American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities
Soon to their amazement hundreds of British sol diers marched past their school The soldiers dressed in crimson coats and tall red and gold hats marched in step as their officers mounted on magnificent horses urged them forward Lay down your books said the schoolmaster War's begun and school is done The British soldiers were marching against mus ket toting American militiamen The Americans once loyal to the Crown were preparing to fight for freedom from British rule Over time many of the colonists in British North America had become unhappy under Great Britain They had raged against Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament and the royal proclamations that restricted their freedom Eng land's answer was to send troops and tighten its hold on the colonies After years of protests and riots the colonists and their mother country were at war At one time such a war seemed impossible The people living in the 13 colonies along the Atlantic coastline had long been loyal subjects of the English king From the time of the earliest settlements in North America they had considered themselves to be English and looked to their home country for guid ance and support Only recently the colonists and British soldiers had fought side by side against France and its Indian allies over France's North American claims Indian warriors preferred the French who bought their furs to the English colonists who settled on their land Fierce battles raged in the western forests and moun tains and north into Canada The British were victo rious against their longtime French enemies and France was driven off the
Thirteen Colonies at a Glance The colonies Connecticut Delaware Georgia Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina and Virginia Milestones 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh colonizes Roanoke Island the settlers disappear without a trace 1587 First English baby Virginia Dare born in North America 1607 London Company colonists and Captain John Smith found Jamestown Virginia 1619 First representative assembly in America meets in Jamestown slaves brought to Virginia 1620 Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock to build a community based on their Mayflower Compact 1626 New Amsterdam Manhattan bought from Indians by Dutch West India Company for 24 dol lars worth of beads 1634 Catholics find a welcome home in Lord Bal timore's Maryland colony 1636 Providence Rhode Island founded by Roger Williams becomes known for religious tol erance 1638 Swedish settlements built along the Del aware River
British Possessions Mass A New York was erritory vania JA Virginia North Carolina out arolin Georgia Claimed by Spain 1639 Fundamental Orders an early constitu tion written by settlers of Connecticut 1663 Royal charter granted to colonize the Caroli nas North and South Carolina officially separate in 1729 1664 The Dutch surrender New Netherland colony to the English it is divided into New York and New Jersey 1679 New Hampshire once part of Mass achusetts becomes a colony 1682 Quaker William Penn founds the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania colony 1733 The last colony Georgia becomes home to English debtors and dissenters Population in 1770 Over two million Biggest city in 1770 Philadelphia population
about 34 000 Ethnicity African Dutch English French Ger man Irish Scandinavian and Scottish Most were English Africans brought to the colonies as slaves were the second largest group Occupations and industry Southerners raised rice sugar tobacco and indigo on large planta tions The New England economy was based on fishing and shipbuilding In the prosperous middle colonies farmers raised wheat vegetables and fruit while craftsmen made furniture shoes and glass Religions Anglican Baptist Catholic Congrega tionalist Jewish Lutheran and Quaker Many came to the colonies seeking religious freedom Government Under British rule Most colonies had a royal governor appointed by the king Local governing bodies such as Virginia's House of Burgesses were based on Britain's Parliament Half of their members were appointed by the king and half elected by colonial landowners The king regarded the laws they passed to be subject to his will and to Parliament Favorite beverage Tea The colonists celebrated that victory with bonfires and parades With the French gone they saw their future in the lands to the west They began to make plans for new settlements Their British ruler wasn't so sure It would be a lot of trouble to hold those lands against the Indians who lived there When the Ottawa Indian chief Pontiac led his warriors against English forts in the west the king threw up his
