatives met once again in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress
1775
The British defeated Washington. He kept his army intact and retreated across the Delaware River.
Battle of White Plains
An Englishman living in the colonies, published a pamphlet, Common Sense
Thomas Paine
Also referred to as the Coercive Acts.
Intolerable Acts
The act reduced the tax on imported sugar in half, but also took steps to enforce it more strictly
Using cannons captured by Ethan Allen in upstate New York, Washington drove the British out of Boston
1776
In December 1776, he caught Hessian mercenaries (German hired troops) by surprise when he re-crossed the Delaware at night and defeated them
Battle of Trenton
A Virginian, proposed that the colonies declare their independence. John Adams seconded the motion
Richard Henry Lee
Colonists held rallies and organized into groups. Many members remained loyal to the king and felt that Parliament would eventually repeal the new taxes
Sons of Liberty
The British government passes a series of new taxes on the colonists without consulting them first. The British thought this was fair because colonists were not paying their fair share for the own defense
Issue of Taxation
The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War.
1783
British General Howe delayed the plan when he left New York City to attack Philadelphia instead of marching directly north. The second British force turned back instead of marching along the Mohawk River. The plan failed entirely when the largest army, commanded by General John Burgoyne, was defeated
Battle of Saratoga
Wrote most of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson
The British claimed control of the Ohio River Valley while the French built forts along the Great Lakes and claimed control of the Ohio River Valley just south of their settlements
French and Indian War
Established in 1765, ordered that every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public or legal document had to be printed or written with paper with an official stamp, or seal, on it that the British government would be paid for
The Stamp Act