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Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed all paper products. Along with legal documents such as wills, licenses, and ship papers, things like newspapers and even playing cards had to be taxed. In order for a document to be legal, it had to be stamped. This enraged colonists and led to the beginnings of protests against Great Britain (for example, the Stamp Act Congress that wanted to end the Stamp Act was created). -
Protest of Stamp Act
After the Stamp Act was put into effect, many colonists were unhappy. Colonists declared "no taxation without representation", which is what the English Bill of Rights of 1689 states. Two colonies sent formal protests, and merchants boycotted British goods. The Stamp Act Congress was formed and included nine colonies in order to protest and get Britain to repeal it. The Sons of Liberty also mobbed stamp distributors' and officials' houses and businesses. This led to protests and the Revolution. -
Gaspee Affair
Lieutenant William Duddington, of Her Majesty's Ship Gaspee, was an enforcer and was in charge of patrolling Narrangasett Bay near Rhode Island. He was a strict enforcer, mostly towards the Sons of Liberty. On June 9, 1772, he was lured to Warwick by a local vessel from Newport, and in Providence, a group of fifty-five men awaited him. Led by John Brown, these men attacked and looted the ship without bothering to hide their identities, and were not arrested, but he was charged instead. -
Committees of Correspondence Established
The Committees of Correspondance were established in Boston, Massachusetts in order to communicate much more easily with people from all towns in the province, the Thirteen Colonies, and the world, especially about what to do in terms of their relation with Great Britain. The earliest one was created in 1764 to communicate with the colonies over the unfair Stamp Act. Only nine colonies sent representatives, though, and it was not very official. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was in protest to the Tea Act of 1773. A group of Massachusetts colonists dressed as Mowhawk Indians boarded three British ships called the "Dartmouth", the "Eleanor", and the "Beaver" and threw 342 chests of British tea overboard worth $18,000. This was organized by Samuel Adams and about sixty members of the Sons of Liberty. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts, or the Intolerable Acts, were a series of acts passed by the British Parliament. They included an act closing the port of Boston, the Administration of Justice Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Quebec Act, and the Quartering Act. This outraged the colonists even more, as more and more taxes were being put upon them. This made them want to revolt even more against England. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act allowed land to the west of the Ohio River to be part of Quebec, made Canada a province of Britain, it preserved the French Civil Code, and it allowed religious freedom there as well as allowed the Roman Catholics to be representatives, which angered Protestant Colonists. The colonists were angry because they could not have more territory, most were Protestant, and they felt threatened, so they wanted to rebel even more. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia from September 5, 1774, to October 26, 1774. Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met there to discuss how to achieve a resolution with England. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere heard some new that the British soldiers were planning to attack an arms cache in Concord. Dr. Joseph Warren told him to ride to Lexington with William Dawes to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, and to warn colonists along the way. Two lanterns were put out on the Old North Church in order to show that the British were arriving by sea. He eventually made it, but was captured there while riding with Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, but Prescott escaped and warned Concord. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first two battles of the American Revolutionary war. Tensions were rising; the night before, British soldiers were headed to Concord from Boston to seize an arms cache, but Paul Revere and other riders warned the colonists, who enabled minutemen to fight. The battle ended with Britain retreating, and this first battle was known as "The shot heard 'round the world". -
George Washington Appointed General
The Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington as General and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, since he had much military experience and was a good soldier. -
Olive Branch Petition
John Dickinson, who wanted to preserve ties with Great Britain, wrote the Olive Branch Petition for King George III of England, and it was adopted by the Continental Congress. It stated that the two countries could be reconciled, but King George III just thought that the colonists were upset over the ministerial policy, but not his policy, which was not what they meant. -
Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, King George III of England issued a proclamation that declared the colonists as rebelling openly, which resulted in severe punishment as British citizens. This made colonists even more rebellious and angry. -
British Pulled out of Virginia
The Battle of Great Bridge was fought in order to remove Lord Dunmore and any other English government official from Virginia. That ended British rule in the colony of Virginia, and it also led to the capture and destruction of Norfolk, where many British people and supporters lived and retreated to. The Continental Army was led by Colonel William Woodford. Those that lived in Norfolk went to Lord Dunmore's ship, the HMS Otter, in the harbor. -
Common Sense Published
"Common Sense" was a political pamphlet written and published by Thomas Paine, who published it under a pseudonymn. It describes how the colonies very much needed to declare independence from England and become their own country. It was very popular among the colonists and became a best-seller, as well as gave more incentive for the colonists to keep rebelling and to strive to get independence. -
British Evacuate Boston
Under the command of General George Washington, Brigadier General John Williams led 800 soldiers and 1,200 workers to build fortifications in Dorchester Heights during the night of March 4. Loud cannons were shot in another town in order to prevent the sound of construction from being heard. In the morning, cannons from Fort Ticonderoga were placed there. The British and Loyalists evacuated Boston and headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress included sixty-six delegates, some of whom did not come to the last Congress. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, they had this meeting. Many important decisions, such as the fact that America had to break away from Britain, were made at this conference. The Continental Army was also created during this congress. -
Writing of Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson drafted the original Declaration of Independence. He began on June 11, 1776, and he submitted it to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776. This document declared the colonies as United States for the first time and declared the break from Great Britain during this time of tension between the two countries. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Artemas Ward ordered American troops to head to Bunker Hill in order to bombard the town and British ships in Boston Harbor, but they made a mistake and went to Breed's Hill instead. They were much closer to the British. The British were surprised that they were attacking them. Major General William Howe led the British forces up the Charles River, thinking that he could overtake the Americans, but they were closer and they defeated the British, who were either killed, injured, or retreated. -
Declaration of Independence
This document declared independence from Great Britain and declared all former thirteen colonies of Britain as the United States of America. All of the founding fathers signed it, and it was a monumental part in history where we first recognized ourselves as the United States. It included influences from Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, and documents such as the English Bill of Rights of 1789.
