American Revolution Timeline

Stamp Act

Mar 22, 1765

The Stamp Act was a tax on all printed paper in the colonies. The tax was relatively small, but the colonists were outraged because they didn't have a say in wheter of not the tax should be instated. Source

Protest of the Stamp Act

Aug 14, 1765

One of the first protests against the Stamp Act occurred in Boston. A few angered colonists hung an effigy from a tree, which incited more similar protests. Source

Gaspee Affair

Jun 6, 1772

The Gaspee was a ship led by an agressive inforcer of the custom laws, Lt. Duddington. When the ship ran aground, 55 members of the Sons of Liberty took over the ship by force. The Lieutenant was charged, but the Sons of Liberty were not, despite Parliaments best efforts. Source

Committees of Correspondence

Nov 2, 1772

Committees formed throughout the colonies in order to discuss issues regarding the new policies that were angering the colonists. Source

Boston Tea Party

Nov 29, 1773

As a protest to the tax on tea, a group of patriots overran the cargo ship, Dartmouth, which was carrying tea, They dumped 342 chests of the tea into the harbor. Source

Coercive Acts

Mar 30, 1774

A series of acts including the Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, and Quartering Act. These acts were instated mainly due to the sedition displayed by Boston with the Boston Tea Party. They involved requiring Boston to pay for damages from the Boston Tea Party in order to reopen the closed port of Boston and more direct control over Massachusetts. Source

Quebec Act

Jun 22, 1774

An act issued by parliament that put in place a new government in Quebec and increased its boundries and religious freedom. Colonists were upset because they had wanted some of the land that was given to Quebec. Roman Catholics benefitted most from this act, which angered the mainly protestant population of the colonies.

First Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

A meeting of elected delegates from each colony, except Georgia, to discuss the intentions of the America Colonies, which was more or less spilt between independence and simply wanting a voice in the English legislature. Peyton Randolph was the elected president of the congress. Source

Paul Revere's Ride

Apr 18, 1775

Revere rode to Lexington to warn the Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the regulars were coming to arrest them. Source

Battles of Lexiton and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

The British regulars marched to Concord to sieze a weapon cache. The militia of the colonies intercepted them in Lexington. These were the first formal battles in the American Revolution. Source

Second Continental Congress

May 10, 1775

The second meeting of the Continental Congress involved serious matters such as defending the colonies against a stronger military force, which brought about the creation of the Continental Army, and matters of governing the colonies itself because those who were once governing the colonies were now enemies of the colonies. Source

George Washington Appointed General

Jun 16, 1775

George Washington is appointed commander of the American forces against the British, mainly due to his past military experience. Source

Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 17, 1775

The Continental Army attempted to hold Bunker and Breed Hill against the charge of the British. They held the British off until they ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat. The British suffered heavy losses. Source
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Olive Branch Petition

Jul 5, 1775

A document written by John Dickinson and accepted by the Continental Congress. It showed that the colonists wished to remain as a part Britain, but they wanted change in the policies that were upsetting the colonies. Source

Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition

Aug 23, 1775

An official statement by King George III that acknowledges the rebel movement in America and allows for the military to supress it by all means necessary. Source

Common Sense Published

Jan 9, 1776

A pamphlet published by Thomas Paine that advocated for separation from England. It sold 500,00 copies and influenced many people to want independence. One point it covered was the fact that people came to America becasue they were unhappy in Europe and, therefore, shouldn't want to remain a part of it any longer. Source

British Evacuate Boston

Mar 17, 1776

George Washington sets up fortifications near the British position in Boston. The colonists bombard the British with cannons until the British were forced to evacuate from Boston completely. Source

Writing of the Declaration of Independence

Jun 28, 1776

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence with input from the Committee of Five: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston and Robert Sherman. It wasn't until July that the colonies, excluding New York, agreed on the document to declare their independence from England. Source

Declaration of Independence

Jul 2, 1776

A formal document, written by a few important patriots, stating that the Britsh Colonies now consider themsleves separate from the British Empire. Source

British Pull Out of Virginia

Oct 19, 1781

British General Charles Cornwallis was forced to surrender after ships, which were supposed to arrive in Yorktown to aid him and his men, did not arrive. He was outnumbered aproximatley 2 to 1 by the Continental Army and found he could not win. This marked the end of the American Revolutionary War. Source