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End of the Seven Years War
The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years War (French and Indian War). France surrenders all of its North American possessions east of the Mississippi to Britain. -
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Revolutionary Timeline
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Stamp Act
Britain passes the Stamp Act, imposing a tax on legal documents, newspapers, even playing cards. -
British in Boston
British troops land in Boston to enforce the Townshend duties (taxes on paint, paper, tea, etc., passed in June 1767) and clamp down on local radicals. -
Boston Massacre
A street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers, 5 people were killed. -
The Tea
The tea act was passed on May 10th Its principal overt objective was to reduce the massive surplus of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help the struggling company survive. -
Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, in which American colonists raided three ships in Boston harbor, destroying their cargo of tea to protest a tax on tea. -
Britain's Unfairness
The British Parliament passes the Coercive Acts, often called the Intolerable Acts in America. -
War breaks out
The first shots of the Revolutionary War are fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The news of the bloodshed rockets along the eastern seaboard, and thousands of volunteers converge on Cambridge, Mass. These are the beginnings of the Continental Army. -
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American Revolution
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Battle of Bunker Hill
In the first major action of the war, inexperienced colonial soldiers hold off hardened British veterans for more than two hours at Breed's Hill -
America declares its independence
The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress. -
Washington crosses the Delaware
In a bold move, Washington moves his troops into New Jersey on Christmas night. The patriots then surprise a force of German troops fighting for Britain at Trenton on December 26. -
Saratoga
General John Burgoyne's attempt to separate the rebellious New England colonies from those farther south ends in a spectacular failure. -
France helps out
As a result of the patriot victory at Saratoga and American diplomatic efforts, France allies itself with the new American government -
US Constitution
A convention of states in Philadelphia proposes the Constitution to replace the much looser central government operating under the Articles of Confederation . -
Yorktown
A joint French and American force traps a large British army on Virginia's Yorktown peninsula. Unable to evacuate or receive reinforcements because a French fleet has driven off a British fleet, General Cornwallis is forced to surrender. -
Loyalists Leave
The evacuation of loyalists begins. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ratifies the independence of the 13 North American states.
