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The American History Thread V.1
1763 to the present
A detailed look into our past.
1763 to the present
A detailed look into our past.
February 10, 1763
The French and Indian war (Seven Years' war) ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The British won the area east of Mississippi. The Colonials were eager to move into this fertile region and begin settling the land west of the Appalachian mountains.
The French and Indian war (Seven Years' war) ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The British won the area east of Mississippi. The Colonials were eager to move into this fertile region and begin settling the land west of the Appalachian mountains.
The British had enormous debt after the "Seven Years' War" and decided that the policy over the colonies called “Salutary Neglect” would end. The policy had been in place for many decades before, and let the colonies have some leniency in terms of trade, governance and taxation
May 1763- A loosely organized group of 14 various Native tribes in the Ohio river valley and Great Lakes region led by an Ottawa Chief named Pontiac, begin laying siege to Fort Detroit and later other outposts, forts and settlements across the region.
October 7, 1763- King George III issues a The Proclamation of 1763 to the American colonies, which forbids settlement west of the Appalachian mountains. This angers the Colonials whom were eager to homestead the fertile land along the Ohio river valley and saw this as an insult.
October 31, 1763- Pontiac's siege on Fort Detroit is ended and the Ottawa withdrawal from the stalemate but still skirmish continues all along the Ohio River valley. Many small forts are taken and many bloody massacres also take place as the fighting and unrest continues.
April 5, 1764- The British Parliament modifies The Sugar Act, which tightens the reigns on the American Colonies trade of sugar, lumber, wine, coffee and many other foreign products in an effort to pay down the Royal debt. This reduced much of the trade that Colonials relied on.
April 19, 1764- British Parliament modifies the Currency Act which forbids Colonial paper currency to be used as "legal tender" for debts. This angered many Colonials because gold and silver were in short supply in the new world and it threatened the stability of the economy.
March 22, 1765 - British Parliament passes the Stamp Act which levies a tax on all paper goods and requires payment directly from the colonist and not just merchants. Newspapers, magazines, playing cards as well as many other goods must have watermarks proving taxes were paid.
March 24, 1765 - British Parliament renews and modifies The Quartering Act which forces Colonials to give billet and feeding for British soldiers in inns, alehouses and other public housing at the Colonies expense but bans the use of private residences for such. Anger swells.
May 29-30, 1765- "Virginia Resolves" to not comply with the Stamp Act and begins a series of resolutions to fight it. One of the future Founding Father's, Patrick Henry says "If this be treason, make the most of it."
Colonial anger begins to boil over over the Stamp Act.
Colonial anger begins to boil over over the Stamp Act.
August 14, 1765- Samuel Adams and newly formed "Sons of Liberty" meets under the "Liberty Tree" in Boston where they hung an effigy of a Stamp Act collector and later caused destruction to his home. This man would publicly resign his position several days later as a result.
October 7-25, 1765- Nine of the thirteen colonies meet up at City Hall in New York (Stamp Act Congress) after the Massachusetts delegation suggests it to unify against the Stamp Act. Organized protest begin to grow louder to push back against "Taxation without Representation".
March 18, 1766 - Disgruntled protest in the colonies and an appeal from Benjamin Franklin to the House of Commons helps the repeal of the Stamp Act. Parliament signs the Declaratory Acts the same day and declares control and ability to tax the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
June 15–July 2, 1767- A series of four acts passes in Parliament which levies taxes on all glass, silk, lead, paper, paint and tea. In response, the colonies begin to discourage importation of British goods in protest. Anger reaches a boiling point across the colonies.
BREAK- I missed a few details in this version that I will add to the second. The end of Pontiac's Rebellion, the response from New York about the Quartering Act of 1765 and probably more detail views of the Native American who saw the rug being pulled out from underneath them.
February 11, 1768- Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr write the Massachusetts Circular Letter which condemns the Townsend Acts that levied taxes on the colonies without giving them any representation in Parliament. The British demand that Massachusetts legislature be disbanded.
October 1, 1768- 2 British regiments (4000 troops) arrive in Boston to quell the unrest and maintain order in the city. This action infuriates the already angry colonies. The British thought the unrest was small faction but soon discover that it was widespread among the Colonists
March 5, 1770- British soldiers surround a group of unruly Colonialist and eventually open fire, killing 5 and wounding 6 others. Paul Revere's colored engraving about the event was circulated through the colonies and used as a rallying cry against what they saw as tyranny.
April 9, 1770- The Townsend Acts are repealed by Parliament due to the loss revenue caused by Colonial boycott of British goods. The taxes on tea however remains and used to show the colonies that the British still had control over them and could tax whenever they saw fit.
June 9, 1772 - The HMS Gaspee was sent to Rhode Island to enforce British trade laws when it was lured into shallows by a sloop and ran aground. Rhode Islanders under Abraham Whipple dispatched patriots to destroy the ship and did so the following morning by lighting it on fire.
May 10, 1773- The Tea Act passes parliament and gives permission for tea to be shipped directly to the Colonies and cut out the Colonialist middlemen merchants. The result was an ignition of a "powder keg" of anger and protest.
December 16, 1773- The Sons of Liberty dress as Mohawk and board three British East Indian Tea Company vessels (The Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor) that were anchored in Boston Harbor and destroy 340 chests (92,000 pounds) of tea by dumping it overboard.
March 28,1774- Parliament begins passing four acts called the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts in the Colonies) in response to the Boston Tea Party, the first being the Boston Port Act, which forbids unloading of goods in Boston and demands payment for the tea that was dumped.
June 2, 1774- Parliament adjusts and expands the Quartering Act (the 4th Intolerable Act) to encompass housing of British soldiers at private residences as well an not just at public housing. This ends being the final straw for the colonists.
September 5, 1774- In response to the Intolerable Acts 12 of the 13 colonies convene in Philadelphia with 53 delegates to form the First Continental Congress which establishes a unified response and grievances to the these Acts and economically boycott Great Britain.
October 1774- The Massachusetts Provincial Congress begins the purging the militia of all loyalist officers and called on towns to select several elite volunteers each to become Minute Men who could march on a moments notice and be ready for battle within a minute.
March 23, 1775- Patrick Henry address the Virginia House of Burgesses with a call to arms and argues that “Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!"
“I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
“I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
April 18, 1775- British night march to surprise the Sons of Liberty's ammunition depot in Concord and seize it. Paul Revere and William Dawes alerted the towns which set in motion a relay of Minute Men. The British crossed the Charles river "by sea" and traveled through Lexington
April 19, 1775- 400 British Regulars march into Lexington as 80 militia men refuse to disperse from the town green. Their Captain, John Parker calls for his men to "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here."
A shot rings.
A shot rings.
April 19, 1775- 8 militia men lay dead on Lexington green and several more wounded as the British Regulars move pass the town and into Concord, only to find the powder houses empty and 300 militia men attack the Regulars near the Concord river as the British withdrawal to Boston.
April 19, 1775- Minute men and militia using country paths cut off the fleeing British forces and stage multiple ambushes using sniper tactics as the Regulars were caught in a trap near Lexington. Nearly 300 British soldiers would be killed as the rest limped back to Boston.
