Significant Events of the American Revolution

French and Indian War

Feb 10, 1763

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/frin.htm The final Colonial War (1689-1763) was the French and Indian War, which is the name given to the American theater of a massive conflict involving Austria, England, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and Sweden called the Seven Years War. The English did ultimately come to dominate the colonial outposts, but at a cost so staggering that the resulting debt nearly destroyed the English government. It was that debt that caused the escalation of tensions leading to the Revolutionary War.

Sugar Act

Apr 5, 1764

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/sugaract.htm On April 5, 1764, Parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar and Molasses Act (1733), which was about to expire. Under the Molasses Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses.

Stamp Act

Mar 22, 1765

http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm The Stamp Act was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains.

Townshend Acts

Jun 29, 1767

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts A series of measures introduced into the English Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend in 1767, the Townshend Acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Townshend hoped the acts would defray imperial expenses in the colonies, but many Americans viewed the taxation as an abuse of power, resulting in the passage of agreements to limit imports from Britain.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/massacre.htm The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party This famed act of American colonial defiance served as a protest against taxation. . On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war.

Coercive Acts

Mar 28, 1774

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/british-parliament-adopts-the-coercive-acts Upset by the Boston Tea Party and other blatant acts of destruction of British property by American colonists, the British Parliament enacts the Coercive Acts, to the outrage of American Patriots. The Coercive Acts were a series of four acts established by the British government. The aim of the legislation was to restore order in Massachusetts and punish Bostonians.

Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/congress.htm The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, from September 5, to October 26, 1774. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates. These were elected by the people, by the colonial legislatures, or by the committees of correspondence of the respective colonies. The colonies presented there were united in a determination to show a combined authority to Great Britain, but their aims were not uniform at all.

Lexington and Concord Battle

Apr 19, 1775

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-lexington-and-concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, kicked off the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). Tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. A confrontation on the Lexington town green started off the fighting, and soon the British were hastily retreating under intense fire.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 17, 1775

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battle-of-bunker-hill On June 17, 1775, early in the Revolutionary War (1775-83), the British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. Although commonly referred to as the Battle of Bunker Hill, most of the fighting occurred on nearby Breed’s Hill.