American Revolution

American Revolution

War in which the 13 American colonies fought Britain for independence (1775–1783).
Cause: British taxation and control increased colonial resistance.
Significance: Created the independent United States and established ideas of self-government.

French and Indian War

1754–1763 war between Britain and France over North American territory. Cause:
Competition for the Ohio River Valley.
Significance: Left Britain in debt, leading to new colonial taxes and increased tensions.

Proclamation of 1763

British law that prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Cause: Britain wanted to reduce conflicts with Native Americans.
Significance: Angered colonists and increased resentment toward British control.

Stamp Act

1765 tax on printed materials such as newspapers and legal documents.
Cause: Britain needed money after the French and Indian War.
Significance: Sparked protests and popularized "no taxation without representation."

Boston Massacre

1770 confrontation in which British soldiers killed five colonists.
Cause: Tensions between colonists and British troops.
Significance: Patriot leaders used it as propaganda against British rule.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest in which colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.
Cause: Opposition to the Tea Act and British taxation.
Significance: Led to the Intolerable Acts and increased colonial unity.

Intolerable Acts

1774 laws passed by Britain to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party.
Cause: Colonial destruction of British tea.
Significance: United the colonies against Britain and helped lead to the First Continental Congress.

First Continental Congress

1774 meeting of colonial delegates to coordinate resistance to Britain.
Cause: The Intolerable Acts.
Significance: Increased cooperation among the colonies.

Lexington and Concord

1775 battles that began open fighting between the colonies and Britain.
Cause: British troops attempted to seize colonial weapons and arrest Patriot leaders.
Significance: Marked the beginning of the American Revolution.

Declaration of Independence

1776 document declaring the colonies independent from Britain.
Cause: Continued conflict and growing support for independence.
Significance: Established principles of natural rights and government by consent.

No Taxation Without Representation

Colonial argument that Britain should not tax colonists without elected representatives in Parliament.
Cause: New British taxes after the French and Indian War.
Significance: Became a major argument for colonial self-government.

Treaty of Paris

1783 treaty that ended the American Revolution and recognized American independence.
Cause: American victory and Britain's decision to end the war.
Significance: Established the United States as an independent nation.

Siege of Yorktown

1781 battle that became the final major military campaign of the American Revolution.
Cause: American and French forces surrounded British General Cornwallis's army at Yorktown, Virginia.
Significance: Cornwallis surrendered, leading Britain toward peace negotiations and the eventual Treaty of Paris (1783).