1754
One of the first attempts to unify the colonies (didn't work)
Albany Congress
1763
End of the Seven Years War between Britain and France
Treaty of Paris
Britain forbid colonial settlement past the Appalachian mountains
Proclamation of 1763
1764
ordered the withdrawal of colonial paper currencies from circulation
Currency Act
1764
also called the Revenue Act
aimed at ending the smuggling trade in sugar and molasses and increasing revenue to pay off British debt incurred during the Seven Years' War
provided for strong customs enforcement of the duties on sugar and molasses impo
Sugar Act
1765
imposed duty on newspapers and legal and commercial documents
led to the Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act riots in the summer
led to first nonimportation agreements
repealed by Parliament in 1766
Stamp Act
1766
imposed new tariffs on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea
colonists responded with more nonimportation agreements (that continue through 1770)
Parliament repealed all of them except for the one on tea in 1770
Townshend Acts
1770
Boston Massacre
1772
Gaspee Affair
first set up in 1772
HMS Gaspee driven aground, looted, and burned in RI
King George decreed that the raiders be tried in England
led to the creation of Committees of Correspondence
Committees of Correspondence
1773
reduced the price of British East India Company tea to save them from bankruptcy
Boston Tea Party response
Tea Act
1774
response to the Boston Tea Party
Boston Port Act
Quartering Act
Administration of Justice Acts
Massachusetts Government Act
Intolerable Acts
colonial response to the Intolerable Acts
met in Philadelphia in October of 1774
Suffolk Resolves
Declaration and Resolves (extends the boycott and colonies stating their rights--a policy statement)
the Continental Association (setting up local committees
First Continental Congress
King declares Massachusetts in a state of rebellion
Lord North's Conciliatory Proposal
February, 1775
April 19, 1775
Continental Congress was scheduled to meet in May; b/c of Lexington and Concord, decided it was necessary
Lexington and Concord
May, 1775
Second Continental Congress
June, 1775
Battle of Bunker Hill
July, 1775
Olive Branch Petition
Washington appointed as Commander in Chief of Continental Army
July, 1775
King declares all colonies in a state of rebellion
August, 1775
November, 1775
Lord Dunmore's Proclamation
December, 1775
Colonial ships no longer under British protection (fair game for attack)
Prohibitory Act
Winter of 1775/1776
Invasion of Canada
Common Sense is published
January, 1776
Continental Congress instructs the colonies to make new governments
May, 1776
Virginia Proposal
May-July 1776
Declare Independence
July, 1776
states creating new state constitutions and governments
1776-1778
Battle of New York in September
Staten Island Peace Conference (an attempt to stop the war and come to peace; not successful)
Summer/Fall 1776
Washington Crosses the Delaware
Battle of Trenton
Washington pleads with his soldiers before Battle of Trenton to stay on another six weeks even though their terms are up
there's a big resurgence in morale as a result of the victory over the Hessians
December, 1776
British take Philadelphia in September
Continental Congress Flees
Fall 1777
Battle of Saratoga
6000 British soldiers surrender
not as many loyalists as British think
Leads to French alliance
October 1777
Articles of Confederation approved and sent to the states for ratification
November 1777
Army encamps at Valley Forge
a lot of suffering and no supplies
Shows weakness of Continental Congress
Winter 1777
French alliance
the states now seen as a nation in a diplomatic context
February 1778
Articles of Confederation go into effect (Second Continental Congress ends and Confederation Congress takes over)
1781
October 1781
French are crucial
British surrender
in retrospect, end of the war
Battle of Yorktown
Treaty of Paris signed by British, French, and Americans (no NA's)
George Washington resigns commission in December
1783
Mount Vernon Conference
1785
Annapolis Conference proposes revising Articles of Confederation; invitation to meet next year
1786
Massachusetts 1786-7
Demonstrated need for stronger national government
Shays' Rebellion
May-September 1787
Drafts Constitution
Goes to states for ratification debates
Constitutional Convention
1787
originally published in New York
Madison, Hamilton, Jay
Federalist Papers
first elections?beginning of new U.S. government
George Washington is president
John Adams is vice president
1789
1775-1776
British Strategy: Show of force
Lexington and Concord
War in Massachusetts (New England, generally) and Quebec (invasion of Canada)
Phase 1
1776
British Strategy: Seize a major city
want to cut off New England from the support of the other colonies
Battle of New York (Washington retreats)
Christmastime battle in NJ
Phase 2
1777-1778
British Strategy: Split colonies in half and capture Philly
War moves to Middle Colonies (PA, NJ)
20% of American forces killed during this phase (Valley Forge, etc.)
Saratoga in late 1777
French Alliance
Phase 3
War moves to South (because British think there are loyalists there)
Yorktown in 1781?help from French Navy
British trying to defend holdings in Caribbean
French alliance really matters during this period of the war
Phase 4