KEY PEOPLE AND KEY EVENTS
Key events and
People
1745-1783
King George III
 King of England during the Revolutionary War era
 Ruled the colonist
French and Indian War
 Who: French and Indians vs. Great Brittan
 What: 7yr war over land
 When: 1745/1755
 Where: Ohio River Valley, India and Caribbean
 Why: A struggle over land to expand the empires
Great Brittan wins!
Proclamation of 1763
 Who: King of England, colonist and Native Americans
 What: Imaginary line separating colonist from Native
Americans
 When: 1763
 Where: Appalachian Mountains and the colonies
 Why: To avoid conflict with the Natives, King George
also tries to keep colonist in the palm of his hand.
Stamp Act
 Who: Colonist and Great Brittan
 What: A tax on all printed materials
 When: 1765
 Where: 13 colonies
 Why: To get rid of debt from French and Indian War
Quartering Act
 Who: Colonist, Great Brittan and soldiers
 What: Colonist had to pay for the soldiers’ home and
furnishings
 When: 1765
 Where: 13 colonies
 Why: Save the king money
Townshend Acts
 Who: colonist and British Government
 What: a tax on all imported goods
 When: 1767
 Where: 13 colonies
 Why: pay of all debt and soldiers
Paul Revere
 Rode to Lexington to warn Samuel Adams that
British were coming, calling “The British are
coming!”
 Member of the Sons of Liberty
 Made the Boston Massacre pix
Boston Massacre
 Who: British troops and colonist
 What: A protest turned ugly and 5 Bostonians shot and
killed by British troops
 When: 1770
 Where: Boston, Ma
 Why: Tension is building between Great Brittan and the
colonist
The Bloody
Massacre
painted by Paul
Revere
Tea Act
 Who: British Government (Parliament) and colonist
 What: A tax on tea
 When: 1773
 Where: 13 colonies
 Why: pay off debt from the French and Indian war
+
Samuel Adams
 Helped start Sons of Liberty
 Helped write Declaration of Independence
Boston Tea Party
 Who: Sons of Liberty
 What: A protest of British tea where the S.O.L. dress
up as Native Americans and throw 342 chests of tea
into the Boston Harbor
 When: 17713
 Where: Boston Harbor
 Why: Protest the tax on tea
THE INTOLERABLE ACTS
14
 Close Boston Harbor
 Dismiss colonial legislatures
 Quarter more troops in homes
First Continental Congress
 Who: Leaders of 12 colonies (no Georgia)
 What: A group of delegates who came together to make a
list of complaints about King George III
 When: 1774
 Where: Philadelphia, PA
 Why: To urge the king to consider their complaints
consider their rights
and
John Adams
 Leader in the independence movement
 Part of the first and second congress
 Championed the cause of
 Freedom
Patrick
Henry
Outspoken member of House of
Burgesses; inspired colonial
patriotism with “Give me liberty
or give me death” speech
Benjamin
Franklin
Prominent member of Continental
Congress; helped frame the
Declaration of Independence
Ben Franklin Quotes
• Any fool can criticize, condemn and
complain and most fools do.
• A man wrapped up in himself makes a very
small bundle.
• A good conscience is a continual Christmas.
• By failing to prepare, you are preparing to
fail.
• Does thou love life? Then do not squander
time; for that's the stuff life is made of.
• They who can give up essential liberty to
obtain a little temporary safety deserve
neither liberty nor safety.
• Franklin's Contributions to the Conference
on February 17 (III) Fri, Feb 17, 1775
• We must all hang together, or assuredly we
shall all hang separately.
• UPON SIGNING THE DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE
11
20
Battle of Lexington and Concord
 Who: British vs. Minutemen
 What: first two battles of the Revolution
 When: 1775
 Where: Lexington and Concord
 Why: To fight for freedom. Americans loose at
Lexington but conquer at Concord.
George Washington
 Was a general in the Revolutionary War
 Commander of the continental army; He held it
together.
 Fought in the French
 and Indian War
Declaration of Independence
 Who: Continental Congress
 What: A document to declare independence from Great
Brittan
 When: July 4, 17776
 Where: Philadelphia, PA
 Why: To secure our right NO MORE TAXATION
WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!
Thomas Jefferson
 Wrote most of the Declaration of independence
Jefferson Quotes
• All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for
people of good conscience to remain silent.
• In matters of style, swim with the current;
In matters of principle, stand like a rock.
7
25
John Locke
Ideas concerning
Government:
Englishman
Thomas
Payne
Wrote Common Sense &
The Crisis: 2 books that
changed History
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer
soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from
the service of their country; but he that stands by it now,
deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny,
like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this
consolation
with us, that the harder the conflict, the more
•
glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem
too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.
Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and
it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as
FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army
to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not
only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER"
and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is
there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the
expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong
13
28
only to God.
Phillis
Wheatley
A former slave who wrote
poems and plays supporting
American independence
Battle of Saratoga
 Who: British troops vs. Continental Army
 What: turning point of Revolutionary War
 When: 1777
 Where: Saratoga Springs, NY
 Why: To get independence from Great Britain. Frontier
men fight guerrilla warfare. Patriots win and we get help
from France and Spain.
Surrender of Yorktown
 Who: British troops vs. Continental Army
 What: final battle of the war
 When: 1781
 Where: Yorktown, VA
 Why: General Cornwallis is surrounded; French Navy
blocks his retreat to the sea and Washington and French
attack. He surrenders to General Washington, ending the
war. PATRIOTS WIN!!!!!
Lord Cornwallis
 British General
 Surrendered to Washington
 at Yorktown
 Shocked they lost the War
 He claimed to be ill, so he did
 not have to surrender in
 person
Treaty of Paris
 Who: British Government and the Continental Congress
 What: treaty that officially ended the Revolutionary War
with Great Britain
 When: 1783
 Where: Paris, France
 Why: We got our independence, we are now the United
States of America!!
Who are these people?
What are they doing?
12
34