Unit 1: Colonial America

Southern Colonies

Virginia, Maryland, Carolina, Georgia focused on agriculture.

New England Colonies

Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire industrialized.

Middle Colonies

New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware diverse economy.

Seven Year War

1756 conflict; Britain emerged as leading power.

French and Indian War

British fought French and Native Americans for land.

Treaty of Paris

France ceded Canada and Mississippi to Britain.

Pontiac War

1763 Native rebellion against British rule.

Sugar Act

1765 tax on sugar to reduce British debt.

Stamp Act

1765 tax on printed materials causing colonial unrest.

Sons of Liberty

Radical group opposing British taxation and policies.

Stamp Act Congress

Political assembly protesting the Stamp Act.

Navigation Acts

Regulated trade; American products traded only by British.

Townshend Acts

1767 taxes on tea and other goods.

Boston Massacre

1770 incident escalating tensions between colonists and British.

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest against tea tax; tea dumped into harbor.

Intolerable Acts

1774 punitive laws following Boston Tea Party.

Boston Port Bill

Closed Boston harbor as punishment for protests.

First Continental Congress

1774 meeting of 12 colonies to discuss grievances.

Olive Branch Petition

Congress's plea for peace with Britain.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's pamphlet advocating for American independence.

Saratoga

1777 turning point; American victory leading to French alliance.

Battle of Yorktown

1781 decisive battle; French fleet defeated British navy.

Second Continental Congress

Governed colonies during the Revolutionary War.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

British recognized American independence and retained Canada.