INDEPENDENCE & REVOLUTIONARY WAR

THE FIRST 13 ENGLISH COLONIES


By 1750 there were 13 separate English colonies in America. The colonists were all ruled by Great Britain.

COLONY	DATE FOUNDED	REASON SETTLED
Virginia	1607	To carry on trade; chance to build a better life
Massachusetts	1620	Religious freedom
Rhode Island	1636	Religious freedom
New Hampshire	1638	Need for more farmland; religious freedom
Connecticut	1636	Need for more farmland; religious freedom
Delaware	1638 (Sweden) 1682 (England)	To carry on trade; chance to build a better life
Maryland	1634	Chance to build a better life; religious freedom
New York	1624 (Netherlands) 1664 (England)	To carry on trade; chance to make money; chance to build a better life
New Jersey	1664	To carry on trade; chance to make money; chance to build a better life
North Carolina	1670	To acquire new land and build a better life
South Carolina	1670	To build a new colony and a better life
Pennsylvania	1682	Religious freedom
Georgia	1733	Chance for debtors and the poor to make a new start

THE STAMP ACT

In 1765, the English Parliament passed the "Stamp Act". This law made the colonists buy spacial stamps for certain goods they bought. The money was used to pay British soldiers in the colonies.

THE BOSTON MASSACRE

The British soldiers and American colonists did not like each other. In a dispute the British soldiers fired on a crowd of helpless American colonists, killing five of them. This was known as the "Boston Massacre" (1770).

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY

As a result of the Boston Massacre, English Parliament ended all taxes except the one on tea. The colonists refused to pay this tax and stopped bying and drinking tea. A group of colonists boarded a British ship in Boston Harbor and dumped more than 300 chests of tea into the water. This was called the "Boston Tea Party" (1773).

British Parliament passed several laws that hurt the colonists. These laws made the colonists begin to think about breaking away from Great Britain and starting their own country.

THE CALL FOR INDEPENDENCE

After the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, (1775), (where almost half of the British soldiers were killed), the colonists made George Washington the "commander" of the new Continental Army.

A year later, Thomas Jefferson and others wrote the "Declaration od Independence" which was read to the colonists on July 4, 1776.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

The "Loyalists" (Americans loyal to Great Britain) and the "Patriots" fought the battles that won the American Revolution.

In December of 1776, General Washington led his army across the Delaware River and marched to Trenton, New Jersey, to surprise the German soldier that were celebrating Christmas. They took more than 900 German prisoners.

The French entered the war (to help Americans) after the American victory at Saratoga, New York. Help also came from other European nations.

In the Spring of 1780, the British captured the important port city of Charlston, South Carolina, and several other cities, but couldn't win the war. They couldn't stop the Patriots in the small
towns.

At Yorktown, Virginia, the British were trapped by French and American soldiers. In October 19, 1781, the British surrendered and the American Revolution was over.